Longest, best quality VHS tape in SP mode?

[PLPGBoy89]

Hey guys. I'm working on 2 VHS tapes. One will have wrestling on it and the other will have anything that's not wrestling. I've learned today that recording in EP mode will lessen the quality of the tape, which I was not aware of when I started recording years ago.

I've been looking at VHS tapes that are on amazon, ebay, and craigslist all day, but I need help figuring out which tape will give me good quality and more than 2 hours in SP mode. A tape that's over 3 hours in SP would be great. The tapes I've been using are Zenith T 120 HQ. Anyone know how those tapes compare to other brands? I guess I can live with anything that's an upgrade from Zenith, but I would like to get the best quality that's out there.

Also, I have a Sharp VC-H822 VCR. It says on the flap "4-Head Hi-Fi Stereo/Rapid Rewind". My question is what kind of VHS tapes can play on my VCR/are compatible? The end goal is to convert the tapes to DVD or blu ray when I finish, but I still have a lot of work to do. Hope to hear from someone. Thanks

[volksjager]

why would you even want to record anything on a VHS tape in 2014?
every time you dub a tape you lose quality
record them directly to dvd or blu-ray - dont dub stuff to one tape first

anything Zenith is pretty much rubbish
the best tapes are S-VHS or D-VHS

if you absolutluy must record to VHS - use a JVC Super VHS deck and find some DF-420 D-VHS tapes
they will fit 3.5 hours on a tape in Sp mode

[PLPGBoy89]

I started recording on 1 tape since the 90s. I'm guessing I will need to buy something costly to record directly to DVD or Blu ray. Do S-VHS and D-VHS tapes work on my Sharp VCR? Because I don't have much cash to play with so that's why I stuck with the VCR.

[volksjager]

get a JVC DR-M100 DVD recorder
they are the best and not that expensive
use the XP or FR-155 modes

they s-vhs/d-vhs tape will work in the sharp, but you wont get the Super-VHS benefits
a JVC HR-S4800 or HR-S5900 vcr will do a much better job and isnt expensive

OR... just get a capture card and capture this stuff to a computer

[sanlyn]

I wasn't quite certain, so I had to check the date of this this post carefully. Yes, it really was posted in September 2014.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PLPGBoy89

I've learned today that recording in EP mode will lessen the quality of the tape, which I was not aware of when I started recording years ago.

It took all this time for you to notice this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by PLPGBoy89

I've been looking at VHS tapes that are on amazon, ebay, and craigslist all day, but I need help figuring out which tape will give me good quality and more than 2 hours in SP mode.

You'll be looking for many, many more days. SP mode is 2-hour mode. Period. The "SP" rating has to do with the speed of the moving tape and the higher bandwidth required for more detail. However, "detail" when it comes to VHS tape is a misnomer -- VHS tape has more noise and less detail than any other consumer recording medium.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PLPGBoy89

A tape that's over 3 hours in SP would be great.

Not possible. You can get special editions of T120 tape in a 6-hour length (which means thinner, lower quality tape), which will give you about 2hrs 20minutes at SP recording speed, or 6 hours at EP.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PLPGBoy89

The tapes I've been using are Zenith T 120 HQ. Anyone know how those tapes compare to other brands? I guess I can live with anything that's an upgrade from Zenith, but I would like to get the best quality that's out there.

Zenith VHS tape is garbage. The long-time consensus on the best quality VHS tape available to consumers has usually pointed to TDK EHG T-120 http://www.ebay.com/itm/TDK-T120-EHG...3D171421253437 .

Quote:

Originally Posted by PLPGBoy89

Also, I have a Sharp VC-H822 VCR.

I wouldn't be too proud of this. It was made long after decent Sharp VCR's had their heyday in the late 1990's. It's a typically low-budget, low quality VCR.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PLPGBoy89

My question is what kind of VHS tapes can play on my VCR/are compatible?

Any retail VHS T-120 or T-160 VHS tape is compatible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PLPGBoy89

The end goal is to convert the tapes to DVD or blu ray when I finish, but I still have a lot of work to do. Hope to hear from someone.

Recording to VHS tape with the purpose of making DVD's is not just a waste of time, it's utter nonsense. Get a DVD recorder. There are only a couple of DVD recorders available today in the U.S.A., commonly found at Sears and Walmart. They carry brand names like Toshiba, Magnavox, and Panasonic, but they are all made by Funai. VHS tape is not "converted" to digital formats. Instead, it is either recorded directly to DVD media or captured to digital format onto a computer using capture devices made for that purpose. If by "BluRay" you allude to making high definition transfers from poorly recorded VHS tape, you're kidding yourself. VHS can be captured to a PC and then encoded to standard-definition 720x480 interlaced BD-R or AVCHD with any of several h264/MPEG4 encoders. There are no "BluRay" recorders for sale in North America.

