Home testing

[Chuck C]

have you considered transferring it to a digital media? Those tape substrates will likely fail in the next few years (if they aren't shedding dust already)

I transferred my home video collection that was shot on Hi-8. Got about 100 hours worth transferred to DVD, which is not yet obsolete but may be in a few years. Perhaps I need to have it transferred yet again to digital and put int on a thumb drive.

 

[pellicle]

Got about 100 hours worth transferred to DVD, which is not yet obsolete but may be in a few years

its a simple matter to just make an ISO out of the DVD and stash that directly on media. This way no re-encoding (which introduces further losses) occurs.

If you are using a Mac (which is actually Linux) or Linux you can just make a copy to an ISO file and VLC player will play that direct now. That's what I did with mine ... hit me up for details if you wanna go that way.

 

[Protimenow]

I second that thought. DVD-ROM may have been a good choice a few years ago, but they probably degrade eventually. Flash drives are probably a better choice, and a cloud backup wouldn't hurt,, either.

It'll probably be decades before flash drives and cloud storage will become obsolete methods for storing data.

FWIW - I have CDs that I would like to eventually RIP and store on a hard drive or flash (or both). Most of these DVDs are less than 4 GB in size. A 1 TB hard drive would be able to store data from around 250 CDs. This can be broken up and stored on 4 256 GB flash drives (less than $30 each). At this point, unless I was collecting the discs, or I don't expect anyone to want to buy the complete disc and sleeve, it hardly makes sense to use physical storage space, when the DVDs can be easily stored on much smaller media.

I have a set of 200 CDs that Corel sold in the 1990s. Each CD had 100 photographs. At a maximum of 720 MB per CD, the whole collection would only take up about 140 GB. These may be of some value to a collector, so I may hang on to them, but if I have enough time to spend converting them to larger capacity media, I may actually go to the trouble.

 

[Protimenow]

I also store my data on ISO files. Many media players can easily handle ISO files.

DVDs may still last a while, but with streaming content and large capacity flash media, their days may be somewhat numbered. Still, as a physical medium, they'll probably have a place for distribution of video - until it becomes less expensive to sell an 8GB flash drive than it is to print and package a DVD.

Does anyone here remember the days when software was distributed on floppy disc? Other standard media has replaced it, and is also being phased out. It may just be a matter of time until our state of teh art stuff goes away. (In 2001, flash drives were just beginning to become available. I remember getting a great deal on a 64 MB flash drive for the ridiculously low price of about $50. If the $1/MB price held up, a 64 GB flash drive, probably worth about $5 today, would have cost $64,000.

Aah, progress.

Isn't it interesting that the basic stuff in INR meters hasn't changed much? The new meters from Roche have some nice bells and whistles - color displays, the ability to communicate using Bluetooth, a better interface, and other features, but are basically the same old car with a few options. Of course, the market for upgraded meters is much smaller than the one in automotive electronics or home entertainment, so it may not really deserve a large investment in a new product that, basically, does what existing products can do. (Wouldn't it be nice if there was an anticoagulation meter that doesn't involve a fingerstick or blood draw? I can't see this happening . It may never happen. Testing for coagulation is a different thing from testing blood sugar through the skin.

 

[Protimenow]

standing by for that. Please type the @ symobl followed by my (properly spelled) username to give me an @ mention @Protimenow

I'm quite interested.

The meter arrived today. The screen was scratched but readable.

The seller may have turned it on, but without the little blue cover, it won't do a test. There's a small notch on that cover that triggers a switch on the monitor, allowing a test to be run. I didn't get a close look, but there may even be a small piece of electronics (like, perhaps, a wire that connects two contacts.

Test results were only .1 apart.

I also tested using my Coag-Sense and got a result that was 1.1 LOWER than the CoaguChek XS.

The lab was already closed when I ran the three tests. I'll get my blood drawn tomorrow.

Summary: If any of you are looking at buying these meters, be aware that they won't run a test without that blue strip guide. Roche (or whoever) intentionally removed the strip guide to disable it. I doubt that Roche will send out many of those strip guides - they dumped them for a reason, and probably won't support anyone who tries to get away with a very inexpensive meter.

 

[slipkid]

have you considered transferring it to a digital media? Those tape substrates will likely fail in the next few years (if they aren't shedding dust already)

Yes, been on my list of things to do for years now

Impossible for me to transfer all my old tapes, just no time, but there are some high priority ones I would like to do. Some championship games or really crazy series/games. The entire Flyers playoff (ice hockey) run in like 2010 where they won a playoff berth in the last day of the season against the New York Rangers in an OT (shootout) against one of the best goalies in the league at the time (someone who has been mentioned on this forum btw since he also is one of us with heart problems - Henrik Lundqvist), then they went all the way to the Stanley Cup finals that year, after somehow coming back from an impossible deficit of trailing the Boston Bruins in the Conference finals 3-0, a series which when it got to the 7th game, the Flyers fell behind by 3-0 in the 2nd period AT BOSTON, yet somehow beat the odds for the 3rd friggin' time and came back and won that game.....but I digress...

