Recording a TV show is never easy. The most common issue is missed episodes -- either your fault, theirs, or weather/news alerts. The release is easier. If your time is money, then self-recorded TV is at least 10x more expensive.
- Only record unreleased shows.
- Only record shows that were released edited/censored/cut, and you want the original version (often because you remember it that way).
Remember to see if shows are released in UK, Germany, Poland or Australia, before deciding that it's unreleased. Don't just look at your local Best Buy or
Amazon. The world is bigger than the USA! For examle, my favorite show --- come on, guess -- SMURFS! -- is only released in Australia. It's now out of print (OOP), but there are still ways to get it. Lots of Marvel 80s-90s cartoons are only released in UK. Some rarer shows show up in places like Spain, Germany, Poland, etc -- and yes, they're in English (dual audio discs, ENG as 2nd track in most cases).
Right now, as another example, I'm recording What's Happening Now season 2-3 from DISH. It's not released. But between my recorder, the station, and weather/news, I *still* do not have a complete run. And I started recording it in October! It's only 45 or so episodes, but it's taking long than 9 weeks to get it (5 eps per week aired). I'm hoping not to miss those again, but the odds are against me. Another person is trying to get it as well, so hopefully between the two of us, we'll catch all the episodes. Then we can exchange what we're missing.
Also: DVDs look better, but S-VHS is/was much easier. I'm sometime tempted to throw the DVD recorder against the wall, and break out my JVC 3800 SVHS recording decks and some TDK SVHS tapes I have on hand.
