Oddity Archive - Specials

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Donny Osmond - Soldier of Love (Michael Bay Salute)

1 - Donny Osmond - Soldier of Love (Michael Bay Salute)

Air Date: July 26, 2012

Michael Bay directed music videos? That would explain a lot.

National Anthem Conspiracy Theory

2 - National Anthem Conspiracy Theory

Air Date: August 23, 2012

This video has been censored by "The Man" for your pleasure.

Everlasting Love

3 - Everlasting Love

Air Date: September 20, 2012

What the hell would make this overplayed moldy-oldie count as an oddity? Find out...

The Max Headroom Incident of 1987 (Commentary)

4 - The Max Headroom Incident of 1987 (Commentary)

Air Date: October 18, 2012

The first Archive Riffs episode. Ben tackles a supposed promotional film for the "Butter & Egg Days Festival" that the Rifftrax guys already did--but they don't know real art (like Ben does).

Sounds to Make You Shiver

5 - Sounds to Make You Shiver

Air Date: October 31, 2012

A nice, compact little review of one of the most (in)famous "drugstore" records ever released. Bet you thought we didn't have a copy!

TV Sign-Offs (Commentary)

6 - TV Sign-Offs (Commentary)

Air Date: December 13, 2012

An informal discussion of the TV Sign-Offs episode.

Emergency Broadcast Salute (Commentary)

7 - Emergency Broadcast Salute (Commentary)

Air Date: February 7, 2013

Something about February always gets Ben thinking about Civil Defense Broadcasting.

Freedom is a Hammer (Album Review)

8 - Freedom is a Hammer (Album Review)

Air Date: March 7, 2013

At the time of the Conservative Folk Music episode, some of the artists discussed had yet to make their digital debuts. Naturally, Ben would want to take a look at the CD that rounds up the complete folk-rock works of Janet Greene.

American EXXXtasy (Commentary)

9 - American EXXXtasy (Commentary)

Air Date: April 4, 2013

Perhaps the Archive's most infamous episode needed a little more context. Maybe not. Nevertheless, it got it anyway--the context, that is.

Greetings From the Stars (Sort Of)

10 - Greetings From the Stars (Sort Of)

Air Date: May 2, 2013

Ever wanted to get an (impersonal) birthday greeting from Milton Berle? How 'bout an answering machine message from "Richard Simmons"? Yeah, didn't think so.

Ask the Archive

11 - Ask the Archive

Air Date: May 30, 2013

An informal Q & A session. Yep, that's about it.

Archive Riffs: Petaluma Chicken

12 - Archive Riffs: Petaluma Chicken

Air Date: June 6, 2013

The first Archive Riffs episode. Ben tackles a supposed promotional film for the "Butter & Egg Days Festival" that the Rifftrax guys already did--but they don't know real art (like Ben does).

Local TV Special (Commentary)

13 - Local TV Special (Commentary)

Air Date: June 13, 2013

A commentary cut for the Local TV Special that was originally shelved due to a factual error regarding Indianapolis-based Horror Movie Host, Sammy Terry. Well, that and a couple of other brain farts.

Archive Riffs: Greedy Humpty Dumpty

14 - Archive Riffs: Greedy Humpty Dumpty

Air Date: June 20, 2013

Ben riffs the sole survivor of his childhood Public Domain VHS collection.

VHS Vault Vol. 1 (Amvest Video) (Commentary)

15 - VHS Vault Vol. 1 (Amvest Video) (Commentary)

Air Date: June 27, 2013

Recorded before the original episode premiered. Since then, we've learned that: 1. Audiofidelity Records started in the mid/late 1950's and issued some of the first stereo records. 2. Someone at Audiofidelity went berserk sometime in the '70's and started issuing pirated Beatles albums. 3. Those that signed up for the Kid Pics newsletter wound up on mailing lists for sleazy child beauty pageants (are there any other kind?). Ben has since learned that: 1. Playing a record at 75% of it's original speed is equivalent to flattening the "key" by a fourth, not a flat-fifth. 2. Audio frequencies are exponential. 2. Ben cannot do math in his head.

Archive Riffs: Say No to Strangers

16 - Archive Riffs: Say No to Strangers

Air Date: July 25, 2013

Learn to take the safe way to school (but only if you have to walk through Chinatown).

National Anthem Conspiracy Theory (Redux)

17 - National Anthem Conspiracy Theory (Redux)

Air Date: August 22, 2013

One of the Archive's earliest episodes seems to have gone missing. As such, Ben has been forced to remake it. Or, this was Ben's (unsurprisingly, failed) submission to the ConBravo indie video showcase.

Halloween Special 2012 (Commentary)

18 - Halloween Special 2012 (Commentary)

Air Date: October 17, 2013

An all-too-brief look back at the Archive's first Halloween special.

Hallmark Presents: Spooky Sounds

19 - Hallmark Presents: Spooky Sounds

Air Date: October 31, 2013

Given we followed up the first Halloween Special with a review of a "spooky sound effects" album, we figured it wouldn't hurt to do it again.

Archive Riffs: Dining Together

20 - Archive Riffs: Dining Together

Air Date: November 28, 2013

Chain Aunt Phyllis to the family piano and enjoy an old-fashioned Thanksgiving.

Christmas Special 2012 (A Fair Use Christmas) (Commentary)

21 - Christmas Special 2012 (A Fair Use Christmas) (Commentary)

Air Date: December 12, 2013

A much-maligned commentary to a forgotten Archive episode.

Archive Riffs: A Christmas Fantasy

22 - Archive Riffs: A Christmas Fantasy

Air Date: December 24, 2013

Because nothing says "Christmas" quite like creepy wax figures and a bargain-basement Bing Crosby.

TV DX-ing

23 - TV DX-ing

Air Date: January 9, 2014

...because the local stations suck.

Archive Riffs: Live & Learn

24 - Archive Riffs: Live & Learn

Air Date: January 30, 2014

Sid Davis would like to remind you that he loves his wallpaper and hates your child.

Archive Riffs: Cigarette Commercials

25 - Archive Riffs: Cigarette Commercials

Air Date: February 27, 2014

Since we spent so much time with anti-smoking propaganda last time out, in the name of fairness, we thought we'd share some pro-smoking propaganda. Sorry, no dancing Luckies here (seriously, what can you say about it? Insert smart-ass comments below).

Backwards Masking (Commentary)

26 - Backwards Masking (Commentary)

Air Date: March 27, 2014

Everything Ben has to say about the Backwards Masking episode in a mere 12 minutes!

A Nice Pair (of early, European VCR's)

27 - A Nice Pair (of early, European VCR's)

Air Date: April 24, 2014

Can your heart take the sheer sex appeal of the Philips N1500? No (prescription) pills necessary!

Blooper Reel

28 - Blooper Reel

Air Date: May 15, 2014

Alternate Title: Why The Archive isn't terribly conducive to outtake specials.

VHS Vault Vol. 5 - Y2K (Commentary)

29 - VHS Vault Vol. 5 - Y2K (Commentary)

Air Date: June 5, 2014

One of those rare occasions where there was a little TOO much to say in an episode.

Archive Riffs: Atomic Alert (Elementary Edition)

30 - Archive Riffs: Atomic Alert (Elementary Edition)

Air Date: June 12, 2014

Released about five minutes before the Conelrad system was established (and featuring some nice undercranking), 1951's Atomic Alert teaches you how to keep your nuclear experience nice and peaceful.

Ben's Junk: Sony Super Betamax

31 - Ben's Junk: Sony Super Betamax

Air Date: June 19, 2014

A new spin-off of the Archive in which a piece of equipment is discussed that either has already been discussed in greater detail or that simply wouldn't amount to even a minisode of Archive.

Ben's Junk: VideoNow PVD Player

32 - Ben's Junk: VideoNow PVD Player

Air Date: June 23, 2014

The rejected pilot of Ben's Junk (for reasons that should become readily apparent fairly quickly). This time out, Hasbro's failed attempt at a portable DVD player for kids.

Format Wars 2 (COMMENTARY)

33 - Format Wars 2 (COMMENTARY)

Air Date: July 3, 2014

By request, Ben discusses "Format Wars". By unilateral action, Ben discusses both "Format Wars" videos in one convenient (for him) commentary.

Ben's Junk: VHS Camcorder (RCA CC285)

34 - Ben's Junk: VHS Camcorder (RCA CC285)

Air Date: July 31, 2014

A "by request" Ben's Junk. Taking a look at the camcorder used to film "Going Analog" and "Y2K Apocalypse Party".

The Great Archive Treasure Hunt (Commentary)

35 - The Great Archive Treasure Hunt (Commentary)

Air Date: August 28, 2014

Who'da thunk the making of this episode AND the episode itself was about rediscovery?

Ben's Junk: Tascam Cassette Portastudio

36 - Ben's Junk: Tascam Cassette Portastudio

Air Date: September 25, 2014

Perhaps a too-personal installment of Ben's Junk. Don't take that the wrong way...

Halloween Special 2013 (Commentary)

37 - Halloween Special 2013 (Commentary)

Air Date: October 9, 2014

Must be that magic time of year again when Ben lazily dusts off the previous year's Halloween episode for a commentary.

Ben's Junk : 8-Track/Cassette "Adaptor"

38 - Ben's Junk : 8-Track/Cassette "Adaptor"

Air Date: November 20, 2014

SPOILER ALERT: Whoa-oh here it comes/Watch out boy, it'll chew them up/Whoa-oh here it comes/It's a tape eater!

Ben's Junk: Multi-System VHS VCR (Hitachi VT-M768EM)

39 - Ben's Junk: Multi-System VHS VCR (Hitachi VT-M768EM)

Air Date: December 4, 2014

Finally, a VCR that can play all international formats! What do you mean, it only has mono sound?!? What you do mean I need converter boxes?!?

Ben's Junk: JVC S-VHS VCR (S7600U)

40 - Ben's Junk: JVC S-VHS VCR (S7600U)

Air Date: December 18, 2014

The long-awaited conclusion to the two-part Ben's Junk VHS extravaganza. Does this count as the climax?

Ben's Junk: LaserKaraoke/Laserdisc Player (Pioneer CLD-S304)

41 - Ben's Junk: LaserKaraoke/Laserdisc Player (Pioneer CLD-S304)

Air Date: January 8, 2015

Two episodes of LaserKaraoke and still no demonstration of the machine? Yeah, I'm kinda slow...

1-900 ARCHIVE Vol. 2 (Commentary)

42 - 1-900 ARCHIVE Vol. 2 (Commentary)

Air Date: January 22, 2015

A dual commentary for both 1-900 ARCHIVE volumes. WARNING: Wrestling aficionados may not like what I have to say.

The DuMont Network (Deleted Game Show Segment)

43 - The DuMont Network (Deleted Game Show Segment)

Air Date: February 5, 2015

The DuMont episode ran ridiculously overlong (gotta love that molasses-slow early TV!). Here is a deleted segment giving an overview on the Game Shows aired on the DuMont Network.

Ben's Junk: Handheld Electronic Games

44 - Ben's Junk: Handheld Electronic Games

Air Date: March 5, 2015

Pouring some additional salt in the gamer wounds...

Ben's Junk: B-Movies & cult Classics

45 - Ben's Junk: B-Movies & cult Classics

Air Date: April 2, 2015

Slightly bastardizing the usual Ben's Junk format--but not Ben's Junk itself (that'd hurt).

