Getting Most From Video Equipment

Good ideas don’t have to cost a million dollars, especially with home video.

Here are some no-cost tips:

How’s about making a camcorder double as a video recorder? After popping for the bucks to buy a camcorder, a video buff needn’t also immediately lay out the dollars to buy a VCR. The camcorder can be connected directly to any television (if the set has video inputs and outputs) and used to record or play.

Water and video equipment don’t mix. In the event of a downpour, carrying a small plastic grocery or trash bag can save a camcorder. If a rainstorm breaks out, the unit can be quickly placed in the bag.

Ever try to get those pesky labels off videotapes? There are costly concoctions for doing this, but common lighter fluid will do the job. Saturate a cotton swab with lighter fluid and rub it over the label. After a minute or so, the label should come off easily.

People who want to record a radio program that runs longer than a standard hourlong audio cassette can use a stereo video recorder to do the job since videotape allows uninterrupted recording times of up to eight hours. The tape outputs on the receiver should be connected to the stereo audio inputs on the VCR.

Distributed by AP Newsfeatures.