DaveN 1,118 Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 There's a new 3 part T.V. programme called "That's So Last Century" starts on Tuesday 8th December on Channel 4 at 10pm. The programme is about Gadgets and includes huge mobile phones, VHS Recorders, Walkmans and the Spectrum computer. It sounds as though it might be interesting looking back and worth a watch 7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
OrphanAnnie 296 Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 Thanks for that Dave I will look out for that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
parmitage 127 Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Talking of VHS do you remember betamax Best wishes Peter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveN 1,118 Posted December 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 I had a Betamax Video Recorder and thought the quality was better than VHS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Does it cover "working for a living" too....... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 It was better quality DaveN, that's why the vast majority of TV stations used Betamax cameras for recording video on assignment right up to their replacement with digital cameras. Big problem Sony had with the Betamax was it needed a lot of bandwidth for data, took them ages to overcome the recording time limitations with their tapes that VHS format didn't have. Eventually they slowed the tape speed down to accomadate mre data, but lost quality, but still far superior to VHS. We had a Toshiba Betamax and a VHS tape player/recorder too. Much preferred the Toshiba, far better picture quality. The "war" between the two recording formats was won using the printed media. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BeestonMick 263 Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Video 2000 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DJ360 6,733 Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 I think Beta was generally acknowledged to be better than VHS, but V2000 was supposed to be better still. I think we ended up with VHS because of politics in the industry. FWIW, I still have a VHS player under the telly but haven't used it for years and chucked out hundreds of vids last year. Couldn't give them away. I have a smartphone, also a cute little Sansa Clip MP3 player, a tablet and a PC and a smart telly. But I still play vinyl and occasionally 78s via my hi-fi. I'm in the process of getting into audio 'streaming', so all of my CDs can be loaded to a server and accessed at will. I replaced my Cassette player with a CD recorder which will record from any analogue or digital audio source onto a hard drive and then burn to CD. I use it mostly for digitising vinyl. Some people are going over entirely to streaming all their music choices in high res from the internet, via subscription, but I'm not going that far yet. I suppose I've got a foot in this century and the last.... Col Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BeestonMick 263 Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 And wasn't the whole tape thing invented by the BBC? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loppylugs 8,429 Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Sounds like an interesting series. Hope they upload it to youtube. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveN 1,118 Posted December 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2015 Part 2 of this series tonight Channel 4 at 10pm. Spotlight is on toys and includes Subbuteo, Magic Eye Books, Domino Rally, Crossfire and dolls 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,328 Posted December 15, 2015 Report Share Posted December 15, 2015 #3 Parmitage: I still have a Betamax recorder and tapes! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Booth 7,364 Posted December 15, 2015 Report Share Posted December 15, 2015 The info states, 'Some very unusual dolls' Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveN 1,118 Posted December 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2015 What are you trying to say Michael? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alan s 156 Posted December 16, 2015 Report Share Posted December 16, 2015 I had a Betamax Video Recorder and thought the quality was better than VHS I believe VHS came out on top because that's what the "adult entertainment" film industry adopted. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MelissaJKelly 2,124 Posted December 16, 2015 Report Share Posted December 16, 2015 Watched this last night and got a great Christmas present idea..turns out my fella loves Subbuteo so I've ordered it from Argos. Was surprised they still sold it! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BilboroughShirley 1,120 Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 #1 Thanks DaveN for telling us this was on. I have just watched episode 1 on Channel 4 catchup. Brilliant! I strongly disagree with what they said about the BBC computer being useless. In 1991 I used to do all the external exam entries for a school using a BBC computer and a Dialup connection. It worked but I had to do it after school because if the phone rang we were cut off and had to start sending the file again. All the entries for one exam board had to go in one file. It was so much better than doing entries on paper because the data was stored on disc and you could print all the lists you wanted. I had a cassette tape player in my car and I made up a tape of Bohemian Rhapsody over and over again for the full length of the tape. It was great driving music. The way the people struggled with the cameras reminded me of the woman with the can opener in Back in Time for Christmas! When I was 11 my parents bought me a Boots Comet 11S camera and I never had a problem putting film in. That was the camera I used until after I was married. iPhones, tablets, laptops and other modern pieces of equipment do much of the work for us and make it easy. I have also noticed that now many pieces of equipment have their instructions as a set of diagrams. The Dyson cleaner does. This is a dumbing down but it does have the advantage that you do not need a book with the same thing in 20 languages! I look forward to watching episode 2 tomorrow, or actually later today! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveN 1,118 Posted December 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 The last part of the series is on tonight (Dec 22nd Channel 4 at 10pm).It lloks at 20th century home and leisure gadgets including electric carving knives, egg scramblers and shell suits. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,328 Posted December 24, 2015 Report Share Posted December 24, 2015 Shell suits! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
philmayfield 6,197 Posted December 24, 2015 Report Share Posted December 24, 2015 Many years ago one of our "early doors" crowd at the local was going on about how he loathed shell suits. Naturally next day the rest of us bought shell suits and turned up that evening to give him apoplexy! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TBI 2,351 Posted December 24, 2015 Report Share Posted December 24, 2015 Shell suits had to be one of the naffest fashions ever. I look back and am ashamed to say I wore one for a while. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BeestonMick 263 Posted December 24, 2015 Report Share Posted December 24, 2015 Remember these? wheelo! 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Commo 1,292 Posted December 24, 2015 Report Share Posted December 24, 2015 I was fascinated by my Wheelo, the slight hum and the smooth running up and down and round the framework. Thanks for the picture Mick, I have tried to remember what they were called to bring it to the attention of the Forum for ages. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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