Undazzled by Dazzle. Oh yeah, and Ken Rodriguez eats it.
This past weekend, with Zoe gone on a company lake retreat, I thought I'd start working on a data migration project: transferring old VHS home movies to DVD. Should be a simple enough task right?
I bought the Dazzle Platinum Video Creator. Basically, it's a USB adapter for your RCA cables. It's supposed to work with any VCR. Well, it didn't work with either of my VCR's, neither of which is more than three years old. I tried different USB ports, tried tweaking the RCA capture settings, tried multiple sets of RCA cables. Nada. Zilch. Zero. So I moved on to plan #2.
My tower does have a TV Tuner card built in, so I thought I'd try going that route. I hooked up a VCR with the a coax cable and did get a reasonable video signal, but with intermittently good sound quality. Again, I tried multiple cables, multiple VCRs, different Tuner settings, etc. After 2 hours of fussing with all this crap, I barely managed to capture this 2 minute clip below. FRUSTRATING.
Anyway, a couple words about this clip. It's 1996. I'd moved to Atlanta to open a couple of Inline skate shops, and every Thursday we'd have a group of locals show up to the shop and we'd skate around Buckhead. Somehow, Fox 5 found about us and sent Ken Rodriguez by to do a little 2 minute segment. The piece is pretty corny (could I sound any more DWEEBISH?), but Ken Rodiguez (who is now the local Fox Sports Anchor) eats the asphalt sooo hard at the end of this, I just had to post it for you!
Once I get this whole VHS to DVD conversion process figured out, I'll have some other fun snippets from the past for you...
Comments
Wnat to end that frustration? Take a ride on that Harley to either North Point, Perimeter, or Lenox Square ... and look for the big Apple. Once inside, you'll feel bliss and calm. Just a thought.
Uncle Jimmy
(in the interest of full disclosure, a certified member of the Apple Consultants Network)
Posted by: Uncle Jimmy | August 28, 2006 02:11 PM
Whoa, man! I would NEVER have recognized you sans moustache! How about that.... The clip is HI-larious though. Thanks for sharing.
FYI, I have done the very same thing with my VCR and a tuner card and old home family movies. Results were great, actually. Ring me up if you want to put our two noggins together on it.
A/V nerds UNITE!!!
By the way, you guys going to the Drive Invasion?
Posted by: Kevin | August 28, 2006 08:36 PM
Jimmy, I just KNEW you'd hit me up with the whole "Hi, I'm a PC. Hi, I'm an Apple..." Let's see, $100 or so in software, equipment, and headache OR $1600 for a whole new system... ;)
Posted by: mattlandia himself | August 28, 2006 11:32 PM
Ah youth! What happened? You used to look so clean shaven? :D
Posted by: Ben | August 29, 2006 09:19 AM
I particularly enjoyed how Ken worked in "Funkytown".
Posted by: patatomic | August 29, 2006 10:39 AM
You look like you're 16 here.
i never would have believed youwere 26 unless you told me..
You're SO cute!!!!!
Posted by: Zoe | August 30, 2006 06:39 PM
PS.
I don't think you sound dweebish at all.
Posted by: Zoe | August 30, 2006 06:41 PM