Ben Tries Finnish Candy

46 - Ben Tries Finnish Candy

Air Date: April 30, 2015

...and welcome to (probably the only edition of) "Ben Tries"!

Ben's Junk: WebTV Box

47 - Ben's Junk: WebTV Box

Air Date: May 28, 2015

A day late, a dollar short--you know the deal.

The Death of Analog TV (Commentary)

48 - The Death of Analog TV (Commentary)

Air Date: June 11, 2015

Little did I know... NOTE: If you don't like my dry, rambling (and stutter-heavy) commentaries, you might wanna skip this one.

Ben's Junk: Super 8 Sound Projector (Sears Sound II - Model 9258)

49 - Ben's Junk: Super 8 Sound Projector (Sears Sound II - Model 9258)

Air Date: June 18, 2015

Nothing but the cutting edge in home video technology in Archive-land!

Archive Riffs: Self-Conscious Guy

50 - Archive Riffs: Self-Conscious Guy

Air Date: June 25, 2015

I'm so vain, I KNOW I think this short is about me...

Oddity Archive: Episode 78.4 - VHS Vault Vol. 6 (How's Your Sex Life?) (COMMENTARY)

51 - Oddity Archive: Episode 78.4 - VHS Vault Vol. 6 (How's Your Sex Life?) (COMMENTARY)

Air Date: July 2, 2015

I really wanted to be hypnotized! Seriously!

(Unofficial) Ben's Junk: Philips CD-I (model 220)

52 - (Unofficial) Ben's Junk: Philips CD-I (model 220)

Air Date: July 9, 2015

The original "demo" segment in the CD-I episode ran long. REALLY LONG! This is the complete, intended segment shamelessly re-purposed as a "Ben's Junk" episode.

Ben's Junk: 8-Track (and related) Oddities

53 - Ben's Junk: 8-Track (and related) Oddities

Air Date: August 6, 2015

Just going through some (relatively) recent additions to the Archive's 8-track (and associated) pile.

Ben's Junk: Sony DT-30 (External VCR Timer)

54 - Ben's Junk: Sony DT-30 (External VCR Timer)

Air Date: September 3, 2015

DVR? Two-week advance recording? Wusses.

Ben Tries Bonomo's Turkish Taffy

55 - Ben Tries Bonomo's Turkish Taffy

Air Date: September 17, 2015

Made as a thank you to the viewer who sent this. A thank you for not sending us any Magic Clown ephemera, that is.

Ben's Junk: Rejuvenique Revisited (plus Contest!)

56 - Ben's Junk: Rejuvenique Revisited (plus Contest!)

Air Date: October 1, 2015

Looking back on the mental and physical scars sustained while making the Rejuvenique episode--and the mask too.

Halloween Special 2014 (Archive Wares: Rejuvenique) (Commentary)

57 - Halloween Special 2014 (Archive Wares: Rejuvenique) (Commentary)

Air Date: October 15, 2015

Recounting one of the Archive's more memorable production experiences.

An Overly Nostalgic Halloween (or, For The Want of a Pail)

58 - An Overly Nostalgic Halloween (or, For The Want of a Pail)

Air Date: October 29, 2015

I hate it when my ideas for holiday specials fall through...

For The Want of a Pail (Conclusion)

59 - For The Want of a Pail (Conclusion)

Air Date: October 31, 2015

Ben's Junk: Fisher-Price PXL 2000 Camcorder

60 - Ben's Junk: Fisher-Price PXL 2000 Camcorder

Air Date: November 12, 2015

Discussing what was arguably the most difficult restoration project I’ve (successfully) undertaken. Special thanks once again to Stephen Greer for his generous donation.

Ben Tries (Thanksgiving Edition) (or, Ben tries Australian Stuff)

61 - Ben Tries (Thanksgiving Edition) (or, Ben tries Australian Stuff)

Air Date: November 26, 2015

'Cause, you know, Thanksgiving, food...it all makes sense.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

62 - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

Air Date: December 10, 2015

What's with the box? Who's that creepy guy in the intro? Is Chuck Swirsky really a freakin' nerd? Those questions (and more) will be answered in this video.

Archive Riffs: A Christmas Dream

63 - Archive Riffs: A Christmas Dream

Air Date: December 24, 2015

The Archive dusts off a minor (albeit severely butchered) art-house classic. Merry Christmas!

Ben's CED Collection (Deleted Segment from CED Episode)

64 - Ben's CED Collection (Deleted Segment from CED Episode)

Air Date: January 14, 2016

Filmed for inclusion on the CED episode (Episode 92), but left off for time.

Ben's Junk: Guitars! Guitars!! Guitars!!!

65 - Ben's Junk: Guitars! Guitars!! Guitars!!!

Air Date: January 28, 2016

Ben geeks out about guitars for 25 minutes. Watch at your own peril.

Ben's Junk: Ben's Philips CD-I Collection

66 - Ben's Junk: Ben's Philips CD-I Collection

Air Date: February 11, 2016

Let’s just say it all just kind of fell into my lap.

Ben's Junk: Philips CD-I Peacekeeper Revolver

67 - Ben's Junk: Philips CD-I Peacekeeper Revolver

Air Date: March 10, 2016

As promised, here's the second installment on the CD-I collection. Was it worth the wait?

Ben's Junk: Ben's (Incomplete) Comedy LP Collection

68 - Ben's Junk: Ben's (Incomplete) Comedy LP Collection

Air Date: March 24, 2016

The one time where it's ok to giggle at Ben's Junk.

Ben's Junk: Fisher-Price Movie Viewer

69 - Ben's Junk: Fisher-Price Movie Viewer

Air Date: April 7, 2016

It takes a steady hand to run one of these. Unfortunately, that's something I sorely lack.

Ben's Junk: Commodore 64 (& Peripherals)

70 - Ben's Junk: Commodore 64 (& Peripherals)

Air Date: May 5, 2016

A wise man once said: “Save the big (stuff) for Ben’s Junk—it needs all the help it can get.”

Ben's Junk: Sony TT-100 Tuner/Timer (for U-Matic)

71 - Ben's Junk: Sony TT-100 Tuner/Timer (for U-Matic)

Air Date: May 19, 2016

Sometimes it takes a while for Ben's Junk to get in motion.

Commodore 64 (Commentary)

72 - Commodore 64 (Commentary)

Air Date: June 2, 2016

Admittedly, a very stream-of-consciousness commentary here, but a(n apparently) necessary one.

Ben's Junk: VCR Co-Pilot

73 - Ben's Junk: VCR Co-Pilot

Air Date: June 9, 2016

I already discussed this one back on the VCR Ephemera episode, but didn't have one, so I couldn't test it. Let's rectify that situation.

Archive Riffs: Fox Hour Promotional Reel

74 - Archive Riffs: Fox Hour Promotional Reel

Air Date: June 16, 2016

Taking a look at a (rather cryptic) promo reel for a series of silent, educational two-reelers.

Record Ripoffs (Commentary)

75 - Record Ripoffs (Commentary)

Air Date: June 23, 2016

A look at the first installment (and, to a lesser degree, the subsequent installments) of the recurring Record Ripoffs series. This is a commentary I’ve been wanting to do for awhile.

Ben's Junk: Magnavox Odyssey 2 (Video Game Console)

76 - Ben's Junk: Magnavox Odyssey 2 (Video Game Console)

Air Date: June 30, 2016

A look at one of the many competitors to the Atari 2600.

Ben's Junk: Colecovision Video Game Console

77 - Ben's Junk: Colecovision Video Game Console

Air Date: July 14, 2016

Discussing another bit of donated junk--'cause, you know, everybody apparently wants a hand in Ben's Junk.

Ben's Junk: (Some Of) Ben's Vinyl Collection

78 - Ben's Junk: (Some Of) Ben's Vinyl Collection

Air Date: August 11, 2016

Lately, I've been getting asked quite a bit about my music collection. All I can say is, be careful what you wish for.

"The Voice" Module (for Magnavox Odyssey 2)

79 - "The Voice" Module (for Magnavox Odyssey 2)

Air Date: August 25, 2016

Oh-oh, won’t you tell me again…and again…and again…

Flexplay Disposable DVD Update

80 - Flexplay Disposable DVD Update

Air Date: September 8, 2016

Taking another stab at the now-infamous "zombie" disc.

Ben's Junk: Fisher-Price Star Station Sing-Along Machine

81 - Ben's Junk: Fisher-Price Star Station Sing-Along Machine

Air Date: September 22, 2016

Fairly recent for an Archivism—let’s take a look at how the current generation of middle and high-schoolers grew up to be such narcissists.

Fisher-Price PXL-2000 Camcorder (Commentary)

82 - Fisher-Price PXL-2000 Camcorder (Commentary)

Air Date: October 20, 2016

Yeah, there were some ghosts in the camera—or were they gremlins?

Ben's Junk: bob (Another Nanny Box)

83 - Ben's Junk: bob (Another Nanny Box)

Air Date: November 3, 2016

ACTUAL (paid) TESTIMONIAL: Parenthood turned out to be a real bitch and we were totally unprepared. Thanks bob!

Ben's Junk: DVD Recorder (Panasonic DMR-E55)

84 - Ben's Junk: DVD Recorder (Panasonic DMR-E55)

Air Date: November 17, 2016

Another weapon in the Archive’s—well, archiving arsenal.

Ben's Junk: Gemmy Douglas Fir Talking Christmas Tree

85 - Ben's Junk: Gemmy Douglas Fir Talking Christmas Tree

Air Date: December 15, 2016

Well, I already discussed Big Mouth Billy Bass. Might as well finish the 90’s/Gemmy/Talking Novelty Item concept.

Ben's Junk: Ben's Comic Book Collection

86 - Ben's Junk: Ben's Comic Book Collection

Air Date: January 12, 2017

Superheroes? What are those?

Ben's Junk: Learn To Solder Kit

87 - Ben's Junk: Learn To Solder Kit

Air Date: February 23, 2017

A soldering kit for kids? Yeah, that about fits my skillset.

Ben’s Junk: MD Walkman (Minidisc Addendum)

88 - Ben’s Junk: MD Walkman (Minidisc Addendum)

Air Date: March 9, 2017

Like clockwork, I get my hands on a MD Walkman with a mic input just after I finish making the Minidisc episode. I swear it's a conspiracy.

Ben's Junk: RCA Selectavision CED Player (SGT 250)

89 - Ben's Junk: RCA Selectavision CED Player (SGT 250)

Air Date: March 23, 2017

I was downright embarrassed by my old CED Player (see the CED episode). Obviously, an upgrade was in order.

Ben's Junk: Ben's Audiophile Albums

90 - Ben's Junk: Ben's Audiophile Albums

Air Date: April 6, 2017

For all the overpriced hunks of plastic in my possession, it’s kind of a wonder that this segment of my record collection is so small.

Ben's Junk: Vtech Socrates Educational Video System

91 - Ben's Junk: Vtech Socrates Educational Video System

Air Date: May 4, 2017

(conversation overheard at VTech, 1988) Boss: What’s a name that sounds good and smart for our quasi-educational video game console? Engineer: Um, Socrates! Boss: Is he smart? Engineer: Yeah. Boss: Perfect! What’s for lunch?