Regarding Fernwood 2Night which I mentioned above, that was fresh in my mind because a couple years ago I stumbled across a download on the 'net where someone had digitized their tape collection and I have been rewatching that the last couple months (I downloaded their work then converted it all to DVD format when I got it years ago). Unfortunately their collection is not complete though - many episodes are incomplete, some episodes are missing, they digitized them out of order, and they do not have ANY of the 2nd season (where the show hilariously relocated to California and became "America 2night").

I keep hoping that someday the show will get a boxset treatment and I will just buy that, was encouraged that they DID do a full boxset released of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman a few years go (Fernwood/America 2Night is a spinoff of that show) but it has never come to pass. With the passing of Fred Willard recently I thought maybe that might renew interest in the show (he is brilliant as the dimwitted Jerry Hubbard!!!)....

Amazingly all of my old tapes still play, some dating back to even the old Beta days prior to VHS believe it or not! The key to keeping tape media intact is the storage conditions.

After I finish getting through the digitized DVD collection I am watching lately (helps me relax to fall asleep) I will have to find my America 2night tapes and try watching those, fingers crossed....all thanks to Thrift Shop VCRs! And btw I have two DVD recorders now also thx to Thrift Shop which I have used to digitize some of my tapes in quasi-DVD format (long story) which I then take into the PC for final real "mastering" to DVD format (the standalone units do not make real 100% DVD format, again long story).....but we are getting off the real point of this thread (home testing!).....

 

[pellicle]

Hi

Yes, been on my list of things to do for years now

rather like my "I'll scan all those slides and negatives in one day"

..but we are getting off the real point of this thread (home testing!).....

this would not be the first thread that went off on a tangent (or directly into a wormhole to another place)

 

[Protimenow]

Yes, been on my list of things to do for years now

Impossible for me to transfer all my old tapes, just no time, but there are some high priority ones I would like to do. Some championship games or really crazy series/games. The entire Flyers playoff (ice hockey) run in like 2010 where they won a playoff berth in the last day of the season against the New York Rangers in an OT (shootout) against one of the best goalies in the league at the time (someone who has been mentioned on this forum btw since he also is one of us with heart problems - Henrik Lundqvist), then they went all the way to the Stanley Cup finals that year, after somehow coming back from an impossible deficit of trailing the Boston Bruins in the Conference finals 3-0, a series which when it got to the 7th game, the Flyers fell behind by 3-0 in the 2nd period AT BOSTON, yet somehow beat the odds for the 3rd friggin' time and came back and won that game.....but I digress...

Regarding Fernwood 2Night which I mentioned above, that was fresh in my mind because a couple years ago I stumbled across a download on the 'net where someone had digitized their tape collection and I have been rewatching that the last couple months (I downloaded their work then converted it all to DVD format when I got it years ago). Unfortunately their collection is not complete though - many episodes are incomplete, some episodes are missing, they digitized them out of order, and they do not have ANY of the 2nd season (where the show hilariously relocated to California and became "America 2night").

I keep hoping that someday the show will get a boxset treatment and I will just buy that, was encouraged that they DID do a full boxset released of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman a few years go (Fernwood/America 2Night is a spinoff of that show) but it has never come to pass. With the passing of Fred Willard recently I thought maybe that might renew interest in the show (he is brilliant as the dimwitted Jerry Hubbard!!!)....

Amazingly all of my old tapes still play, some dating back to even the old Beta days prior to VHS believe it or not! The key to keeping tape media intact is the storage conditions.

After I finish getting through the digitized DVD collection I am watching lately (helps me relax to fall asleep) I will have to find my America 2night tapes and try watching those, fingers crossed....all thanks to Thrift Shop VCRs! And btw I have two DVD recorders now also thx to Thrift Shop which I have used to digitize some of my tapes in quasi-DVD format (long story) which I then take into the PC for final real "mastering" to DVD format (the standalone units do not make real 100% DVD format, again long story).....but we are getting off the real point of this thread (home testing!).....

Actually, Betamax and VHS came out at almost the same time. The Betamax (developed by Sony) format lost to VHS in terms of market share).

 

[Protimenow]

Hi

rather like my "I'll scan all those slides and negatives in one day"


this would not be the first thread that went off on a tangent (or directly into a wormhole to another place)

At least this wormhole didn't stray into politics.

 

[pellicle]

At least this wormhole didn't stray into politics.

ahh ... well that's a black hole.

 

[slipkid]

Actually, Betamax and VHS came out at almost the same time. The Betamax (developed by Sony) format lost to VHS in terms of market share).

Yes, I know, I was referring to how I bought Beta decks way b4 I was "forced": to switch to VHS since they won the "format" war. I was taping on Beta for years prior to moving to VHS.

