Back in 2016, after finishing the "Disposable DVD's" episode, I started looking for the particular DVD player my family got back in early 1999 (our first). It was unique in that it was compatible with the short-lived "DIVX" (DIgital Video eXpress) pseudo-format, which we actually used! It's only taken nearly a decade, but I've managed to get my hands on...one model off from the one we had. Good thing, the one missing feature was irrelevant to this discussion.
It only dawned on me...
2025-03-26 15:38:24 +0000 UTC
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Well, Spring is...springing. As such, it's finally getting warm enough to open the windows. Unlike most folks, it's not so much for the fresh air, but to let out all the fumes when I'm uncovering a new (to me) batch of Discovision Dead Sides.
SEMI-SPOILER:
There was one keeper in the bunch. Here's a link: http://youtu.be/Ow4uvAMMwjA
2025-03-19 14:15:48 +0000 UTC
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After a bit of an unintentional hiatus from the Ben's Junk vids, here's a shorter installment in which I (out of necessity) 98% discuss (as opposed to demo) a little gizmo Sony was peddling in the early 2000's to help you figure out what that elusive song you were hearing on the radio was.
As for the next few weeks, I have no idea what they're gonna look like. I hope to have the next "regular" OA episode together sometime in the next 2-3 weeks. If you know the situation right n...
2025-03-12 14:21:37 +0000 UTC
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Well, this was supposed to be a standard Ben's Junk week, but the five items I had in the immediate queue were either unusable or too involved for a general Ben's Junk video. So, let's monkee around a bit instead, shall we?
2025-03-05 15:43:01 +0000 UTC
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Well, I haven't been on a music ramble in awhile. This time out, let's look at some albums that I'm unintentionally contrarian about (in a good way).
Also, I'm doing the Public Domain livestream thing this Friday night. Join me (and guest host Geno Cuddy) at 7:30 Central Time (main show at 8:00) for a look at what is generally considered the first great Western film, "Hell's Hinges" (from 1916).
2025-02-26 14:38:06 +0000 UTC
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Hot off the presses as of last night...
If you watched the 50,000 subscriber livestream a couple of weeks ago, I spent a few minutes checking a betamax tape that, if labeled correctly, was a genuine "white whale" of mine. Well, of course, it was labelled correctly. So, as I mentioned in the livestream, I'd do a more involved (or some might say, self-indulgent) discussion of the special...and here it is.
And, before you ask, I hadn't planned on posting this one due ...
2025-02-20 14:07:29 +0000 UTC
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Well, once again, we had a tough weekend--I was able to work most of the day on Saturday, but then everything fell off the rails and spilled into Monday and Tuesday. As such, what was supposed to be today's video (tomorrow publicly) is only around 1/3 edited right now. This one is a (totally casual) followup of sorts to "Prehistoric Comedy Central".
So, I've pushed it back to either tomorrow or the following day, depending on what I can get for work time. Please stand by...
2025-02-19 14:00:48 +0000 UTC
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At long last, the first proper OA episode of 2025! Let's take a look back at Comedy Central...before Comedy Central.
2025-02-12 15:09:22 +0000 UTC
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Join me this Friday evening (at 7:30 Central Time for a pre-show, the main "show" at 8:00) for a livestream to mark OA hitting 50,000 subscribers.
Otherwise, I've included a photo of the in-progress editing for "Prehistoric Comedy Central", if only to show that it's in the pipeline. I'd forgotten how much I hate editing history lesson episodes.
2025-02-05 15:20:58 +0000 UTC
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This week was supposed to be a livestream to mark OA hitting 50,000 subscribers, but I'm gonna have to push it back to next week. If you saw the "State of the Archive" video at the beginning of the month, I mentioned that I've had a recurring (brutal) cold. Well, I managed to go about a month where I seemed to "break the spell" for the most part (save for a dodgy day here and there). Over the span of Sunday and Monday, it all made a comeback, and, well, I don't much of a voice r...