Ben's Junk: Videocipher II Plus/Manhattan Cable TV Box

92 - Ben's Junk: Videocipher II Plus/Manhattan Cable TV Box

Air Date: May 18, 2017

A couple of obsolete, useless (to me) bits of Pay-TV history—so, of course, I bought them.

Ben's Junk: go reader (Audiobook Device)

93 - Ben's Junk: go reader (Audiobook Device)

Air Date: June 8, 2017

Ben helps save the environment—with bad audiobooks on a cheap, low-capacity, unalterable mp3 player!

Archive Riffs: Dear Miss Gloria

94 - Archive Riffs: Dear Miss Gloria

Air Date: June 15, 2017

I’m ready for my mail, Mr. DeMille.

DBX Noise Reduction System (Commentary)

95 - DBX Noise Reduction System (Commentary)

Air Date: June 22, 2017

Effectively tackling the three “(100% showtune-free) Musical March” episodes all at once. Who’da thunk old audio gear could be so controversial?

Ben's Junk: Las Vegas Vacation (1997)

96 - Ben's Junk: Las Vegas Vacation (1997)

Air Date: June 29, 2017

A decidedly different installment in the Ben’s Junk series. This time, I take a(n admittedly lengthy) stroll down memory lane about a family vacation from 20 years earlier.

Ben's 10 Favorite Albums (Part 1)

97 - Ben's 10 Favorite Albums (Part 1)

Air Date: July 13, 2017

Alternate Title: God, Ben! Don’t you listen to anything from this century?!?!

Ben's 10 Favorite Albums (Part 2)

98 - Ben's 10 Favorite Albums (Part 2)

Air Date: July 27, 2017

Remember kids, these are MY favorite albums, not yours. If there’s any overlap, consider it a happy accident.

Ben's Junk: MFSL Geo-Tape (Azimuth Alignment Cassette)

99 - Ben's Junk: MFSL Geo-Tape (Azimuth Alignment Cassette)

Air Date: August 10, 2017

A slightly askew edition of Ben’s Junk. Let’s rectify that situation.

Ben's Junk: DBX Cassettes (DBX Addendum)

100 - Ben's Junk: DBX Cassettes (DBX Addendum)

Air Date: August 24, 2017

When researching the DBX episode, as best as I could gather, there were no (legit) pre-recorded DBX-encoded audiocassettes. Turns out there was a line of Classical tapes.

Ben's Junk: MFSL Geo-Disc (Turntable Cartridge Alignment Tool)

101 - Ben's Junk: MFSL Geo-Disc (Turntable Cartridge Alignment Tool)

Air Date: September 7, 2017

…and the great Archive A/V tune-up continues.

Ben’s Junk: (New) Speed Calibration Cassette

102 - Ben’s Junk: (New) Speed Calibration Cassette

Air Date: September 21, 2017

The Archive kicks it up a notch—or at least about one-fifth of one.

Ben's Junk: CVS One-Time-Use Video Camcorder

103 - Ben's Junk: CVS One-Time-Use Video Camcorder

Air Date: October 5, 2017

Remember the single-use 35mm camera? How ‘bout a single-use camcorder?

Conelrad (Halloween Special 2016) (Commentary)

104 - Conelrad (Halloween Special 2016) (Commentary)

Air Date: October 19, 2017

The Archive gets nostalgic for nukes…

Ben’s Junk: The World of Yesterday (Classic Hollywood Fanzines)

105 - Ben’s Junk: The World of Yesterday (Classic Hollywood Fanzines)

Air Date: November 2, 2017

Ben gets nostalgic for nostalgia—he’s meta like that.

Ben's Junk: Realistic Phono Pre-Amp (Model 42-2109)

106 - Ben's Junk: Realistic Phono Pre-Amp (Model 42-2109)

Air Date: November 16, 2017

Taking a look at an external preamp for the turntable—largely only because the cool kids are into it.

Ben's Junk: Vidicraft Vidimate Video Enhancer (Model VDM300S)

107 - Ben's Junk: Vidicraft Vidimate Video Enhancer (Model VDM300S)

Air Date: November 30, 2017

An especially dull (or sharp) edition of Ben’s Junk—it’s capable of both.

Ben's Junk: Star Shower Laser Light

108 - Ben's Junk: Star Shower Laser Light

Air Date: December 14, 2017

Ben gets ambitious with his Christmas lights—in that, he’s putting any up at all.

Ben's Junk: Sankyo Dualux Dual8 Projector (Model 2000H)

109 - Ben's Junk: Sankyo Dualux Dual8 Projector (Model 2000H)

Air Date: December 27, 2017

…or, Telecine redux.

Ben's Junk: Allsop 3 Orbitrac Record Cleaning System

110 - Ben's Junk: Allsop 3 Orbitrac Record Cleaning System

Air Date: January 11, 2018

It’s no secret that the LP’s discussed on Archive were usually (presumably) buried in someone’s backyard. Naturally, we’re open to any new method of cleaning them up.

Ben's Junk: JVC KD-A6 Cassette Deck

111 - Ben's Junk: JVC KD-A6 Cassette Deck

Air Date: January 25, 2018

Ben’s second new (to him) cassette deck in a year. What makes this one so special?

Ben's Junk: Discwasher Compact Disc Cleaner

112 - Ben's Junk: Discwasher Compact Disc Cleaner

Air Date: February 8, 2018

Taking a look at (possibly) the first-ever CD cleaner/repair thing to ever hit the market. Is it a lost classic?

Ben's Junk: Royal Disc Repair System

113 - Ben's Junk: Royal Disc Repair System

Air Date: February 22, 2018

The second installment on CD cleaning/repair devices. Is it Royally good or Royal garbage?

Ben's Junk: The Archive HQ Bookshelf

114 - Ben's Junk: The Archive HQ Bookshelf

Air Date: March 8, 2018

What’s that thing with the face in the background? This, and many (well, a few) other questions will be answered at long last!

Ben’s Junk: MP32C64 Adapter (Commodore Datasette Substitute)

115 - Ben’s Junk: MP32C64 Adapter (Commodore Datasette Substitute)

Air Date: March 22, 2018

Let’s commit a bit of Luddite blasphemy, shall we?

Archive Thrifting #1: Impromptu Investigations

116 - Archive Thrifting #1: Impromptu Investigations

Air Date: April 5, 2018

Testing out a new, potential subseries—and hitting every conceivable pothole along the way.

Archive Thrifting #2: Arc of a (Dumpster) Diver

117 - Archive Thrifting #2: Arc of a (Dumpster) Diver

Air Date: April 19, 2018

…figured I’d better shoot at least one episode in Beautiful Downtown Aurora before leaving.

Ben's Junk: K-Tel Record Selector

118 - Ben's Junk: K-Tel Record Selector

Air Date: May 3, 2018

At last! Ben reviews a K-Tel product!

Ben's Junk: Teac V-770 Cassette Deck

119 - Ben's Junk: Teac V-770 Cassette Deck

Air Date: May 17, 2018

The MCS deck kinda got fried. Time for another fixer-upper!

Discovision Dead Sides

120 - Discovision Dead Sides

Air Date: May 31, 2018

Let’s unearth some (unintentional) pre-DVD Easter Eggs…

Ben's Junk: ABC Talking Monday Night Football (Board Game)

121 - Ben's Junk: ABC Talking Monday Night Football (Board Game)

Air Date: June 21, 2018

An early, talking board game—whose (nearly) every move is dictated by a tiny record.

Archive Riffs: Selling Your Home?

122 - Archive Riffs: Selling Your Home?

Air Date: June 28, 2018

Rather serendipitously, just in time to move, we’ve unearthed a promo video for an item that we’ve used on Archive many times—namely, the Talking House Transmitter. Talk about timing!

Archive Thrifting #3: Beautiful Downtown Aurora's Last Stand

123 - Archive Thrifting #3: Beautiful Downtown Aurora's Last Stand

Air Date: July 5, 2018

…because I totally needed a bunch more junk to try and pack up.

Ben's Junk: Rocketfish Wireless Rear Speaker Kit

124 - Ben's Junk: Rocketfish Wireless Rear Speaker Kit

Air Date: August 2, 2018

There were a precious few hallmarks of the old Archive HQ that I did NOT want to carry over. Speaker wire running all over the room was one of them.

Ben's Junk: Audio Technica AT-LP120 Turntable (Early Thoughts)

125 - Ben's Junk: Audio Technica AT-LP120 Turntable (Early Thoughts)

Air Date: August 16, 2018

Already went over to a direct-drive cassette deck, might as well do the same with vinyl…

Ben's Junk: Ben's Makeshift Bedroom Stereo System

126 - Ben's Junk: Ben's Makeshift Bedroom Stereo System

Air Date: August 30, 2018

Looking into the most intimate areas of Ben’s…half-baked stereo system.

Ben's Junk: Ramsey FM Transmitter (Further Experiments)

127 - Ben's Junk: Ramsey FM Transmitter (Further Experiments)

Air Date: September 13, 2018

Sergei’s Catacomb of Classics in stereo, anyone?

Ask The Archive Live (9/14/2018)

128 - Ask The Archive Live (9/14/2018)

Air Date: September 17, 2018

The Archive’s first livestream since 2014…and just as lo-fi as ever.

Archive Thrifting #4: Elvis Sightings

129 - Archive Thrifting #4: Elvis Sightings

Air Date: September 26, 2018

Archive Thrifting®: Now in ESTEREO!!!

Archive Thrifting #5: Low Money Hu$tla

130 - Archive Thrifting #5: Low Money Hu$tla

Air Date: October 11, 2018

A mere 3½ months in the making!

Sounds of Terror! (Halloween Album Review)

131 - Sounds of Terror! (Halloween Album Review)

Air Date: October 25, 2018

The return of the Halloween album reviews! Now in screaming, spooktacular stereo!

Ben's Junk: Pac-Man Fever (Pac-Man Mini Arcades)

132 - Ben's Junk: Pac-Man Fever (Pac-Man Mini Arcades)

Air Date: November 8, 2018

I’ve got search-for-a-reissue-of-the-original-Pac-Man-arcade-game fever…it’s driving me crazy.

Archive Riffs: Thanksgiving Commercials

133 - Archive Riffs: Thanksgiving Commercials

Air Date: November 22, 2018

A (non-filling) seven-course meal of Turkey Day commercialism!

NES Classic Edition (The Last Word?)

134 - NES Classic Edition (The Last Word?)

Air Date: December 6, 2018

So, what is the Oddity Archive guy doing with a reissue console?

Christmas LaserKaraoke (Deleted Segment)

135 - Christmas LaserKaraoke (Deleted Segment)

Air Date: December 24, 2018

A little stocking stuffer of yuletide caterwauling—er, caroling!

Ben's Junk: Nagaoka MP-110H Phono Cartridge

136 - Ben's Junk: Nagaoka MP-110H Phono Cartridge

Air Date: January 3, 2019

New year, more audio kit. It’s tradition, ya know?

Ben's Junk: Sega Pico ("Edutainment" Console)

137 - Ben's Junk: Sega Pico ("Edutainment" Console)

Air Date: January 10, 2019

Time to learn…that edutainment consoles rarely end well.

