Why I'll Wait To Buy A DVD
Jan 19 '00
I remember becoming aware of VCR's for the home back in 1980: a friend who was always salivating for the next techno-gadget (and it was slim pickings then) bought the first Home VCR I ever saw. It was so cool. I recall he paid about $1,200 for his giant machine; a massive grey weight that took up four times the shelf space of today's inexpensive and streamlined models.
My friend threw a "VCR Bash" that weekend. All guests exalted the prowess of such an amazing feat of technology that had just put taping "All My Children" within our grasp. We marvelled at the fact that it had a timer! We watched enraptured and we all eventually got one.
As VCR's improved and the prices eased down, most of America's homes purchased them and began renting movies. Owning a video rental store at that peak was like being paid to mine your own gold. We all rented, then began our own growing collections of favorite films, then got the cameras when the kids started coming - now, most of our life's memories are stored on tape.
And fragile tape it is. A tape no thicker than a hair. And guess what? Video tape deteriorates. If you're just realizing this for the first time, be prepared for disappointment if you haven't watched those family reunion tapes since 1985. You may find major audio and video dropout. You may find black screen popping up instead of Uncle Odus playing his banjo. You may cry during your daughter's wedding again (and not with tears of joy) when you find that the vibrant colors of the bridesmaid's dresses have somehow turned brown. If you value your moving memories, start transferring them ASAP to fresh, high-quality video tape. I recently watched a "Video Card" that I sent my folks in 1982 - draggy and blurry now...and I looked so cute.
Until you purchase a write-able DVD player, and I stress the write-able part because this will be the "next thing", I suggest that you stop buying pre-recorded video. Rent more. Put the difference in the cookie jar for the near-future DVD technology, one that offers you the taping option like your VCR. And, if you begin now to harvest what you can from the VCR personal tapes you own, you'll be ready when the opportunity comes to transfer these memories onto DVD. If you begin now to think "write-able DVD" and start planning towards that purchase, the transition will be smoother on your budget and you'll buy a better machine.
If you must continue to buy the movies, start checking out eBay where new DVD owners are listing their old videos for a pittance. I confess: I had to have the "Get Shorty" I lost in the divorce so I got an almost new copy on eBay last month for $4.00 + 2.00 shipping.
If you are single or married with no children, wait. The specs for DVDs will only rise and the prices will only fall. If you bide your time, you'll wind up with the write-able DVD. If you must have a DVD player now, you can always put it in the kid's room later. Heck, by the time you are ready to buy a write-able DVD, there may even be a better idea.
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Member: emily moorehead
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