The end of Xtra-vision?

Grimes wrote: »

Overpriced and huge late fees for years. No

You mean the place that charges a tener for a 4 year old game to rent for a week? That's after renting five films...

No, it'll be a good thing.

Who rents DVD's nowadays?! Last time I done that was before broadband became available in Ireland.

Xtra-vision holds many good memories for me.

I haven't been in one since in almost five years but even the name being said makes me feel quite nostalgic.

I remember the first shop opened in Swords around '88 and back then, it took six months for a film to go from cinema to video.

Before they arrived, the little family run video shops used to have feck all of a selection and you had to put your name down for new releases and could be waiting weeks for your turn to come round.

Although, they were better for porn flicks and usually had a little black folder full of the box covers to leaf through

When Xtra-vision arrived, there selection was amazing in comparison and I often spent two to three hours deciding which five vids I was gonna take out.

Course, I would then hook my video up to my mates and make copies of everything I ever rented.

Had a collection of a few thousand films at one stage.

The only issue was the 'tracking'.

Getting the tracking right when duplicating VHS tapes was a very tricky affair indeed and needed great skill.

Twiddling those buttons to the precise position so that the tracking lines would disappear just off screen was a rare art, one which I like to think I mastered :cool:

My 'tracking' adjustment skills were well known and discussed regularly, far and wide.

I was renowned for them for many a year, let me tell ya.

In the right circles today, people still discuss how I managed to adjust one very particularly tricky pirate copy of Big Trouble In Little China that had been amateurishly duped onto a Maxell 180 tape at, get this - LP Speed :rolleyes:

People like that should never have been allowed to own such complicated equipment.

Leave it to the pros guys :cool:

Ah Xtravision, I remember when they threatened a fine if you didn't rewind the tape.

But realy, not everywhere in Ireland has broadband.
Many areas in Ireland don't

So Xtravision still has a market

OutlawPete wrote: »

Before they arrived, the little family run video shops used to have feck all of a selection

Although, they were better for porn flicks and usually had a little black folder full of the box covers to leaf through


Course, I would then hook my video up to my mates and make copies of everything I ever rented.

Ah god, the memories.
The buzz of getting your hands on those hard to get porn tapes, and then the copying.
Tis all too easy these days.............. kinda takes away from it a bit.

I was getting phone credit in my local Xtravision and noticed the huge amount of pre-owned DVD's for sale, they seem to be getting by on them alone.

As I left, I was confronted by a large cut out of Kick Ass, which was an Xtra Vision "exclusive", I couldnt help smiling because I'd downloaded it:D