Today is one of them. I just upgraded my garage with a new LED TV and a new DVD recorder/VCR recorder. My plan was to watch my old VHS tapes and burn them to DVD at the same time (such as Steve McQueen in LeMans).

I hook everything up. The TV gets a wonderful cable signal. The DVD's play great. But the VHS tapes are crap on the new TV . . . very blurry. So I hook up the new recorder to my old analog TV, play the same tape, and it's fine.

I could upgrade to HDMI cables but I don't see how that will improve anything. Heck, on my old TV I only hook up the white & yellow (there's no place for the red). I don't want two TV's on the workbench. I have not tried burning a videotape into a DVD but I can't imagine that it will correct the problem. I understand the new stuff handles resolutions that are 100 times better but I didn't expect it to make the picture quality crappy on the old lower resolution stuff.

I'm at a loss, so if anyone can suggest anything - go for it. Neither the TV or Recorder service departments were of any assistance.

One step forward and two steps back.

 

I keep thinking - what's the point of being able to convert VHS to DVD if the quality is going to be crappy?

 

I think the point is that eventually the tapes will deteriorate and become unplayable, while the 1's and 0's on the DVD should last forever. However, I'm with you. Sometimes the new technology is actually a step behind. My 45 RPM records will last forever!

 

Working on a PM for you dlq04.

 

Check your PM and let me know if you have any questions. You can always PM me for my cell if it is easier to explain stuff that way rather than email.

 

Dave, I had my VHS tapes of my kids growing up, converted to DVDs. Paid way too much for it and the quality sucks. I didn't think of why, and was just disappointed.

 

Dave, maybe you could record this version on your DVD.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/archive/ind...p/t-892838.html

 

ya cant get a clear pic on a tv that shows 1080 lines of resolution from a source thats barely showing 400

 

I wouldn't think that the quality of the tapes on your TV would impact the quality that goes on the DVD, since you said they look good on another TV. You're recording from VCR to DVR and no TV needs to even be hooked up. Of course if you use the same TV to play the DVD you recorded, then the quality might suck.
You probably knew all this, though.

 

that it is frustrating on one hand but on the other. I still have some vinyl records. For example I have bought the second album by Blood, Sweat & Tears three times. The first LP in 1969, the a direct disc half speed (16 2/3 RPM) master in about 1981, then a remastered "gold" CD. About a decade ago. I would rather listen to the latter any day. It is NOT like listening to a bowl of breakfast cereal, no snap, crackle, pop.

When I upgraded our home PC I wish now I had gone with Windows 7 Professional to obtain the XP compatibility feature to use some of my old software. Minutes before ready this thread I was looking at my 100 MB Zip disk and wondering how I am going to retrieve some of my MP3's off of them.

Along these lines can anyone recommend a good basic free download to resize and crop photos for Windows 7?