Ben's Junk: SNES Classic Edition (Belated) First Impressions)

138 - Ben's Junk: SNES Classic Edition (Belated) First Impressions)

Air Date: January 24, 2019

Wait, didn’t we already cover this? Talk about déjà vu…

Ben’s Junk: Tyco VideoCam (Another Kiddie Camcorder)

139 - Ben’s Junk: Tyco VideoCam (Another Kiddie Camcorder)

Air Date: January 31, 2019

Ben’s recovering from a virus (and middle-ear dysfunction). Sounds like a good time to do a (kiddie) camcorder review.

Archive Riffs: Valentine’s Day Commercials (A Semi-Romantic Tale)

140 - Archive Riffs: Valentine’s Day Commercials (A Semi-Romantic Tale)

Air Date: February 14, 2019

We’re just a bunch of old softies…with a taste for bent story arcs.

Archive Thrifting #6: Frostbite Falls

141 - Archive Thrifting #6: Frostbite Falls

Air Date: February 28, 2019

Will our scrappy hero escape the clutches of the snow monster? Find out in our next installment: “Frosty The Slowman, or, Snow Thanks to You”!

Ben's Junk: Ronco Mr. Microphone

142 - Ben's Junk: Ronco Mr. Microphone

Air Date: March 14, 2019

Tagline: Ben: Hey, good lookin’! How ‘bout I pick you up later? Attractive Lady: (smacks Ben so hard his fillings are rearranged) Ben: But it worked for the guy in the commercial…

Ben’s Junk: GAF 3100S Super 8 Film Projector

143 - Ben’s Junk: GAF 3100S Super 8 Film Projector

Air Date: March 28, 2019

Another fixer-upper? In Archiveland? Never!!!

Ben's Junk: The Big Reel (Film Collector’s Magazine)

144 - Ben's Junk: The Big Reel (Film Collector’s Magazine)

Air Date: April 11, 2019

While researching the recent VHS Distributors episode, I kept running into references to a publication known as the “Big Reel”. Turns out, it’s most (in)famous of the old film collector publications—and it’s easy to see why.

Discovision/Laserdisc Quirks (An Informal Discussion)

145 - Discovision/Laserdisc Quirks (An Informal Discussion)

Air Date: April 25, 2019

In a way, Laserdiscs never really outgrew their experimental phase. Here’s an informal, overview of SOME of the more idiosyncratic Laserdiscs out there (and/or their packaging).

Discovision Dead Sides Vol. 2

146 - Discovision Dead Sides Vol. 2

Air Date: May 9, 2019

DVD Easter Eggs? Nah, way too easy.

Ben’s Junk: VGA Converters/Public Domain CD-ROMs

147 - Ben’s Junk: VGA Converters/Public Domain CD-ROMs

Air Date: May 23, 2019

A double dose of turn-of-the-millennium PC goodness!

Ben’s Junk: Innovative Technologies ITNS-500 Slide “Scanner”

148 - Ben’s Junk: Innovative Technologies ITNS-500 Slide “Scanner”

Air Date: June 13, 2019

After a long delay…well, I’ve got some good news and some bad news.

Archive Riffs: Clutch Cargo (Big “X”, Pts. 4 & 5)

149 - Archive Riffs: Clutch Cargo (Big “X”, Pts. 4 & 5)

Air Date: June 20, 2019

The Archive finally gets to “see the X”! Spoiler: It’s a rock.

Mystery 8mm Films/The Ballad of Ben & 8mm (Commentary)

150 - Mystery 8mm Films/The Ballad of Ben & 8mm (Commentary)

Air Date: June 27, 2019

Let’s see if we can’t clear up some misconceptions about this episode…

Archive Thrifting #7: Wii, Wii, All The Way Home

151 - Archive Thrifting #7: Wii, Wii, All The Way Home

Air Date: July 4, 2019

I was going a little stir crazy at the end of last season. So, naturally, I decided to add a little to my at-home clutter.

Record Ripoffs Commercial Parodies (Vols. 1–9)

152 - Record Ripoffs Commercial Parodies (Vols. 1–9)

Air Date: July 18, 2019

New from K-Smell Records, it’s all those irritating moments that lead off each Record Ripoffs episode in one convenient package! ORDER NOW!!!

Ben's Junk: Video Action Magazine (Issue #1: December, 1980)

153 - Ben's Junk: Video Action Magazine (Issue #1: December, 1980)

Air Date: August 1, 2019

Readin’ and dreamin’ ‘bout those Archivisms that’ll probably never happen.

Bennytronics Guitar Noise Experiment (Analog, Circa 1980-style) (COMPLETE SEGMENT)

154 - Bennytronics Guitar Noise Experiment (Analog, Circa 1980-style) (COMPLETE SEGMENT)

Air Date: August 9, 2019

All seven minutes of the Archive’s low-grade, wannabe Frippertronics experiment! Earplugs are highly recommended.

Ben's Junk: Ben's Laserdisc Collection (2019 Edition)

155 - Ben's Junk: Ben's Laserdisc Collection (2019 Edition)

Air Date: August 15, 2019

Uh, oh. Ben’s geeking out again. Get comfy.

Fostex X-14/Ben's Music "Career": The Gear

156 - Fostex X-14/Ben's Music "Career": The Gear

Air Date: August 29, 2019

…or, how Ben unwittingly jumped on the “lo-fi” bandwagon.

Ben's Junk: Whippany Rhythm Master (Circa 1972 Drum Machine)

157 - Ben's Junk: Whippany Rhythm Master (Circa 1972 Drum Machine)

Air Date: September 12, 2019

Who says Ben’s got no rhythm? He’s got 10 of them!

Ben's Junk: Burns Theremin

158 - Ben's Junk: Burns Theremin

Air Date: September 26, 2019

…or, The Space-Age Sounds of the Oddity Archive! (now available on vinyl and 3¾ips reel)

Archive Thrifting #8: Break IT You Pay For IT

159 - Archive Thrifting #8: Break IT You Pay For IT

Air Date: October 10, 2019

Featuring our very Special Guest: Zippy The Chimp!

Haunted House (Halloween SFX Album Review)

160 - Haunted House (Halloween SFX Album Review)

Air Date: October 24, 2019

Can your heart (or better yet, head) stand a trip through this haunted house? No, seriously, this is our most headache-inducing one yet.

Telesound 13 (Moog/Realistic Concertmate MG-1)

161 - Telesound 13 (Moog/Realistic Concertmate MG-1)

Air Date: November 6, 2019

The first new piece of music I've written and released since 2012. As a challenge to myself, I tasked myself with creating a song using nothing but my old Moog/Realistic Concertmate MG-1 synthesizer--which is a REAL challenge given that I'm not a synth geek and my keyboard skills are dodgy at best. It also had to sound like something that could've been made and released around the time the synth was made (circa 1982). As such, effects are used sparingly and are confined to the basics (read: EQ, reverb & compression). Written as part of my ongoing attempts at creating some new, original incidental music for Oddity Archive. NOTE: Just in case you couldn't tell, the synth pics shown are NOT representative of the patches used.

Ben's Junk: Realistic Concertmate (Moog) MG-1 Synthesizer

162 - Ben's Junk: Realistic Concertmate (Moog) MG-1 Synthesizer

Air Date: November 7, 2019

Whatdaya mean you forgot you had a Moog? Also, synth snobs need not apply.

Ben's Junk: Sony DCR-TRV320 Digital8 Handycam (Video8 Addendum)

163 - Ben's Junk: Sony DCR-TRV320 Digital8 Handycam (Video8 Addendum)

Air Date: November 21, 2019

Since we were already talkin’ Video8, it only seemed right to cover the Archive’s first camcorder…not to mention, a piece of gear still (as of this episode, at least) in regular use around Archive HQ.

Ben's Junk: Archer Video Processor/Stabilizer (Model 15-1272A)

164 - Ben's Junk: Archer Video Processor/Stabilizer (Model 15-1272A)

Air Date: December 5, 2019

Guaranteed to keep this (internet) video from rolling!

Algorithmic Audio Mastering (CloudBounce Review)

165 - Algorithmic Audio Mastering (CloudBounce Review)

Air Date: December 9, 2019

Can online audio mastering render audio mastering engineers obsolete? The short answer: No. Having said that, it’s not as bad as you’d think.

Archive Thrifting #9: Christmas Confidential

166 - Archive Thrifting #9: Christmas Confidential

Air Date: December 12, 2019

Just your standard, good, old-fashioned, combustible, unnerving, overpriced Country Christmas…

Archive Riffs: Boxing Day Commercials (er, Adverts)

167 - Archive Riffs: Boxing Day Commercials (er, Adverts)

Air Date: December 26, 2019

Celebrating the true meaning of Boxing Day… a whole lotta furniture and carpet sales.

MovieCD

168 - MovieCD

Air Date: January 9, 2020

A would-be full-fledged video format episode…which got curtailed by (amazingly enough) a lack of computer stuff at Archive HQ.

Ben's Junk: Cult VHS (& A Few DVD's) (2020 Edition)

169 - Ben's Junk: Cult VHS (& A Few DVD's) (2020 Edition)

Air Date: January 23, 2020

An informal stroll few some cherry-picked titles from Ben’s (somewhat unintentional) collection of B-Movies and Cult Classics.

Ben's Junk: Behringer U-Phoria UMC404HD Audio Interface

170 - Ben's Junk: Behringer U-Phoria UMC404HD Audio Interface

Air Date: February 6, 2020

…or, what happens when ol’ Benny-boy decides he needs more than 2 microphone inputs.

Ben's Junk: Behringer neutron (analog, Monophonic) Synthesizer

171 - Ben's Junk: Behringer neutron (analog, Monophonic) Synthesizer

Air Date: February 20, 2020

Yes, I bought another synth. Yes, I swatted myself on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper over my lack of self-control.

F.D.G. (Oddity Archive Sign-Off Muzak)

172 - F.D.G. (Oddity Archive Sign-Off Muzak)

Air Date: March 2, 2020

Now you can enjoy a classic OA sign-off without all that pesky talking and technical junk! F.D.G. = Fully Digital Gunk? Faulty Daily Gherkins? Make up your own acronym.

Ben's Junk: Industrial Laserdiscs/ Anderic (Reproduction) Service Remote

173 - Ben's Junk: Industrial Laserdiscs/ Anderic (Reproduction) Service Remote

Air Date: March 5, 2020

Lookin’ under the hood of Ben’s laserdisc player (quite appropriately) with some General Motors discs.

Ben's Music "Career", Vol. 4.5: Greetings From Elderbush Gulch Multitracks (An Addendum)

174 - Ben's Music "Career", Vol. 4.5: Greetings From Elderbush Gulch Multitracks (An Addendum)

Air Date: March 19, 2020

Benny-boy’s (non-accredited) Audio School is now in session!

Enhanced CD's (& other multimedia CD's) (an informal chat)

175 - Enhanced CD's (& other multimedia CD's) (an informal chat)

Air Date: April 2, 2020

Please note that this episode may not run correctly unless your monitor is running at a minimum of 256 colors and your system has at least 12MB of available RAM.

Ben's Junk: The OA (semi-)Supercomputer/OA Recording Studio Redux

176 - Ben's Junk: The OA (semi-)Supercomputer/OA Recording Studio Redux

Air Date: April 16, 2020

Well, my last attempt at a semi-regular home audio recording rig failed…and my regular laptop is on its last legs. Here’s my attempt at solving both issues at once.

