Sony DCR-SX45/65/85 Handycam Unboxing & Review Part 1 VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2026-09-23 | Sony DCR-SX45/65/85 Handycam Unboxing & Review Part 1
5.1 channel Surround Sound test in 2024 (Sony DCR-SR100) VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2024-02-03 | A direct upload of a video recorded by the Sony DCR-SR100 Handycam with 5.1 channel Dolby Digital Surround Sound audio. When I last tried this in 2013, YouTube just downmixed it to 2-channel stereo. But let's see if it works now, in 2024.#surroundsound #dolbydigital #handycam
Sony HDR-HC7 Handycam internal microphone problem, teardown, and repair VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2023-12-08 | The internal microphone in my Sony HDR-HC7 had a weird problem. I bought another one which promptly died on me as soon as I tried it. But luckily I was able to fix the first one by taking apart both camcorders and swapping the audio board and microphones. Now I had a fully functional HDR-HC7 and a bunch of spare parts. Note: The HDR-HC9 is nearly identical, and the HDR-HC5 is very similar as well, so this video will pertain to those models as well.#handycam #teardown #repair
Stonewall 25: Global Voices of Pride & Protest (1994 VHS 60fps) VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2023-06-19 | Original description from the 1994 VHS tape: "Coverage of Stonewall 25, the Gay Games, twenty-five years of gay and lesbian history, and more! Special guest appearances by Sir Ian McKellan, Joan Rivers, Quentin Crisp, Chita RIvera, Pete Seeger, Stockard Channing, Petula Clark, David Marshall Grant and more others. Correspondents include Garrett Glaser, Katherine Linton, Eric Marcus, Judy Nelson, Bobby Rivers and Greg Watt. A co-production of WNYC-TV in association with Channel 4 Great Britain."Captured using a Panasonic VHS/DVD combo with HDMI output, an HDMI splitter to bypass HDCP, and an HDMI capture card. Unfortunately the Panasonic uses crude "bob" de-interlacing on its HDMI output, so the video quality is noticeably worse if you're not watching this at 60 fps.#lgbtq #pride #stonewall
First NES ad - Dec. 1985 WNBC-TV commercial break VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2022-09-25 | One of the first TV commercials for the Nintendo Entertainment System, aired on WNBC-TV in New York City on December 3rd, 1985, during the made-for-TV movie "John and Yoko: A Love Story". An initial 100,000 NES units were being test marketed in New York City beginning on October 18th, 1985. The NES was not released nationwide in the U.S. until September 1986 -- after the Atari 7800 (nationwide release May 1986), and the same month as the Sega Master System.#nes #1985 #commercial
Sending a FAX to YouTube in 2022! VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2022-03-22 | Did you know you can send a fax to YouTube (for copyright related issues)? support.google.com/youtube/answer/6005908 For the backstory of my situation, see this Twitter thread: twitter.com/vwestlife1/status/1502125685791408130
Lost HDD video: Princeton Pianist VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2021-11-27 | Recorded April 24th, 2016 on a Sony DCR-SR100 standard definition hard drive camcorder. Concert begins at 24:52. Performer is Paul von Autenried, founder of the Princeton University Pianists Ensemble.
Chris Cuff (fortyfiveplayer) on KCJJ 1630 AM Stereo, April 2000 VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2021-05-04 | The late Chris Cuff (fortyfiveplayer on YouTube) and radio DJ "Captain" Steve Bridges give away a Sony boombox radio which Chris modified to receive AM Stereo as a contest prize on 1630 KCJJ in Iowa City, in April 2000. This was recorded from the studio board to MiniDisc by Chris, which he copied to cassette tapes given to several fellow AM Stereo enthusiasts, including myself.
