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- wSerie
- TV Shows
- Oddity Archive
- Season 0
- Episode 239
Ben's Junk: Telemeter Pay TV Box (Circa 1960)
Oddity Archive - S0 - E239
It’s (apparently) a fine line between your TV and a taxi meter…
Oddity Archive: Season 0 - 101 Episode s
0x189 - Home Video Recording, 1972-Style (or, Ben's Complete U-Matic Rig)
February 25, 2021
Only about seven years in the making… With the occasional small liberty, a recreation of the first, commercially-available home videotape recording setup in North America. Depending on your perspective, it’s either hardcore or half-baked.
0x190 - Ben's Junk: Toshiba 20AF43 CRT TV
March 11, 2021
No one should ever get this excited over something this mundane… Or, this CRT is 20 AF…y’all.
0x191 - Archive Thrifting #14: (Non-)Luck of the (Non-)Irish
March 18, 2021
You’ll be green with envy over these finds…or not.
0x192 - Phonies (Answering Machine Greetings)
April 1, 2021
Just when you thought the Archive couldn’t get any more phake…
0x193 - Archive Riffs: A Taxing Set of Commercials (Tax Day Special)
April 15, 2021
It’s time to get down to business in Archiveland!
0x194 - Ben's Junk: GPX Digital TV Tuner + Recorder
April 29, 2021
Can a (relative) cheapie from Menard’s drag the Archive’s off-air recording capabilities (kicking and screaming) into the 21st century? Sort of…
0x195 - A Geeky Evening With Benny-Boy
May 13, 2021
A late-night, low-light, romantic fishing expedition with everybody’s favorite Oddity Archivist…fishing for ArchiveAnnex material, that is.
0x196 - Ben's Junk: ClonerAlliance Box Pro (Video Capture Device)
May 27, 2021
Could it be I’ve finally stumbled onto the rightful heir of the VCR? Looks like it…
0x197 - Ben's Junk: JVC HM-DH30000U & Mitsubishi HD-HS2000u D-VHS VCR's
June 10, 2021
A double-(4)-header of D-VHS (when possible) goodness!
0x198 - Episode 200 (Behind The Box) (Commentary)
June 17, 2021
If ever an OA episode needed a commentary track, it’s this one…
0x199 - Archive Thrifting #15: Out Of This World Deals
June 24, 2021
Featuring deals so far outta sight, they’re outta mind!
0x200 - Ben's Junk: Akai GX-220 Reel-To-Reel Audiotape Deck
July 8, 2021
Of course, I had to pick up a rare and unusual deck for a tape cleaning rig. Also, not to be confused with the Akai GX-220D.
0x201 - Ben's Casino Travelogue (Deleted Segment From How I Spent My Summer VIII)
July 29, 2021
The Archive delivers its first real travelogue…granted, it was all of a half-hour away from home, but still.
0x202 - Archive Thrifting #16: La Cage Aux Thrifting
August 5, 2021
Thrifting can be a real drag…but not when Ben’s around!
0x203 - VCR Cleaning (A Public Service Video)
August 19, 2021
A bit of VHSMR for everyone…
0x204 - Channel Update (9/2021) (Sony AV-2600 Update, Sencore VA62, etc.)
September 2, 2021
There’s plenty in the OA oven right now, just none of it is rising.
0x205 - VCR Rabbit Revisited
September 9, 2021
I got things just a hare wrong the first time around, so let’s hop to another round of tests…
0x206 - Ben's Junk: Video Store Regulars (& Memories)
September 23, 2021
Most people would rent a video once…Benny-boy was just insane enough to rent the same tapes over and over…then eventually buy them.
0x207 - Ben’s Junk: Wolverine Moviemaker Pro 8mm & Super8 Film Scanner
October 7, 2021
A half-hour Ben’s Junk? You might say the machine caused it to run reely long.