Ben's Junk: Sony SLO-325 Industrial Betamax

177 - Ben's Junk: Sony SLO-325 Industrial Betamax

Air Date: April 30, 2020

Time to take a bet(t)a look at the Archive’s first Betamax—from before the Archive even existed (in every sense).

Ben's Junk: 1953 & 1956 Hoffman Television Catalogs

178 - Ben's Junk: 1953 & 1956 Hoffman Television Catalogs

Air Date: May 14, 2020

A genuine televisual feast.

Ben's Junk: Tiger Quiz Wiz

179 - Ben's Junk: Tiger Quiz Wiz

Air Date: May 28, 2020

Question #196.5: What is the Quiz Wiz lacking? Multiple Choice: A. An objective B. A reward C. Entertainment value D. All of the above

Ben Minnotte - Switched-On Pavanned (Moog Instrumental)

180 - Ben Minnotte - Switched-On Pavanned (Moog Instrumental)

Air Date: June 3, 2020

In honor of the "Switched-On Archive" episode, I figured I'd make two pieces of music, one to represent both extremes of the trend of late '60's/early '70's Moog Synthesizer albums--the good and the "bad". This rendition of the Archive's usual theme song is intended to salute/work within the realm of the album that (unwittingly) started it all, Wendy Carlos' "Switched-On Bach" (1968). This was created entirely on a Moog MG-1 and was done strictly within the realm of what was possible in the late '60's and early '70's. Keeping in spirit with the original, monophonic synths of the '60's, I used NONE of the polyphonic settings.

Ben Minnotte - The Happy Moog (Gets Stuck In Rush Hour) ("Moog" Instrumental)

181 - Ben Minnotte - The Happy Moog (Gets Stuck In Rush Hour) ("Moog" Instrumental)

Air Date: June 5, 2020

My half-salute to/half-parody of those especially tacky late '60's/early '70's Moog Synthesizer albums. The cheese factor goes to 11 here. This was created...without a Moog. Instead, I used a Behringer Neutron monophonic synth (more potential whiz-bang sound effects than my Moog MG-1) and a circa 1972 Whippany Rhythm Master. This was recorded with the general limitations of this period of recording gear.

Ben's Junk: First Alert FTR-960R Time-Lapse VCR (+ Time-Lapse Tape)

182 - Ben's Junk: First Alert FTR-960R Time-Lapse VCR (+ Time-Lapse Tape)

Air Date: June 18, 2020

The Archive gets secure...or just paranoid.

Archive Riffs: Moving Up To Amateur Radio

183 - Archive Riffs: Moving Up To Amateur Radio

Air Date: June 25, 2020

OA calling CQ, hopefully DX, lookin’ for the QT on the DL while TCB.

Archive Thrifting #10: Before We Were SO Rudely Interrupted

184 - Archive Thrifting #10: Before We Were SO Rudely Interrupted

Air Date: July 2, 2020

Archive Thrifting is a magical tool of last resort…Why? Because it NEVER fails!

Ben's Junk: Sony U-Matic & Industrial Betamax Wired Remotes

185 - Ben's Junk: Sony U-Matic & Industrial Betamax Wired Remotes

Air Date: July 9, 2020

…or, Ben’s weirdest pet-project to date! (kerchunk)

The Battle At Elderbush Gulch (2020 Redux)

186 - The Battle At Elderbush Gulch (2020 Redux)

Air Date: July 20, 2020

Initially intended as a full-band "electric" tune, but recorded as a folk piece back in 2004. Sixteen years later, I'm finally getting around to an electric version--albeit with some slightly cinematic modifications.

Archive Thrifting #11: This Can Not Be The Right Price Deal

187 - Archive Thrifting #11: This Can Not Be The Right Price Deal

Air Date: July 23, 2020

Ben's Junk: Pioneer RH-65 8-Track Deck

188 - Ben's Junk: Pioneer RH-65 8-Track Deck

Air Date: August 6, 2020

Meet the Archive’s new (to us) 8-track deck…

Ben's Junk: Denon UD-M30 CD Receiver

189 - Ben's Junk: Denon UD-M30 CD Receiver

Air Date: August 13, 2020

A rare, intimate, bedroom edition of Ben’s Junk…

Pavanned (Documentary Style) (Vaporwave?)

190 - Pavanned (Documentary Style) (Vaporwave?)

Air Date: August 24, 2020

I was informed that the regular version was too upbeat and concise for the Episode 200 OA documentary. This was my best attempt at making it as dreary and hazy as possible.

In Your Hands (Violin & "Mellotron" Thing)

191 - In Your Hands (Violin & "Mellotron" Thing)

Air Date: August 24, 2020

Representing the dry, yet thoughtful end of Episode 200...

Ep. 200 Rebuttal & Deleted Scenes

192 - Ep. 200 Rebuttal & Deleted Scenes

Air Date: August 27, 2020

Ok, time for my side of the story...

Nitrogené (Synth Instrumental)

193 - Nitrogené (Synth Instrumental)

Air Date: September 10, 2020

Somehow I started with what I thought was a pretty cool-sounding canned rhythm (running through a guitar delay pedal) and wound up with a Jean-Michel Jarre pastiche. No idea how I got there.

Ben's Junk: JVC HR-S7600U S-VHS ET VCR (REVISITED)

194 - Ben's Junk: JVC HR-S7600U S-VHS ET VCR (REVISITED)

Air Date: September 24, 2020

Since I had S-VHS and VCR’s on the brain already (moreso than usual), it seemed like the right time to revisit one of the early, ultra-wonky Ben’s Junk topics.

Ben's Junk: Buster Keaton Video Collection

195 - Ben's Junk: Buster Keaton Video Collection

Air Date: October 8, 2020

October 4, 2020 marked the 125th anniversary of comedian/filmmaker Buster Keaton’s birth. Consider this the Archive’s (slightly belated and rambling) tribute to one of the greats…

Archive Thrifting #12: (Not-So) Scary Deals

196 - Archive Thrifting #12: (Not-So) Scary Deals

Air Date: October 22, 2020

It’s the first Archive Thrifting Spooktacular! Strangely enough, it’s probably one of the least scary Thrifting episodes to date.

Ben's Junk: (New) Polaroid 600 Film (& old camera(s))

197 - Ben's Junk: (New) Polaroid 600 Film (& old camera(s))

Air Date: November 5, 2020

You can keep your fancy digital cameras, thank you very much.

Ben's Junk: (Some of) Ben's Audiocassette Collection

198 - Ben's Junk: (Some of) Ben's Audiocassette Collection

Air Date: November 19, 2020

A slow-speed ramble for a slow-speed format.

Ben's Junk: (New) Dubreq Stylophone

199 - Ben's Junk: (New) Dubreq Stylophone

Air Date: December 3, 2020

We be stylin’…stylus(in’), that is…y’all.

Archive Thrifting #13: Deck The Hauls

200 - Archive Thrifting #13: Deck The Hauls

Air Date: December 17, 2020

Fillin’ up the ol’ one-horse open sleigh with…some junk.

Ben's Junk: (some of) Ben's Vinyl Collection Vol. 2

201 - Ben's Junk: (some of) Ben's Vinyl Collection Vol. 2

Air Date: January 28, 2021

Time to get back in the groove! (dodges tsunami of rotten produce)

Ben's Junk: Sega Genesis Mini (Miniature Game Console)

202 - Ben's Junk: Sega Genesis Mini (Miniature Game Console)

Air Date: February 11, 2021

Finishing up the trilogy of belatedly-acquired, nostalgically-motivated miniature video game consoles…

Home Video Recording, 1972-Style (or, Ben's Complete U-Matic Rig)

203 - Home Video Recording, 1972-Style (or, Ben's Complete U-Matic Rig)

Air Date: 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.

Ben's Junk: Toshiba 20AF43 CRT TV

204 - Ben's Junk: Toshiba 20AF43 CRT TV

Air Date: March 11, 2021

No one should ever get this excited over something this mundane… Or, this CRT is 20 AF…y’all.

Archive Thrifting #14: (Non-)Luck of the (Non-)Irish

205 - Archive Thrifting #14: (Non-)Luck of the (Non-)Irish

Air Date: March 18, 2021

You’ll be green with envy over these finds…or not.

Phonies (Answering Machine Greetings)

206 - Phonies (Answering Machine Greetings)

Air Date: April 1, 2021

Just when you thought the Archive couldn’t get any more phake…

Archive Riffs: A Taxing Set of Commercials (Tax Day Special)

207 - Archive Riffs: A Taxing Set of Commercials (Tax Day Special)

Air Date: April 15, 2021

It’s time to get down to business in Archiveland!

Ben's Junk: GPX Digital TV Tuner + Recorder

208 - Ben's Junk: GPX Digital TV Tuner + Recorder

Air Date: 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…

A Geeky Evening With Benny-Boy

209 - A Geeky Evening With Benny-Boy

Air Date: May 13, 2021

A late-night, low-light, romantic fishing expedition with everybody’s favorite Oddity Archivist…fishing for ArchiveAnnex material, that is.

Ben's Junk: ClonerAlliance Box Pro (Video Capture Device)

210 - Ben's Junk: ClonerAlliance Box Pro (Video Capture Device)

Air Date: May 27, 2021

Could it be I’ve finally stumbled onto the rightful heir of the VCR? Looks like it…

Ben's Junk: JVC HM-DH30000U & Mitsubishi HD-HS2000u D-VHS VCR's

211 - Ben's Junk: JVC HM-DH30000U & Mitsubishi HD-HS2000u D-VHS VCR's

Air Date: June 10, 2021

A double-(4)-header of D-VHS (when possible) goodness!

Episode 200 (Behind The Box) (Commentary)

212 - Episode 200 (Behind The Box) (Commentary)

Air Date: June 17, 2021

If ever an OA episode needed a commentary track, it’s this one…

Archive Thrifting #15: Out Of This World Deals

213 - Archive Thrifting #15: Out Of This World Deals

Air Date: June 24, 2021

Featuring deals so far outta sight, they’re outta mind!

Ben's Junk: Akai GX-220 Reel-To-Reel Audiotape Deck

214 - Ben's Junk: Akai GX-220 Reel-To-Reel Audiotape Deck

Air Date: 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.

History of VHS (COMPLETE SERIES)

215 - History of VHS (COMPLETE SERIES)

Air Date: July 15, 2021

You wanted a history lesson? You got a history lesson!

Ben's Casino Travelogue (Deleted Segment From How I Spent My Summer VIII)

216 - Ben's Casino Travelogue (Deleted Segment From How I Spent My Summer VIII)

Air Date: July 29, 2021

The Archive delivers its first real travelogue…granted, it was all of a half-hour away from home, but still.

Archive Thrifting #16: La Cage Aux Thrifting

217 - Archive Thrifting #16: La Cage Aux Thrifting

Air Date: August 5, 2021

Thrifting can be a real drag…but not when Ben’s around!

VCR Cleaning (A Public Service Video)

218 - VCR Cleaning (A Public Service Video)

Air Date: August 19, 2021

A bit of VHSMR for everyone…

Channel Update (9/2021) (Sony AV-3600 Update, Sencore VA62, etc.)

219 - Channel Update (9/2021) (Sony AV-3600 Update, Sencore VA62, etc.)

Air Date: September 2, 2021

There’s plenty in the OA oven right now, just none of it is rising.

