The Nostalgia Thread (aka...I remember that!)

[vice350z]

oh and also GamePro TV

[lalalei2001]

My grandma had 2 VHS tapes she made for me that had, in no particular order, David the Gnome, the Care Bears movie, both Unico movies, and other miscellaneous adventures.

I have fond memroies of watchign Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog on Toon Disney and changing the channel every time someone came in (I was embarrassed), caught the last 10 seconds of a Sonic SatAM episode, and wore out my Mario 3 VHS tapes from watching them so much.

I also went through a phase where I judged every piece of music by how well it would work in a video game.

[MisterXiado]

There were three Unico movies, IIRC.

My VHS collection is the stuff of legends. I used to have most of my eighties and nineties cartoons and commercials up on Livestream, but I took it all down when other channels started getting snuffed. Windows 7 hates my pre-DMCA capture card, and my new card gnaws nards at even displaying anything with SuperVision encoding. Maybe some day I'll build another XP system for ripping tapes.

[lalalei2001]

There was a third Unico movie planned but it was never made. He did appear in a tv special about the environment, though.

I memorized the entirety of my Donkey kong Country 'movie' VHS tape as a kid and recited the whole thing whenever I watched it. I cna stll recit emost of it by heart XD

[te72]

not sure if its been posted in here but this brings back memories.

For those of us perhaps on the younger side of the spectrum, what is that? Kinda reminds me of the Intellivision my grandparents had when I was a kid.

I also went through a phase where I judged every piece of music by how well it would work in a video game.

I can relate there. During my high school years, I inherited a few hand-me-down pieces of speakers amps, and other audio related stuff. Decided to tinker with editing a bit, using the video input from the gaming systems, one of the two audio plugs from said gaming systems, and the other audio plug from a CD player. Mix it all together, record it onto a VHS, and bam, primitive AMV. I was pretty happy with the results, in all honesty. Unfortunately let my boss borrow the tapes I had them on, and I think his son liked them a lot, so I never saw them again...

Anyway, would be curious, what music really stood out against that metric?

My VHS collection is the stuff of legends.

Man... VHS in general. While I appreciate Blu-ray and DVD before it, VHS will always hold a special place in my heart. The episode of Cowboy Bebop where Spike and Jet are going through an antique shop looking for a way to play a tape still makes me laugh. Makes me wonder how many other forms of entertainment that we've enjoyed will become obsolete in the not-so-distant future...

[MisterXiado]

It was a Betamax tape. $350 minimum for a refubished Beta deck even today (new belts, lubrication, possibly replaced caps). I still don't have a Beta deck, and I've been hunting for almost 15 years. I have to find some means of playing my Wacko tape.

[lalalei2001]

I can relate there. During my high school years, I inherited a few hand-me-down pieces of speakers amps, and other audio related stuff. Decided to tinker with editing a bit, using the video input from the gaming systems, one of the two audio plugs from said gaming systems, and the other audio plug from a CD player. Mix it all together, record it onto a VHS, and bam, primitive AMV. I was pretty happy with the results, in all honesty. Unfortunately let my boss borrow the tapes I had them on, and I think his son liked them a lot, so I never saw them again...

Anyway, would be curious, what music really stood out against that metric?

All I really remember is "This music from Snoopy Come Home would make great Game Over music." https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pVUh1wJTCug#t=4088

[vice350z]

For those of us perhaps on the younger side of the spectrum, what is that? Kinda reminds me of the Intellivision my grandparents had when I was a kid.

you must be a youngster if you don't remember that! Back in the early 80's when I was around 7-10 years old that was the box from the cable company to change channels. You can see 3 rows of numbers. You moved the slider on the side to the row you wanted and pressed the button below to go to the channel you wanted. Back then, pay channels you didn't subscribe to were scrambled on the screen...you could hear it and kinda make out what's on the screen but it was a scrambly mess. But if you used some tin foil and a wire hanger you'd be able to get the picture unscrambled.

Scrambled channels looked like this:

[vice350z]

There were three Unico movies, IIRC.

My VHS collection is the stuff of legends. I used to have most of my eighties and nineties cartoons and commercials up on Livestream, but I took it all down when other channels started getting snuffed. Windows 7 hates my pre-DMCA capture card, and my new card gnaws nards at even displaying anything with SuperVision encoding. Maybe some day I'll build another XP system for ripping tapes.

I still have all episodes of Miami Vice on VHS lol. I recorded them all when they USA Network started airing reruns in 1988. Paused during commercials. I did this all on the main TV so i made my family's life hell having to record everyday till I had them all lol. I fit about 7 eps per VHS tape. Kinda wish I kept the commercials thought...woudl be cool to see them. I have a thing for commercials, ads, gaming and all that from the 80s and 90s.

[te72]

It was a Betamax tape. $350 minimum for a refubished Beta deck even today (new belts, lubrication, possibly replaced caps). I still don't have a Beta deck, and I've been hunting for almost 15 years. I have to find some means of playing my Wacko tape.