0x208 - Archive Thrifting #17: Spooktacular Savings
October 21, 2021
Get a witches shawl on and find a broomstick you can crawl on…and go thrifting with Benny-boy! (snap, snap)
0x209 - Ben's Junk: Sony Digital Mavica (Model MVC-FD73) (Floppy Disk Digital Camera from 1999)
November 4, 2021
Finally getting into this newfangled digital camera stuff…whatdaya mean you can’t get 3.5” floppies anymore?!?
0x210 - Ben's Junk: Coolmusic Ring Modulator (& other FX) ("Max Headroom" Hijacker Voice)
November 18, 2021
Does Ben really think he’s better than Chuck Swirsky? That freakin’ liberal…
0x211 - Ben's Junk: Christmas TV VHS & DVD's
December 2, 2021
‘Tis the season…for holiday specials. Here’s some of my favorites…
0x212 - Archive Thrifting #18: Shortwave Santa
December 16, 2021
Run, run Rudolph…towards another pile of junk!
0x213 - Ben's Junk: Keyfax Update/Pioneer GGF1381 Laserdisc Service Remote/Discovision Dead Sides Vol. 3
January 6, 2022
Going down a mental rabbit hole…in the most Archivian way possible.
0x214 - Ben's Junk: VuPoint Digital Video Converter (or, the circa 2010 YouTube video device)
January 20, 2022
Feeling nostalgic for those early YouTube potato video captures? I’ve got just the scratch for that itch…
0x215 - Ben's Junk: The Clapper
February 3, 2022
At long last, Ben’s Junk gets the clap…per.
0x216 - Laserdisc Laser Rot
February 17, 2022
A little mythbusting (and philosophizing)…OA style.
0x217 - Ben's Junk: Magnus Chord Organ
March 3, 2022
After last week’s video, I had to seek a 600-second miracle of my own. It seems to involve turning into a less-charming Daniel Johnston.
0x218 - Ben's Junk: Blonder-Tongue BTX-111 "Ultraverter" (& ONTV Pay TV Box Update)
March 17, 2022
An addendum to the “Prehistoric UHF” episode…and the “ONTV/Pay TV Vol. 2” episode—about three years too late.
0x219 - Ben's Junk: Prog & Metal VHS, Beta & Laserdiscs
March 31, 2022
For those about to rock (in 11/4 time), we salute you…
0x220 - Ben's Junk: Newtek Calibar (A Pen-Sized Test Pattern Generator)
April 14, 2022
Ben recreates the best TV program of all time—the color bars!
0x221 - Ben's Junk: Hotronic AP41 (Frame Synchronizer & Time Base Corrector)
April 28, 2022
It takes a lot to keep Ben’s Junk together…‘cause Ben’s Junk ain’t no good when it’s distorted and out-of-sync.
0x222 - CD Frustrations & Easter Eggs
May 12, 2022
A casual chat…if only because the prospect of the sixth “Ben’s Junk” in a row was too much to bear.
0x223 - Ben's Junk: Sony CVM-51UW & Panasonic WV-BM990 CRT Monitors
June 2, 2022
CRT’s are for squares…which we proudly are.
0x224 - The Eraser Laserdisc Experiment
June 23, 2022
Tackling one of the great urban legends of the Laserdisc format. Are there any “good” copies of Eraser? And, no, I’m not referring to the film itself.
0x225 - Archive Thrifting #19: Radios, Radios
June 30, 2022
Got a new phone (not by choice)…which means a new camera…which means…test drive time!
0x226 - Archive Riffs: Hey, Stop That!
July 7, 2022
It’s a(n apparent) fine line between deep expressionism and wonky student film.
0x227 - Ben's Junk: Midland WR400 NOAA Weather Radio (& other Radio Ramblings)
July 14, 2022
Mother Nature: (throws flash floods, tornadoes, derechos and blizzards at Archive HQ) Ben: I get the hint already! Geez…
0x228 - Ben's Junk: Sony SRF-A100 AM/AM Stereo/FM Portable Radio
July 20, 2022
A truly nice little radio (especially on the AM front)…and a nice little prelude to the OA 10th Anniversary episode.
0x229 - Archive Thrifting #20: Fair(mont) (St.) Clouds over Mankato
July 28, 2022
Taken while shooting the AM Stereo episode. If nothing else, it was the least sticker-shock-intensive part of the trip.