VCR Rabbit Revisited

220 - VCR Rabbit Revisited

Air Date: September 9, 2021

I got things just a hare wrong the first time around, so let’s hop to another round of tests…

Ben's Junk: Video Store Regulars (& Memories)

221 - Ben's Junk: Video Store Regulars (& Memories)

Air Date: 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.

Ben’s Junk: Wolverine Moviemaker Pro 8mm & Super8 Film Scanner

222 - Ben’s Junk: Wolverine Moviemaker Pro 8mm & Super8 Film Scanner

Air Date: October 7, 2021

A half-hour Ben’s Junk? You might say the machine caused it to run reely long.

Archive Thrifting #17: Spooktacular Savings

223 - Archive Thrifting #17: Spooktacular Savings

Air Date: October 21, 2021

Get a witches shawl on and find a broomstick you can crawl on…and go thrifting with Benny-boy! (snap, snap)

Thereminiature/Pavanned (Version 6.66)

224 - Thereminiature/Pavanned (Version 6.66)

Air Date: October 31, 2021

0:01 - Thereminiature (featuring Sty Lo Phone) (A bit of B-Movie cheese) 1:36 - Pavanned (Version 6.66) (A half parody of/half tribute to the Alan Parsons Project)

Ben's Junk: Sony Digital Mavica (Model MVC-FD73) (Floppy Disk Digital Camera from 1999)

225 - Ben's Junk: Sony Digital Mavica (Model MVC-FD73) (Floppy Disk Digital Camera from 1999)

Air Date: November 4, 2021

Finally getting into this newfangled digital camera stuff…whatdaya mean you can’t get 3.5” floppies anymore?!?

Ben's Junk: Coolmusic Ring Modulator (& other FX) ("Max Headroom" Hijacker Voice)

226 - Ben's Junk: Coolmusic Ring Modulator (& other FX) ("Max Headroom" Hijacker Voice)

Air Date: November 18, 2021

Does Ben really think he’s better than Chuck Swirsky? That freakin’ liberal…

Ben's Junk: Christmas TV VHS & DVD's

227 - Ben's Junk: Christmas TV VHS & DVD's

Air Date: December 2, 2021

‘Tis the season…for holiday specials. Here’s some of my favorites…

Archive Thrifting #18: Shortwave Santa

228 - Archive Thrifting #18: Shortwave Santa

Air Date: December 16, 2021

Run, run Rudolph…towards another pile of junk!

Ben’s Music “Career” (The Complete Saga)

229 - Ben’s Music “Career” (The Complete Saga)

Air Date: December 30, 2021

Move over, “History of the Eagles”. There’s a new rock doc opus in town…

Ben's Junk: Keyfax Update/Pioneer GGF1381 Laserdisc Service Remote/Discovision Dead Sides Vol. 3

230 - Ben's Junk: Keyfax Update/Pioneer GGF1381 Laserdisc Service Remote/Discovision Dead Sides Vol. 3

Air Date: January 6, 2022

Going down a mental rabbit hole…in the most Archivian way possible.

The Wire (via Sony PCM-701ES, Betamax)

231 - The Wire (via Sony PCM-701ES, Betamax)

Air Date: January 12, 2022

Not so much chosen for musical content, but because of the long spaces between phrases and major volume drops. Shame it isn't more EQ'd, this'd the ultimate stress test for a PCM unit otherwise.

Ben's Junk: VuPoint Digital Video Converter (or, the circa 2010 YouTube video device)

232 - Ben's Junk: VuPoint Digital Video Converter (or, the circa 2010 YouTube video device)

Air Date: January 20, 2022

Feeling nostalgic for those early YouTube potato video captures? I’ve got just the scratch for that itch…

Ben's Junk: The Clapper

233 - Ben's Junk: The Clapper

Air Date: February 3, 2022

At long last, Ben’s Junk gets the clap…per.

Laserdisc Laser Rot

234 - Laserdisc Laser Rot

Air Date: February 17, 2022

A little mythbusting (and philosophizing)…OA style.

Ben's Junk: Magnus Chord Organ

235 - Ben's Junk: Magnus Chord Organ

Air Date: 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.

Ben's Junk: Blonder-Tongue BTX-111 "Ultraverter" (& ONTV Box Update)

236 - Ben's Junk: Blonder-Tongue BTX-111 "Ultraverter" (& ONTV Box Update)

Air Date: March 17, 2022

An addendum to the “Prehistoric UHF” episode…and the “ONTV/Pay TV Vol. 2” episode—about three years too late.

Ben's Junk: Prog & Metal VHS, Beta & Laserdiscs

237 - Ben's Junk: Prog & Metal VHS, Beta & Laserdiscs

Air Date: March 31, 2022

For those about to rock (in 11/4 time), we salute you…

Ben's Junk: Newtek Calibar (A Pen-Sized Test Pattern Generator)

238 - Ben's Junk: Newtek Calibar (A Pen-Sized Test Pattern Generator)

Air Date: April 14, 2022

Ben recreates the best TV program of all time—the color bars!

A BENefit for a new computer…or a loose Ask The Archive

239 - A BENefit for a new computer…or a loose Ask The Archive

Air Date: April 22, 2022

Flying by the seat of Benny's ripped (by wear and tear) jeans using only an iPad and his (half-)wit to try and raise money for a new computer.

Ben's Junk: Hotronic AP41 (Frame Synchronizer & Time Base Corrector)

240 - Ben's Junk: Hotronic AP41 (Frame Synchronizer & Time Base Corrector)

Air Date: 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.

The “Can I Remember It?” stream (or, a smaller BENefit)

241 - The “Can I Remember It?” stream (or, a smaller BENefit)

Air Date: May 7, 2022

A little (non-alcoholic) wine, a little song...which'll all cease if the price is right. Otherwise, we'll chat and I may pick a techie brain or two.

CD Frustrations & Easter Eggs

242 - CD Frustrations & Easter Eggs

Air Date: 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.

A Tour of the New OA Computer Rig (OA Computer Tour 2022)

243 - A Tour of the New OA Computer Rig (OA Computer Tour 2022)

Air Date: May 19, 2022

Please note, these are the statements of an analog-brained lunatic and are probably woefully inaccurate. In other words, never give an analog brain a computer.

Ben's Junk: Sony CVM-51UW and Panasonic WV-BM990 CRT Monitors

244 - Ben's Junk: Sony CVM-51UW and Panasonic WV-BM990 CRT Monitors

Air Date: June 2, 2022

CRT’s are for squares…which we proudly are.

The Eraser Laserdisc Experiment

245 - The Eraser Laserdisc Experiment

Air Date: 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.

Archive Thrifting #19: Radios, Radios

246 - Archive Thrifting #19: Radios, Radios

Air Date: June 30, 2022

Got a new phone (not by choice)…which means a new camera…which means…test drive time!

Archive Riffs: Hey, Stop That!

247 - Archive Riffs: Hey, Stop That!

Air Date: July 7, 2022

It’s a(n apparent) fine line between deep expressionism and wonky student film.

Ben's Junk: Midland WR400 NOAA Weather Radio (& other Radio Ramblings)

248 - Ben's Junk: Midland WR400 NOAA Weather Radio (& other Radio Ramblings)

Air Date: July 14, 2022

Mother Nature: (throws flash floods, tornadoes, derechos and blizzards at Archive HQ) Ben: I get the hint already! Geez…

Ben's Junk: Sony SRF-A100 AM/AM Stereo/FM Portable Radio

249 - Ben's Junk: Sony SRF-A100 AM/AM Stereo/FM Portable Radio

Air Date: July 20, 2022

A truly nice little radio (especially on the AM front)…and a nice little prelude to the OA 10th Anniversary episode.

Archive Thrifting #20: Fair(mont) (St.) Clouds over Mankato

250 - Archive Thrifting #20: Fair(mont) (St.) Clouds over Mankato

Air Date: July 28, 2022

Taken while shooting the AM Stereo episode. If nothing else, it was the least sticker-shock-intensive part of the trip.

Ben Repairs: Radio Shack Executive Stress Eliminator

251 - Ben Repairs: Radio Shack Executive Stress Eliminator

Air Date: 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.

Sony Videocorders Update (CV-2100 & AV-3600) (8/2022)

252 - Sony Videocorders Update (CV-2100 & AV-3600) (8/2022)

Air Date: 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?

Ben's Junk: Tyler Portable TV (model TTV701-7)

253 - Ben's Junk: Tyler Portable TV (model TTV701-7)

Air Date: September 1, 2022

Hope you like fussy, fidgety, unintuitive setups…and 45-minute Ben’s Junks.

Ben's Junk: Sears Whisper-Matic IV (& Victorian-Era Theater Slides)

254 - Ben's Junk: Sears Whisper-Matic IV (& Victorian-Era Theater Slides)

Air Date: September 15, 2022

Hey Buddy, wanna see some early 20th century movie theater slides? Didn’t think so.

Ben's Junk: Ben's Blackhawk Films Collection (minus the videotapes)

255 - Ben's Junk: Ben's Blackhawk Films Collection (minus the videotapes)

Air Date: September 22, 2022

…or, Ben gets nostalgic for other people’s nostalgia.

Ben's Junk: Sony Trinitron PVM-1343MD (Professional Video Monitor)

256 - Ben's Junk: Sony Trinitron PVM-1343MD (Professional Video Monitor)

Air Date: 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.

Archive Thrifting #21: We Already Have Halloween At Home

257 - Archive Thrifting #21: We Already Have Halloween At Home

Air Date: October 20, 2022

Mom, can we buy some Halloween? (see title for answer)

Benny M.'s TV Party (Commentary)

258 - Benny M.'s TV Party (Commentary)

Air Date: 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.

Halloween Special 2022 Blooper Reel

259 - Halloween Special 2022 Blooper Reel

Air Date: November 3, 2022

…or, as some might call it, “Ben’s Final Descent Into Madness”.

Ben's Junk: Telemeter Pay TV Box (Circa 1960)

260 - Ben's Junk: Telemeter Pay TV Box (Circa 1960)

Air Date: November 17, 2022

It’s (apparently) a fine line between your TV and a taxi meter…

Ben's Junk: Favorite (and/or Notable) Christmas Albums

261 - Ben's Junk: Favorite (and/or Notable) Christmas Albums

Air Date: December 1, 2022

Even old scrooge Benny-boy has those Christmas tunes that get his foot (arrhythmically) a-tappin’.

Archive Thrifting #22: Christmas In Elbonia

262 - Archive Thrifting #22: Christmas In Elbonia

Air Date: December 15, 2022

The merriest* thrifting video of the year! *FACT CHECK: Mostly false.

Archive Thrifting #23: Holiday Hangover

263 - Archive Thrifting #23: Holiday Hangover

Air Date: December 29, 2022

Old year, old junk. Poetic, ain’t it?

Magna-Guard (or, Copy-Protection, Vol. 3)

264 - Magna-Guard (or, Copy-Protection, Vol. 3)

Air Date: January 5, 2023

And the quest for that form of copy protection that’ll make my VCR burst into flames continues…

Ben's Junk: RCA BW003 (1978 Home Video Camera)

265 - Ben's Junk: RCA BW003 (1978 Home Video Camera)

Air Date: 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.

Ben's Junk: Forbidden KLAK (via the Archer Multiple Video Distribution System)

266 - Ben's Junk: Forbidden KLAK (via the Archer Multiple Video Distribution System)

Air Date: February 2, 2023

You wanted more Oddity Archive…After Dark? Here ya go. Just don’t expect anything too hot.