Retekess TR107 mini AM/FM Stereo radio review VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2021-02-07 | A little review of a little radio. If you're interested, you can purchase it here: amazon.com/dp/B08NSPVTBW?ref=myi_title_dp
Lost Digital8 tape: Tipsy wedding guests (2008) VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2021-01-07 | Recorded July 26th, 2008 on a Sony DCR-TRV280 Digital8 Handycam. From the same tape as the very first "Lost Digital8 tape" video I uploaded, on my main channel: youtube.com/watch?v=j_r7nK2a-do
Lost MiniDV tape: New York City & yapping dogs (2017!) VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2020-07-28 | Recorded in July 2017 on a Sony DCR-PC series Handycam, at the corner of 8th Avenue and West 45th Street in Manhattan. It's the newest MiniDV footage I've found that wasn't recorded by myself. No audio for the first few seconds because it's an LP mode recording at the beginning of the tape, which is the most prone to dropouts. This is the entirety of the recorded material on the tape.
Lost HDV tape: Iron Mountain Iron Mine tour (June 2007) VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2020-07-27 | Recorded June 12th, 2007 on a Canon HV20 1080i HDV tape camcorder. Unfortunately about half of it got taped over (by me), but here's what's left.
Windows 98 is sounding a little out of tune lately VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2020-05-07 | "Deep Marble" by Breeze/Capacala, an Amiga MultiTracker module file (.MTM) played on XMPlay in Windows 98SE. Yes, it's supposed to sound like that! No extra charge for dot crawl.
1994 Tiger Deluxe Talkboy tape recorder commercial (VHS 60fps) VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2020-03-08 | Originally a prop in the movie Home Alone 2, the Talkboy cassette tape recorder was released in 1992 by Tiger Electronics, but sold poorly because it lacked the voice changing feature shown in the film. The Deluxe version with the speed control was released in April 1993 at a price of US$29.99 and was a massive success, with millions of units sold. In 1995 a pink Talkgirl version was added.This commercial was recorded in 1994 from WCBS-TV in New York City (via their over-the-air VHF channel 2 signal) and recorded on VHS tape at EP speed with linear mono audio. De-interlaced and converted to 60fps using QTGMC.
Can you use a rubber band as a cassette deck belt? VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2020-02-27 | Probably not. Rubber bands are too stretchy and cause lots of warble in the audio, regardless of the size you use. And they degrade much more quickly than the correct replacement belts, so even if you find one that works OK, it won't last very long.
Is anyone listening to iHeartRadio? (Sunny Radio jingle glitch) VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2019-12-07 | Inspired by uxwbill's video: youtube.com/watch?v=xTIIskBRV-A Every time the Sunny Radio channel on iHeartRadio plays this holiday jingle, there's a brief but audible glitch in it. Apparently nobody ever noticed it or cared enough to replace it with a glitch-free copy of the jingle.
Stanton 750 DJ phono cartridge review & test (re-upload) VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2019-10-14 | Originally published on Aug 14, 2017 with 23,891 views on my main VWestlife channel. Re-uploaded because it got accidentally muted in an attempt to remove a copyright claim and every time I tried to un-mute it I just got an error message.Introduced in 2017, the 750 is the first new phono cartridge from Stanton (now under Gibson's ownership) in many years, based on the Audio-Technica AT95E but with a conical stylus designed for DJ use. Despite some discrepancies in the specs and mistakes in the installation instructions, it turned out to be a really nice-sounding cartridge.
Shortwave numbers station with digital data (17.48 MHz) VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2019-08-02 | Received November 21st, 2015 at around 6:30 PM EST, on about 17.48 MHz. Likely coming from Cuba. Likewise the digital data is almost definitely also encrypted, either digitally or via an old-fashioned cipher system.
Ben the surfer - Digital8 in 720p 60fps HD VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2019-01-15 | Originally recorded on a Sony Handycam DCR-TRV280 Digital8 tape camcorder (now owned by uxwbill). Upscaled from 480i60 to 960x720 at 59.94 fps using AVIsynth, QTGMC, and Serif MoviePlus X5.
