VHS degrading and fear mongering in 2024

[VHSvideocapture]

Hi Guys

I want to ask some questions about VHS tapes everybody please give your opinion about this because I keep reading posts online about it with no definite answer.

The question and confusion is about VHS 📼 lifespan.

How long do VHS tapes last?
Do VHS tapes lose quality over time?
Do VHS lose more quality if you play them more often or do they keep in shape if played often?
Do VHS not lose quality if you play them once back them on a blank tape and keep the original save?

Will a VHS tape show signs of damage or will it lose quality if its been stored for long and not played at all?
Does not playing it mean it will last longer?

What if somebody has a VHS tape they bought 30 years ago and they kept it sealed for a long time and opened it after many years 25 years, will that 30 year old tape play as new or would have aged just sitting in a wardrobe or closed cupboard?


I understand storage and climate conditions also play a factor, most people don't keep tapes in a controlled environment.
I know someone who has lots of tapes and he has only played them a few times in nearly 40 years he thinks the tapes are going to last for a long time because they have not been played but I don't agree with him he is fighting over this issue.


Many companies that digitize also fear monger about tape life span how true are they or are thay just doing it for business.
If we look at what it says online some say VHS last 15 years some say 30, seeing this would it not be better for people that have rare movies just convert them using the cheapest method like a DVD recorder, yes I know the experts are going to be angry with me I'm sorry guys just asking?


Then we have the purist who want VHS capture done lossless with a high end VCR and timebase correctors, I am not saying that's bad but looking at where we are today should we not capture in whatever way we can to at least have something watchable in future?


I've also read the argument that these Lossless codecs Lagrith Huff will not be readable in future, is it worth keeping master uncompressed files on a harddrive if they aren't going to be readable?
How often do hard drives fail and what are the signs of a hard drive failing.


I'm sorry about my English I'm asking seriously questions and I'm a regular member of this forum now I'm not trolling just trying to learn please don't think im trolling or trying to create an argument I'm not.


Thanks to all

[dellsam34]

VHS or any magnetic tape format for that matter lifespan is unpredictable even with good storage condition, I have 2 full size family VHS tapes (shot on full size VHS camcorder) stored in room temperature, They played fine in 1995 in a low end VCR, digitized them with minor RF dropouts, recaptured them into lossless AVI in 2018 with more RF dropouts and frame issues.

The bottom line, it is not just about tape, VCRs are aging too and getting hard to repair due to lack of parts and techs, So the idea is to get them captured at your earliest convenience still holds true, but not to the extent of putting an expiration date on the tape, like climate change fear mongering that in 12 years we all going to die.

Software compatibility is never an issue, We can still use software that are obsolete and abandoned decades ago, vdub, winDV, Sclive, VideoRedo, just to name few.

[VHSvideocapture]

VHS or any magnetic tape format for that matter lifespan is unpredictable even with good storage condition, I have 2 full size family VHS tapes (shot on full size VHS camcorder) stored in room temperature, They played fine in 1995 in a low end VCR, digitized them with minor RF dropouts, recaptured them into lossless AVI in 2018 with more RF dropouts and frame issues.

That means nothing can be done I thought playing them once in a while will keep them running

The bottom line, it is not just about tape, VCRs are aging too and getting hard to repair due to lack of parts and techs, So the idea is to get them captured at your earliest convenience still holds true, but not to the extent of putting an expiration date on the tape, like climate change fear mongering that in 12 years we all going to die.

Software compatibility is never an issue, We can still use software that are obsolete and abandoned decades ago, vdub, winDV, Sclive, VideoRedo, just to name few.

What if we have 2 good VCRS with minimal use?
GotMemories does fearmongring all the time so does Legacybox

We don't really know if the software will keep working, msny capture cards no longer work in windows 10 windows 11.
Will lossless codecs keep working? Huffyuv does not play on windows media player, can these recorded files become corrupted one day? A family member had photos on his phone he transferred them on an SD memory card they all got deleted.

[The_Doman]

What if we have 2 good VCRS with minimal use?

You never know what the condition of a VCR will be after long(er) storage.
Rubber parts like belts/rollers can deteriorate/dry out, the electronics can go bad or other bad things can happen.
A have quite a few VCR's collected/stored myself, after longer time no use i always test first with an unimportant scratch tape.
But that is also something you should always do with a unknown VCR.

That means nothing can be done I thought playing them once in a while will keep them running

Using the VCR's once in a while indeed is good practice i think.
Nothing much else you can do as there are no new VCR's made and getting a VCR repaired/serviced is almost impossible for most people today.

[Sharc]

Hi Guys

I want to ask some questions about VHS tapes everybody please give your opinion about this because I keep reading posts online about it with no definite answer.

You won't get definite answers on this subject, never. Just opinions and personal experience.

How long do VHS tapes last?

Depends much on tape quality and storage condition. The majority of tapes are probably 30+ years old these days, but in various conditions.

Do VHS tapes lose quality over time?

Yes

Do VHS lose more quality if you play them more often or do they keep in shape if played often?

Playing the tapes means mechanical stress. Each playback damages the tape a tiny little bit. Never rewinding them is also problematic (fungi, mold, adhesion ...)

Do VHS not lose quality if you play them once back them on a blank tape and keep the original save?

As above. Duplicates (copies) are of lower quality. But 2 versions mitigate the risk of a loss.

Will a VHS tape show signs of damage or will it lose quality if its been stored for long and not played at all?

Basically yes (aging is inevitable). Rate of deterioration depending on storage condition though.

Does not playing it mean it will last longer?

See above. Occasional rewinding may be beneficial (say once every year).

