VCR no longer records color

[Mark Lloyd]

But is there anyway to transfer shows to a computer (like the ReplayTV models do over a network)? This unit can be used with any cable converter.

[Sam]

Video Crap Replay

[olinger]

Yes, but if you have been on Ebay lately, this is darn near the truth. I used to buy from ebay regularly. Last year I bought 2 items, and one of them was a xmas gift for an out of town relative, and buying online saves me the hassle of shipping and all. Ebay continues to degrade and it's unlikely I will use it at all anymore.

[Dan_Musicant]

:My VERY old VCR (purchased 1988) has suddently stopped :recording in color and/or shows a bit of color. : :It happily coped with 2000, so it is obviously a good machine. : :Is it even worth investigating a fix or should I just buy a :new one?

This happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I thought of posting but found the problem. Question: Does the picture have color when you use the tuner in the VCR? Or does it only come out black and white when you make a recording? In my case, everything was suddenly B&W, and there was a channel or two it wouldn't pick up at all. Fixed when I changed a position of a switch from Cable to TV. It had somehow gotten changed inadvertently. This VCR was almost as old as yours - bought in 1989, I believe!

[hallerb]

Get a satellite dish or Digital Video Recorder, most common name TIVO. Each hour of commercial TV has at least 15 minutes of commercials you can easily skip thru. Start watching a show while its still recording... CANT do that with a VCR. They have the new pocket dish, to take your shows recorded with you on a carryable unit.

a DVR will change how you watch tv forever:)

[Mark Lloyd]

Note that it's TiVo (with the embedded TV) and is a brand name. I have always used ReplayTV PVRs, and often hear that TiVo is better for idiots and ReplayTV is better for people actually interested in the units.

For one thing, both allow you to transfer shows to a networked computer (most other brands do not). However, TiVo adds to the difficulty by using more of the "protection" @#$%.

True. Most commercial TV "hour" shows are 43-45 minutes long with the commercials edited out. PBS has fewer commercials, so those shows are

52-55 minutes.

Before PVRs, I would think about that. Such a device is possible, but very complicated (and expensive).

Yes. One of those portable video players would be nice.

Very much. With the schedule automatically downloaded (I know Replay uses Zap2It) & Theme channels (TiVo calls them "season passes"), you can set it to record all episodes of any show you want. Time and channel number become irrelevant. You can then watch the shows any time you want, you don't have to know when it's on and what channel (you can still find out if you want to). Recorded shows can be easily transferred to a computer (TiVo requires "protection" software on the computer; ReplayTV does not, a free program called DVArchive from

is all you need).

[trader4]

"10. [e-mail] Jan 17, 4:02 pm Yes, but if you have been on Ebay lately, this is darn near the truth. I used to buy from ebay regularly. Last year I bought 2 items, and one of them was a xmas gift for an out of town relative, and buying online saves me the hassle of shipping and all. Ebay continues to degrade and it's unlikely I will use it at all anymore. "

Another thing I have noticed is that people today seem increasingly ready to bid up items to full retail, or even beyond. This despite they are buying it from someone with maybe 2 feedbacks in their profile. Just the other day I was looking at a snowboard that was listed as being used for one day. The seller had never sold anything on Ebay before and had only been a member for a week. I emailed the seller and asked if it could be picked up instead of shipped. The answer was no. That was all I needed to hear. Yet, that board went for $330. A brand new one lists for $499. So, it could still be a good deal, assuming it is as described and he actually ships it. I just saw a snowboard goggle lens go for $35, when it lists for $30 retail. And buying it either local or from an online shop, you're sure what you;re really getting, can return it, etc. I've seen this crazy bidding up to the price you could get the item in a store with cameras. People apparently don't care that they're likely buying some export model with no warranty, no returns, etc, yet paying full price for it.

An example of shystering I just ran into. I bought an item from a seller that had excellent feedback, stated he prefers Paypal, and had the Paypal logo with the various credit card images displayed in the listing. I won it and immediately paid via a credit card through Paypal. Few days later, I notice the item is still showing unpaid. I check my email and the seller says "I don't take credit cards through Paypal." , so the payment was rejected by him. Now, this isn't the biggest thing, but it is misrepresentation and he does it in all his auctions and gets away with it. His excuse is that the Paypal logo that he puts in the listings only comes with the credit card images. Which isn't an excuse, because all he has to do is say in the listing that he won't take credit cards through Paypal. What he's doing is tricking buyers into thinking he does take them, but won't because the way Paypal works, then he would have to pay Paypal about 2.9% on all the payments he receives. Of course, what he doesn't realize is that guys like me will never do business with him again because it leads me to question what other misrepresentations he's making.

Another good example of what can happen is this. I heard a story where a person won a snowboard on Ebay that said buyer pays for shipping/handling, with no amount given. So, the seller then wants $40 because they are taking the board to Mail Boxes etc to do the boxing, packing, shipping. Now, who's right in this case? I'm sure you could pay that much to ship it using one of those services, but most people would expect it to cost more like $20, with the seller packing it and shipping via UPS. So they wound up in a nasty dispute. That's why I will never bid on something unless I know the full shipping/handling cost upfront.

The sad truth is, if more people had some sense and held people accountable, Ebay would be a much better place.