A VHS Tape That Is Literally Dead (GEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!)

[@therealjoshhart518]

(Insert "THIS IS THE CASE TO THIS GARBAGE!!!" Meme Here).

[@jacharv]

R.I.P - VHS Tape. I’ll definitely be attending its funeral.

[@christopherlavendoski2090]

I didn't know VHS tapes could do this

[@Jamiebrakebill30]

I don't even know why people donate tapes to thrift stores that are damaged and not even playable.

[@therealjoshhart518]

Well, in all fairness, this tape, at least from what I remember, did play at first, but then just ended up wearing out, which is something these Sterling EP tapes tend to do, due to how cheaply they were manufactured.

[@LoganL2008]

I had a couple tapes that did that. One was my first copy of Blakes 7: Duel that was along the first tapes I ever got in 2020. Filmstrip was completely torn. I also got a tape of Home Alone in 2021 that had pen drawings all over it and it was absolutely battered. Thankfully I found a good copy of Blakes 7: Duel earlier this year, but am yet to find a good copy of Home Alone. I do have a tape of Home Alone 3 though.

[@Tomsonic41]

The tape is either suffering from sticky-shed syndrome or something has gone wrong with the mechanism inside. If this was an irreplaceable home movie, you might be able to recover it by spooling the tape into another cassette - but as things are, probably best to just put it in the garbage.

[@therealjoshhart518]

Which was exactly what I did. No point in trying to salvage a cheaply made public domain VHS.

[@The_gemmy_guys]

The Film Strip Was Actually Twisted

[@therealjoshhart518]

@@The_gemmy_guys I think Warped would be a better terminology to use in this case, but yeah, basically.

[@nostalgiamostalgia0319]

It's a rule of thumb: we can't trust public domain companies.

[@therealjoshhart518]

UAV/Sterling tapes in particular are definitely not to be trusted.

[@arcogaudio]

Steve the Historian’s video on public domain VHS offers even more insight on how these shady companies operated.

[@therealjoshhart518]

@@arcogaudio Interesting. I may have to check that video out someday!

[@TheRandomEntertainer-o5r]

I believe UAV/Sterling’s SP mode tapes (particulaly their DiC tapes) could probably run better but IDK.

[@arcogaudio]

@@TheRandomEntertainer-o5r In any case, if it is true, buying used tape stock to duplicate your tapes will still result in an inferior, unreliable product, regardless of its play speed.

[@brendansmoviecornerbackup8942]

HOLY CRAP!!! That tape is completely dead and refused to play.

[@toxiclolita]

I’m more worried about the TV and VCR breaking. It makes my VCR loving heart so nervous. AAAAH 💀😭

[@therealjoshhart518]

I hear ya. Thankfully the TV and the VCR still work perfectly!

[@AlyssasAutismAdvocacy]

With a tape like that, I am more worried about the VCR breaking.

[@therealjoshhart518]

I'd be worried about that too. Thankfully the VCR survived this.

[@arcogaudio]

I heard somewhere that Mirror Image Duplication Services (which duplicated Sterling tapes) had bought used tape stock for duplicating their tapes. Kinda explains why the tape is like this, and that most of their picture quality is subpar.

[@therealjoshhart518]

If that really is true, then BOY does that really explain everything!

[@Musicradio77Network]

Just to let you all know, “Heidi’s Christmas” was a TV movie from 1978 as “The New Adventures of Heidi” with Burl Ives.

[@therealjoshhart518]

Yep. And it's also a public domain film, so other Public Domain companies have released it on VHS and DVD. From what I can tell, Sterling were the only ones to release it with the alternate title, at least from what I've seen so far.

[@Gemmy608]

ITS THE LITERAL AMANDA THE ADVENTURE TV

[@Kidddas]

something is squeezing the tape

[@sarahreaume6659]

Damn let this be a lesson to yall never trust public domain tapes

[@MarleyTheBird4342]

VHS tape literally dies in Josh's VCR (2024, colorized)

[@therealjoshhart518]

lol. But for real, it was probably already dead even before this video. I just happened to discover it was like this, and decided to film it.