What if somebody has a VHS tape they bought 30 years ago and they kept it sealed for a long time and opened it after many years 25 years, will that 30 year old tape play as new or would have aged just sitting in a wardrobe or closed cupboard?

See above. Aging is inevitable.

I understand storage and climate conditions also play a factor

Very true.

most people don't keep tapes in a controlled environment.

Probably.

I know someone who has lots of tapes and he has only played them a few times in nearly 40 years he thinks the tapes are going to last for a long time because they have not been played

Possible, I wouldn't bet my money on it though, but much depends on storage conditions.

Recommendation: Digitize your tapes now, but continue to keep the tapes in a safe and "reasonably controlled" environment (temperature, humidity, dust), so you can recapture if needed (better equipment, your improved skills and experience). Much depends how precious your memories are and who else will be interested in watching these in future - except yourself.

[Leanoric]

What do you chaps think about rewinding and fast forwarding a few times before capture? Is the extra wear on video heads and tape anything to be concerned about considering how old they are now?

[dellsam34]

Huffyuv does not play on windows media player

When did WMP ever played something useful?

[Sharc]

What do you chaps think about rewinding and fast forwarding a few times before capture? Is the extra wear on video heads and tape anything to be concerned about considering how old they are now?

One may do this 1x ...2x when encountering a problem, or with tapes which have not been used for a decade, or after changing the VCR. Not a general recommendation to do it a few times, IMO.

[VHSvideocapture]

You never know what the condition of a VCR will be after long(er) storage.
Rubber parts like belts/rollers can deteriorate/dry out, the electronics can go bad or other bad things can happen.
A have quite a few VCR's collected/stored myself, after longer time no use i always test first with an unimportant scratch tape.
But that is also something you should always do with a unknown VCR.

What if its a brand new VCR packaged in a box bought 25 years ago kept in a cool dry environments all those years and opened today just to capture tapes?

Can parts still deteriorate if they haven't been used? I can't understand why they would?
It's good to buy multiple VCRS but they are getting expensive to buy and how much is enough?
Let's you have 500 tapes to convert will 2 VCRS be enough for the job?

Then how many VHS could you capture in 1 day because I've read the the argument like USB capture cards anyone of them can literally burn out on heavy use like 6 hours, the very same could be said about any timebase corrector, I've read online about the AVT 8710 over heating and malfunctioning after 6 hours, we have a race against time but we are kind of helpless because if we capture more than 1 tape the capture card or timebase might malfunction and buying another one is very expensive and near impossible, if we delay capture the VCR parts like belts could perish over time even if stored and not used?

Using the VCR's once in a while indeed is good practice i think.
Nothing much else you can do as there are no new VCR's made and getting a VCR repaired/serviced is almost impossible for most people today.

The big problem is SVHS parts are not available normal VCR you can still get and if you do buy one online because these are from 2000 making them 24 years old, how much use and abuse have they had before coming to me or you?

[VHSvideocapture]

QUOTE=Sharc;2735983]You won't get definite answers on this subject, never. Just opinions and personal experience.
[\QUOTE]

Ok let me rephrase that to
A general consensus

Depends much on tape quality and storage condition. The majority of tapes are probably 30+ years old these days, but in various conditions.

For example say I recorded something rare from the TV in 2000 watched it once and ⏪ it to the start after that I have not touched it since then it's been 24 yrs and the tape has been in s cupboard since then, a few taps are ⏺️ in LP mode willl that also have.a negative effect? Im assuming it does from what I've read online?


[QUOTE=Sharc;2735983]
Playing the tapes means mechanical stress. Each playback damages the tape a tiny little bit. Never rewinding them is also problematic (fungi, mold, adhesion ...)
[\QUOTE]

We have to play it back for capture and if we have tapee from the 90S capturing was not even a thing, if we have family memories that have been played because family members would often borrow the master tape, copying was expensive VCR use to be expensive, not many people I know had more than 1

As above. Duplicates (copies) are of lower quality. But 2 versions mitigate the risk of a loss.

Not if it's a copy from the master? Im not risking my master tapes

Basically yes (aging is inevitable). Rate of deterioration depending on storage condition though.

An ignorant family member thinks not playing them does not age them
He is just mad says don't touch my films they are never going to age
He does not want to convert he is fighting with other family members.
To be honest I want this guy's films to deterioratie he deserves it.

See above. Occasional rewinding may be beneficial (say once every year).

Best to playback once a year and ⏪ after?

Possible, I wouldn't bet my money on it though, but much depends on storage conditions.

Hot mostly but they are locked away in a cupboard, he has nt even looked at them since 1990.

Recommendation: Digitize your tapes now, but continue to keep the tapes in a safe and "reasonably controlled" environment (temperature, humidity, dust), so you can recapture if needed (better equipment, your improved skills and experience). Much depends how precious your memories are and who else will be interested in watching these in future - except yourself.

Yes I'm doing that but family members just don't want me to they claim its wasting money and that I am wasting money on capturing this stuff

[VHSvideocapture]

When did WMP ever played something useful?

It use to be the default player on ever PC that's why people used it.

Now you have to pay extra for it to play DVD.
It can however play mpeg2 encoded files if you download the mpeg2 extension from the Microsoft store, in fact it automatically asks you to if you give it an mpeg2 file to ▶️

[VHSvideocapture]

What do you chaps think about rewinding and fast forwarding a few times before capture? Is the extra wear on video heads and tape anything to be concerned about considering how old they are now?

Once should be fine in my personal opinion.
Never ⏪ or ⏩ during playback it damages the tape and the Dynamic drum on the JVC SVHS PLAYER wikk fail you