5 ms·

> It was a simpler time. Until you try to program the vcr to record a show while you're watching another show. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101587/quotes?item

> It was a simpler time. Until you try to program the vcr to record a show while you're watching another show. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101587/quotes?item=qt0238698 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101587/quotes?item=qt0238698

DrScump 10y ago
Actually, even the oldest VCRs let you do that, when your source was a coax connection (cable or antenna) and you were using a true TV with its own tuner. You would select on the VCR whether to view the VCR tuner or bypass it.
- gliese1337 10y ago
  While it is true that this was possible, that does not mean it was easy. It may have happened, but I cannot recall a single time when I or someone in my family actually succeeded in doing that.
  - kalleboo 10y ago
    Odd, that was one of the main uses of our VCR. It never seemed complicated to me (tune VCR, record. Change channel on TV, watch) Maybe it was a lot easier in Europe with the SCART hookup?
    - niftich 10y ago
      Same! SCART [1] was amazing; it was a single plug for analog video and audio. You'd typically have a coax splitter so both the VCR and the TV could get an independent feed from cable/antenna. Then you'd use SCART to get the VCR's output on the TV's 'AV' input, a special input mode like 'HDMI' on modern TVs. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCART https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCART
    - ams6110 10y ago
      I agree, it was easy (and I live in the US). Even programming a time-delayed recording was pretty easy though a lot of owners never even seemed to learn how to set the clock. However, there were a set of people who, for some reason, could just not grok the picture currently on the TV being something different than what was being recorded.
    - nibnib 10y ago
      In Europe (not sure about the rest of the world) the newspapers printed numerical codes along with each TV listing. If you typed that into the VCR it would populate the start and end times for you, possibly the channel as well? edit: the system I used was VideoPlus+, it looks like similar systems were used elsewhere https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_recorder_scheduling_code https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_recorder_scheduling_code
      - nsxwolf 10y ago
        Ours was branded VCR Plus+ in the states. We had one but I found myself just doing it manually.
      - DrScump 10y ago
        That's a shorthand for telling the VCR the channel and timeframe to record; it's not related to the ability to record one channel while viewing another. Every VCR I ever owned had that ability, clear back to my first Betamax.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
olewhalehunter 10y ago
You're watching too much TV if you consider that a complication.
- prodigal_erik 10y ago
  It only takes two shows that run on different networks. Running popular shows in conflicting time slots was a common strategy to retain viewer share, especially before the VCR was widespread.
  - olewhalehunter 10y ago
    I'm sure the lost time and network sponsorship on that obligatory third show running in the 24/7 timeslot behind all others was worth it.
  - Dylan16807 10y ago
    Put TV on desired channel. Put VCR on desired channel. Hit record. There is no complication there. You don't need to program the VCR.
- nibnib 10y ago
  TVs and VCRs were considerably more expensive. One of the biggest use cases was compromising with family members or housemates.
baddox 10y ago
Or program a VCR at all. That is literally a phrase that is used to refer to difficult and arcane tasks.
- babinho 10y ago
  Or you program the VCR and it starts and stops recording in time. But the TV schedule is so off that you miss that movie completely. I swear that in Croatia, in the 90's, announced tv schedule was just a suggestion of what they might put on at around that timeframe. Except Santa Barbara, people went mad if that wasn't on schedule :)
  - basicplus2 10y ago
    This still happens in Australia with free to air channels on Digital TV
  - m_mueller 10y ago
    Didn't you have this code programming I was describing in my other comment?
- throwaway049 10y ago
  I am surprised at the number of comments to this effect on a site where I am normally in awe of the depth and breadth of technical knowledge, and the willingness to learn by doing, that is displayed. I found VCRs easy enough to use and only ever got caught out by Programme Delivery Control.
  - mirkules 10y ago
    I completely agree with you about programming VCRs. Despite being in my teenage years around their peak usage, I found it quite easy to do. Xerox and fax machines, on the other hand, are the work of the devil.
  - agildehaus 10y ago
    There's a major difference between people on this site (who likely had no issue scheduling a VCR) and the average consumer. A sizable chunk of humanity, from my experience, is scared to even try.

