I realized yesterday how "we", as a technological field and general society, are screwed with our machines. Sure, it's a fact that electronics are upgraded every six months and there's always something new, but for the people who have been using the original machine, there's not a lot that can be done.
Case in point:
A customer came into my work yesterday with a shoe box full of old
8mm video tapes to transfer to DVD (as well as
DVC tapes). The actual
8mm camcorder is hard to find these days, unless you want to buy it
used. The "new" option goes for over $550, while the "used" is selling for less than $200. It's like eBay, in a way, since you're getting the video camera at a "previously loved" discount. By comparison, the
miniDV camcorders are being sold as used, right out of the gate. The price for these
recorders are ranging below $400, although, I saw one that's being promoted as close to $600. Such a price difference, and yet, they're becoming obsolete (thanks to the "new and improved" memory stick / internal hard drive
video cameras).
Plus, what are you going to do with the camera, now that you bought it? Hook it up to the
VCR you no longer own, and transfer it yourself? What's going to happen once you get it to tape? Maybe you were one of the lucky ones who decided to stay on the up and up and get a
VCR and DVD combo. But even still; new TVs are becoming smarter than the user. The ports are limited to what you can hook up, as most people are getting away from clunky machines (although some players these days have HDMI ports instead of using the red/yellow/white RCA cable).
The other option, once you buy that used camera, is to have a
computer with an optical drive / burning drive (good luck finding a laptop with a disc drive lately). Invest in
video editing software (some probably won't come with a
USB video capture device, so you'll need to buy that separately too), learn how to use import your kid's school play, and then edit it. Now what? What to put it to DVD? How about putting it on your social network page? There are different options for that as well (all fairly easy once you get the hang of it).
If all fails, you can always look in to a straight
DVD Recorder, but even then, they're falling by the wayside. Fifteen years ago, these things used to be the hip new gadgets. I have owned plenty of them, as sometimes you just need an update or end up giving it to someone and they destroy it (thanks a lot, friend!). I like these recorders because they can not only record old home movies, but they double as a standard DVD player. Best of all the worlds. That, and you hook it up to your cable box, you can use it as a DVR (providing you want to use DVDs. Otherwise, I know those hard disc drive recorders are still around and some of the new ones can probably hook right in to your computer if you want to transfer them yourself and make your own DVDs). I'm still using a Sony
recorder, although it's "so old" that it's being sold as used. Things happen, but it's still a decent machine (and the comments about taping from premium channels are true, although I've found that when we're paying for the services, I can record the show, When we are getting the "3 month free" service, I can't).
Anyway, to go back to the customer:
When I explained to him that his 27 tapes were going to be over $600, he decided he didn't want to do all of them. Let me point out, he has a government job, so it's not like he's flipping burgers. He just said he couldn't afford that price in one fell swoop. If we were to combine any, sure, it would probably knock a hundred dollars off the total price, but it's still not a warranted amount.
I can completely understand that, as I've been in his situation with other stores. However, when the opportunity arises, to use the vast internet as your buying resource, why not look for something more feasible? Okay, fine; buying used is not everyone's cup of tea. But if you can spend $500 on the electronics for home use, and still be able to use one of them for some form of indefinite use (i.e. the DVD recorders), why not spend it?
I digress; we ended up agreeing that I would transfer $350 worth of video, which is 15 tapes. Once he gets more money saved, he'd do the other 12. I have no problem with that. I just feel like it'd be a better business venture had he looked into buying for home use (or at least let me attempt to sway him with proper examples).
I think it also becomes more of an issue for those people bringing in shoe boxes and saying they want to start on these, and once these are done and they save up more money, another shoe box will be brought. The cycle will continue until all 100 tapes are done. My question is, why spend up to $400 each time you bring in your old tapes, when you can just invest in something to do it at home? Sure, it keeps me in a job and keeps me getting paid, but there have been times I've researched (and researched, and researched some more) things before giving in and paying a (high) price in a retail store. We are in the age of better technology and before everything goes completely tits up, you might as well jump on the end of that bandwagon.
If you're afraid of the technology or feel you don't have time to sit and waste learning something or feel your time isn't as valuable, then I think you need to reevaluate your life. Some of these people are the same humans that spend a lump sum on what I feel is "unnecessary crap" and don't bat an eye. The people who
have to get their hair colored every X amount of weeks, gel nails put on their fingers, buy (or lease) the $50,000 car... the list goes on, and yet, they don't want to spend the money to transfer their video tapes.
Everyone wants their items
N O W! and now wait around for it. I think that's part of the downfall of our society and generations to come. We've all been too accustomed to getting what we want, at such an immediate rate, that two hours is 118 minutes too long. It's all in the nature of the beast, and from the way things are going these days, it's just going to get worse. Like my previous post, the only thing I can suggest, is to do your research before jumping in to anything.
Cheers;
