VHS Tape Imagery - Deconstruction, Analysis, and Discussion

[Tom]

Glad to find this thread. I was thinking about the BOC tape yesterday and, easy as it is to overlook, the disclaimer is one of the most interesting parts.

Diffusion is an unusual word to pick. But beyond that, there's an irony in how this echoes what happened to their Old Tunes Tapes, how they only shared those tapes with a few people they trusted, but they were leaked anyway. So they release a tape on analog media and expressly asked it not to be distributed--and what happens? It is digitized and diffused online for all to pick apart, frame by frame. Everyone can see it and everyone knows a new BOC release is likely on the horizon.

So not only does it feel self-referential in that way, but it also reflects a surrender to how things that are released are truly let go of by the creator, and also how they are consumed, distributed at scale, and digested by not just the fanbase but today's consumer technology. Of course there's also the ongoing issue of genAI and the crumbling meaning of copyright.

BOC didn't need to do anything more than send out this tape: the machine did the rest!

Exactly!

While it might be viewed as a bit of a stretch, I think this "diffusion" connection is hinted at, thematically, by the imagery of the mycelium and slime mold growth featured in the VHS tape. I see these images/themes as a nod to and metaphor for the mechanics of the underground community and network (of fans) as activity, discussion, and chatter has been "reactivated" across the BOC community channels upon the release of this VHS tape.

[Tom]

As an add-on, I was slightly hesitant to share my video of the tape on forums after receiving one Monday night, specifically because of the piracy warning disclaimer, but then I thought something to the effect of "if this really is BOC, the warning is more tongue-in-cheek than literal."

[Redd Panderson]

None of this is a new observation, but I have to say that I continue to be awed by how well BOC conveys that perception and memory isn't a clean mirror, but a prism. Something that takes a world much larger than the sliver of information we can detect and converts it into perceptual information that's colored by our bodies and experiences. The decayed imperfect nature of media and the search for signals in the noise is such a beautiful parallel.

Not to mention enacting the power structures between audience and media/artist // reflecting the relationship between follower and organization. All of it is a very impressive, interactive, and collective work of art that is larger than the music itself.

[♄ope keeper]

[Redd Panderson]

I just remembered the film The Endless. I saw that back in 2018 and thought it was great. It had a definite Boards of Canada vibe to me. The movie starts with them receiving a mysterious VHS tape in the mail from who knows where. It leads to them reconnecting with a cult they grew up with and escaped from as kids. And then things get very weird!

[Glen_Glog]

Maybe another tape will mysteriously appear in the coming weeks that would be cool

[♄ope keeper]

Living things, even at the microscopic level, follow mathematical principles — like the orderly double helix of DNA, or the patterned movements of quantum particles and molecules. That seems reflected in your love of analog equipment. Do you have any thoughts on the relationship between organic and inorganic matter?

Michael: "I totally agree with that. I don't think there's a fundamental separation between organic and inorganic things. If you zoom in far enough, everything can be broken down into mathematics. There's something inherently mathematical at the core of existence. I'm fascinated by ideas like the holographic universe and Max Tegmark's "mathematical universe hypothesis". The latter, especially — the idea that time doesn't really exist, and the universe is just a superimposition of countless "now" moments, all stacked on top of each other. The older I get, the more I start to doubt whether what we experience is really what we think of as 'reality'."

[2020k]

Oh, no. Not math again!

[SemenaZhivih]

hi, been a fan of this band for a 4 years at least, was checking that VHS tape. What do you think of the next information:
Disclaimer ends on 0:15( start of video). It ends on 1:25 = exactly 70 seconds.
on 0:50 (35th second) there are two images: one with a distorted figure, but when it fades, the part of the picture remains. Since both of these frames are 25th, i think it s not just a glitch and this was left intentional.
At least i saw there a delta (hollow triangle) sign and "ò", or a dot with the same" ' "
The sign is "Δò". What do you think? am i seeing things are am i not the only one seeing it?

here are pics, or you can see it yourself in video on ~0:50
https://ibb.co/HDnwTxWB
https://ibb.co/gbD8rthc

[SemenaZhivih]

hi, been a fan of this band for a 4 years at least, was checking that VHS tape. What do you think of the next information:
Disclaimer ends on 0:15( start of video). It ends on 1:25 = exactly 70 seconds.
on 0:50 (35th second) there are two images: one with a distorted figure, but when it fades, the part of the picture remains. Since both of these frames are 25th, i think it s not just a glitch and this was left intentional.
At least i saw there a delta (hollow triangle) sign and "ò", or a dot with the same" ' "
The sign is "Δò". What do you think? am i seeing things are am i not the only one seeing it?

here are pics, or you can see it yourself in video on ~0:50
https://ibb.co/HDnwTxWB
https://ibb.co/gbD8rthc

[eric_schafer]

One of the ways cable television was "scrambled" back in the 1980s was according to this method:

https://patents.google.com/patent/US4466017A/en

"...[t]he method of sync suppression scrambling of TV signals having video signals with horizontal and vertical sync pulses and audio signals for subscription TV programs which comprises the steps of generating sync suppression pulses in overlapping time relationship with at least the horizontal sync pulses"

In the VHS video we can see that a visually similar method of "scrambling" the video is being turned on and off as the video proceeds, instances when what appears to be static interference momentarily resolves into a readable image.

Drastically reducing the x-axis scale of certain still frames yields interesting results, though still difficult to read due to whacked chroma values.

[μasch]

I can't believe Boards Of Canada is doing it's own thrift store tape hoax :p

In all seriousness, i saw on the miro board mentions of using domering replicators on the tape. Does anyone with sufficent knowledge on analog video knows if that's worth it and if some stuff could be hidden in the vhs RF signal ?

(kinda like how they used phase opposition to hide one of of the clue in the TH ARG)

[747Music]

I have a couple ideas, but no means to personally test them. I ask for your help, Twoism.

There are sections of the video that appear to have segmented/partial image displayed on screen appearing as static or interference. I wonder if you overlay the video of one tape with the video of other tapes, all of the partial images contribute towards a complete image. I have no software installed to perform a test at the moment. Anyone want to give it a try? Just overlap a few of the videos with due transparency and adjust the timing so they play perfectly synchronized.

Also, those who have the actual physical tapes and a VCR with any tracking control/correction capabilities, try adjusting the tracking as the tape plays. It might resolve some of the apparent "static"/broken image into something visibly coherent.

[Kyla]

the woman in the dark room.
perhaps the source of one of the sticker images?