Ben's Junk: Realistic (Radio Shack) FM Wireless Lavalier Microphone System (Circa 1988)

267 - Ben's Junk: Realistic (Radio Shack) FM Wireless Lavalier Microphone System (Circa 1988)

Air Date: February 23, 2023

For those looking to up their YouTube microphone game…had such a thing existed in 1988.

Ben's Junk: (Some of) Ben's TV-on-DVD Collection

268 - Ben's Junk: (Some of) Ben's TV-on-DVD Collection

Air Date: 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…

Ben's Junk: Hitachi Visionbook Pro 7560 Laptop (or, My 1st, failed attempt at a Windows 98 Rig)

269 - Ben's Junk: Hitachi Visionbook Pro 7560 Laptop (or, My 1st, failed attempt at a Windows 98 Rig)

Air Date: March 23, 2023

…because I MUST get my Diamond Rio loaded (ideally, with Diamond Rio songs)!

Ben's Junk: Ben's Mad Magazine Stash

270 - Ben's Junk: Ben's Mad Magazine Stash

Air Date: April 6, 2023

What—Me Ramble?

Noelle's Mystery Tapes (& Channel Update - 4/2023)

271 - Noelle's Mystery Tapes (& Channel Update - 4/2023)

Air Date: April 20, 2023

Some like roses on a date, some like candy. Benny-boy likes uncatalogued analog magnetic media.

Ben's Junk: 80's Music Videos (on Laserdisc)

272 - Ben's Junk: 80's Music Videos (on Laserdisc)

Air Date: May 4, 2023

Oddity Archive and MTV have a momentary cease-fire to appreciate some 80’s tuneage.

Ben's Ugly A/V Rack

273 - Ben's Ugly A/V Rack

Air Date: May 18, 2023

Hey! Nice rack, Benny-boy! (snicker)

Betacam SP (1st Test...From A Newbie's Perspective)

274 - Betacam SP (1st Test...From A Newbie's Perspective)

Air Date: May 22, 2023

A ferric-oxide (or metal, depending on the tape) baptism…by fire.

Christmas Morning on a June Evening (or, Mail Day From Tyrone)

275 - Christmas Morning on a June Evening (or, Mail Day From Tyrone)

Air Date: June 22, 2023

Hope you have your June tree up (ideally, something deciduous), 'cause we're about to celebrate Christmas in June.

Archive Thrifting #24: The Delicate Sound of Thrifting

276 - Archive Thrifting #24: The Delicate Sound of Thrifting

Air Date: July 6, 2023

Some things don’t come easy…like the first thrifting video of 2023 (more than halfway into the year, no less).

Ben's Junk: X-10 Videosender (another VCR Rabbit-esque device)

277 - Ben's Junk: X-10 Videosender (another VCR Rabbit-esque device)

Air Date: 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.

Revenge of the Sony AV-3600 Videocorder (1st Test)

278 - Revenge of the Sony AV-3600 Videocorder (1st Test)

Air Date: July 20, 2023

Some people’s sinuses come back from Arizona…my AV-3600 came back from Arizona—arguably the same headache.

Archive Thrifting #25: 3M (Moderate Minnesota Madness)

279 - Archive Thrifting #25: 3M (Moderate Minnesota Madness)

Air Date: August 10, 2023

Celebrating the 25th OA Thrifting video by doing one in Minnesohta, doan ‘cha know?

Fix It or Forget It? (NEC S-VHS Deck)

280 - Fix It or Forget It? (NEC S-VHS Deck)

Air Date: August 10, 2023

It’s everybody’s favorite new (not quite) nerdy game show…Fix It or Forget It!!!

Ben's Junk: 1966 (partial) Zenith Phonevision Pay TV Box

281 - Ben's Junk: 1966 (partial) Zenith Phonevision Pay TV Box

Air Date: August 24, 2023

The Archive phones it in…phoneVISION, that is.

Ben's Junk: SelecTV Pay TV Box

282 - Ben's Junk: SelecTV Pay TV Box

Air Date: September 7, 2023

Oddity Archive®: Only for the most SelecTiVe viewers!

Ben's Junk: ClonerAlliance ViewLite AV (Video Capture Device)

283 - Ben's Junk: ClonerAlliance ViewLite AV (Video Capture Device)

Air Date: September 21, 2023

A little device with a lot of potential…but does it live up to it?

Ben's Junk: Sears Du-All Eight (8mm Viewer/Editor)

284 - Ben's Junk: Sears Du-All Eight (8mm Viewer/Editor)

Air Date: October 5, 2023

Well, it does du all, I’ll give it that…

Archive Thrifting #26: Indian Summer

285 - Archive Thrifting #26: Indian Summer

Air Date: October 12, 2023

Dragging out the Summer a little longer…whether you like it or not.

Ben's Junk: Sharp VL-E47 "Viewcam" (Video8 Camcorder, circa 1995)

286 - Ben's Junk: Sharp VL-E47 "Viewcam" (Video8 Camcorder, circa 1995)

Air Date: November 30, 2023

Oddity Archive®: Now in glorious Hi-Fi Mono!

Archive Thrifting #28: Scandalous Santa

287 - Archive Thrifting #28: Scandalous Santa

Air Date: December 14, 2023

Just hear those cash tills jing-a-ling’—ring-ting-tinga-ling…

Archive Thrifting #29 (Christmas Leftovers)

288 - Archive Thrifting #29 (Christmas Leftovers)

Air Date: 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.

Ben's Junk: Ben's Rifftrax DVD & Blu-Ray Collection

289 - Ben's Junk: Ben's Rifftrax DVD & Blu-Ray Collection

Air Date: January 4, 2024

Looking at the Rifftrax collection…with only minimal snark…which may very well go against the laws of riff comedy.

Ben's Junk: Denon RCD-N10 CD Receiver

290 - Ben's Junk: Denon RCD-N10 CD Receiver

Air Date: January 18, 2024

…because Benny-boy apparently goes through mini stereos like (insert absurdly famous pop star) goes through boyfriends.

Ben's Junk: Magnavox H2160MW9 (or, Exploring Someone's Old Personal DVR)

291 - Ben's Junk: Magnavox H2160MW9 (or, Exploring Someone's Old Personal DVR)

Air Date: January 25, 2024

The tech geek equivalent of rummaging through someone’s medicine cabinet…

Ben's Junk: Wometco Home Theatre (WHT) Pay TV Decoder Box

292 - Ben's Junk: Wometco Home Theatre (WHT) Pay TV Decoder Box

Air Date: February 15, 2024

Archiveco Home Theatre®: Now serving Lawn Guyland & New Joisey!

Ben’s Junk: ClearClick Video2USB/ A Tour of Ben’s Livestream Setup

293 - Ben’s Junk: ClearClick Video2USB/ A Tour of Ben’s Livestream Setup

Air Date: February 22, 2024

Some livestreamers run PC games…Benny-boy likes to run Betamax tapes.

How To Unstretch Video (via HandBrake)

294 - How To Unstretch Video (via HandBrake)

Air Date: February 29, 2024

For us old fartknockers that haven’t yet warmed up to stretch-o-vision…

Ben's Junk: Laser Video File Laserdisc Catalog (Mid-1992)

295 - Ben's Junk: Laser Video File Laserdisc Catalog (Mid-1992)

Air Date: March 14, 2024

Thumbing through the catalog of the hottest new video format (by OA standards).

Ben's Junk: Some More of Ben's Audiocassette Collection (Mystery Box!)

296 - Ben's Junk: Some More of Ben's Audiocassette Collection (Mystery Box!)

Air Date: March 21, 2024

Come on down to Crazy Benny’s for…a bunch of audiocassettes that you probably don’t care about.

Magnavox H2160MW9 Personal DVR/DVD Recorder UPDATE (A Failure)

297 - Magnavox H2160MW9 Personal DVR/DVD Recorder UPDATE (A Failure)

Air Date: 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.

Ben's Junk: Videolok (VCR Anti-Theft Device)

298 - Ben's Junk: Videolok (VCR Anti-Theft Device)

Air Date: April 11, 2024

Inconvenience and mildly annoy those evil VCR thieves with the Videolok!

Ben's Junk: Rhoades Teledapter (TV Stereo Simulator)

299 - Ben's Junk: Rhoades Teledapter (TV Stereo Simulator)

Air Date: April 18, 2024

Don’t wanna wait for Stereo TV’s to be invented? Here ya go!

Windows 98 Laptop Update (4/2024)

300 - Windows 98 Laptop Update (4/2024)

Air Date: April 25, 2024

The saga continues. On and on…and on…and on…

CD Rot Rant

301 - CD Rot Rant

Air Date: May 9, 2024

Benny-boy’s (non-accredited) Physical Media Studies class is now in session!

Ben A.'s Mystery Tapes (A Not-So-Livestream)

302 - Ben A.'s Mystery Tapes (A Not-So-Livestream)

Air Date: May 16, 2024

An unintentional episode of Oddity Archive…After Dark…in the most literal sense.

Windows 98 Laptop Update (5/2024) (She Lives!)

303 - Windows 98 Laptop Update (5/2024) (She Lives!)

Air Date: May 23, 2024

Ben christens his newly-functional laptop…by playing a little Slim Whitman.

Ben's Junk: Whole House FM Transmitter 3.0

304 - Ben's Junk: Whole House FM Transmitter 3.0

Air Date: June 20, 2024

Ben’s 3(.0)rd attempt at FM, Part 15-legal microbroadcasting! Let’s see if it’s the charm…

Ben Vs. The Cursed U-Matic Tape

305 - Ben Vs. The Cursed U-Matic Tape

Air Date: 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…

Archive Thrifting #30: Wet Fireworks

306 - Archive Thrifting #30: Wet Fireworks

Air Date: July 4, 2024

Spend the 4th of July the American way…shopping for junk.

Ben's Junk: A Tower of Vidicraft

307 - Ben's Junk: A Tower of Vidicraft

Air Date: July 11, 2024

(with apologies to Frank Sinatra) …’cause it’s Vidicraft, wicked Vidicraft. And, although I know it’s strictly taboo…

Quasar Great Time Machine (Round 2?)

308 - Quasar Great Time Machine (Round 2?)

Air Date: 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.

Ben's Junk: My First DVD's

309 - Ben's Junk: My First DVD's

Air Date: August 8, 2024

Something I never thought I’d have…warm, gooey nostalgia for the Y2K era.

Ben's Junk: JamC@m Digital Camera

310 - Ben's Junk: JamC@m Digital Camera

Air Date: August 15, 2024

A trip back to the late-90’s. Of course, that means being unnecessarily EXTREEEEME!!!! (insert dorky camera zoom)

Archive Thrifting #31: Summer's End

311 - Archive Thrifting #31: Summer's End

Air Date: August 22, 2024

The little brats are finally back in school. Let’s go thrifting…

More Fun With Moldy U-Matic Tapes

312 - More Fun With Moldy U-Matic Tapes

Air Date: September 5, 2024

Mold®: Now available in yellow and brown!

Ben's Junk: :CueCat Barcode Scanner

313 - Ben's Junk: :CueCat Barcode Scanner

Air Date: September 12, 2024

Truly from the audiovisual litterbox, an impractical solution to a problem that didn’t/doesn’t exist. Or, Benny-boy officially becomes a cat herder...and hoarder.

