New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

Apparently, in Liverppol, someone's opening a shop where you can not only rent VHS videos but also the players.

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/what...ening-14825811

I guess this follows on from the 'vinyl resurgence' of the last few years. I wonder how his rented VHS-players will play with the current generation of TVs which have been SCART-free for the last ten years??

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

As the charity shops seem to have stopped carrying VHS tapes a couple of years ago (the last ones I saw were being sold at 5 for £1), there might be a demand for a rental service again.

The TVs we bought 5 years ago (one LG, two Celcus from Sainsburys) all had at least one Scart socket, but could have been end of line models.

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

Maybe he'll have to start renting CRT tv's from the 80's and 90's as well! That would really give the proper setting for VHS. Maybe those of us who still have TV's with SCART could hire the sets to him and make a few bob out of it....;D

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

I wonder how many digital TV's can receive analogue too? Our fairly recent Samsung appears (from the tuning menu) to be able to receive analogue signals but I've not tried it with a video recorder.

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

The connectivity problem could be overcome by renting out those portable sets with built-in VHS player. The 12" or 14" screen would add to the retro experience.

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

Hi,
As an aside,
I was in our local supermarket t'other day and noticed that they still have blank VHS cassettes for sale!
Cheers, Pete.

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

i have just thrown away about 15 vhs recorders last week sony panasonic etc i did keep a couple of dvd vcr and dvdr vcr combo's
mind you i still have hundreds of tapes in various format vhs beta v2000 philips vcr

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

I have yet to come across a TV which can't do analogue (admittedly sometimes hidden under layers of menus and sometimes only available in some country settings) - TVs are now designed at a global level and in many territories analogue is alive and well - sometimes only on legacy cable systems

J

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

You should have sold them on eBay.

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

I see Aldi have a Medion 55inch TV on offer which has a Scart socket. { £400 } I think.
Maybe that could be used with VHS recorders ?
I use an old 20inch Goodmans tv which used to be our main set years ago. I collected quite a few VHS recorders and combos when people got rid of them. Plenty of old videos as well. Also I use an old Philips portable for checking if mcs work.
My son in law got rid of his large collection of VHS films and then collected the same films on DVDS.
Peter W...Reelguy.

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

Plenty of adapters about for modern TV's.

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

Hello.
There would be no way on earth I'd watch a VHS film on a large screen modern TV. On a 50 or 55 inch flat screen the picture would be dreadful. Yes they are good on HD but cannot cope with the noisy and poor resolution from a standard VHS machine.

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

The size alone (50") would render the VHS resolution intrusive.
When you start looking at projectors, and 100" diagonals, DVD becomes noticeably lacking.

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

I can't see VHS rental being a viable project. Mangled tapes, old unreliable machines, poor picture quality on gigantic flat TVs and the added complicated use of old technology. Just a whim I think and the public will soon get bored with it. J.

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

From what I can make out, VideOdyssey is open three evenings a week and is part of Toxteth TV, 37-45 Windsort Street, Liverpool. Their website isn't working but these pages have summaries:

https://www.4rfv.co.uk/c/44749/toxteth-tv
https://crew.mandy.com/uk/other-serv...ile/toxteth-tv

So it seems that VideOdyssey is more of a way of indulging in and sharing a hobby with other enthusiasts, run on the back of a main business, rather than a business that needs to be viable in its own right.

From the photos on Google Images and here https://harrisonstringfellow.co.uk/projects/toxteth-tv/ it seems to be a large building that is home to various community and performing arts groups etc, so probably plenty of room for this chap's video rentals and arcade gaming machines somewhere.

I hope he succeeds, and most of all enjoys what he's doing.

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

Was that a national chain store supermarket?
- I haven't seen VHS tapes on sale in shops for a few years now, after Wilko / WH Smiths etc stopped selling Maxell (about the last major brand ones available) tapes. And even Poundland finally stopped selling their poor quality own-brand ones.
So it was a case of looking in charity shops, where you occasionally found new blanks or buying the pre-recorded ones at 10p (inc. a nice plastic box case) to tape over.
I do occasionally see them at Radio Rallies and the NVCF - Although strangely Betamax one are often more common and cheaper.
I've still got lots of VHS and a few older Betamax / V2000 / N1700 / N1500 machines and still occasionally record to VHS as it's much easier to edit bits from, even if it is all analogue in and out. And the parents still use VHS VCR's every day.

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

I still have over 2000 VHS tapes, plus several hundred V2000 tapes in my collection. I have been accumulating them since about 1980. They are all carefully cataloged and stored in good dry conditions. My main TV is a 36" Philips CRT set which has 4 Scart sockets as well as front AV phono inputs. I am convinced that the picture quality is every bit as good as any modern flat-screen set, especially when viewing old tapes, etc. It will certainly take some doing to persuade me to replace any of my CRT sets with LCD sets or the like thereof.

Re: New VHS video-rental shop opening!
 

I recently picked up 19 Unused TDK 180 VHS tapes still in cellophane wrappers from someone on Freegle. Otherwise they where destined for the tip. Will save me having to erase some other tapes.
Peter W... Reelguy