0x230 - Ben Repairs: Radio Shack Executive Stress Eliminator
August 4, 2022
Testing out a potential, new occasionally recurring thing in which I undertake minor repairs on some item…and, as always, mock it a bit.
0x231 - Sony Videocorders Update (CV-2100 & AV-3600) (8/2022)
August 18, 2022
…and the single most challenging project I’ve ever taken on…continues to kick my butt. Share in the frustration, won’t you?
0x232 - Ben's Junk: Tyler Portable TV (model TTV701-7)
September 1, 2022
Hope you like fussy, fidgety, unintuitive setups…and 45-minute Ben’s Junks.
0x233 - Ben's Junk: Sears Whisper-Matic IV (& Victorian-Era Theater Slides)
September 15, 2022
Hey Buddy, wanna see some early 20th century movie theater slides? Didn’t think so.
0x234 - Ben's Junk: Ben's Blackhawk Films Collection (minus the videotapes)
September 22, 2022
…or, Ben gets nostalgic for other people’s nostalgia.
0x235 - Ben's Junk: Sony Trinitron PVM-1343MD (Professional Video Monitor)
October 6, 2022
A rather unprofessional look at a truly professional piece of gear. Such is the Archive… And, yes, “Junk” is used in the loosest way possible here.
0x236 - Archive Thrifting #21: We Already Have Halloween At Home
October 20, 2022
Mom, can we buy some Halloween? (see title for answer)
0x237 - Benny M.'s TV Party (Commentary)
October 24, 2022
I think I have some ‘splainin’ to do regarding this one. NOTE: I recorded this back in early June (2022) as a fail-safe in case the thrifting episode I was trying to make fell through. Some of the points discussed here are now outdated.
0x238 - Halloween Special 2022 Blooper Reel
November 3, 2022
…or, as some might call it, “Ben’s Final Descent Into Madness”.
0x239 - Ben's Junk: Telemeter Pay TV Box (Circa 1960)
November 17, 2022
It’s (apparently) a fine line between your TV and a taxi meter…
0x240 - Ben's Junk: Favorite (and/or Notable) Christmas Albums
December 1, 2022
Even old scrooge Benny-boy has those Christmas tunes that get his foot (arrhythmically) a-tappin’.
0x241 - Archive Thrifting #22: Christmas In Elbonia
December 15, 2022
The merriest* thrifting video of the year! *FACT CHECK: Mostly false.
0x242 - Archive Thrifting #23: Holiday Hangover
December 29, 2022
Old year, old junk. Poetic, ain’t it?
0x243 - Magna-Guard (or, Copy-Protection, Vol. 3)
January 5, 2023
And the quest for that form of copy protection that’ll make my VCR burst into flames continues…
0x244 - Ben's Junk: RCA BW003 (1978 Home Video Camera)
January 19, 2023
Please inspect Ben’s Junk for damage before use…and let it warm up for awhile…and don’t point it at anything bright for more than a second or two. You know what, forget it.
0x245 - Ben's Junk: Forbidden KLAK (via the Archer Multiple Video Distribution System)
February 2, 2023
You wanted more Oddity Archive…After Dark? Here ya go. Just don’t expect anything too hot.
0x246 - Ben's Junk: Realistic (Radio Shack) FM Wireless Lavalier Microphone System (Circa 1988)
February 23, 2023
For those looking to up their YouTube microphone game…had such a thing existed in 1988.
0x247 - Ben's Junk: (Some of) Ben's TV-on-DVD Collection
March 9, 2023
For how much TV I watched when I was younger, it’s a wonder my brains didn’t completely leak out of my ears. See the beginning of the de-evolution of Benny-boy here…
0x248 - Ben's Junk: Hitachi Visionbook Pro 7560 Laptop (or, My 1st, failed attempt at a Windows 98 Rig)
March 23, 2023
…because I MUST get my Diamond Rio loaded (ideally, with Diamond Rio songs)!
0x249 - Ben's Junk: Ben's Mad Magazine Stash
April 6, 2023
What—Me Ramble?