[@MarleyTheBird4342]

@therealjoshhart518 The only two times I ever came across an already dead VHS tape was with some type of basketball tape and I put it in and it never played. Same thing happened with a 2001 VHS of Lady and the Tramp II Scamp's Adventure where it doesn't even play at all. Probably worn out or something.

[@Funnyredhouse3453]

That DEFINITELY isn’t playable anymore

[@TheVideoLover3]

FUCKING HELL! A tape that doesn't play or fast forward at all!

[@MiiGameplaysHD]

hello Video Lover, I didn't expect to see you here, but yeah that tape is dead

[@NigelMontezuma]

Also Don't Trust Combos (Especially TV+VCRs)

[@The_gemmy_guys]

3:06 You Chould Only Show The Box In Your VHS Christmas Collection Your Making

[@therealjoshhart518]

lol. Little too late for that, since I already threw the tape away, but that would have been funny.

[@bradbrown8759]

The tape may be just fine. I have 4 different VCRs that have developed tracking issues. And have started eating tapes! I opened the top of one And super cleaned the big recording playback drum with Windex. And lube any reachable moving parts. But the rubber belts and rollers get dry and loose their grip. Q tips and rubbing alcohol can make them better. This one VCR is playing a lot better. Not perfect. But so far it hasn't ate another tape yet. In short, a dirty recording head and ageing drying rubber belts and wheels.

[@therealjoshhart518]

The VCRs themselves are fine. I tested them both with other tapes after this and they work perfectly. The problem with this tape is that the film reel itself was literally warped, (which you can see if you look closely at 1:01). And no, trying to transfer the tape to another shell or trying to splice it into another reel would not have helped. I've tried that before with other tapes that were in a similar situation, (some also made by Sterling, BTW), and it just ended up making it worse. Bottom line is, just don't buy any tapes that were made by Sterling Entertainment Group. Especially ones that were made in EP/SLP mode. They tend to not hold up.

[@bradbrown8759]

@therealjoshhart518 That's good insight. I wasn't aware of poorly made cassettes. I used to record all kinds of stuff untill the tapes weren't sold anymore. (2016-2017) For about 4 years the 5 packs of tapes started to have tapes that wouldn't work or track right. I was going nuts recording a NOVA or Simpson's on a new tape and find it was all garbled up and wouldn't track. When tapes started getting eaten I just put them asside. Probably a couple hundred or more. Including prerecorded movies. I always figured the machine was bad. Audio cassette players have started eating tapes too. Drives me freakin nuts. IMO VHS should make a major comeback. There's never been a more user friendly form of recording shows.

[@SarahWestCrazyTaxiQueen]

Oh no 😟

[@grapesoda1981]

Did you try a different tape? Usually when a tape gets eaten up it's not because of the tape. It's because the VCR wasn't cleaned. Do you clean your machines? If there is a mechanical problem with the tape itself it might be that the plastic shell is broken or the springs on the shell are missing so the part that covers the tape won't close. You can replace the shell and transfer the tape to the new shell.

[@therealjoshhart518]

Trust me, it definitely was not the VCR. I literally tried other tapes in both VCRs immediately after this, and they still work. And also, there is nothing wrong with the shell. If you look very closely at the left side of the tape at 1:01-ish, you can see that the film itself is literally warped, which is likely what caused this to happen. And I can also say from personal experience that transferring it to a new shell, or even attempting to splice the film into a different reel would not have fixed anything. I've tried that with other tapes that were in a similar situation, (some of which were also produced by Sterling, BTW), and it didn't make it any better. If anything, it just made it worse. So, yeah.

[@alexlippert1424]

This is the tape for this garbage! This is the tape for this garbage! This is the tape for this garbage! GEOD!!!

[@therealjoshhart518]

lol. Exactly!

[@dannewnam2701]

Corbin Petty Parody.

