nightwing82

I am talking VCR wise. I have a PVR but I still need to transfer to tape. I'm not getting a DVD recorder until they go down in price so that is out. Something is just telling me I need to get a new VCR (and no S-VHS) so I figured I would ask what you guys recommend. I have to tape most shows in EP to save on tape buying, and tape everything on high grade or premiere grade Sony tapes. I currently have a Toshiba HiFi VCR... but what do you recommend for optimal tv recording? I will be recording off Dish Network... no cable.

CCPrescott

I have 2 Toshiba hi-fi VCR's that have been rock solid for about 3 years now. I also have a Panasonic hi-fi that I bought last year that's been great too. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Toshiba or Panasonic VCR.

Chris

khieng

I have both a Toshiba and Panasonic hi-fi VCR for over a year. They haven't failed yet.

clemente

GE Hi-Fi...unfortuneatly the record quality just blows...but its what I have. My cheapo K-Mart special non-hif- has awesome copy quality, but I need my surround sound tapes!

SuperJim88

My Panasonic has been good to me for 5 years now. I got no problem what-so-ever. Of course I did do once every 2 months of detail maintaince job, so I think that helps.

CaptDS9E

I have a JVC S-VHS VCR i bought a little over a year ago as now i only tape certain shows since a lot of the stuff will come out on DVD in 6 months anyway .

capt

dvdanon

I have a Sony VHS and a Mitsubishi S-VHS. Both are over 5 years old and copy from my D-Tivos.

Ian

Copenhagen

I have a one year old Sony VHS that seems to handle the many shows a week that I ask it to tape.

B.A.

Unfortunately, I still have to use my Sony VCR - hopefully I can get my Tivo soon, hopefully when I get my tax refund back.

Norm de Plume

I've found Sharp to be the most reliable. I get a $100(Cdn.) Sharp with a $40 5-year extended warranty, and I have a guaranteed VCR for 5 years. With the amount of use I put them through (recording and playing twice daily), believe me, I'm not the one on the losing end of the warranty.

Hopefully re-recordable DVD players will become affordable soon, rendering VCRs virtually irrelevant.

Wizdar

EP on high grade tape. What’s the point?

I started building a collection back when beta was still around. If you’re planning to have those EP tapes around for archive purposes, prepare to be disappointed. I was able to get 3 movies on each tape and save some bucks. Without exception those tapes are now unwatchable.

Tapes recorded at EP speed often will not play on another machine, and will have tracking problems on the same machine a few "miles" down the road. Maintenance won't make much difference: the problem is with the head gap and the size of the track it lays down on the tape.

These days you should be able to find tapes for a buck (US) or under. That’s a quarter each for half-hour shows, two shows for a buck for hour-long shows. I bet you spend more than that for sodas.

As for vcrs, unlike DVD players, I’ve never had a problem and have no brand preference. I suggest 4-head hi-fi. If you absolutely cannot afford to tape other than EP, get a 4-head unit.

Your mileage may vary.

nightwing82

EP on a high grade tape... well I don't seem to have these problems you are having. So I use them. Perhaps you are keeping your tapes in bad conditions or something. I have never had a tape snap, stop working, etc. And once my VCR ate a tape, which was a 10 year old VCR so it needed replaced anyway.

I don't have any tracking problems, and this stems all the way back to stuff I have taped from cable in the 80s on Scotch brand VHS tapes. In fact I was just watching a tape from 1985 and it is still in perfect condition, and it was one I watched quite frequently as a kid.

And of course I would buy a 4-head HiFi. I just wanted others opinions on brands... not sure if I want to get another Toshiba or not.

mkdevo

tape??? what is this 'tape'???

Da Thrilla

Tivo

Roto

How is that reliable if you have to use the extended warranty that you had to add 40% to the price for???

I've seen a couple frequently used VCR's go 10 years without needing repairs. Those were Panasonics. Last VCR I owned was a Toshiba, but I sold it to a friend after I noticed I wasn't using it anymore. If I want to copy something I can send it from my ReplayTV to the DVD burner on my pc.

Mordred

Tivo

TK-421

The rumor is that Toshiba will be doing a combo DVD-R/Tivo box sometime next year. This year they are just making a DVD/Tivo box.

OldDude

Toshiba hi-fi vcr, several years old. Usually record on EP. I time shift only. After I watch it, it goes back for more recording, and I toss the tape when visual quality declines (which actually takes quite a while).

nightwing82

For people saying Tivo.......... :P I alredy have a PVR. I cannot store the countless shows I tape on the PVR, need to delete to make room for more. I'd need 1,000s of Tivos.

Norm de Plume

Well, there's no way I'm spending $1000 for a VCR. In the past I've bought several in the $300 range, and they end up lasting a year or less. One thing I've gleaned from the experiences is never buy RCA. Just a tip. The cheap Sharps have always been reliable. The heads need cleaning ever so often, but that's it.

As for PVRs, I have looked into them, but at this point I just don't have the funds.

costanza187

I have a Sanyo hi-fi, i guess its ok for a VCR its kind of a cheap-o from Wal-Mart...of course most shows I just tape and erase.

Daryl

3 or 4 TiVo's - mod them all with two 80 or 100 gig drives. problem solved

Red Dog

This is what I always wondered about? Why don't they have the functional equivalent of a computer/floppy drive. That way you can indefinitely store recorded content to a disc or computer tape while it also gives you portability - you can watch it at a friends house (with a TIVO) or another TIVO in your house, etc.

I would definitely buy such a product.