A demonstration of VHS generation loss

[@om3g4z3r0]

This is what alzheimer's feels like, the original footage is your life.

[@pereztube2]

thats fucked up and sad haha.

[@hamburgerhamburger4064]

I don’t think so

[@konbkob4156]

Especially prevalent with the recent album about dementia that exists right now, which is basically this but 6 hours long

[@starcatcherksp1517]

@@geo9364 Anyone who immediately search the title after you said it is doomed to be depressed

[@starcatcherksp1517]

@@konbkob4156 The album actually has a song that replicates through the entire 6 stages, although it's barely recognizable after stage 4.

[@myrjavi]

0:00 1st Generation: The start already had a lot of glitches, but pretty normal. 0:16 2nd Generation: Same thing... 0:32 3rd Generation: Already color errors, as most things are blue now. 0:48 4th Generation: ALL COLORS ARE GONE. This is already a sign that things are going to go very downhill from here. 1:03 5th Generation: More horizontal timing errors, but for the most part, the same as the 4th Generation. 1:18 6th Generation: Oh hey! Color is back, but it is all red and flickering a lot. At nearly the end of the tape, horizontal timing gets screwed up. 1:33 7th Generation: Color is now gone again and a lot of the picture's glitches now include luminance clipping! The picture is pretty bright and its shaking rapidly, causing the interlacing to break. 1:54 8th Generation: The picture is very bright, and nearly all white when its "stable", and most of the horizontal timings are now completely gone 2:15 9th Generation: The video seems to be jumping around in time from the "When red light shows" sign all the way back to the traffic light many times. Also, clipping has increased to such a point that over 93% of the entire image is fully bright. 2:33 10th Generation: Vertical timing signals are now disappearing.

[@darkcentral]

Yes

[@myrjavi]

@@darkcentral e

[@darkcentral]

@@myrjavi yes

[@zdoh-B12381]

Fake

[@GianLukeLaoaganonROBLOX]

“ALL COLORS ARE GONE.” Fu**ing scared me

[@NimhShambler]

I am SO GLAD you put this up! There was another version of this exact footage attached to a creepypasta called "Degeneration", only the video was gone (the used closed their account). I thought I wouldn't get to see it. Thanks. This made my day. Best Christmas gift ever.

[@999manman]

This is the scariest , yet artiest film /demonstration I have seen in years. ENTROPY LIVES!!!!

[@TTULangGenius]

There is a very sublime quality to this video of "technological decay." I find the music haunting, yet it matches the images in the video perfectly. I like it. Good job!

[@Jtronique]

BEAUTIFUL work, a classic example of ambience and noise art, relevant today in the "Glitch art" world, where of course we replace the VHS degradation process with using image files in audio software such as audacity...and reminiscent of other very evocative art projects like the Polish production "Poradnik Usmiechi", thank you very much, Zenpho!

[@DaRUde117]

Is everything art to you? Fucking trash

[@kasperdomagala4544]

@@DaRUde117 dude glitch art is starting to become more and more prevalent in the world. Learn to accept it or beat it.

[@DaRUde117]

Oh fuck off, this is a free world bitch, I'll accept whatever the fuck I want.

[@WickerBasket9]

Glitch art and generation loss videos, such as this one, are very popular in this day and age because people like me like to experiment with things since this video is an example of classic ambience and noise art in the form of VHS generation loss, which is really cool and trippy to some people because it stimulates the nerves in our brains as we get hooked onto it like the Super Bowl. hot dogs, and football. Duh.

[@RaccoonEatingCacti]

The degradation of video/audio signals seems to mirror our pliable memory, perhaps why we are so often transfixed by these phenomenon... Great visual/audio demonstration.

[@RaccoonEatingCacti]

I agree; this was probably one of my more morose comments. Hard to beat, "existence is punishable by death" though. Thanks for showing an interest in this new age of "stupid comments," And double thank you for contributing to this mass collection.

[@dillon1012]

@@RaccoonEatingCacti We are analog.

[@galaxywarper92]

All right, I'm calling it; this has gotta be one the scariest videos on KZbin; possibly the internet. VHS only last so long, and then they're gone. All the family home videos, memories, gone. Even if you convert to the vastly (IMO) superior DVD, they're not perfect either. A crack and a few scratches here... Poof... gone.