If you haven't seen the digital video and capture guide in this forum, I suggest you go there immediately and stop wasting your time: http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video.htm

Good luck.

[volksjager]

a T-160 tape will do 2 hour 40 minutes in SP mode
a T-180 tape will do 3 hours SP mode
i even have a T-210 tape here - 3.5 hours in SP mode

but as Sanlyn says this is accomplished by using thinner tape stock - which isnt as good

[sanlyn]

Oops. Thanks for correcting the numbers, volksjager. Well, it's been a while. I think the last time I used T160 tape was around 1994 -- it was just too too thin, flimsy, and noisy.

[PLPGBoy89]

sanlyn, yes, the date is right lol. Unfortunately, it did take me this long to know what EP mode does. I wasn't VCR savvy back then or now. I would never boast about my VCR, either. Just was saying which one I had. Thanks for responding.

volksjager, thanks for responding. If I got a DVD recorder, would I be able to record hdmi like I'm able to record composite on the VCR? I would like to use my PS3/PS4/laptop to record whatever's on the screen. Also, would I be able to watch the recorded DVD back right away to see how it recorded or can I only watch it back when I'm finished with the DVD? Finally, if I record something from a blu ray disc onto the DVD, would the quality show clear or mess up?

[volksjager]

if you want to record from you game system - then you should really be using a capture device with you PC.
the Happauge HD-PVR works very well with game systems.
blu-rays are HD - DVD's are SD if you plug a blu-ray player into a DVD recorder the resulting DVD will only be SD
a blu-ray is much bigger - 25gb vs a DVD which is 4.7 gb

[PLPGBoy89]

Hmm. I'm not sure if my laptop plays blu ray discs, so I guess I would have to record on a DVD. Would I be able to record my laptop screen on a capture device?

[sanlyn]

BluRay recorders are not available in North America. An HD-PVR as mentioned is the way to record HD over here.

[PLPGBoy89]

Oh. I just meant if my laptop doesn't recognize blu ray discs, I can't capture it onto blu ray, which would have been great.

I'm also looking at the Elgato, as well. Is there another way to capture onto blu ray disc if my laptop doesn't accept it? Also, if I convert the recorded DVD to blu ray, will the quality stay the same as it was on DVD?

[volksjager]

no point in blu-rays if you computer doesnt have a blu-ray drive

elgato is a cheapo low-end device
for game capturing the Happauge device is the way to go
for tapes get an ATI600USB

[PLPGBoy89]

What would be the DVD disc I would use to record on it?

[volksjager]

get some Mitsubishi-Verbatim blank DVD-R from Amazon

[lordsmurf]

You want TDK EHG (aka Vivid) T-120 tapes: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...G44BRO2676M45Y

Or as second choice, JVC T-120 VHS tapes: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...X5I2WJ7BEZJSE2

Those were, and still are, the best tapes ever made, along with the long-gone BASF.

Both are sold everywhere, from dollar stores to electronics stores -- though the TDK is cheaper on Amazon. Beware the non-EHG TDKs!

For the DVD-R, you want these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...MPISJSNLQEXHVL

The Sharp VC-H822 VCR is not horrible, from the early 2000s, but not as good as the mid/late models. For a recording deck, it's actually pretty decent, assuming it's in perfect alignment. And that's what discerns the 90s units from the 2000s units -- alignment. The 90s units had it, and the 2000s were very sloppy and often needed adjustment before use.

[PLPGBoy89]

I will be recording more than 1 time. Would the DVD-R let me do that?

[volksjager]

no
and you shouldn't re-use tapes either
you need a capture card - that way you can record stuff to your hard drive

[PLPGBoy89]

By re-use tapes, you mean VCR tapes or DVD? You're saying it's better to just record it all at 1 time?

[sanlyn]

You don't appear to be thinking clearly about this.
Tape is tape. DVD disc is not tape.
Record onto tape once. Only. Do not re-use VHS tape. Period.

DVD disc: when you have finished recording, the disc must be finalized in the machine that made the recording. If a disc is not finalized in the machine that made the recording, the disc cannot be played in any other machine or player. After a DVD disc is finalized, it can't be re-used.

How many hours of these videos do you intend to create?