My reverse polarity at home continues. First the phone line went dead. Then the digital camera broke and needed to be replaced. Then the phone again, then the cable went out. This is all in the last few weeks.
Well, tonight, the VCR died. I thought it would be fun to kill some time before tonight's episode of "I Heart Halpert" by rewatching last night's killer episode of LOST. I had taped it while watching, and the tape was still in the VCR. I hit REWIND and the little "display" stats came up on the screen, but then the VCR shut itself off and the screen went to snow.
Huh? I turned the VCR back on, try again. Same thing. Now I try just hitting PLAY. Same thing. Now FFWD? More snow. But now, just turning the VCR back on makes it shut itself off again. More snow. Eject? No such luck. That tape's not moving.
Uh oh. So now, not only is a tape stuck and not working, but the VCR won't even stay on. And my cable comes in threaded through the VCR. Oh, I will not be missing The Office and Grey's Anatomy. Hell, no!
I get a bread knife and try jimmying the tape out. I tell myself "Ah, yes, all that's needed is a simple lever." Hmmm. Not so much. Tape's not budging, although the hard black plastic starts to chip off on the end of the knife.
I decide to just give up on the damn VCR and try to salvage tonight's tv-watching. So, I pull everything out of the entertainment center and start moving cords around. I used to have mad cord skillz back in the day of moving computers and TVs and VCRs every year.
Aha! I did it! I now have the little alternator box thingy hooked right into the TV, and thank goodness the cable still works! The TV remote has a battery in it so ancient that it could've powered the mobile in God's crib, so that didn't work, but luckily the VCR remote has a tv function.
So, now the VCR has been put out of commission. Alas, I've lost last night's LOST. But.... now I have a decision to make. Leave things this way? Or think about replacing and/or repairing the VCR? Heck, this one is about 10 years old, and that tape that's in there has a label that says "Friends Finale" from probably 1998 or so. This is what happens when cheap electronics get old.
And here's my question to you all -- does one even need a VCR these days? What's the alternative -these fancy DVR things I've heard tell of? Watching TV shows online? Tell me, what do y'all do in the 21st century?
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3 comments:
The TIVO is worth the expense, but it can be spending. The machines are getting cheaper, but the rates are still there. Last I saw it was like $12/month or a $300 lifetime membership, paying for itself in just over two years.
If you're getting high speed internet, you can watch shows on the internet now. There are a lot of shows available for purchase on iTunes the day or so after they air. Some networks are even offering them for free the day after, but those you probably can't download.
FYI: We still have the VCR and it does get used on days when we're watching a show, TIVOing a show and there is another show we want to see...it's rare, but it does happen on occasion.
well, as you know, I am nowhere near as pop-culture savvy as you are and don't watch much appointment TV, but I can tell you that I haven't used mine since I moved here. The one time I wanted to tape something, I couldn't remember/figure out how, since my cable doesn't go through the VCR. The show I wanted to watch was re-broadcast several times, so I caught it another time. On the other hand, you can get one for like $20 if you want it.
AS
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