0x250 - Noelle's Mystery Tapes (& Channel Update - 4/2023)
April 20, 2023
Some like roses on a date, some like candy. Benny-boy likes uncatalogued analog magnetic media.
0x251 - Ben's Junk: 80's Music Videos (on Laserdisc)
May 4, 2023
Oddity Archive and MTV have a momentary cease-fire to appreciate some 80’s tuneage.
0x252 - Ben's Ugly A/V Rack
May 18, 2023
Hey! Nice rack, Benny-boy! (snicker)
0x253 - Betacam SP (1st Test...From A Newbie's Perspective)
May 22, 2023
A ferric-oxide (or metal, depending on the tape) baptism…by fire.
0x254 - Christmas Morning on a June Evening (or, Mail Day From Tyrone)
June 22, 2023
Hope you have your June tree up (ideally, something deciduous), 'cause we're about to celebrate Christmas in June.
0x255 - Archive Thrifting #24: The Delicate Sound of Thrifting
July 6, 2023
Some things don’t come easy…like the first thrifting video of 2023 (more than halfway into the year, no less).
0x256 - Ben's Junk: X-10 Videosender (another VCR Rabbit-esque device)
July 13, 2023
Coming right at the end of the usefulness for something like this. Let’s see if it’s too little, too late…or right on time.
0x257 - Revenge of the Sony AV-3600 Videocorder (1st Test)
July 20, 2023
Some people’s sinuses come back from Arizona…my AV-3600 came back from Arizona—arguably the same headache.
0x258 - Archive Thrifting #25: 3M (Moderate Minnesota Madness)
August 10, 2023
Celebrating the 25th OA Thrifting video by doing one in Minnesohta, doan ‘cha know?
0x259 - Fix It or Forget It? (NEC S-VHS Deck)
August 10, 2023
It’s everybody’s favorite new (not quite) nerdy game show…Fix It or Forget It!!!
0x260 - Ben's Junk: 1966 (partial) Zenith Phonevision Pay TV Box
August 24, 2023
The Archive phones it in…phoneVISION, that is.
0x261 - Ben's Junk: SelecTV Pay TV Box
September 7, 2023
Oddity Archive®: Only for the most SelecTiVe viewers!
0x262 - Ben's Junk: ClonerAlliance ViewLite AV (Video Capture Device)
September 21, 2023
A little device with a lot of potential…but does it live up to it?
0x263 - Ben's Junk: Sears Du-All Eight (8mm Viewer/Editor)
October 5, 2023
Well, it does du all, I’ll give it that…
0x264 - Archive Thrifting #26: Indian Summer
October 12, 2023
Dragging out the Summer a little longer…whether you like it or not.
0x265 - Ben's Junk: Sharp VL-E47 "Viewcam" (Video8 Camcorder, circa 1995)
November 30, 2023
Oddity Archive®: Now in glorious Hi-Fi Mono!
0x266 - Archive Thrifting #28: Scandalous Santa
December 14, 2023
Just hear those cash tills jing-a-ling’—ring-ting-tinga-ling…
0x267 - Archive Thrifting #29 (Christmas Leftovers)
December 28, 2023
From that part of the Archive that’s a bit like that old take-out in the back of your fridge…that you forgot about.
0x268 - Ben's Junk: Ben's Rifftrax DVD & Blu-Ray Collection
January 4, 2024
Looking at the Rifftrax collection…with only minimal snark…which may very well go against the laws of riff comedy.
0x269 - Ben's Junk: Denon RCD-N10 CD Receiver
January 18, 2024
…because Benny-boy apparently goes through mini stereos like (insert absurdly famous pop star) goes through boyfriends.
0x270 - Ben's Junk: Magnavox H2160MW9 (or, Exploring Someone's Old Personal DVR)
January 25, 2024
The tech geek equivalent of rummaging through someone’s medicine cabinet…
0x271 - Ben's Junk: Wometco Home Theatre (WHT) Pay TV Decoder Box
February 15, 2024
Archiveco Home Theatre®: Now serving Lawn Guyland & New Joisey!