Yes, it was a Beta player that Spike and Jet were looking for. I can't say I've ever really saw one and knew that I was looking at a Betamax, possibly in school at some point. I remember one school I went to had a laserdisk player, so it wouldn't surprise me if the AV department had a Beta too... That is rather expensive, but I can understand, can't be much demand for refurbished units these days.

All I really remember is "This music from Snoopy Come Home would make great Game Over music." https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pVUh1wJTCug#t=4088

You know, I see what you mean. Perhaps for a game over screen for a really violent game, just to throw people off. Something like Manhunt.

you must be a youngster if you don't remember that! Back in the early 80's when I was around 7-10 years old that was the box from the cable company to change channels. You can see 3 rows of numbers. You moved the slider on the side to the row you wanted and pressed the button below to go to the channel you wanted. Back then, pay channels you didn't subscribe to were scrambled on the screen...you could hear it and kinda make out what's on the screen but it was a scrambly mess. But if you used some tin foil and a wire hanger you'd be able to get the picture unscrambled.

Interesting. You've got somewhere around a decade on me, I wasn't born until '83. By the time I was of TV watching age, I think most sets would only program what channels you had, and it would skip over the ones you didn't. I do remember scrambled channels though, if you manually entered the number rather than used the channel up/down buttons.

[twiztor]

Interesting. You've got somewhere around a decade on me, I wasn't born until '83. By the time I was of TV watching age, I think most sets would only program what channels you had, and it would skip over the ones you didn't. I do remember scrambled channels though, if you manually entered the number rather than used the channel up/down buttons.

born in '82 here.

you're talking about digital TVs if you can enter the number.

i grew up on a TV where you had to physically get up and turn the dial to the number you wanted. the dial only went up to 13, but that didn't matter since i lived in a small town with only 10 channels anyway. Something like this:

as for the channel box, my grandparents had one, and i was always confused on how you'd find out what you wanted to watch. the TV listing in the paper may as well have been Greek to me.

i don't fully understand the love for VHS. don't get me wrong, i enjoyed the hell out of mine growing up, and i still have a VCR in a closet somewhere. Hell, i even like to browse old VHS collections at flea markets and stuff, but at this point i'd rather watch it on DVD or stream/download it. Way less hassle.

[te72]

Twiztor, I do remember the dial tv sets, but I think they were starting to be phased out by the time I was watching.

As for the VHS love, it's probably like anything else, the tint of nostalgia. Perhaps even just the content that was found on them, more likely. I will say that streaming lacks one thing I really appreciated back in the day: the visit to the video store. It always felt like a special thing, to go down to the video store, and see what was new, what was undiscovered, what was on the shelf, and having to hope that they had a copy of what you wanted when you did find it... tangibility goes a long way toward imprinting a feeling, if you ask me. That, and box art. I miss me some box art.

[twiztor]

I will say that streaming lacks one thing I really appreciated back in the day: the visit to the video store. It always felt like a special thing, to go down to the video store, and see what was new, what was undiscovered, what was on the shelf, and having to hope that they had a copy of what you wanted when you did find it... tangibility goes a long way toward imprinting a feeling, if you ask me. That, and box art. I miss me some box art.

i too mourn the loss of video stores.

the last one closed down a couple years ago in town, and sadly it doesn't seem to be a market that will be revived anytime soon. Redbox sure doesn't cut it for finding obscure '80s slasher movies. i could always count on the local Family Video for that selection of off-the-wall flicks i'd never heard of.

[synth]

il_570xN.393567648_92gw.jpg

The Vintage and the Modern Classics!

I'm still into Masters of the Universe

[synth]

Gabber Rave Flyers from the mid '90's:

[MisterXiado]

Family Video is still kicking in my area, and in some parts of Western Pennyslvania, if I remember my recent road trips properly.

[vice350z]

i too mourn the loss of video stores.

the last one closed down a couple years ago in town, and sadly it doesn't seem to be a market that will be revived anytime soon. Redbox sure doesn't cut it for finding obscure '80s slasher movies. i could always count on the local Family Video for that selection of off-the-wall flicks i'd never heard of.

same here...the last video/dvd store in the whole area finally closed its doors a few months ago here. How they lasted this long I have no idea. Fond memories of Blockbuster visits too back in the day. Weird how there's stuff kids today will never experience like we did. Was cool to see the birth of the internet, mp3 "sharing", HDTV, CDs, smartphones. Kids today at least get to see the birth of VR along with us.

[te72]

same here...the last video/dvd store in the whole area finally closed its doors a few months ago here. How they lasted this long I have no idea. Fond memories of Blockbuster visits too back in the day. Weird how there's stuff kids today will never experience like we did. Was cool to see the birth of the internet, mp3 "sharing", HDTV, CDs, smartphones. Kids today at least get to see the birth of VR along with us.

Interesting point you make here. What significant technology has come about in the last 10 years? Figure kids born after 2000, what are they going to experience on the tech front? The rise of touch screens replacing the far more useful, if not as stylish, buttons?

I think a more fine point to make would be "home" VR, as VR tech isn't exactly new, even if it has reached a nice crossroads of affordable and refined.

[lalalei2001]

Other shows I watched when i was small include Papa Beaver's Storytime, Allegra's Window, Eureka's Castle, and Rupert the Bear.

