Yahoo! Picks - bringing you the best of the Web since 1995

Ray Glasser is obsessed. A collector and documentarian of the highest order, Mr. Glasser bought his first Betamax recorder in 1976. This early adopter of video recording then began taping television broadcasts with a feverish intensity that only other obsessives can comprehend.

We stumbled upon Ray's YouTube channel while browsing through old '80s commercials on the video sharing site (on our lunch break—of course). We watched his brief introductory video and immediately knew we had to speak with him about his collection and his decision to digitize his material for the masses.

When we caught up with Ray, he offered his thoughts on collecting, taping off the tube, and uploading his gems for all to enjoy...

Hey Ray, where does your collection stand these days?

It's hard to say. I haven't labeled and/or numbered tapes in about 6 or 8 months...probably close to 2,600 Beta tapes. I'm now collecting and saving movies on DVD.

And this started in 1976 when you bought that first Betamax?

Yes... in June. It was tailor-made for night workers like myself. I could timer-tape shows while I was at work and play them back anytime I wanted!

When did you first run across YouTube?

I think sometime around the beginning of this year—2007.

Has the response to your videos been gratifying?

More than gratifying. I'm lovin' every minute of YouTube!

Were you a collector before your obsession with video taping started?

Yeah, I really was. I have a newspaper collection that goes back to 1962 of all the major headlines. I've also been collecting records since 1960.

Does it bum you out that you spent all this time and effort to record and catalog programs off TV? The same programs and movies that studios officially released?

Not really. The bottom line is: Look what I have to show for all those years of work!

In our opinion, the real gems of your collection that you've uploaded thus far are the commercials, news broadcasts, and other miscellany you preserved. Did you ever think that the historic value would be in the oddities?

Not really, but I learned quickly. Most of the little bits and pieces that I've put up are the ones that have had the most views. Especially the old TV IDs and slides, logos, weather reports, intros, etc. It's incredible what turns people on!

And you didn't set out to capture some of these gems and if it wasn't for you, they'd never see the light of day...

Well, maybe, maybe not. I'm just thrilled that so many people seem to enjoy my videos. I have close to 700 subscribers, which blows me away.

What gems do you have up your sleeve that you haven't posted yet?

Oh my God, tons! I'm only into early 1981 on my miscellany tapes. I've literally only scratched the surface of what I want to upload. Next will be the assassination attempt on President Reagan in early '81.

The local TV commercials and newscasts you have must be rare, right?

Yes, they probably are. One guy wrote me and told me that I have more stuff from our local Ch. 8 (WJW) than the station does!

What inspired you to tape news broadcasts back then?

I was always a big fan of what was then our CBS affiliate, WJW-TV8, in Cleveland. I thought it would be cool to tape entire newscasts, just for historical value. Apparently lots of people are glad I did.

Did you ever foresee a day when video would be so easy to come by?

No, and no one except us early hobbyists appreciated how cool and rare video was in the earliest days. Today it's completely taken for granted.

So how did you do it in those early days? In your personal videos, you talk about how blank Beta tapes were $20 a piece!

I would rather buy tapes than eat! No, really. All of my spare money, the little I had, went into buying blank tapes. My life literally revolved around the Betamax for the first few years (1976-79). I ate, slept, spoke, and breathed only Beta.

How many hours of programming do you figure you taped in that period?

There's no way to know. But I do know I was probably adding 12 tapes a month to my library for the first few years. And I taped everything that interested me on TV!

What is your most prized tape from that era?

Probably "NBC: The First Fifty Years," which looks like it was taped yesterday. I taped it in November of 1976 off over-the-air antenna at a friend's house, and it's still in mint condition. I've converted it to DVD to preserve the quality.

Are there private collectors with larger libraries than yours?

Oh, for sure! I've bumped into some people who have 60 Beta machines. Yup, there are people more obsessed than I.

Can you explain the mechanics of digitizing an old beta tape?

It's multiprocess. First, I transfer the footage to DV tape using the analog inputs on a camcorder. Then, I transfer that footage to the computer using an editing program. Then I edit the video as I see fit and upload it to YouTube.

Thanks, Ray! You're a quirky visionary and we salute your mission. To keep up with Ray's other projects, check out his Beta Info Guide and his tribute to WIXY 1260.

Dec 14, 2007
The Handlebar Club - Meet Steve Parsons, secretary of London's fellow hood of exuberantly mustachioed men, The Handlebar Club.

Dec 12, 2007
Online and Subversive - Meet David Rees, creator of one of the Web's most sarcastic (and profane) comic strips.

Dec 10, 2007
French Laundry at Home - Meet Carol, a passionate home chef bent on making every recipe in 'The French Laundry' cookbook.

Dec 07, 2007
The National UFO Reporting Center - Peter Davenport is the man behind one of the earliest UFO sites on the Web.

Dec 05, 2007
Little People - London's overrun with 'little hand painted people.' And the artist Slinkachu is behind it.

Dec 03, 2007
Mary-Kate, Ashley, and Erin - Erin Balser produces a popular blog on the Olsen twins -- as well as three other pop culture sites.

Yahoo!'s crack team of editors serves up the coolest, funniest, or quirkiest sites we encounter on the Web. Got a favorite new link of your own? Share it with us!