2025-01-29 15:24:14 +0000 UTC
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When I did the "Failed Gimmick CD" video a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned I was only making that video because I was short some parts to test another item out...this is that item.
This time I drag myself kicking and screaming into the 21st century with...a projector...but not a film projector.
Also, while it may very well not work on your monitor, if you have a pair of old-school 3-D glasses kicking around, you might want to grab them for this one just for a lark.<...
2025-01-22 14:40:03 +0000 UTC
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The first Ben's Junk of 2025...and not the one I hinted at last week...that one will be next week. This time out, it's a bit of a sequel to the "Teledapter" I covered last year. While this unit will reprocess mono audio for stereo, it'll also turn stereo into a mock surround sound, intended to be used with only two speakers to boot.
2025-01-15 14:47:27 +0000 UTC
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Well, this WAS supposed to be the first Ben's Junk of 2025, but, as I discuss early in this video, I was missing some parts, so that's on the backburner for now.
Anyway, as a quick alternative (hot off the presses last night), here's a totally loose discussion on how the OA Soundtrack album (specifically the CD issue) was supposed to double as a technical reference disc of sorts...and it didn't happen. FAIR WARNING: Tons of audio jargon in this one.
Ne...
2025-01-08 15:08:52 +0000 UTC
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No new Archive (per se) this week. Instead, here's the latest update on the, well, soap opera that my life has become in recent years.
In lieu of a new (regular) video, here are a few new nuggets for the Archive Annex channel:
WROC (then-NBC - Rochester, NY) Prime Time Ad Breaks (Wed. 12/30/1987) - http://youtu.be/Hndex3N-434 (NOTE: This has already appeared on 2025-01-01 15:44:55 +0000 UTC
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This doesn't go public until Thursday, but, admittedly, I wanted to be able to take Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off completely, so here's a little premature Boxing Day post. The idea was that I wanted to get my hands on one of those old Esteban/Home Shopping Network guitars. But, as it turns out, by some bizarre fluke, they seem to have held their value over the years...so, I just dusted off my first steel-stringed piece of firewood.
Also, here's a few Annex posts to lead u...
2024-12-23 15:21:21 +0000 UTC
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Well, I managed to finish this one yesterday, so I figured I'd bump this one up to a more traditional OA release date. This is about as close to a "local flavor" episode as I've gotten since leaving Colorado--3 out of the 5 items here hail from the upper-midwest.
Also, join me on Friday night at 7:30 P.M. Central Time for a special holiday edition of the Archiveland Public Domain Theatre to launch us in the holidays proper. This time, we'll mash Christmas and Halloween together...
2024-12-18 14:53:29 +0000 UTC
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Time for our annual Christmas thrifting expedition...which, admittedly, didn't quite pan out this year. Nonetheless, I was able to ultimately stitch together footage from five stores to get this one over the finish line.
Also, I suppose this would be as good a time as any to deliver this year's December TV commercials that I found over the year. Only got one confirmed batch this time out.
WNYW (NYC) Prime Time Ad Breaks (Fri. 12/12/1986) – 2024-12-11 14:51:01 +0000 UTC
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As you probably remember, last month, I reviewed the VHS is Life Mold Cleaning Rig, but pulled the video after hearing from the inventor. Since then, I've exchanged the unit I used the first time around for the current model--here are the results.
The current plan for the rest of December is as follows:
12/11 (12/12 publicly) - Archive Thrifting (X-Mas Edition)
Fri. 12/20 - Archiveland Public Domain Theatre (The Magic Christmas Tree, 1964)
Sun. 12/22 (12/23 pub...
2024-12-04 16:04:36 +0000 UTC
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Time for this year's Thanksgiving episode...which, of course, has nothing whatsoever to do with the holiday. This year, let's take a look back at eight choice (or not-so-choice) from the ol' VHS vault.
2024-11-27 15:10:21 +0000 UTC
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Even though Thanksgiving isn't until next week, I do have the next "regular" OA episode on-target for next week. As such, today marks...probably the only Thanksgiving-centric Ben's Junk I'll ever do.
