New Technology is not always better

Posted Wednesday, December 2, 2009, at 10:04 AM

I don't know who invented the DVD/CD but they were wrong. They are one example of advancements in technology being worse. VCR tapes last longer, are more durable and require far less maintenance. Not to mention that you can put a VCR tape in while your kids are settling in to watch and then go about making supper without having to come back to push play once the previews are done. Our family has gone through far more DVD/CD's than VCR tapes. I still have VCR tapes that are as old as my eldest son and they work great. They don't skip, or stop or get scratched and the kids don't care about the "clear" picture. I don't know a thing about Blu-Ray but I hope they are better than DVD's when it comes to durability. I am one consumer who is very, very disappointed in this type of technology.

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On the bright side, at least the DVD machines don't eat the disks like what seemed to happen to me a lot with the tapes!

-- Posted by AimeeClark on Wed, Dec 2, 2009, at 11:26 AM

I have CD's from the 80's that still play perfectly. It helps if you put the discs back in the cases. And I'll agree with Aimee. I've had several tapes get eaten by the VCR over the years. Nothing like that has ever happened to a DVD I've owned. To each his or her own though, I guess. If you prefer obsolete technology, there's nothing wrong with that. I've got plenty of outdated appliances and electronics in my house too.

-- Posted by Damon on Wed, Dec 2, 2009, at 2:59 PM

If you take care of your cd's / dvd's you will not have this issue.

VHS relies on magnetic tape, same as the old floppy disks... which happens to be why they aren't used anymore. Over time data is lost, due to the way it's held.

Also, quality matters to me... do a side by side of the same movie on DVD and VHS, and tell me which one looks and sounds better.

-- Posted by ADAMHARRIS on Fri, Dec 4, 2009, at 10:42 AM

Why is it that you all assume we don't take care of them? We do. They go back in the case immediately after viewing or listening but it seems inevitable that they get scratched somewhere along the line. At any rate, I still prefer the tapes to the disc. My personal preference.

-- Posted by Leah Cauthron on Fri, Dec 4, 2009, at 10:46 AM

I put the little plastic protectors on my CD/DVDs and they work great! Only time we had issues is when we had a little child that could open the DVD player and bite on the DVD's. Which was, of course, our fault!

-- Posted by jusamom on Tue, Dec 8, 2009, at 10:34 PM

Leah, have you tried one of those CD/DVD repair kits? They have a bottle of polish and cloths to clean and repair the disk. Most CD/DVD's can be salvaged using this method, as long as the scratch isn't too deep. Yeah I like old technology too...my stereo is an SAE rack system (made in USA) from the 70's.

-- Posted by Dennis the Menace on Thu, Dec 10, 2009, at 1:27 AM

VCR tapes better than DVD/CDs? Not as far as I'm concerned. Try using a VCR tape in a PC or a Mac.

-- Posted by SSGM270 on Sat, Jan 30, 2010, at 10:08 PM

Hey - Is anyone out there?

Leah Cauthron

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Anything at all. I was raised on the same farm on which my dad was born. My parents still live there today. I graduated from Eastwood High in 1987 and from Eastern Wyoming College with a degree in Criminal Justice in 1989. I married Randy 19 long years ago and we have 6 children ranging in age from 3 to 18 years old. I have worked numerous jobs from detassling as a teenager, a legal secretary in California, church secretary in Iowa to a daycare provider now. I love being outside and hate doing women stuff inside. I would rather mow the lawn than do dishes or change the tire on my van than sort socks. I am patriotic, opinionated and sometimes loud. I am also a great mom, good friend and I love to laugh - I did marry Randy. I believe in common sense versus reading a book by some "expert". I don't pretend to have all the answers but I am willing to ask the questions that others are afraid to ask and sometimes to my detriment say the things that others only think about saying. I try to avoid confrontation but sometimes it finds me and almost all the time it is necessary to stimulate communication.

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