[@astron4606]

Well now we're in luck, you can convert them to digital files and then upload those files to a server where they'll be safe

[@MMXP3]

then when your server breaks or something goes wrong it's gone @@astron4606 gone

[@EverImmortal1]

This is really creepy yet somehow beautiful. I didn’t experience anything weird, but I paused the video to read the description. Also I’m totally blind, meaning I can’t see the images. That’s why I had to pause the video - so I could hear my screen reader. Lol. In all seriousness this is awesome.

[@gomihiroi917]

どうやってコメントしてんねんw

[@zadock6370]

bruh

[@TTULangGenius]

I wanted to comment further. This is why I love analog technology. I grew up with it and it will always hold a place in my heart. Thank you for making this video.

[@ZinniaJones]

It was interesting to see how quickly the color vanished. Good music, too!

[@rhymeswithgabriel]

i'm so very intrigued by this... i've watched it four times already

[@noble8dx564]

Why does it needed to be at 10fps at 1:48 ? :(

[@JAMESveeder]

You make beautiful drones. The main pad/drone in this song in the background is so damn nostalgic.

[@Arc.hitectureMusic]

what a beatiful work of art this is. From watching this video im trying the same thing with my vcrs, so far im on generation 5, and the source was footage shot on a Canon 7D in 1080p. so far the image is beginning to get a bit unstable but is holding its color excellently. I probably need crappier vcrs to get this level of degregation you got here. Excellent work!

[@kamonegi..]

とあるショート動画から来た日本人。大人しく手をあげなさい。

[@犬飼いたい-m4z]

✋

[@チャーたん-y1l]

✋

[@poppy.2393]

✋

[@D1B5-Q9O5O7]

な、なな…何の事ですかね…？？ ✋

[@sai0toya]

✋🤚

[@ricardohananias5983]

i have seen that many artist now a days get inspired by this effects i have to say they are very intersting and mysterious ,the sounds get creepier and the images blend and distor , also all the nostalgia that come with this , i remember when i was little that that bad quality stuff made the experience of watching even disney movies a little frightening at times

[@MadameSomnambule]

When I was watching Don Hertzfeldt's World of Tomorrow shorts, I had the sudden realization that the human cloning process in that series reminds me a lot of vhs generation loss. The more the humans clone themselves, the more mental deteriorations they experience and this extends to their numbered backup clones, sort of how the more you make copies of vhs copies one after another, the more the picture and sound distort. You can see this when third generation Emily introduces herself to 4 year old Emily prime, her original version in the first episode and it was briefly referenced by a backup clone of her in the second episode. Emily 6: I suffer from many deteriorations. I am alone... SOMETIMES I HAVE TROUBLE CONTROLLING MY EMOTIONS!!

[@Marbles471]

You and I think similarly. That is to say, finding artistic inspiration in the accidental side effects, so to speak, of a time period's technology or conventions. I totally understand what you mean when you say that this kind of thing could make even a Disney movie frightening and mysterious. (emphasis on mysterious.) That wasn't really my experience as a kid, but I can totally relate to the kind of thing you're getting at.

[@galaxywarper92]

This is why I'm eventually converting all of my VHS tapes to DVD; especially ones that documented road trips, family and friend get togethers, and home movies. DVD's aren't perfect either, but VHS tend to be more fragile to the elements and manhandling. Not to mention as this video shows, however depressing and creepy it maybe, you can only copy and preserve VHS's for so long.

[@Baer9471]

Some DVDs can suffer from data rots. I think it is a lot better to just either moving it to an SD card

[@namelessSpecter]

I don't suggest you watch this all the way through without stopping...Trust me. Bad idea.

[@ken131]

I'm with you. Creeeeeppyyy

[@null418]

I'm doing it, what's the problem?

[@pipefx64]

This is just amazing. Thank you so much for this. You seem to have sent a few people some info on how to set up VHS to make this kind of thing and I was wondering if i could maybe get in on that? I'm working on a film at the moment using pretty basic techniques like digital zooms and camera shakes to get abstract footage and it would be great to experiment with something a little more complicated like this.

