Are There ANY Decent VCR's still out there? (1 Viewer)

[Mike JM]

I'm in the market for a new VCR. The last one I bought was the Mitsubishi HS-U59. I now realize that it's a very decent VCR after I just bought a "top of the line" one at Best Buy the other day. (It was the most expensive one they had) A JVC with S-VHS.
After searching audio reviews and the sony site, there really aren't any decent VCR's made anymore. Sony doesn't even carry S-VHS models.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should do? My VCR I have now is great, super great. It just doesn't have a S-VHS hook up.
My whole idea was to move the VCR I have now into the bedroom, and get a new, better one for the living room.
I had no idea, after a few years, that it would be so hard.

-Mike

 

[Mike Matheson]

Mike,

I'm not quite following exactly what you're asking, but in terms of VCR's with good output, the 7xxx and 9xxx series of JVC are pretty well thought of (I have a 9800 and love it). An alternative (which I've not tried) is a Sony SVHS model with a 1000 in its designation (S1000?). They can be found used on eBay I think (though that's not new, which might have been part of your question).

Quality control on JVCs 7xxx and 9xxx series seems to be a bit suspect, in that some folks have posted that they've purchased units that had poor or jittery output. There should be a number of past threads on this subject if you want further info.

 

[Mike JM]

Hi Mike.
I'm asking for any recommendations anyone might have for a new, high quality VCR.
It seems that manufacturers are only making really cheap ones now.
The JVC I got at Best Buy...
I figured that a VCR I bought today would at least be as good as a VCR I bought over 8 years ago.

 

[Mike JM]

I was just at the JVC web site. I'm hoping that their more expensive models might be better?

I notice at Crutchfield, they have the JVC HR-S5900U at $199 and the HR-7800U also at $199. (was $349)

Isn't the 7800 better? Is the savings because it's last years model and the 5900 this years?

Any info would be a great help. Thanks!

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Toshiba and Mitsubishi also make very nice S-VHS decks that are sometimes rated as better than the closest-priced JVCs.

 

[Mike Matheson]

My old VCR was a Mitsubishi HS-U560--not sure how that compares to the HS-U59. But the difference in output quality (and audio) between my old Mits and my new JVC 9800 is enormous. I don't always HAVE to rent DVDs anymore--I can get by with tapes now (if necessary ).
Between the JVC 5900 & 7800, I'd definitely go for the 7800. There are a number of past threads on that model you might look up if interested in specific features, etc.
Haven't seen comparisons of Toshiba &/or Mits vs. the JVC 7xxx/9xxx series.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

In the past, when searching for opinions on different VCR models, I have found lots of good comments by searching alt.video.vcr. There are some hardcore S-VHS folks there.

 

[JeffreyMercado]

The review in stereophile really leans toward the mitsubishi model, which is a D-VHS. Now they had a press release stating that they will be coming out with a $750 version without s-vhs capabilities. Go for the mitsubishi, the only gripe I have is that it does not play D-theater tapes. The rewind and fast forward is the best some 52 sec. faster than the jvc. Maybe the new one will play d-theater tapes but I dont think so.

 

[Mike JM]

The Mitsubishi VCR's look good. I have 2 older models that are still working fine.

Does anyone know where I can actually purchase a Mitsubishi VCR online?

The stores around here, Curciut City, Best Buy, Sears, etc. are pretty poor. They only have really low end stuff.

 

[Bill Will]

You also might want to take a look at the Panasonic "AG" SEMI-PRO Line. They all are Heavy Duty built & have tuners & remotes. Try www.jandr.com for models & prices & Panasonic's own website.

 

[Rachael B]

The Panasonic Pro-line model to have would be the AG-1980. It has a better pic than any of JVC's 9xxx series decks. It can stille be had new, I bet.

the drawbacks: no VCR+, no cablebox or DBS control, wimpy remote, no trick play like the nice JVC's, expensve 850 to $1000 new

the advantages: built like a tank, close to 20 lb's, digital time base correction, mainly it's just the PQ!

I think the Sony 1000 is almost as good as the AG-1980 in PQ and it has VCR +. I'm not sure if it controls cable or sat boxes? I don't own a 1000 but I used to help edit video with a pair of them and was impressed with the PQ. Personally, I hate the 1000's ergonomics or I'd proably own one. I hope this helps!

 

[AaronD]

Mike,

My vote is for the JVC's, having not used any other brand of SVHS I can't really recommend anything else. I am extremely happy with my JVC 7800 however.

What model SVHS VCR did you find at best buy? I've never seen anything but hi-fi VCR's at best buy except for one cheap JVC SVHS-ET only deck. I just don't think you can find a good VCR at a mega-chain anymore.

-Aaron

 

[Mike Matheson]

So, Mike JM, how many $$$ do you want to spend?

 

[Chuck Kent]

Count me in as another satisfied JVC 7800 user.

The $199 price is extemely difficult to beat considering it has digital noise reduction and more (which the lower model number JVCs don't have.)

On my 32" TV, it makes even older plain Jane VHS tapes look a bit better...

 

[Mike JM]

Hmmm.
Since I can't even find a Mitsubishi VCR anywhere, let alone a price tag, except for the vcr in my room, I'm going to go with the 7800 JVC for $199 at Crutchfield....I think.
I'd spend about $350 tops.

I just hope this 7800 won't make me wish I kept my Mitusbishi in the living room.

The crappy JVC I have now, which I'm going to take back at Best Buy is an HR-62901U. It was $129.

 

[greg_t]

I bought the JVC 7800 from Crutchfield and am very happy with it. The only thing I don't like it is the recording menu system. Seems like they could have made an easier programming interface, or a little more user friendly. Excellent picture quality with the SVHS. You can't beat it for $199.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

I've got a Toshiba W808 S-VHS for $220 and love it. It has Digital Noise Reduction at 2 different strengths and can be enabled in three different places; RF input, line-input, and output. So you can choose to noise-reduce the input while recording and/or the output on playing. This is nice for making recordings (from noisy sources) that will be played on other machines without NR.