The worlds worst camcorder - Sylvania SY-4000 VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2019-01-15 | Old footage recorded in 2008 using the Sylvania SY-4000 pocket-sized video camera (also sold as the DV-2100). It was a much cheaper alternative to the Flip cameras that were popular at the time -- but with much lower quality. In addition to the terrible rolling shutter wobble effect, the graininess and chromatic aberration makes it look a bit like old 8 mm movie film. And the microphone picks up more noise from the camcorder's buttons than from what you're trying to record!
1640 AM Manville, NJ The Jersey Shuffle - August 2014 VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2018-12-13 | "The Jersey Shuffle" -- Low power Part 15 station on 1640 kHz (later 1710 kHz, now off the air) in Manville, NJ, recorded from their web stream in August 2014.
Telemarketer starts singing Adele VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2018-10-31 | I still don't understand why telemarketers keep thinking my voice mail is a person they can talk to, but at least this one had a little fun at the end.
How to reset the automatic mechanism of an AT-LP60 turntable VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2018-08-10 | How to manually reset the automatic start/return mechanism of the Audio-Technica AT-LP60 and similar turntables (Sony PS-LX300USB, Pioneer PL-990, etc.). For more tips, see the video "Cheap fixes & upgrades for cheap turntables" on my main channel: youtube.com/watch?v=fEMoAwLpLDM
1950s-era neon motel sign in NJ - soon to be gone :-( VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2018-07-07 | One of the last remaining neon signs along U.S. Route 22 in New Jersey, at the former Colonial Motor Court Motel in Springfield -- now covered with a bag advertising the new business that will take its place.
How to identify a manually detected Content ID copyright claim VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2018-06-26 | Ever get a "manually detected" Content ID copyright claim on one of your YouTube videos, and want to find out what it is? Here's how...
What people did before online dating - 1996 TeleCompanions ad VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2018-06-08 | Before online dating, there were telephone dating services. Here is a 1996 radio commercial (broadcast on 95.5 WPLJ in New York City) for one such company, named TeleCompanions. The only information I can find about them is from their trademark registration, which says the TeleCompanions name was first used in 1992, and their trademark was filed in April 1996 by J R P D Inc. and expired in 2003.Attempting to call the number sung in the ad's Disco-style jingle today just results in a "your call could not be completed as dialed" message. I wonder if that young professional named Donna ever met her companion through the service...
The Unfortunate Video: Microsoft Story Remix remixes its own review VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2018-05-17 | Just for fun, I dumped in all the raw clips from my review of Windows 10's Photos/Story Remix app (as seen here on my main channel: youtube.com/watch?v=5nNDmCnxqz8 ) and let Story Remix remix its own review. After crashing twice, this is what it created for me all by itself, with no human intervention.
JVC Everio GZ-MG670 1080p upscaling camcorder review & test VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2018-05-08 | One of a rare breed of camcorder which records in standard definition and then upscales to 1080p60 via its HDMI output. Of course the video quality wasn't nearly as good as true HD, but for $250 less than a comparably equipped HD camcorder from JVC at the time (in 2009), maybe faking it was good enough.p.s. This is old footage that I put off until I finally got an Internet connection fast enough to make uploading 1080p60 video possible without taking all day.
I dont think a DVD player is supposed to do that... VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2018-03-31 | DVD player turns into a disc grinder.
TEAC LP-R550USB all-in-one system tweaks & upgrades VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2018-01-01 | Technical information about TEAC's all-in-one audio systems, such as the LP-R550USB and similar models, including how to adjust the speed of the turntable and cassette player, and recommended upgrades. For a full review and demonstration, see this video on my main channel: youtube.com/watch?v=CQ5ctLvh5To
940 CFNV (Montreal) in C-Quam AM Stereo? VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2017-12-24 | For a while on December 21st, 2017 radio station 940 CFNV (ex-CINW) from Montreal, Quebec, Canada was being received in AM Stereo on my Denon TU-680NAB tuner, via skywave here in central New Jersey. Unfortunately I think it was just "falsing" (false indication of a C-Quam signal) because I could not hear any stereo separation in the music and at other times I could only get CFNV in mono. But it's still nice to see the Stereo indicator illuminate on AM anyway!