DrScump 10y ago

Actually, even the oldest VCRs let you do that, when your source was a coax connection (cable or antenna) and you were using a true TV with its own tuner. You would select on the VCR whether to view the VCR tuner or bypass it.

gliese1337 10y ago
While it is true that this was possible, that does not mean it was easy. It may have happened, but I cannot recall a single time when I or someone in my family actually succeeded in doing that.
- kalleboo 10y ago
  Odd, that was one of the main uses of our VCR. It never seemed complicated to me (tune VCR, record. Change channel on TV, watch) Maybe it was a lot easier in Europe with the SCART hookup?
  - niftich 10y ago
    Same! SCART [1] was amazing; it was a single plug for analog video and audio. You'd typically have a coax splitter so both the VCR and the TV could get an independent feed from cable/antenna. Then you'd use SCART to get the VCR's output on the TV's 'AV' input, a special input mode like 'HDMI' on modern TVs. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCART https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCART
  - ams6110 10y ago
    I agree, it was easy (and I live in the US). Even programming a time-delayed recording was pretty easy though a lot of owners never even seemed to learn how to set the clock. However, there were a set of people who, for some reason, could just not grok the picture currently on the TV being something different than what was being recorded.
  - nibnib 10y ago
    In Europe (not sure about the rest of the world) the newspapers printed numerical codes along with each TV listing. If you typed that into the VCR it would populate the start and end times for you, possibly the channel as well? edit: the system I used was VideoPlus+, it looks like similar systems were used elsewhere https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_recorder_scheduling_code https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_recorder_scheduling_code
    - nsxwolf 10y ago
      Ours was branded VCR Plus+ in the states. We had one but I found myself just doing it manually.
    - DrScump 10y ago
      That's a shorthand for telling the VCR the channel and timeframe to record; it's not related to the ability to record one channel while viewing another. Every VCR I ever owned had that ability, clear back to my first Betamax.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]

olewhalehunter 10y ago

You're watching too much TV if you consider that a complication.

prodigal_erik 10y ago
It only takes two shows that run on different networks. Running popular shows in conflicting time slots was a common strategy to retain viewer share, especially before the VCR was widespread.
- olewhalehunter 10y ago
  I'm sure the lost time and network sponsorship on that obligatory third show running in the 24/7 timeslot behind all others was worth it.
- Dylan16807 10y ago
  Put TV on desired channel. Put VCR on desired channel. Hit record. There is no complication there. You don't need to program the VCR.
nibnib 10y ago
TVs and VCRs were considerably more expensive. One of the biggest use cases was compromising with family members or housemates.

baddox 10y ago

Or program a VCR at all. That is literally a phrase that is used to refer to difficult and arcane tasks.

babinho 10y ago
Or you program the VCR and it starts and stops recording in time. But the TV schedule is so off that you miss that movie completely. I swear that in Croatia, in the 90's, announced tv schedule was just a suggestion of what they might put on at around that timeframe. Except Santa Barbara, people went mad if that wasn't on schedule :)
- basicplus2 10y ago
  This still happens in Australia with free to air channels on Digital TV
- m_mueller 10y ago
  Didn't you have this code programming I was describing in my other comment?
throwaway049 10y ago
I am surprised at the number of comments to this effect on a site where I am normally in awe of the depth and breadth of technical knowledge, and the willingness to learn by doing, that is displayed. I found VCRs easy enough to use and only ever got caught out by Programme Delivery Control.
- mirkules 10y ago
  I completely agree with you about programming VCRs. Despite being in my teenage years around their peak usage, I found it quite easy to do. Xerox and fax machines, on the other hand, are the work of the devil.
- agildehaus 10y ago
  There's a major difference between people on this site (who likely had no issue scheduling a VCR) and the average consumer. A sizable chunk of humanity, from my experience, is scared to even try.