Metallica_Band

Hey there...OK...I am looking for a new VCR...now I know by now that they are pretty darn cheap...which means it'll be harder to tell which one is better and more reliable than other...

if I was looking for a new DVD player then usually the higher the price the better it should be and the more functions it should have...USUALLY...now that VCR's are about to become obsolete the price range for all VCR's are pretty much the same...

I was wondering...let's back up in time to where DVD players weren't around...the only thing around are VCR's...what kinds are the best...are they all pretty much the same...

2 of our VCR's have broken and we need to replace them ASAP...I'm not looking for a VCR-DVD combo...just a VCR that'll last me a long time...and that is kinda cheap and has lots of features if they even HAVE features...the features are prolly in ALL vcr's by now...

I could easily pick out a DVD player cause I know lots about them...but I don't know crap bout vcr's if there IS anything to know about them...are they all the same or are the all pretty much different like DVD players??? I need to find the best one that I can get BUT it needs to be cheaper (or a decent price) than what my dad can find at a Costco...you get what I mean??? plz help...THANX
C'YA ?:-D

Rodney

Whatever brand you get, you need one that has stereo hifi and four heads (and a remote). Everything else is gravy. At $100 and above, a lot of them come with some form of VCR Plus (automatic VCR programming), automatic commercial skipping on playback, etc. We don't use that use, but YMMV. You shouldn't have to pay much more than $100 for something good with a lot of options.

We got a Panasonic last year with the above features, and I have no complaints. Not as many features as a Sony, but cheaper and probably more reliable. I've had mixed experience with Sony.

giblfiz

I think it may be one of those situations where there are no good VCR's made anymore because the high price market has all gone DVD. (sort of like floppy disks, they are just crap now cause few who care and know anything about tech use them)

So your best bet might be to look on Ebay for something that was very high end a while ago. The good stuff holds together for a long time, so it's being used won't hurt you.

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daoist

VCRs have a low MTBF regardless of their manufacturer. I read once that the average MTBF of a new vcr is only 6 months! In contrast the MTBF of a new TV is around 5-10 years, which is why you never want to get a tv/vcr combo. Of course those figures probably vary wildly with the manufacturer.

my advice is to just get whichever el-cheapo VCR you can find that has 4 heads and sterio. when (not if) it breaks, get another one.

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Ruiner

There isn't really any good quality VCR's on the market anymore sadly. I'd by a cheapo Panasonic or Toshiba and call it done.

Cynthetiq

I have a penchant for Sony ones... I bought one that has a smartfile system and it has a "memory" label that you just wave the tape in front of the vcr and it pops up with a list of whats on the tape on the screen. it's very handy... they discontinued them but i see them on Ebay once in a while... SLV-10/SLV-20 are the model numbers I believe.

Working for a large media company...we only use Sony brand here.. not only for the volume discount but also because the quality of the product and video image.

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Rodney

Man, there is no question that Sony products perform brilliantly and are technologically about the most innovative. But they just don't stand up as well over the long haul, at least in the consumer department.

That said, I have a 8+ year-old Sony pro-sumer SVHS deck that gets regular use. But if I hadn't bought the extended warranty I'd have been dead in the water five years ago.

smithja0423

Toshiba may build their products with near-slave-labor but they build a hell of a product. I've reccomended toshiba vcr's to several of the departments i support here and they've all had great results. The earlier post about MTBF is right, tho. There's just no market for high-end VHS anymore so your mileage may vary.

tmricha

just make sure its a 4-head vcr, thats about all that really matters in quality. Its an outdated technology which has been refined and comoditized so just about anything will be just fine.

MacGnG

something inexpensive, try target. you dont neeed a fancy vcr, cause its just a vcr. something around $30 or so.

jbrooks544

VCR's are almost obsolete. I bought a JVC for really cheap and it works great. If it breaks in a few years, so what, they are so cheap they are almost disposable. Go to Best Buy and see what they have and ask the guy on the floor who knows all about it.

jeenyus

you can find them in like futureshop or any electronic store for pretty cheap now that DVD is in.