October 2017 FM HD Radio bandscan (central NJ) VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2017-10-29 | Annex to an upcoming video on my main channel. As received on a Sony XDR-S3HD using an ordinary indoor telescoping whip antenna.
Sony HDR-CX360 Handycam 1080p60 test VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2017-10-08 | If you're watching at 60fps, the lines on the strobe disc should appear to be stationary.
Kraft Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese mistake VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2017-09-10 | Someone screwed up at the Kraft factory... but I ate it anyway!
Welcome to BMW: The Greatest Automotive Company in the World [1999 VHS] VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2017-08-04 | Watch BMW tooting their own horn for about 24 minutes on this VHS tape from 1999. I don't know whether this tape was given to new BMW employees or buyers of BMW cars. As much as an enthusiast they might be, I don't think buyers would be interested in watching the whole thing. And yes, controversial BMW styling designer Chris Bangle makes an appearance.
Magic 98.3 radio station with ticking CD player on air VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2017-04-18 | That ticking sound is not supposed to be part of the music! Either Magic 98.3 (WMGQ New Brunswick, NJ) was actually playing a CD on the air (which is rare these days), or they ripped the CD without error correction. Luckily it managed to get through the song without skipping, and the ticking subsided after the first minute or so. Recorded March 8th, 2017.
Verizon NJ Internet problems March 9, 2017 VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2017-03-10 | UPDATE: As of 11 PM EDT, everything seems to be back to normal here in NJ. The cause of the outage is unconfirmed but one source claimed it was due to geomagnetic storms, which are known to be most prevalent in the month of March and can disrupt terrestrial communications.
Mix 102 102.3 FM NYC-area pirate radio station VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2016-12-10 | Today in the Union, NJ area I heard a radio station on 102.3 FM playing Oldies music with a strong signal and good audio quality. There is no licensed station on that frequency in this area so it clearly was an unlicensed "pirate" station. A DJ with a thick accent came on, calling it "Mix 102". Eventually the playlist shifted to Caribbean music, but still in English, not the Creole language typical of NYC-area pirates. The DJ even gave a weather forecast, talking over the middle of a song. He also took callers on the air, again in the middle of playing a song. I've heard that this is normal practice in many parts of the world, whereas in the USA it is considered bad form for a DJ to "step on" the vocals of a song.
Lost Digital8 tape: Rocky Mountain snowboarding & yellow Aspens VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2016-11-08 | Recorded October 5th, 2002 on a Sony Digital8 Handycam. Captured and converted to MP4 using LifeFlix
Lost Digital8 tape: Bonfire & Nightshot VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2016-10-05 | Recorded September 21st, 2002 on a Sony Digital8 Handycam. Captured and converted to MP4 using LifeFlix (which, surprisingly, uses the date code of the captured footage as the timestamp of the video file it creates on your computer).
