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The VHS tapes contained in the Ekins collection are in the European PAL format. Using them in a standard North American VCR may damage the tape.

How to view PAL format VHS tapes at UVic

Contact UVic Audiovisual and Multimedia services to book their PAL format VCR (fee may apply).  The PAL VCR can then be taken to Music & Media (McPherson Library) where a viewing room can be booked.

Visit the Transgender Archives to access the PAL VHS tapes.  With permission they may be taken out of the Archives and to a viewing room.

Set-up: unplug the VGA cables (the red, white, and yellow prongs) from the back of the VCR that are already hooked up in the viewing rooms (please return cables to their orginial positions once done), and plug them into the PAL VCR plugs labelled ‘out’, or ‘output’. Plug in the PAL VCR (power).

Follow the VCR instructions in the viewing room (labeled green on the info sheet)

Insert the VHS tape and press play.

Troubleshooting: if absolutely no image or sound is displayed, try re-arranging the VGA cables until something shows up.  To the right of the status display is a vertical series of buttons, press each one of these until you find the one that resolves the image into a viewable (non-skipping) format.

When finished: plug the viewing room VCR back in, return the viewing room key and remote to the Music & Media desk, take the VHS tapes back to the Archives, and return the PAL VCR to Uvic Audiovisual and Multimedia services.