0x272 - Ben’s Junk: ClearClick Video2USB/ A Tour of Ben’s Livestream Setup
February 22, 2024
Some livestreamers run PC games…Benny-boy likes to run Betamax tapes.
0x273 - How To Unstretch Video (via HandBrake)
February 29, 2024
For us old fartknockers that haven’t yet warmed up to stretch-o-vision…
0x274 - Ben's Junk: Laser Video File Laserdisc Catalog (Mid-1992)
March 14, 2024
Thumbing through the catalog of the hottest new video format (by OA standards).
0x275 - Ben's Junk: Some More of Ben's Audiocassette Collection (Mystery Box!)
March 21, 2024
Come on down to Crazy Benny’s for…a bunch of audiocassettes that you probably don’t care about.
0x276 - Magnavox H2160MW9 Personal DVR/DVD Recorder UPDATE (A Failure)
March 28, 2024
Trying to bulk dump the contents of the DVR. Here’s how NOT* to do it… *No Hard Drives were harmed in the making of this episode. It was reinstalled and all material is still 100% intact.
0x277 - Ben's Junk: Videolok (VCR Anti-Theft Device)
April 11, 2024
Inconvenience and mildly annoy those evil VCR thieves with the Videolok!
0x278 - Ben's Junk: Rhoades Teledapter (TV Stereo Simulator)
April 18, 2024
Don’t wanna wait for Stereo TV’s to be invented? Here ya go!
0x279 - Windows 98 Laptop Update (4/2024)
April 25, 2024
The saga continues. On and on…and on…and on…
0x280 - CD Rot Rant
May 9, 2024
Benny-boy’s (non-accredited) Physical Media Studies class is now in session!
0x281 - Ben A.'s Mystery Tapes (A Not-So-Livestream)
May 16, 2024
An unintentional episode of Oddity Archive…After Dark…in the most literal sense.
0x282 - Windows 98 Laptop Update (5/2024) (She Lives!)
May 23, 2024
Ben christens his newly-functional laptop…by playing a little Slim Whitman.
0x283 - Ben's Junk: Whole House FM Transmitter 3.0
June 20, 2024
Ben’s 3(.0)rd attempt at FM, Part 15-legal microbroadcasting! Let’s see if it’s the charm…
0x284 - Ben Vs. The Cursed U-Matic Tape
June 27, 2024
A quick experiment evolves (er, devolves) into a borderline documentary…on the subject of cleaning mold off an old ¾” “U-Matic” videotape. And they say OA isn’t mainstream…
0x285 - Archive Thrifting #30: Wet Fireworks
July 4, 2024
Spend the 4th of July the American way…shopping for junk.
0x286 - Ben's Junk: A Tower of Vidicraft
July 11, 2024
(with apologies to Frank Sinatra) …’cause it’s Vidicraft, wicked Vidicraft. And, although I know it’s strictly taboo…
0x287 - Quasar Great Time Machine (Round 2?)
August 1, 2024
After making the Great Time Machine episodes in 2023, I was offered another unit in exchange for transferring some tapes. I may not have gotten the better part of that deal.
0x288 - Ben's Junk: My First DVD's
August 8, 2024
Something I never thought I’d have…warm, gooey nostalgia for the Y2K era.
0x289 - Ben's Junk: JamC@m Digital Camera
August 15, 2024
A trip back to the late-90’s. Of course, that means being unnecessarily EXTREEEEME!!!! (insert dorky camera zoom)
Oddity Archive: All seasons
S0: Specials
300 Episode s
S1: Season 1
26 Episode s
S2: Season 2
26 Episode s
S3: Season 3
26 Episode s
S4: Season 4
24 Episode s
S5: Season 5
24 Episode s
S6: Season 6
25 Episode s
S7: Season 7
22 Episode s
S8: Season 8
24 Episode s
S9: Season 9
23 Episode s
S10: Season 10
22 Episode s
S11: Season 11
23 Episode s
S12: Season 12
16 Episode s
S13: Season 13
4 Episode s