MY TRADING RULES
My rules are simple and just common sense. I only use name-brand store-bought DVD-R discs including HP, Maxell, Sony, Memorex or Imation. These are the only brands available to me. I've never sent a disc out that didn't play, mainly because I always record at the slowest burn speed (1x or 2x) and I don't buy cheapo off-brand discs from Staples, Office Depot, Dollar stores etc. DVD+R has been proven to be less compatible with DVD players than DVD-R, but many people still use DVD+R. I can't imagine why since they're all the same price and available on the same shelf.
I trade hour for hour, not disc for disc. If I sent you a disc with 4 one-hour shows and you sent me a disc with one show, it wouldn't be fair to me and vice versa. It doesn't have to always be exact down to the minute, but it's a good guideline. A show that was originally aired as a one-hour show and minus commercials it's 45 min. or 50 min. etc, it still counts as an hour.
I do mark the show title on the discs with a fine Sharpie. Some people think this damages the disc but it's a myth. The discs I use have such a durable coated smooth label surface that it couldn't possibly to through.
I'm not so digitally obsessed that I only put one show per disc. Any sets I have are done and as they are and some weren't done by me. Some were done in EP/SLP speed and some weren't. When I do a set from scratch, I put 3 or 4 one-hour shows per disc. I think it's ridiculous to have a series that's 20 episodes and it's on 10 or 20 discs. Transferring in LP/SLP or EP speed with DVD is much better and different than the old days of dubbing VHS tapes in those speeds. You can't tell the difference between SP and EP on many shows, depending on the quality of your original sources. I've seen countless people who had a set that was in EP speed and they re-authored the set and made each episode over 4 gigs in size (one show per disc) and thought the quality would be improved. That's baloney. If a show was originally transferred or encoded at LP or EP, you can't possibly improve the quality by making its file size bigger.
Keep in mind that the only way to get many rare and obscure shows is from collectors like myself. Many shows will never be released. Quality can vary from show to show. Some shows come from film prints, some from original airings recorded on early Beta or VHS in the late 70s, some from syndicated reruns, some from a set of masters from TV station employees etc. On the few shows that I have that would be considered poor quality, they can still be viewed and most likely, there isn't a better version available. Naturally, most shows that aired or were rerun from the late 1990s or early 2000s and back, came from tape sources since DVD recorders weren't available and weren't affordable to the masses for some years later. Some of the hardest to find shows are from the mid to late 1970s. Beta and VHS recorders were available but very expensive. Some of these recordings that survived may have been recorded at EP speed and may have glitches here and there and then there are some that are surprisingly excellent quality.
Because of the vast number of DVD releases in the past few years, many people have become "digitally obsessed", meaning they expect everything they get to be high-definition surround sound and the ultimate in perfection. This is impossible. Most of the DVD releases of old shows are not restored at all and they simply used the best film prints they had available. Some people think "digitally remastered" means restored, but it only means they transferred film or tape to DVD or digital format when making their masters for the DVD release. "Restoring" can cost millions of dollars and can take years to complete and is usually reserved for the absolute most popular shows. The original Star Trek is a good example of a restored show. The Wild Wild West is a good example of a non-restored series, but the quality of the DVD release is superb because they had excellent film prints that were well taken care of. The Gene Autry Show from the 1950s was restored, funded largely from The Westerns Channel. And some of the new releases are digitally "cleaned up", where filters are applied to improve the color and sharpness, but it doesn't mean the show was actually restored.
I only encode in NTSC North American format. I don't do PAL and have never had to. I've sent countless discs overseas to UK, Germany, Belgium, Japan, Italy and other places and everyone has been able to play them with no problem. It's either because they have multi-format players or the fact that any DVD burned on a computer is Region-0 (region-free).
If you are interested in something and don't have anything to trade, please send email.
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My rules are simple and just common sense. I only use name-brand store-bought DVD-R discs including HP, Maxell, Sony, Memorex or Imation. These are the only brands available to me. I've never sent a disc out that didn't play, mainly because I always record at the slowest burn speed (1x or 2x) and I don't buy cheapo off-brand discs from Staples, Office Depot, Dollar stores etc. DVD+R has been proven to be less compatible with DVD players than DVD-R, but many people still use DVD+R. I can't imagine why since they're all the same price and available on the same shelf.
I trade hour for hour, not disc for disc. If I sent you a disc with 4 one-hour shows and you sent me a disc with one show, it wouldn't be fair to me and vice versa. It doesn't have to always be exact down to the minute, but it's a good guideline. A show that was originally aired as a one-hour show and minus commercials it's 45 min. or 50 min. etc, it still counts as an hour.
I do mark the show title on the discs with a fine Sharpie. Some people think this damages the disc but it's a myth. The discs I use have such a durable coated smooth label surface that it couldn't possibly to through.
I'm not so digitally obsessed that I only put one show per disc. Any sets I have are done and as they are and some weren't done by me. Some were done in EP/SLP speed and some weren't. When I do a set from scratch, I put 3 or 4 one-hour shows per disc. I think it's ridiculous to have a series that's 20 episodes and it's on 10 or 20 discs. Transferring in LP/SLP or EP speed with DVD is much better and different than the old days of dubbing VHS tapes in those speeds. You can't tell the difference between SP and EP on many shows, depending on the quality of your original sources. I've seen countless people who had a set that was in EP speed and they re-authored the set and made each episode over 4 gigs in size (one show per disc) and thought the quality would be improved. That's baloney. If a show was originally transferred or encoded at LP or EP, you can't possibly improve the quality by making its file size bigger.
Keep in mind that the only way to get many rare and obscure shows is from collectors like myself. Many shows will never be released. Quality can vary from show to show. Some shows come from film prints, some from original airings recorded on early Beta or VHS in the late 70s, some from syndicated reruns, some from a set of masters from TV station employees etc. On the few shows that I have that would be considered poor quality, they can still be viewed and most likely, there isn't a better version available. Naturally, most shows that aired or were rerun from the late 1990s or early 2000s and back, came from tape sources since DVD recorders weren't available and weren't affordable to the masses for some years later. Some of the hardest to find shows are from the mid to late 1970s. Beta and VHS recorders were available but very expensive. Some of these recordings that survived may have been recorded at EP speed and may have glitches here and there and then there are some that are surprisingly excellent quality.
Because of the vast number of DVD releases in the past few years, many people have become "digitally obsessed", meaning they expect everything they get to be high-definition surround sound and the ultimate in perfection. This is impossible. Most of the DVD releases of old shows are not restored at all and they simply used the best film prints they had available. Some people think "digitally remastered" means restored, but it only means they transferred film or tape to DVD or digital format when making their masters for the DVD release. "Restoring" can cost millions of dollars and can take years to complete and is usually reserved for the absolute most popular shows. The original Star Trek is a good example of a restored show. The Wild Wild West is a good example of a non-restored series, but the quality of the DVD release is superb because they had excellent film prints that were well taken care of. The Gene Autry Show from the 1950s was restored, funded largely from The Westerns Channel. And some of the new releases are digitally "cleaned up", where filters are applied to improve the color and sharpness, but it doesn't mean the show was actually restored.
I only encode in NTSC North American format. I don't do PAL and have never had to. I've sent countless discs overseas to UK, Germany, Belgium, Japan, Italy and other places and everyone has been able to play them with no problem. It's either because they have multi-format players or the fact that any DVD burned on a computer is Region-0 (region-free).
If you are interested in something and don't have anything to trade, please send email.
HOME
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