[@formerlygrimagikoopa]

song is zenpho - DX10 tapeloops - last

[@grayanddevpdx]

0:08 Here we experience the first signs of memory loss. This stage is most like a beautiful daydream. The glory of old age and recollection. The last of the great days. 0:32 The second stage is the self realization and awareness that something is wrong with a refusal to accept that. More effort is made to remember so memories can be more long form with a little more deterioration in quality. The overall personal mood is generally lower than the first stage and at a point before confusion starts setting in. 1:03 Here we are presented with some of the last coherent memories before confusion fully rolls in and the grey mists form and fade away. Finest moments have been remembered, the musical flow in places is more confused and tangled. As we progress some singular memories become more disturbed, isolated, broken and distant. These are the last embers of awareness before we enter the post awareness stages. 1:18 Post-Awareness Stage 4 is where serenity and the ability to recall singular memories gives way to confusions and horror. It's the beginning of an eventual process where all memories begin to become more fluid through entanglements, repetition and rupture. 1:55 Post-Awareness Stage 5 confusions and horror. More extreme entanglements, repetition and rupture can give way to calmer moments. The unfamiliar may sound and feel familiar. Time is often spent only in the moment leading to isolation. 2:33 Post-Awareness Stage 6 is without description.

[@sonofnothing]

Amazing! what a trip! The score was excellent.

[@technologyproductions-ye3px]

this why you convert your VHS tapes to DVD before its too late

[@dakotaplaysvhs8039]

That’s not what this is. Generation loss is when you continuously copy a vhs from tape to tape, each generation becoming less and less quality. This is not something that happens from tapes aging

[@starstudio8402]

This happens when you copy a tape again and again and again this is not vhs aging

[@kendrickdiego6654]

But also if the tapes are stored in bad condition, video can have less color and audio a bit altered (pitched higher for lower)

[@Baer9471]

@@dakotaplaysvhs8039 but still these can happen if The VHS Ages.

[@KeiranCounsellKC1994]

its really dependant on the machine as to what you get, some video players with tbc and such simply wont play a few gens down the line. either way though the generation loss on home vhs and smaller is alot worse than on the 1'' and 2'' broadcast tapes

[@StevonnieFan]

*Alternative Title:* The First VHS Generation Loss Video

[@coweeee]

if the music wasnt there i wouldnt be so spooked ;__;

[@extremehockeyfan]

if you kept making more generations, the tape would eventually have nothing on it and it would just be pure static :) thanks for making this!!

[@Caldinovin]

First video on KZbin talking about VHS generation loss. There is apparently also a Creepypasta written about this one in 2011.

[@HomerShipman]

very hypnotic,i can feel my mind decaying as i watch this-str8 2 favourites!

[@Emelgee]

on the 7th generation I saw the shapes of four men in the static

[@to.ralphzlol9802]

Geez

[@Emelgee]

I'm guessing they're the skinny kids parents

[@formerlygrimagikoopa]

this is one of the most underrated creepypastas ever.

[@formerlygrimagikoopa]

apart from agamneon counterpart which i don't even think is a creepypasta rather than a cursed video i would not shut up about at school in early 2013

[@WickerBasket9]

I would hate to hear of what the original audio sounded like if it went by the 4th generation up to the 29th generation, I've tried this on my Sanyo VCR (still have it) and I played it back on my LED TV., it said "No signal" until I pressed "Stop". Really creepy, though. Edit: Got an RCA 25-inch CRT TV, model number 27R411T set after my Element 21 inch LED TV shit in the bucket and died on me and the video played back on my CRT TV set when I tried this method was actually very interesting and trippy, by the way. *CRT TV sets are highly recommended for this, plus a good capture card as well before you do this!*

[@skexofiner.nsystemz]

also what happens if an LCD TV is used for doing generation loss?

[@WickerBasket9]

I think it would be the same thing but with different results.

[@Emelgee]

I managed to see four men in the static

[@merrittdeshon6300]

Although it's 2020 and no one uses VHS Tapes anymore (except if the tapes are family memories) here is my generation quality analysis for home video cassette recording or magnetic tape: 0:00 to 0:16; 2000's or 90's VHS quality. 0:16 to 0:32; 80's VHS quality. 0:32 to 0:48; 70's VHS or Betamax quality with discoloration from either age or too much usage of the tape. 0:48 to 1:03; 60's CV-2000 quality. 1:03 to 1:18; 50's silent 16mm film reels. 1:18 to 1:32; 40's silent 8mm film reel without color correction. 1:33 to 1:46; 30's amateur 35mm film footage with the tape being extremely damaged. 1:55 to end of the video; a film cassette from Hell.

