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"Why should I convert my tapes to DVD?"
Good question! In their day analog video tapes like VHS,
VHS-C, and Hi-8 were
state-of-the-art and served to preserve our memories well. But video
tapes by their very nature have built-in issues that limit their lifetime.
The VCRs that play those analog tapes have complex mechanisms (have you ever
seen one taken apart, or tried to fix one? Sheesh, it's nearly
impossible!). Every time you play a tape it rubs against the quickly
spinning video head
and part of the signal is lost when small particles detach from the tape.
Worse than that, with age both the VCRs and tapes don't work as well and the
ultimate disaster can strike - the VCR eats the tape! Did you know that
your video tapes are degrading just by sitting on the shelf? That's right,
the tape will slowly de-magnetize over time.
The DVD solves these problems! When the DVD is read,
there is no physical contact with a "tape head". The DVD is read in a
non-destructive way with a low-powered laser. The lifetime of the DVDs we
use have been estimated to be as long as 100 years. The DVD has other
benefits too:
- Random access - you can instantly skip to parts of the
DVD, no more lengthy fast-forwarding and rewinding.
- Small size - you can store more than 10 times the number
of DVDs in the same space as VHS tapes.
There is only one conclusion - if you want to ensure the
preservation of your precious memories, you need to get the information off your
old analog tapes and onto DVDs!
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