LifeFlix Mac DV video capture program review VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2016-10-04 | LifeFlix is a Mac OS (only) program with the singular purpose of capturing video from DV video sources, such as MiniDV and Digital8 camcorders. It also supports HDV, but does not support MicroMV camcorders or USB video capture devices. Its one unique feature is the ability to de-interlace (using field blending) and compress the video to MP4 (H.264 codec) "on-the-fly" while capturing from tape. It can also capture the DV video data without compression.Either way it stores the video into .MOV files, split by scene. You can combine scenes after capturing, but this is not recommended if the tape contains a combination of 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratio footage. LifeFlix also has some very basic editing features, such as the ability to split or trim scenes, but they don't work that well, especially if you've chosen to compress the video.LifeFlix doesn't offer any choice of bitrate for its MP4 compression, but it uses around 3 Mbps for 4:3 video (640x480 resolution) or around 5 Mbps for 16:9 video (854x480 resolution), so the quality is reasonable. It supports both NTSC and PAL. Compressing to MP4 while capturing from an HDV camcorder is not recommended because it downscales the video to 960x540 resolution, so you lose the HD quality. I also encountered a strange bug of it losing the first scene when capturing from HDV. It shows up on the preview, but as soon as the tape reaches the next scene, the first scene is deleted.LifeFlix might work well if you have a large amount of DV tapes that you want to quickly capture and compress to MP4 with little or no editing. Otherwise it doesn't do video capture any better than iMovie or any other video editor, and at $29.99 it's a bit pricey for its limited purpose, and it is for Mac OS only; there is no Windows version available.
Sony DCR-HC96 MiniDV Handycam test VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2016-10-02 | Sony's best ever consumer-grade MiniDV camcorder, from 2006-2007. Recorded 2/25/2012 (outdoor scenes) and 11/25/2013 (indoor scenes). Upscaled from 480i60 to 720p60 using QTGMC and Serif MoviePlus X5.
EasyCap Honestech VHS to DVD test (MPEG2) VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2016-09-06 | Testing MPEG2 video with 3 consecutive B-frames to see if YouTube is able to process it. As reported on the YouTube Help Forum, some people are having problems with YouTube failing to process MPEG2 videos: productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/youtube/c2HlOAwCz0E
Lost MicroMV tape: Chandelier vs. CCD VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2016-07-17 | Discovering the vertical streaking effect caused by bright lights hitting a CCD image sensor.
Sereer HDV-501 infrared night vision camcorder review & test VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2016-07-10 | Sereer or Sere? I'm still not sure what the correct brand name is. Regardless, this is the HDV-501 (or HDV-5053STR?), an inexpensive new infrared night vision camcorder that tries awfully hard to look like a Sony Handycam. Its night vision performance is excellent, but it has no image stabilization and the sound quality of its microphone is absolutely terrible, with tinny, noisy audio that I had to turn up almost all the way when editing the video just so you can hear it!
VHS Corruption VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2016-07-09 | Playing a VHS tape on a professional-grade Panasonic AG-1970 Super VHS VCR with bad capacitors. It has the same kind of leaky surface-mount electrolytic capacitors that cause problems or even complete failure on other electronics from the early to mid '90s, such as Macintosh computers.
Wondershare Video Converter Free quick review VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2016-07-02 | Never trust Wondershare to offer anything useful for free. This is just barely functional adware.Recommended free video converters that actually work: https://handbrake.fr http://www.xmedia-recode.de/en/index.html
Lost MicroMV tape: Grandma listening to Internet radio VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2016-06-21 | Circa 2005. From Wikipedia: KBON (101.1 FM) is a radio station broadcasting an Americana format, deeply rooted in the music of south Louisiana, including swamp pop, zydeco, and cajun-French music mixed in with some traditional oldies, country-western, and R&B music. Licensed to Mamou, Louisiana, the station serves rural portions of both the Lafayette and Alexandria radio markets. Its studios are located in downtown Eunice, Louisiana.
A Laymans Guide to Minor VCR Repair VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2016-03-27 | Covers the most common repair procedures on many 1980s VCRs. Not exactly a high-budget production (looks like it was recorded, edited, and distributed on VHS, with plenty of generational quality loss), but maybe it will help someone...
Panasonic PV-DV400 camcorder with Infrared Night Vision VWestlifes Camcorder Tests & More 2016-02-11 | An example of Panasonic's clone of Sony's NightShot, called MagicVu IR Filter 0 Lux, as featured in the PV-DV400 MiniDV camcorder from the year 2000. It has remarkably good sensitivity and be switched between black & white, green tint, and blue tint.Music by Simon P. Croot Productions.
