VCD vs UHD and what's the big deal with UHD anyway

First a (ludricrous) 'competition' between the oldest and the newest video formats on which you can buy current releases. It's VCD vs UHD Blu-ray

Secondly if you think the new UHD Blu-ray format and UHD TV's are all about the resolution....think again.

VCDs were purchased from YesAsia 

UHD Blu-ray on Amazon UK

UHD Blu-ray on Amazon US

Retro-tech. That time when HD came on VHS

Perhaps it's a good thing that D-Theater never made it to the UK, the spelling of the name would have been an insurmountable issue. 

This might be the first retro-tech product I've featured in a video where I can remember seeing one in action back when it was new. Whenever a TV manufacturer wanted to show off their new HDTVs at an AV show, they needed HD Video to show on them. Before Blu-ray or HD-DVD came to market if you peered around the back of a TV at a show in the UK you could usually either spot a PC or occasionally an imported D-Theater machine providing the HD signal.

Getting a working D-Theater machine delivered to the UK has taken a lot more time (and money) than I anticipated when I set out to make this video last year. I'm really glad, and quite relieved, that I can finally present it to you here today. 

Useful Links

Captured D-VHS Demo Tape showing New York in 1993:  https://youtu.be/fT4lDU-QLUY
D-Theater tapes can be found on eBay: http://goo.gl/AfCHUy
A full list of D-Theater titles is on LDDB.com:  http://goo.gl/jGHA82
DVHS on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-VHS
JVC's D-Theater machines: http://goo.gl/uKMBki

UPDATE

The supplimentary video showing NYC in 1993 in HD has really blown-up on the internet in the last couple of days.. and it keeps getting re-posted. A shame that I couldn't monitise it, but after all it is not my video and the soundtrack is copyright. The real star is the unknown cameraman who captured such great shots with the early HD video equipment back in 1993.

For those wondering what HD video camera tech existed in 1993 -  there are a few options, but it's likely that this footage was shot with a HDVS camera- perhaps a Sony SONY HDC-500 attached to a HDV-10 portable recorder which recorded on UniHi 3/4" tape. 

Here's another tip about wires

In 2011 when I was installing my AV Receiver, I picked up a camera and made a quick video showing how UK speaker connections have a cap that can be removed to allow the insertion of banana plugs.

That video still receives regular comments of thanks from people who found it useful.

So recently when I found myself needing to install a long Component wire to my 4K LG TV (for an upcoming retro-tech video player review) I discovered that a four pole headphone extension cable can be used as a quick and easily substitute to a chunky component cable.

Its a bit more niche than the first video, but people with old game consoles and new TVs might find this tip useful too.

The New 2016 Square Nixie Watch

Back in 2010 I bought a Nixie watch from Cathode Corner. This was something that I had wanted to own for a couple of years, but it was also a considerable amount of money for me to spend, and really far more than I could sensibly afford at the time. 

In hindsight though, buying that watch turned out to be one of the best investments I've made. The (amateurish) video I made about it has now been seen by well over a million people and has helped to introduce many new subscribers to the channel.

The idea I could buy something that I couldn't really afford to feature in a video and hope to pay for it over time using the ad revenue has shaped the way the channel has been run ever since. My slightly rash decision to buy that watch late one night has by now paid dividends, and also created a connection between myself and the watch creator, David from Cathode Corner. 

So when the time came for David to present his new square Nixie Watch to the world, he turned to me to make a new video, and you can see this below. As six years have elapsed between the two videos I'd like to think that this one is considerably less amateurish (and it's now in 4K).

It is moments like this that really make all the effort worthwhile.

For more information about the Nixie watch - visit CathodeCorner.

Reverberation fails to resonate

In the second of two videos where I'm auditioning components for my HiFi I try out a Reverberation Amplifier. 

Always a niche HiFi component, the reverb box has intrigued me for a while. Why would people choose to spend money on a device that added reverb to pre-recorded music. This was something that I would have to try for myself to see if it earned a place in my audio system. Find out how I got on in the video below.

You can find HiFi reverb boxes on ebay 

Time to Equalize Some Graphics

I'll be making an upgrade to my HiFi setup in a few weeks which involves shifting quite a few things around. Before this happens I wanted to audition a couple of new (old) components to see if they deserve a place in the new setup.

In this video I look at a sophisticated and surprisingly useful graphic equalizer, the Akai EA-A7.

I realised after finishing the video, I didn't show the rear panel, so here it is.

If you want your own Graphic Equalizer, here are a few ebay options (click to perform a search).

Akai EA-A7 (good luck finding one)  Technics   PilePro    Rockville

Oh, by the way I've deliberately used the American spelling of Equalizer because this is how it it written on the device itself. Akai never made a Graphic Equaliser.

Vantrue OnDash R2 - Dashcam Review

Over the last few weeks a few people contacted me to as whether I would be reviewing a dashcam from the Vantrue range. So naturally when Vantrue themselves contacted me and offered to send a couple of their latest cameras, I took them up on it. 

You can see the full video review below.

Sample Clips

I've uploaded some sample clips here. Reminder - Do Not Stream These as this will look terrible. Download the files to your computer first before playing.  

Purchasing

See the Amazon links below also available on ebay and Amazon Canada. 

 

Boombox or Bust?

In this video I take a look at a truly awful portable stereo that could date back to the 1980s, but is more likely from the early 1990s. This appears to be part of a shipment bound for foreign shores which somehow got diverted to the UK and then lay forgotton about in a warehouse for 25 years.  

If you want to buy one of these (for anything other than listening to) - here's a link to a seller on ebay in the UK.