Ben's Junk: Sencore "Little Huey" Test Pattern Generator

314 - Ben's Junk: Sencore "Little Huey" Test Pattern Generator

Air Date: September 19, 2024

A color bar generator called “Little HUEy”. No, it’s not a Norm MacDonald joke…I think.

Ben's Junk: Casio CMD-10 watch

315 - Ben's Junk: Casio CMD-10 watch

Air Date: October 10, 2024

Keep losing that remote control? Perhaps there’s just too many gosh-darn buttons? We’ve got a (borderline-toy) solution for you!

Ben's Junk: Laserviews Laserdisc Magazines

316 - Ben's Junk: Laserviews Laserdisc Magazines

Air Date: October 17, 2024

I set out to discuss laserdiscs and wound up on a tear about various movies. Ain’t that always the way?

Archive Thrifting #32: Halloween Hootenanny

317 - Archive Thrifting #32: Halloween Hootenanny

Air Date: October 24, 2024

Grab yer pardner, do-si-do…and go thrifting with ol’ Benny-boy!

Halloween Special 2023 (Season of the Wince) (Commentary)

318 - Halloween Special 2023 (Season of the Wince) (Commentary)

Air Date: October 28, 2024

Discussing the great swindle that is my little parody of “Halloween III”…and mustaches.

Ben's Junk: Realistic (Radio Shack) Astronaut 8 Radio

319 - Ben's Junk: Realistic (Radio Shack) Astronaut 8 Radio

Air Date: November 9, 2024

A radio that’ll send you into outer space…8 times!

Ben's Junk: Down Beat Magazine (10/23/1975)

320 - Ben's Junk: Down Beat Magazine (10/23/1975)

Air Date: November 14, 2024

An Up Beat (by my standards) look at an issue of Down Beat magazine. Now, excuse me while I clap out-of-rhythm…

Ben’s Junk: Thanksgiving Traditions (and not-so-traditions)

321 - Ben’s Junk: Thanksgiving Traditions (and not-so-traditions)

Air Date: November 21, 2024

You can get anything you want at Benny-boy’s (non-existent) Restaurant…

Ben’s Junk: VHS is Life Mold Cleaning Rig REDUX

322 - Ben’s Junk: VHS is Life Mold Cleaning Rig REDUX

Air Date: December 5, 2024

A product so nice, I had to review it twice…

Archive Thrifting #33: Christmas Clutter

323 - Archive Thrifting #33: Christmas Clutter

Air Date: December 12, 2024

Out in the stores there’s so much clutter/Let’s listen to Benny-boy groan and mutter…

Ben’s Junk: Epiphone ED-100NS Acoustic Guitar

324 - Ben’s Junk: Epiphone ED-100NS Acoustic Guitar

Air Date: December 26, 2024

My first steel string acoustic guitar…which was even cheaper than the ones Esteban was hawking on TV at the time.

Ben’s (Failed) Gimmick CD (A Rant)

325 - Ben’s (Failed) Gimmick CD (A Rant)

Air Date: January 9, 2025

The OA soundtrack album was SUPPOSED to be the most tricked-out CD of all time…of course, things didn’t pan out. And, yes, this may very well be the geekiest, most jargon-heavy discussion I’ve ever given.

Ben’s Junk: NuReality Vivid 3D (Mock Surround Sound Processor)

326 - Ben’s Junk: NuReality Vivid 3D (Mock Surround Sound Processor)

Air Date: January 16, 2025

Mono reprocessed for stereo? How quaint. How ‘bout stereo reprocessed for surround sound?

Ben's Junk: Optoma PK320 Pico Pocket Projector

327 - Ben's Junk: Optoma PK320 Pico Pocket Projector

Air Date: January 23, 2025

Benny-boy covers a projector…but not a film projector. Blasphemy, I know.

Albums I Love (That I’m Supposed To Hate)

328 - Albums I Love (That I’m Supposed To Hate)

Air Date: February 27, 2025

…because it’s (apparently) cool to be contrarian.

Monkeeing Around

329 - Monkeeing Around

Air Date: March 6, 2025

Hey, hey…the Ben’s Junk items I was gonna cover fell through. Let’s get nostalgic.

Ben’s Junk: Sony eMarker (SoundHound before SoundHound)

330 - Ben’s Junk: Sony eMarker (SoundHound before SoundHound)

Air Date: March 13, 2025

You’ve heard of “oddware”, right? This is outright “deadware”.

DiscoVision Dead Sides Vol. 5

331 - DiscoVision Dead Sides Vol. 5

Air Date: March 20, 2025

Easter Eggs are earned, my friend…

Ben’s Junk: RCA RC5230Z DIVX/DVD Player (More “Deadware”)

332 - Ben’s Junk: RCA RC5230Z DIVX/DVD Player (More “Deadware”)

Air Date: March 27, 2025

Fulfilling another one of my utterly pointless life missions…almost.

25 Pounds of Laserdiscs (Mail Day From Paul C.)

333 - 25 Pounds of Laserdiscs (Mail Day From Paul C.)

Air Date: April 10, 2025

True Archive® excitement, doled out by the pound…

Ben's Junk: Half A Halloween Movie Collection

334 - Ben's Junk: Half A Halloween Movie Collection

Air Date: May 1, 2025

Let’s celebrate (Halfway to) Halloween with…half a Halloween movie franchise collection.

Ben’s Junk: APF TV Fun (“Sportsarama” Model)

335 - Ben’s Junk: APF TV Fun (“Sportsarama” Model)

Air Date: May 8, 2025

Sportsarama®: Somehow even less convenient than scheduling an actual game of tennis (or hockey or handball)!

Pre-Recorded SuperBeta (and some minor mythbusting)

336 - Pre-Recorded SuperBeta (and some minor mythbusting)

Air Date: May 17, 2025

With all the hype about the 50th anniversary of the Betamax home video format, let’s not forget the 40th anniversary of…SuperBeta(max).

Ben’s Junk: Sears Tele-Games Pinball Breakaway (Atari Video Pinball)

337 - Ben’s Junk: Sears Tele-Games Pinball Breakaway (Atari Video Pinball)

Air Date: May 23, 2025

I always wanted a pinball machine…

State of the Archive Address/General Chat/Q&A (5/30/2025)

338 - State of the Archive Address/General Chat/Q&A (5/30/2025)

Air Date: June 5, 2025

Ben’s Junk: (Some of) Ben’s Vinyl Collection Vol. 3

339 - Ben’s Junk: (Some of) Ben’s Vinyl Collection Vol. 3

Air Date: June 12, 2025

77 LP’s (and a stray 45) in an hour. Now, THAT is efficiency…

A Lot of Cartrivision (A Prelude?)

340 - A Lot of Cartrivision (A Prelude?)

Air Date: June 19, 2025

Some people take in stray dogs and cats. I (apparently) take in stray early home video tapes.

Thrifting Delivery (Mail Day From Nick S.)

341 - Thrifting Delivery (Mail Day From Nick S.)

Air Date: June 26, 2025

Well, I haven’t really been able to go thrifting in the better part of a year. Time for the thrifting to come to me!

Ben's Junk: The Worst (and Ben's First) Portable TV

342 - Ben's Junk: The Worst (and Ben's First) Portable TV

Air Date: July 3, 2025

Taking a look at quite possibly the world's last working Action-brand portable TV. Last, not because it's rare or anything, it's just THAT poorly made.

State of the Archive Address (7/2025)

343 - State of the Archive Address (7/2025)

Air Date: July 17, 2025

WARNING: This update includes some unpleasant and frank medical discussion which may upset some viewers. Please watch at your own discretion.

OA Update (7/28/2025)

344 - OA Update (7/28/2025)

Air Date: July 28, 2025

Hot off the presses--recorded overnight. Let's just say things are moving a bit quickly right now.

Ben’s Junk: Sony Color Watchman (FDT-5BX5)

345 - Ben’s Junk: Sony Color Watchman (FDT-5BX5)

Air Date: July 31, 2025

The most un-portable portable TV of all time! I like it anyway.

Ben's Junk: Boyalink Wireless Lavalier Microphone

346 - Ben's Junk: Boyalink Wireless Lavalier Microphone

Air Date: August 14, 2025

Ain’t no microphone gonna tie me down!

OA Update (8/18/2025)

347 - OA Update (8/18/2025)

Air Date: August 18, 2025

This should be the last of these update videos…

These DVD-R’s are JUNK!/Another Cursed Tape?

348 - These DVD-R’s are JUNK!/Another Cursed Tape?

Air Date: August 21, 2025

Rotting DVD-R’s and shedding videotapes? Must be Archiveland.

Ben’s Junk: Laserdisc Acquisitions (2019-2025)

349 - Ben’s Junk: Laserdisc Acquisitions (2019-2025)

Air Date: August 27, 2025

Yes, more shiny, 12-inchers…laserdiscs, that is. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Ben’s Junk: Robins Cassette Erase-Tab Remover

350 - Ben’s Junk: Robins Cassette Erase-Tab Remover

Air Date: September 4, 2025

…because a plain old screwdriver was just too gosh darn simple.

Ben's Junk: Casio LCD Handheld TV's

351 - Ben's Junk: Casio LCD Handheld TV's

Air Date: September 11, 2025

Oddity Archive®: Now presented in “Mosquito Net-Vision”*! *patent pending

YouTube A.I.-Generated Episode Topics

352 - YouTube A.I.-Generated Episode Topics

Air Date: September 18, 2025

NOTE: OA-generated content will vary in quality, will be inaccurate, and shouldn’t be relied on for professional advice.

Ben’s Junk: Behringer Solina String Ensemble (ARP Synth Clone)

353 - Ben’s Junk: Behringer Solina String Ensemble (ARP Synth Clone)

Air Date: September 25, 2025

We will only accept the most wood-grain and polyester sounds here in Archiveland!

Archiveland Public Domain Theatre: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) (Silent Movie Day 2025)

354 - Archiveland Public Domain Theatre: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) (Silent Movie Day 2025)

Air Date: September 26, 2025

Probably the only time you'll ever see a drama on PD Theatre. It just seemed appropriate right now.

Ben’s Junk: e-kara Handheld Karaoke

355 - Ben’s Junk: e-kara Handheld Karaoke

Air Date: October 2, 2025

Karaoke is back in Archiveland! No lasers this time though.

Ben’s Favorite Halloween TV Episodes & Specials

356 - Ben’s Favorite Halloween TV Episodes & Specials

Air Date: October 16, 2025

Let’s scare ourselves to death with…a discussion of a handful of comedies.

Archive (Half-)Thrifting #35 Wicked Wanderings

357 - Archive (Half-)Thrifting #35 Wicked Wanderings

Air Date: October 23, 2025

A bubbling cauldron of...things that would make a witch gag.

Mystery Betamax From Denver

358 - Mystery Betamax From Denver

Air Date: November 6, 2025

Here we go trying to time travel again…

Ben’s Junk: Tascam Guitar & Vocal “Trainers”

359 - Ben’s Junk: Tascam Guitar & Vocal “Trainers”

Air Date: November 13, 2025

Another one from the “couldn’t afford it back then” file…

Albums I’ve Owned…Too Many Times

360 - Albums I’ve Owned…Too Many Times

Air Date: November 20, 2025

Maybe I need to join RCA (Record Collectors Anonymous, that is)…