VHS tapes - just so much junk?

Cabbie21 Vinyl is very popular now, and many people say that the sound quality is much better than CDs.

I bought a record player at HMV for my grandson recently as I have some old albums that he likes. The record player wasn't that expensive - though some vinyls are quite expensive. I am hoping it will give him another interest, apart from screens!

I started recording very early in the morning as the news broke about Princess Diana's death. I also recorded her funeral. And have Charles & Diana's and Andrew & Fergie's weddings on VHS. Primary historical evidence that I hoped may inerest my children one day.

I keep planning on having them transferred to DVD but of course, alongside my Dad's 35mm slides of me as a little girl I'll probably never get around to it.

I am trying to decide whether to get rid of lots of good quality classical vinyl or to buy equipment on which to play them. Lots of recordings by once top artistes which I would love to listen to- but would I? It is all too easy to get them on YouTube or Spotify. Maybe I should get Alexa instead? I have lots of CDs and the equipment to play them but do I bother? Rarely.
But if I do decide to get rid of cds and vinyl - where?

petra

Why not transfer the tapes to CD.
It’s not expensive.

I think the cd’s are quite expensive now. I have a few left over from when I bought a recorder that could transfer them ( never worked out how to use it: need to have another go at doing it). I think it’s time I got my technically minded kids to find time to help me. I did get a few transferred to cd at Max Spielmans but that was quite expensive.

Why not transfer the tapes to CD.
It’s not expensive.

Charity shops in my town don’t take them because no one buys them

Some charity shops might be pleased to take unwanted commercially-produced VHS tapes off your hands. If not, it's probably best to take them to your local household recycling centre (the place that used to be called the tip!).

I gave a large collection of VHS tapes and the video player to our local geriatric unit .Lots of black and white classsics like Casablanca and around 100 60s 70s and 80s.They were happy to take them especially as I had the m/c pat tested and certificated .A lot of our generation in the ward who really enjoyed the newer films as well as the ones they knew from their youth

The Headway shop in our town take them. Headway is a brilliant charity.

Thankfully modern technology means that people are no longer buying DVD’s, cd’s etc so it’s a problem only older people like me have. I also have boxes of audio tapes from when I used to tape LP’s so I could play them in the car or take them on holiday. Mind you, I don’t think they are playable any more; I did try to play one and the sound had gone. But it might be that my ancient tape player doesn’t work either.

I’m even worse because, on top of buying VHS tapes I used to record everything. The problem with throwing them out is that sometimes people have recordings of programmes that are no longer available and there might be some hidden treasure amongst them. Eg there’s a film I watched many years ago that I dearly wanted to see again. I found it on utube and it was only there because someone had it on tape and had utubed it.Other people had been desperately looking for a copy of it. I have a BBC documentary that is nowhere to be found anywhere that I would love to put on utube myself but am not sure about copyrite rules. I also have boxes of sporting videos that someone wants to buy off me but I keep wondering if it’s because they know they can make lots of money from it. When I retired I was going to go through all of my recordings but, 12 years later still haven’t done so ( although I have thrown out some things that I now have on dvd eg some RicBurns documentaries).

Well I’m hoping they’ll be in demand again one day and have a “moment”, just like vinyl is enjoying now.

Though I still can’t persuade DH to part with a single one of his record collection, and I don’t think there’ll ever be a stampede to buy the kids’ once prized signed video of Philip Schofield’s Pop Video Show Part 1.

Well of course Charity shops don’t want them for the same reason you don’t want them 🤣
You ll either have to think of some alternative use as an art project or to keep the birds off your garden or throw them out or hang on to them in case everything goes round in a circle and they become antiques like the music for music organs and 78 s has again now

Could they be used as a kind of brick for building?

We also have old VHS tapes, although our DVD player can play VHS as well so a few of them are still in use. I keep hoping someone will come up with a way of recycling them, but haven't found anything yet.

Yes, loads.