i have a panasonic vhs player that has lasted four years it is a great machine with many good features for a 2 head unit just recently it has started playing up we were thinking of buying another vcr and a new dvd player but now i am wondering wether or not to buy a stand alone dvd recorder because i am unsure if a new vcr would last
i would like to know how long the members of this board have had their vcr's and dvd player/recorders without having a problem with them especially the well known brands :wave:

At our house, we have eight VCRs, and hands down the Panasonic is the best for longevity and tracking. In fact, the last VCR we bought was off of eBay several months ago because our previous Panasonic finally died after eight years of lots of use. It was actually cheaper for us to buy off of the internet than it would have been to buy a cheaper brand in town (no Panasonics VCRs in town).

It's too soon for our family to recommend one brand of DVD over another. We have four DVD players, and I've found that the Mintek (el cheapo brand) plays VCDs best. However, the Panasonic plays DVD-Rs without a glitch but makes VCDs look fuzzier.

And of course our DVD recorder is a Panasonic. I think you get the most for your money sticking with that brand.

My first Panasonic deck, purchased in 1981, lasted 13 years, with one repair (the sensor in the tape platform went about 3 years after I bought it). The heads eventually disintegrated. My second Panasonic deck I was never happy with the picture, so I rarely use it. My Mom's Panasonic deck, on the other hand, has a gorgeous picture, and she's had it for maybe four years or more.

My Sony Beta deck has been working for 20 years. My other two Beta decks came from garage sales, so I don't know exactly how old they are, and I don't currently have them hooked up. I really should test them to see if they work. My Sony Beta has been repaired once, although that was a major repair.

My first Sony VHS deck (built in Japan) lasted several years (maybe 7?), and was killed by a power surge during a storm (fried the circuits, unfixable). The next two Sonys, which were not built in Japan but Malaysia, lasted much shorter periods (2 and 4 years respectively). Both had problems with the tape transport mechanism, and one had serious problems with the tuner. My current Sony has been unplugged for months, but I'm using it now for dubbing, and so far, so good.

My Aiwa multistandard deck has been going strong now for ... mmm, over 10 years. My Samsung multistandard deck, purchased more recently, lasted about four years (it just died last week). I've read reviews recently that make me question whether I should buy another, since they all seem to have the same design flaw - and at four years, mine lasted longer than most.

My Toshiba has been around for about 10 years, I guess, but I don't use it a lot right now.

My JVC S-VHS deck was a pleasant surprise. My Mom has a JVC deck that has got to be about 10 years old, and it has a gorgeous picture and is a real workhorse. I've been really pleased with my JVC, which is now about 2 years old, I guess. I use it every day, more than any other VCR at the moment (except possibly for the Beta, now that I'm converting programs to DVD).

I think I have an RCA deck, too, but I don't think it's currently hooked up.

On the DVD front, my first deck was a region free Raite. That lasted about two years. My brother fixed it and I gave it to him, and it lasted another two years, I guess, before it died again.

My Daewoo has been running for two years, I guess, but it doesn't like DVD+R discs, and won't play the DVD-R discs from my Panasonic DVD recorder. My Phillips seems to play everything, and has a region-free hack that can easily be done with a remote.

My Panasonic DVD recorder has been in fairly heavy use since last fall (I got it in time for the new season :>).

I noticed a definite and dramatic difference in Sony units made in Japan vs. the later made in Malaysia units. Quality assurance in Japan is historically much better, but a lot of their manufacture is done off-shore in Malaysia now. So brand can be a factor, and country of origin can be another. Sometimes the unit itself is an issue - I've had great Panasonics, I've had crappy Panasonics. But I've seen a lot more great ones.

With DVD players, I always check www.VCDHelp.com for reviews and information about decks. The reviews are written by users, and they can be very candid. If you're in the market for a DVD player or recorder, I highly recommend spending some time poking around that site. I'm not familiar with a similar site for VCRs, I'm afraid.