Networking a VCR?

[LeetestUnleet]

Is it at all possible to mod an old VCR (~3 years) to connect to a network? Could it work like an external tape drive or anything? I just think it'd be cool to be able to do video editing and instead of hooking up my VCR to my computer to transfer it to tape, just send it over the network 😛

Anyone ever hear of this being done before?

 

[Garion]

Nope. A VCR is pretty much all analog, and designed to be controlled with the push buttons on the front. You *could* get some kind of video capture card to get the audio/video from it, but controlling the buttons would be VERY difficult - You'd have to work out some way to get the mechanical switches accessable from your PC - Perhaps one of those "computer robot" kits might have some relays, etc. that would work, but you'd need a LOT of them (play, stop, record, fast forward, rewind, power, channel up, channel down, etc. would each need an indvidual connection).

In other words you could capture the output and control some of the buttons, but that's about it. I think it would probably be a complex and expensvie project. Not worth it, IMHO.

- G

 

[LeetestUnleet]

Aww... wouldn't it be cool though? 😉

*nudge nudge to any "Geek Technology" developers looking for a new project*

 

[bgroff]

Originally posted by: Garion
You'd have to work out some way to get the mechanical switches accessable from your PC - Perhaps one of those "computer robot" kits might have some relays, etc. that would work, but you'd need a LOT of them (play, stop, record, fast forward, rewind, power, channel up, channel down, etc. would each need an indvidual connection).

- G

Mechanical switches?!? How OLD is your VCR??? I haven't seen a VCR with those kinds of switches since the mid 80s. Everybody went digital by the 90s. The buttons on my VCR are no different than the DVD player. Mechanical switches!!! You got an antique there buddy. 😀

 

[WannaFly]

Originally posted by: bgroff

Originally posted by: Garion
You'd have to work out some way to get the mechanical switches accessable from your PC - Perhaps one of those "computer robot" kits might have some relays, etc. that would work, but you'd need a LOT of them (play, stop, record, fast forward, rewind, power, channel up, channel down, etc. would each need an indvidual connection).

- G

Mechanical switches?!? How OLD is your VCR??? I haven't seen a VCR with those kinds of switches since the mid 80s. Everybody went digital by the 90s. The buttons on my VCR are no different than the DVD player. Mechanical switches!!! You got an antique there buddy. 😀

what do you think is behind that piece of plastic you push? A mechanical Switch!

 

[bgroff]

Originally posted by: WannaFly

Originally posted by: bgroff

Originally posted by: Garion
You'd have to work out some way to get the mechanical switches accessable from your PC - Perhaps one of those "computer robot" kits might have some relays, etc. that would work, but you'd need a LOT of them (play, stop, record, fast forward, rewind, power, channel up, channel down, etc. would each need an indvidual connection).

- G

Mechanical switches?!? How OLD is your VCR??? I haven't seen a VCR with those kinds of switches since the mid 80s. Everybody went digital by the 90s. The buttons on my VCR are no different than the DVD player. Mechanical switches!!! You got an antique there buddy. 😀

what do you think is behind that piece of plastic you push? A mechanical Switch!

They are only mechanical until they close the electronic membrane switch behind the plastic. Then its all digitized.

 

[JackMDS]

How you think they are doing movies these days?

Actually there are VCRs that can do it.

$10,000 - $12000 Entry Level.

:sun:

 

[LaValva]

Yeah... It's called a tivo/ReplayTV

 

[sswingle]

Why not just get an IR device for the computer and use it like you would with a remote