[@cdur5091]

The 4th to 6th generation looks like an 1950s PSA

[@lutella5045]

2:46 the last reccnizable image

[@Nigel1993]

I continue to return to this track (and video) again and again and again. I bought the Dx10 Tapeloops from Bandcamp, but do you think you'll ever drop these tracks on Spotify? I want more people to know the mastery of this piece!

[@HanzSygnal]

sweet. I just saw Basinski a few days ago--this is cool. like your style.

[@siouxmoux3]

By the time you get to 10th generation recording. The is was an emerson VHS recording on SP looks like.

[@CanberraUser]

I read this very interesting site that not only talks about generational loss in analog copying, but also everything (given enough time) will turn to dust. ".....The thousandth copy would be very indistinct. By the millionth, it would be unrecognizable. In information theory this is known as adding noise to the signal, and it is theoretically (and practically) impossible to make an analog copy without adding noise......"

[@niisa_dayo]

映像を確認したところ、実際に鋭い眠気に襲われました。

[@Omicron91]

This is incredibly melancholic and sad. It's like the slow loss of information as a microcosm for entropy :(

[@mojorisen74]

CD-r's and DVD-r's have a limited shelf life as well. They just found that CD-r's have a shelf life of 10 years, DVD-r's are assumed the same since they haven't been around as long. So if you've got something you really want to keep, be sure to transfer it at least every 3 years.

[@AnimeFanPan0]

it's why it's best to put the vhs video on digital stuff like a dvd or convert it to a video file on your computer =D

[@alepherrorcode404]

Why is this so underrated?

[@ttonyat]

I'm curious at what speed this was done at. At SP speed, using the best commercialy available VHS tape, and a JVC Super VHS recorder and using the S-video jacks, I can go further before it gets as bad as this one did.

[@肩星人-b3t]

実際の映像でもクリーピーパスタになることあるんやなぁ

[@darkcentral]

First ever analog horror video on KZbin

[@dorpth]

Seven days.....

[@tickmothy]

I remember there was a guy on KZbin where he based a creepypasta off this. Basically it was that after a few generations creepy figures would start appearing.

[@Randomalistic]

yo there's a weird FACE peaking through the dark grey static at 1:20...

[@tyr4m1]

Randomalistic no, it’s actually a distorted traffic light

[@skexofiner.nsystemz]

@@tyr4m1 video is interlaced

[@royggbiv]

yeah really. and yes, you were spot on about boards of canada. by the way, I came across this because I'm really interested in the degradation of audio tapes, like in william basinski's loops... would you be able to tell me a thing or 2 about audio decay?

[@jjovereats]

They degrade "MUCH" more slowly when copied in PAL using SCART connectors OR CVBS inputs.

[@ttonyat]

I've tried this with my VCR and it does become this bad until pass the 10th geberation. It depends on the tape type, speed, the VCR, and the picture quality.

[@realgroovy24]

for me the colours bleed when it gets to 4th gen and colours start to go weak at about 6/7 gen and gone by the 9th

[@NR2videochannel]

теплый, ламповый вчс

[@LuxembourgishMapping]

When red light shows wait here

[@danielgreen4601]

I don't think the color is gone at the 3rd generation, but good job.

[@MinecrafterPictures]

This is hell. The modern vhs generation loss is better then hell. It's also memed.

[@mrnmrn1]

It was PAL or NTSC recording? I'm very surprised it's lost colour signal and synchronism that soon. I've tried the same some years ago with an old and sick Funai VHS player and an also Funai recorder ( I think the recorder was a more than 20 years old piece of Funai V3EE type) , and the fifth generation copy has still nearly perfect colours, just the S/N ratio became terrible. Unfortunately I've missed that recording, I should repeat it ;-)

[@MEKON17]

thank you for this !

[@ArmanzaSuperNova]

This is pretty neat. I'm looking for a plug in that will create this without looking shitty. I may just end up dubbing to vhs then back to digital.

