VCR with excellent playback, reasonable price?

[RetroJav]

happy new year friends of digitalfaq, I have to confess something my work has nothing to do with VCR's like many of you, in fact the reason I came to this forum is because of a Netflix series I recently saw I thought about buying a VHS and watch the movies that remind me of my childhood. And looking for recommendations among the thousands of options that exist I found your forum yesterday and I haven't stopped reading posts. I congratulate you for the great level of knowledge you have and the support you give. Not to mention Lordsmurf the forum guru

I have seen many recommendations of top of the line equipment (JVC HR-S9XXXU & Panasonic AG-1350P) incredible equipment, but much more than I need and with prices that I could not afford. I am really looking for something that gives me excellent playback quality at a reasonable price. Any recommendation?

[lordsmurf]

You've probably seen this before: "cheap, fast, quality -- pick 2!" Well, with VCRs, it's pick 1. That's because "fast" doesn't apply here. Speed means nothing. So it's either cheap, or quality -- not both.

There are some middle options, but you make concessions for it. Quality is reduced, price is risen.

In 2022, the price for a known-good best/ideal VCR (not some crap off eBay) is about $500-2000, depending on factors. For example, I grade decks A/B/C/F, with +/- for the A/B. As seen here: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/news...g-grading.html. I mostly grade based on tracking, because that tends to be a good overall gauge of deck lifespan (head wear).

The other end of the spectrum is the cheap VCRs that you bought at Walmart, Best Buy, etc, back in the 80s-90s. Or the DVD+VHS combo decks (almost all made by Funai) in the 00s. These are the crappy units in closets, at flea markets, thrift stores, etc. Most were made disposable, most were mistreated by their owners (including people that think they "took care of it" without really understanding what true VCR care is).

In between are the non-TBC prosumer S-VHS decks, mostly by JVC. For example, the JVC HR-S3800 or 4800, some of my favorite models. These had more pro-like build quality, some decent quality and filters, just not the TBCs we want/need for capturing. These units were about 2x the cost in the 90s (the TBC models were 3x+). And the best part, you can often still find these models used for the same $200-300 price range, but now used. The refurb'd models will set you back a bit more, $300-500, but worth it.

[RobustReviews]

Were you just looking to playback some old tapes @RetroJay or capture them?

If you just want to enjoy some old films as a bit of a nostalgia trip most models from any of the 'big names' from the mid-90s are where I'd personally aim, my personal preference for playback quality is Sony (subjective) but Sony decks can be absolute pigs with a common fault from this age with a gear that fractures - it's easy to acquire but tricky to change if you have not worked on a video transport before.

Panasonic made some great gear but they can have electronics wobbles with age which can be a pig to sort, JVC build quality probably isn't quite up to the other two but in terms of reliability they fare better, they're still great machines though.

If you just want to enjoy a few old films on VHS for a nostalgia trip you need not get bogged down in the merits and constraints of each model. My analogy would be: I'm a dreadful guitarist, I own a £500 guitar as anything else is entirely wasted on me, I 'could' buy a better one, but frankly, it's just wasteful.

Same as, if you just want to watch a few films, worrying about the ins-and-outs of various models of video machines isn't really needed, doubly so if you think it'll get shoved in a cupboard in a few months anyway.

I don't know where you are in the world, but if you're really just after something dead simply with fair playback quality we have 1999/2000 Aiwa here which we use for previewing a few tapes. It's built out of cheese and won't last very long but the image quality is surprisingly good - I don't know who made the mechanism but it's not good for continual use, but 'it is what it is' as they say.

If I've misunderstood we can steer you, a big question is do you have a way of connecting an analogue input into your television?

[RetroJav]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobustReviews

I don't know where you are in the world, but if you're really just after something dead simply with fair playback quality we have 1999/2000 Aiwa here which we use for previewing a few tapes. It's built out of cheese and won't last very long but the image quality is surprisingly good - I don't know who made the mechanism but it's not good for continual use, but 'it is what it is' as they say.

I’m located in Miami, Florida

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobustReviews

If I've misunderstood we can steer you, a big question is do you have a way of connecting an analogue input into your television?

Good question, this are the ports of my TV

[RetroJav]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordsmurf

You've probably seen this before: "cheap, fast, quality -- pick 2!" Well, with VCRs, it's pick 1. That's because "fast" doesn't apply here. Speed means nothing. So it's either cheap, or quality -- not both.

There are some middle options, but you make concessions for it. Quality is reduced, price is risen.

In 2022, the price for a known-good best/ideal VCR (not some crap off eBay) is about $500-2000, depending on factors. For example, I grade decks A/B/C/F, with +/- for the A/B. As seen here: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/news...g-grading.html. I mostly grade based on tracking, because that tends to be a good overall gauge of deck lifespan (head wear).

The other end of the spectrum is the cheap VCRs that you bought at Walmart, Best Buy, etc, back in the 80s-90s. Or the DVD+VHS combo decks (almost all made by Funai) in the 00s. These are the crappy units in closets, at flea markets, thrift stores, etc. Most were made disposable, most were mistreated by their owners (including people that think they "took care of it" without really understanding what true VCR care is).

In between are the non-TBC prosumer S-VHS decks, mostly by JVC. For example, the JVC HR-S3800 or 4800, some of my favorite models. These had more pro-like build quality, some decent quality and filters, just not the TBCs we want/need for capturing. These units were about 2x the cost in the 90s (the TBC models were 3x+). And the best part, you can often still find these models used for the same $200-300 price range, but now used. The refurb'd models will set you back a bit more, $300-500, but worth it.

lordsmurf by any chance do you have any recommendations where I can find a JVC HR-S3800 or 4800 refurb?

[RetroJav]

The JVC HR-S5100U is better than the JVC HR-S3800 or 4800?

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetroJav

The JVC HR-S5100U is better than the JVC HR-S3800 or 4800?

No, really old unit.
The number is not sequential. 5 isn't newer/better than 3 or 4,

[RetroJav]

Thank you lordsmurf, I got a well maintained unit, first owner, never been opened with a fair price.