Category Archives: Video tape

A Trip through Home Entertainment Time

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Stephen Dawson

A while back reader James came to my rescue with some video tapes so that I could do a VHS vs Blu-ray vs DVD comparison. I grabbed the video fairly quickly, then procrastinated for ages. In the end, though, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Blu-ray, DVD, Video tape | 2 Comments

VHS vs DVD vs Blu-ray

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Stephen Dawson

The current issue of Sound and Image magazine carries an article by me called ‘Gettin’ Better all the time’, and it’s primarily concerned with a comparison between the VHS, DVD and Blu-ray versions of movies. It covers Independence Day, Chicago … Continue reading →

Posted in Blu-ray, DVD, Video, Video tape | 1 Comment

Pan and Scan again

Posted on March 5, 2010 by Stephen Dawson

About nine years ago I published an article in which I suggested that so-called ‘Pan and Scan’ isn’t always as bad as feared. Pan and Scan is a technique by which a widescreen movie is reformatted to full frame display … Continue reading →

Posted in Blu-ray, DVD, Video, Video tape | 3 Comments

Yes, HD DVD is dead

Posted on February 19, 2008 by Stephen Dawson

Well, so that’s it for HD DVD. Just Google News on HD DVD, and you will see that its demise is official. Of course, it’s only Toshiba abandoning the format, but without Toshiba the format is nothing. Interesting parallels: Betamax … Continue reading →

Posted in Blu-ray, HD DVD, Video tape | Leave a comment

Accurate timing of videos

Posted on August 17, 2004 by Stephen Dawson

Rod, who runs the excellent The Chopping List, has asked me: I was talking to a friend who has also adopted a censorship watchdog role about VHS running times for movies. To get a duration for a film on tape … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, How Things Work, Video, Video tape | Leave a comment

Philips backs recordable DVDs in a big way

Posted on February 11, 2004 by Stephen Dawson

The Australian arm of electronics giant Philips says that it won’t be selling VCRs any more. Philips seems to be the first of what will eventually be many makers pulling out of the field, although I expect that it won’t … Continue reading →

Posted in DVD, Equipment, Recorders, Video tape | Leave a comment