[@serenasmith4450]

Wow! That tape really is dead! Time to get a new copy! (Maybe)

[@therealjoshhart518]

Honestly, with the amount of Christmas tapes I own that work perfectly, I could probably live without getting another copy of this. Plus, knowing how well these Sterling tapes hold up, which is to say, not at all, there's a chance that if I did get another copy, it would probably just end up doing the same thing.

[@serenasmith4450]

@therealjoshhart518 I guess that's true.

[@coondogtheman]

Take that tape apart and clean everything inside. Even the tape itself. Look up a guy on here named emeral coast digitizing. He does stuff like that.

[@RealEpikCartfrenYT]

nothing that my cheap samsung VCR wouldn't play. That thing can play ANYTHING

[@joshuapowell1868]

Get your mode switch clean out in your VCR player and your problem will go away

[@vhsmaniaman6986]

Wow. 💀

[@LoganL2008]

Hi Brett

[@therealjoshhart518]

Wow, is right.

[@CurtisVHS]

You think that's bad Well back in August I discovered a VHS tape in my grandma's basement. and OH B O I. It was so moldy Like the VHS filmstrip is pure white so I got it to the recycling center And that's it

[@therealjoshhart518]

The insane thing is, I actually have seen tapes that were actually that moldy. Both in videos and in person. Yeah. I'm sometimes a bit lenient with moldy tapes, but something THAT moldy? Yeah. Not a chance! You definitely did the right thing!

[@devinnytroysmediacorner]

When did you get this tape?

[@therealjoshhart518]

This tape was originally in "VHS Update Video For 1/2/2016". Meaning I had this tape for just under 9 years, before it met its unfortunate demise.

[@JoshuasMediaCorner1997]

Throw that tape in the garbage

[@therealjoshhart518]

Already out and in the trash.

[@Musicradio77Network]

You should’ve send this VHS tape to me to fix it. I always fix VHS tapes to see what was wrong with it. My 1999 Panasonic PV-945H VHS VCR works perfectly without having issues.

[@georgieippolito9924]

You can take apart the cassette and fix it. Ifixed 2 of my cassettes. you can even splice it if you have to with tape

[@oscarflores1980]

The tape looks twisted lol

[@therealjoshhart518]

If you look, you can clearly see that the film is warped, which is most likely what caused this.

[@cmvogt5951]

Don't Worry Josh, you'll get another Copy of this Tape Soon.

[@therealjoshhart518]

Maybe. Honestly, with the amount of Christmas tapes I already own that work perfectly, I'd could probably live without ever getting another copy of this. Plus, this isn't the first time I've had this happen with a Sterling VHS, so what are the odds that a 2nd copy of this tape won't end up doing the same thing?

[@joshuapowell1868]

Vhs tapes don't don't stop playing at all I fix broken vhs tapes at all times and I know more than you do

[@AnthonyChobotdoespopcult-jz7jr]

Cool

[@DjAaronRaadio]

i use to have tapes Like that i just chucked them across the room if they didn't play they wouldn't be Part of my collection i do the same with CDs too if they don't Play or Rip they get chucked or smashed lol.

[@therealjoshhart518]

lol. I've done that before with other tapes that did not work at all.

[@dominikinfante9002]

whoa

[@therealjoshhart518]

whoa indeed!

[@anthonyvo1963]

This VHS Tape is garbage

[@therealjoshhart518]

Forget the garbage, this tape deserves the DUMPSTER! This tape is literally a dumpster fire!

[@joshuapowell1868]

Broken vhs tapes more fixbel with Scotch tape it starts playing again with out no problem's

[@oliverorsten1706]

I could fix the tape whoever thinks I’m an idiot by that im not

[@joshuapowell1868]

Am sorry lot people don't know what a mode switch is in a VCR player everything proven people keep there mode switch clean out like they should people will never have playing problem's at all people like myself are cleaning out mode switche in my house I know everything about mode switch in vcr players

[@joshuapowell1868]

People keep there mode switch clean out like they should people like you will never have no problem's at all everything proven online how clean out a mode switch in a VCR player look it up online