 

[Protimenow]

I'm not sure if I wrote about some really inexpensive XS meters. These are on eBay.

They don't have a back cover or front strip guide, and sell for as little as $25. (I paid $30 for mine). The meters won't accept a strip without the blue guide, or a small piece of plastic or other material that holds a switch down -- mine was supposed to arrive with one attached. It didn't. It's probably easy enough to fashion a small piece of cardboard or wood or plastic to hold the switch down and make the meter usable.

I've found that a used strip, cut shorter than the test strip can be inserted into the top of the strip guide, enabling testing on the meter.

I really don't need a third meter, but the idea of having TWO backup meters is intriguing.

The results of this meter and my original meter were very close. I'm waiting to see what the lab reports.

I suspect, though, that Roche may be selling the last of their XS meters; that they may have stopped manufacturing them; and that they will soon bring the models to the American market. At that point, sales of the XS will cease.

I may be wrong about this, though, because I don't know how many meters the sellers on eBay have, so there may not be enough meters available to indicate any significant sell-off of these meters.

There are some advantages in the new models when compared to the XS, and I'm waiting to see if the new meters become widely available in the U.S. At that point, I may ask Medicare to buy me one.

 

[Protimenow]

Yes, I know, I was referring to how I bought Beta decks way b4 I was "forced": to switch to VHS since they won the "format" war. I was taping on Beta for years prior to moving to VHS.

If I recall correctly, Beta video was better than VHS.

 

[slipkid]

If I recall correctly, Beta video was better than VHS.

Yes, all my tests with various decks showed Beta with better picture at comparative speeds (why I went with Beta in the first place). Also sound varied from VHS model to model as far as how well they track a tape recorded on a different brand/model for some kind of technical lack of standards reason as to where the sound got put on the tape which I do not recall the details, was probably picture too but again I 4get. VHS "won" because Sony refused to allow other makers to market their technology & keep beta to themselves IIRC, whereas VHS got licensed all over the place (kind of similar to PC with tons of makers whereas Apple kept their design hardware/software to themselves). Again I don't recall the details.

 

[pellicle]

I've found that a used strip, cut shorter than the test strip can be inserted into the top of the strip guide, enabling testing on the meter.

I really don't need a third meter, but the idea of having TWO backup meters is intriguing.

good to know, and if you need a spare then you can move the parts across from the one which is now no longer functioning.

 

[pellicle]

whereas Apple kept their design hardware/software to themselves).

and ironically have progressively abandoned what the Macintosh was and even the PowerPC platform and now rest on a variant of Linux and OSx is just a skin ... even uses PC hardware now.

 

[sharky7]

In the US it is hard to get a NEW machine without a doctors script. If you have a good relationship with your DR or Cardio they might write for you a script for a new machine, otherwise Ebay is only way.

There are other services out there as well, but they all have a cost.

I personally like the CoagSense system, but they are rare on EBay. I bought mine new 2.5 years ago.

https://coag-sense.com/

Am not sure what you mean or what your saying, right now it was 0 trouble getting a new CoagSense system and using EBAY! it was NEW, and it was $500usd, i am in florida! I use it often, and so far it is the reason that i sleep better at night, I love it!!! I pay about $200usd for 48 test strips, and I love it!
[and BTW, is anyone getting those test strips for less than that, please let me know where and how I can do that, thank you.....HHO]

 

[sharky7]

I realise that, being in the UK, my experience doesn't directly help those in the US. However, if reassuring to users about the accuracy of the CoaguChek XS machines, and for possibly arguing against doctors who dismiss them, this report by the UK's "National Institute of Clinical Excellence" may be worth printing out and waving under their noses. Here, a patient on Warfarin is actively encouraged to use a machine at home. The quality of results is similar to a lab, and the ability to do a finger-prick test in a few minutes wherever you are means the ability to more closely monitor INR levels, helping ensure people stay in therapeutic range and therefore avoid adverse events like strokes and thrombosis. It doubtless helps here that it is also cheaper for our health service to operate this way, so everyone's a winner here.

About that last part, "cheaper for our health care service" may not be right on and to be true, well not for me. THEY dont care for some reason, I called FLA. Blue, and they didnt care, or seem to care about the fact that I was informing them of being over billed, and I had proof of it. Bottom line for all of them is $$$$$, and as long as they for the most part and are making those major bucks, THEY FLAT OUT, DONT CARE! not sure how others make it, I am being charged now over $600usd for my family health coverage, and I am FEP. which is national coverage, compared to state wide!

 

[pellicle]

About that last part, "cheaper for our health care service" may not be right on and to be true, well not for me.

it might be worth remembering that Andy lives in England. The cost savings are calculated because they have a public health system. If you present more in frequency or in intensity of care needs, then it costs the public purse more.

The USA has an entirely different system.