2024-11-20 14:23:36 +0000 UTC
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As you probably recall, I wound up pulling last week's video and bumping up this week's would-be video to fill the gap. So, consider this week's video an "emergency backup"--just casually strolling through a vintage issue of Down Beat magazine.
Next week should be...well, another Ben's Junk...but, a little run-up to Thanksgiving. Barring anything catastrophic, the following week will be a proper "Thanksgiving" episode.
2024-11-13 14:42:25 +0000 UTC
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Well, if you never caught it, the video on the mold cleaner rig I posted on Wednesday has been pulled. The inventor reached out to me yesterday--apparently, I was late enough to the party that my unit is outdated. After chatting at length on the phone last night, the agreement is that he'll hook me up with the current model and I'll take a new crack at the review.
Of course, now I'm stuck bumping up next week's video to fill the hole in my schedule (least it was finished--recorde...
2024-11-08 15:12:31 +0000 UTC
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For whatever reason, this has been the year of the moldy videotape for me. I guess it's appropriate we end it (as in, hopefully no more moldy tape videos this year) with what I believe to be the first-ever mold cleaning rig NOT geared towards professionals. Only took until 2024 for such a development...
2024-11-06 15:33:17 +0000 UTC
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As I've been mentioning the last couple of weeks, a proper new Halloween Special just wasn't in the cards this year, but that I did have an (if you will) alternate look at last year's special as a fail-safe. Here it is, in all it's unfiltered, 90's-esque glory.
2024-10-30 13:54:41 +0000 UTC
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In case you missed it on Facebook and Twitter yesterday, there (alas) will not be a Halloween Special this year--I simply don't have the time left between now and next week to bash anything out. But, I've still got our annual Halloween Thrifting expedition for you...which, admittedly, devolved into me hitting up the annual pop-up Halloween stores. Strangely enough, it's probably more fun that way.
I also cut a commentary track for last year's Halloween Special a few weeks ago. ...
2024-10-23 13:14:58 +0000 UTC
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This week, we're looking at a couple of issues of a magazine that...as far as I know, no one's ever covered online. Let's check out some choice pages from the Laserdisc snobs' rag of choice, Laserviews (America's Laser Disc Magazine!).
Barring anything catastrophic, next week should be a thrifting episode.
2024-10-16 14:12:40 +0000 UTC
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Probably the only time I will ever cover a watch on Archive. Let's take a look at the perfect gift for that person that keeps losing the remote control...
2024-10-09 13:56:32 +0000 UTC
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Since I just dropped the Silent Movie Day episode on Sunday (and I think threw a lot of people for a loop in the process), I'm gonna allow it a chance to sink in. Should be back next week with a Ben's Junk. In the meantime, here are a couple of videos from the Archive Annex reserve.
WOKR (ABC - Rochester, NY) News Center 13 at Noon (Wed. 4/15/1987) - http://youtu.be/9amWz1y9WZM
KCTV (CBS - Kansas City, MO) ...
2024-10-02 13:56:55 +0000 UTC
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Just under the wire for Silent Movie Day 2024, here's this year's special. This time around, let's get surreal.
Also, in less than two hours (as of this going out), I'm doing a special pre-Silent Movie Day Archiveland Public Domain Theatre livestream--a selection of Buster Keaton shorts with a unique-to-VHS piano score. The stream can be accessed at http://youtube.com/live/QDvQw2JYTMg. Barring any...
2024-09-28 22:53:00 +0000 UTC
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Just a quick (and depressing, but necessary) update video for right now. If you've followed me closely enough over the last 10 months or so, you probably have a good idea of the subject matter.
Anyway, I will be doing a special Archiveland Public Domain Theatre livestream on Saturday night as a lead into Silent Movie Day 2024 (which occurs this Sunday)--a sampling of Buster Keaton shorts with a unique-to-VHS piano score. If at all possible, the next regular OA episode (this yea...
2024-09-25 14:11:46 +0000 UTC
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