techmoan

HitClips - The truth behind the toy. (Patreon)

Published:

2020-09-20 08:13:00

Edited:

2020-09-21 11:02:53

Imported:

2021-02

Content

In 2018 I made a video about the toy/music tape cartridge format Pocket Rockers. At the end of that video I mentioned that I also planned to make a video about the later digital-age equivalent ‘HitClips’. Two and a half years later...here it is.

https://youtu.be/X8568_3amO4

There was a bit more to this one than anticipated, so I’m later than usual in putting this video out.

In other news, I’ve put the Techwood/Kenmore logo I mentioned in the update on a few different types of T-Shirts on my Teespring page https://teespring.com/stores/techmoan-merch I have no idea how well it works as it’s impossible to tell from the pictures. I've ordered one of the smaller badge design ones for myself to check it out. I’d recommend waiting to see how mine looks before considering spending any of your hard earned cash on one.

Enjoy what little is left of the weekend. I’m going to have to take a couple of days out next week - I need a break from the screens.

…and hey, hey, ‘Let’s be careful out there’ (I’ve been re-watching Hill Street Blues).

UPDATE - Thanks to Magnus who spotted this article about the technical side https://ch00ftech.com/2013/12/31/reverse-engineering-a-hit-clip/ - It shoots down my suppositions and also confirms the audio as a form of PWM.

UPDATE2 - The video above is a slight re-edit as I noticed I repeated myself in the original intro.

UPDATE 3 A third edit? - Yes

Is this man incompetent - Yes

What’s different - The forgetful fool forgot to dub the playout music with the HitClips version he made so much effort recording. So he’s done that now - but while he was there he took the opportunity to add a bit about discs not playing in a disassembled cart player and also re-worded the section about the pins on the cards so he could link to the reverse engineering website. Also reduced the amount of music played and rearranged it, snipped out a repeated phrase at the end - and messed with a couple of volume levels. The George Lucas of Youtube video revisions strikes again (or Strikes Back). All this for a video destined to be less successful than HitClips discs if relaunched as a ToyRUs exclusive in 2020 during full lockdown.

Files

HitClips - The truth behind the toy

HitClips - a fun toy? A terrible music format? A way to sell music to kids too young to venture into record stores? The answer is YES. This video sorts the facts from the fiction. 00:00 The Start 02:16 A closer look 04:18 Fixing the facts 10:43 The Yahoo Downloader 12:02 Bring the Noise 13:37 HitClips Discs 17:16 There’s no business like... 19:43 That’s a wrap 21:24 Credits (audio by HitClips) HitClips on ebay (affiliated link) https://ebay.to/2FVC27W An earlier take on this idea was Pocket Rockers - here’s my video about that one https://youtu.be/Cb6DOjZkvQc Here’s a website article about reverse engineering a HitClip https://ch00ftech.com/2013/12/31/reverse-engineering-a-hit-clip/ Hitclips TV Commercials on youtube https://youtu.be/NTp2vNQNcnA https://youtu.be/ltWQLu7_1H8 https://youtu.be/DpTQhts_FM4 https://youtu.be/0rH8hFMYVTw?t=19 ---------------SUBSCRIBE------------------ http://www.youtube.com/user/Techmoan?sub_confirmation=1 -------------Merchandise----------------- https://teespring.com/stores/techmoan-merch -------------SUPPORT--------------- This channel can be supported through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/techmoan *******Patrons usually have early access to videos******* ----------Outro Music----------- Over Time - Vibe Tracks https://youtu.be/VSSswVZSgJw ------Outro Sound Effect------ ThatSFXGuy - https://youtu.be/5M3-ZV5-QDM ------AFFILIATED LINKS/ADVERTISING NOTICE------- All links are Affiliated where possible. When you click on links to various merchants posted here and make a purchase, this can result in me earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network & Amazon. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON Sites (including, but not limited to Amazon US/UK/DE/ES/FR/NL/IT/CAN)