[@sparticus214]

put it out of its misery

[@imsonicnoob2112]

This has to be the creepiest video from 2005

[@imsonicnoob2112]

*2007

[@fuwa9616]

Not sure how this is creepy. I guess if you lived in an analog world, seeing analog artifacts honestly isn't scary at all, but I guess if you never lived in that world, even the artifacts are inherently scary?

[@VirginSnake2025]

Funny that you mentioned it, there's a creepypasta based on this video.

[@guimbadriver]

in u matic video tape this dont happens using the off tape ediction..another video tape machine that dont loss the quality in copy generation is the IVC9000 analogue video tape

[@thrillscience]

This is beautiful! Ever think of entering it in a film competition?

[@FIX97]

Very nice video, you could make a horror movie using old VHS, it's really creepy after generation 5 :P

[@Linkage1992]

Rip those video files and store them on your computer for even more piece of mind.

[@scoopishere7881]

Could you put a flashing lights/colors warning in the title?

[@signbear999]

Rip traffic light

[@TyrellBegay-b3c]

What kind of camera is this

[@thomasmhyttel]

Hi - how did you transfer the vhsvideo to digital? (I’ve tried once to transfer from vhs to minidv but it looks not exactly the same)

[@edfone]

We can see the particle coming from the space.

[@skynet091287]

This could be a great party quiz! get 5 different movies, do this to the point where they are almost impossible to watch, and then have people guess what movie it is :)

[@TobyWoby]

This is kind of terrifying.

[@zjc92]

Watched this right before I watched Videodrome...bad call maybe?

[@mikevismyelement]

I never saw ghost images or heard voices. Goddamn level headeness

[@DarkAndMartyr]

I like the choon, but i wish you had copied the audio 11 times to see how that decayed also.

[@videosfromdade]

Nice I like the music, too bad Halloween is almost over.

[@HomerShipman]

ps.thanks 4 turning me on 2 william basinski

[@Galidorquest]

Why the creepy music?

[@phrozen3]

nice music

[@georgefiddler1742]

Ive wanted a sanyo VTC5000 for ages, ive got loads of tapes but no recorder! I have a Furguson Videostar,But its Crap! G.

[@dieselboy87]

hey zenpho are you aware that this video has since become the topic of an urban legend, supposedly bringing misfortune and even insanity to people who watch it for too long? just thought you'd like to know. :P

[@fallenberdlol]

I’ve been here before I live near this place?

[@twinkle8465]

the 5th gen looks like the 1920s

[@444damn]

how did you make the audio on this?

[@royggbiv]

really interesting

[@atomicdancer]

By the 8th generation I think I saw Sadako/Samara from RINGU / THE RING pop up in there...

[@NikoCubeRoot]

where

[@tsjaadnicholson728]

Why is this video so unnerving

[@crowdzor]

I think this would have been a better video if just had the original audio

[@masterfx2675]

What That Song?

[@Hadduck]

did you read the description?

[@OzkerOpethFreak]

Darude Sandstorm

[@skexofiner.nsystemz]

@@OzkerOpethFreak that song is different than sandstorm

[@WickerBasket9]

"The Disintegration Loops" is the song plus this isn't Darude Sandstorm. Duh.

[@jaquelineantelo2265]

2:14 WOW ♥️👍❤️❤️❤️👍👍♥️👍♥️👍👍👍👍❤️❤️♥️😍😍😍❤️👍👍❤️🤩🤩🤩👍❤️🤩

[@fabriciobalcazarantelo4466]

2:52 2:53 Wow VHS👍👍👍👍👍👍💛👍💙💘💘💚💚💝😊😊😊😊💜💓💓💓💕💕💗💗💖🌈🌈❤❤🌈💖

[@dawntay]

This was like the first ever analog tape horror on youtube

[@MarkMeadows90]

This sure gets creepy after the 6th generation.

[@kapow151]

I'm a bit confused with the demonstration. Are you copying the VHS tape to another VHS tape, then copied that to another tape?

[@WickerBasket9]

Bump to a nearly 10 year old comment: Yes, you just explained of what it is. Generation loss is when you copy a tape onto another blank tape and vice versa since further reduction in quality on making a copy of the copy, can be considered a form of generation loss in any way whatsoever.

[@dustyrx]

Isn't this a creepypasta? (not the generation loss itself, but this specific video)

[@powsvalentine]

dustyrx ye it is