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VCR Recomendations (1 Viewer)

Chad Simpson

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Aug 23, 2001
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Hi, I'm looking for a new VCR to replace my broken Sony. I'm not looking for top of the line, just something to time shift off the air programs. I'll be taping sports programs such as football games, etc. This means that I'll do a lot of slow speed taping to fit the whole program on the tape. I notice some manufacturers push 19 micron heads and Panasonic touts their DynAmorphous metal heads. Any recommendations?
 

Wayne A. Pflughaupt

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Chad,
First, Welcome to the Forum!
IMO, no home theater buff that timeshifts TV programs should be with out a super VHS VCR. If you’re used to regular VHS, you will be amazed at the improvement S-VHS will give you. It has close to twice the resolution and looks almost as good as the original program.
They used to be pretty expensive, but the price of S-VHS decks has fallen like a brick in recent years. You can now get them as cheap as $150. However, I have seen some complaints that the bottom-of-the-line machines don’t give as good a picture as the mid-line and up machines. I recommend JVC’s secon-in-line machine, the HR-S7900. You can mail-order it at Link Removed for about $250. I've had a total of six JVC S-VHS VCRs the past 5-6 years, and I've been pleased with them all. Still own four of them, including the first one I ever bought.
The only other thing is that S-VHS tapes cost a lot more than regular VHS tapes do. They go for about $6 each at places like Best Buy, but you can get much better deals by mail-order. However, I see the price of tapes as more of a problem for the archivist than the timeshifter. Just buy the number of tapes you need for your viewing habits, and you’re set for quite a while. We tend to get “backed up” on watching our programs, so we dropped $40-50 on about eight tapes. With heavy use, we found we get 1½-2 years out of a tape before it starts streaking.”
Bottom line, Chad, the price of admission for S-VHS is higher than regular VHS, but if you value a first-rate picture, it’s worth every penny.
Happy Holidays,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
 
J

John Morris

Chad: I can second Wayne's rec on the SVHS deck, but, you may also want to consider this RePlayTV unit I have 3 Replay TV units and we almost never use our SVHS anymore. YMMV.
 

Jerome Grate

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May 23, 1999
Messages
2,989
I agree with the other two posts. As a Home Theater buff I think if any system is going to have a VCR, then it has to be S-VHS. There's no more oh I just want to playback my old tapes. With DNR TBC (digital noise reduction and Time Base Corrector), it makes regular VHS tapes almost pristine and S-VHS recorded tapes so good you really can't tell the difference between the tape and real broadcast. I would go with the JVC 7900, it will get the job done and you won't regret it.
 

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