[kitsunebi]

Other shows I watched when i was small include Papa Beaver's Storytime, Allegra's Window, Eureka's Castle, and Rupert the Bear.

I haven't heard of a single one of those. I guess that makes me old.

[vice350z]

Interesting point you make here. What significant technology has come about in the last 10 years? Figure kids born after 2000, what are they going to experience on the tech front? The rise of touch screens replacing the far more useful, if not as stylish, buttons?

I think a more fine point to make would be "home" VR, as VR tech isn't exactly new, even if it has reached a nice crossroads of affordable and refined.

kids after 2000...yeah, i guess the smartphone like iPhone that changed everything. MP3 players we just getting big in the 2000's...i remeber being excited to get a CD player that played MP3 burned on disc. That was huge lol. Kids after 2000 don't know about the REALLY crappy graphics we had to deal with when we played Atari 2600 or Intellivision lol.

Yeah, VR has been around but its only becoming more mainstream now with Oculus, GearVR and Vive

[vice350z]

Did anyone watch Uncle Floyd back in the day in the 80s? I think it was more of a New Jersey thing.

[synth]

kids after 2000...yeah, i guess the smartphone like iPhone that changed everything. MP3 players we just getting big in the 2000's...i remeber being excited to get a CD player that played MP3 burned on disc. That was huge lol. Kids after 2000 don't know about the REALLY crappy graphics we had to deal with when we played Atari 2600 or Intellivision lol.

Yeah, VR has been around but its only becoming more mainstream now with Oculus, GearVR and Vive

I used a Walkman way after the Discman was released. I used the Walkman everywhere I went. I experienced the quality going up. I didn't see the point of a Discman. I found CD's too valuable to take along with me everywhere and didn't want them scratched up. Not to mention the fact that you needed an expensive Discman with some form of memory to prevent CD skipping in case of a bumpy ride and living in a village there were lots of bumpy roads.

I did eventually own one for about a year after I bought a CD burner for the PC. As memory recalls that set me back $700 in the year 2000 O_o

I didn't mind taking copies of the expensive CD's with me on the road. I retired the Discman a year later in favor of a MP3 Player. It was glorious to have a few hundred of my songs ripped from CD in 128kpbs on a 1GB MP3 Player. I started buying older used CD's to expand my collection fast. I especially bought a lot of greatest hits of the decade '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s.

Smart watches are a new thing too now. I just a Samsung Gear S2 for free with the Samsung galaxy S7 Verizon offer.

Pretty awesome, I feel it's like Knight Rider

[vice350z]

I used a Walkman way after the Discman was released. I used the Walkman everywhere I went. I experienced the quality going up. I didn't see the point of a Discman. I found CD's too valuable to take along with me everywhere and didn't want them scratched up. Not to mention the fact that you needed an expensive Discman with some form of memory to prevent CD skipping in case of a bumpy ride and living in a village there were lots of bumpy roads.

I did eventually own one for about a year after I bought a CD burner for the PC. As memory recalls that set me back $700 in the year 2000 O_o

I didn't mind taking copies of the expensive CD's with me on the road. I retired the Discman a year later in favor of a MP3 Player. It was glorious to have a few hundred of my songs ripped from CD in 128kpbs on a 1GB MP3 Player. I started buying older used CD's to expand my collection fast. I especially bought a lot of greatest hits of the decade '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s.

Smart watches are a new thing too now. I just a Samsung Gear S2 for free with the Samsung galaxy S7 Verizon offer.

Pretty awesome, I feel it's like Knight Rider

Oh the early days of peripheral prices. I remember buying a Plextor CD burner for i think 200.00 in the early 2000's...and a 50pk spindle of CDR wasn't cheap. After getting tired of making MP3 discs for the MP3 disc player I finally bought a full fledged MP3 player. an iRiver H320...had a massive 20GB hard drive. I think I paid 250 for it from Best Buy in 2005. I still have it and it looks ancient today but it was a great player. Still works and its cool to see what music I had loaded on it still from years ago.

I sport the Gear S...i like the bigger rectangular face better. I'm hoping they go back to a rectangular face for the Gear S3...watch doesn't have to be round.

[synth]

Oh the early days of peripheral prices. I remember buying a Plextor CD burner for i think 200.00 in the early 2000's...and a 50pk spindle of CDR wasn't cheap. After getting tired of making MP3 discs for the MP3 disc player I finally bought a full fledged MP3 player. an iRiver H320...had a massive 20GB hard drive. I think I paid 250 for it from Best Buy in 2005. I still have it and it looks ancient today but it was a great player. Still works and its cool to see what music I had loaded on it still from years ago.

I sport the Gear S like the bigger rectangular face better. I'm hoping they go back to a rectangular face for the Gear S3...watch doesn't have to be round.

My first MP3 player was a Creative Zen Nano Plus 1GB I paid approx. $50 (Fl. 100) for it.

I still use it for Christmas every year. I hook it up to the speakers.

I like the rectangular watch face of the Gear S better as well but since I got the Gear S2 for free I'm not complaining.