This is the only place that I can think of that might have an answer to my question. I have a terrible VCR (Sanyo VWM-900) that spews out poor quality recordings of my favorite shows and movies. What are some the best stable VCRs that are available at a reasonable price (under $200)?

By the way, DVD recorders are not an option.

This is the only place that I can think of that might have an answer to my question. I have a terrible VCR (Sanyo VWM-900) that spews out poor quality recordings of my favorite shows and movies. What are some the best stable VCRs that are available at a reasonable price (under $200)?

By the way, DVD recorders are not an option.


Sony VCR-Hi-Fi Stereo

JVC HR-S7600U, JVC HR-S7800U, JVC HR-S7900U
JVC HR-S9600U, JVC HR-S9800U, JVC HR-S9900U, JVC HR-S9911U
JVC SR-V10U, JVC SR-V101US


You can't go wrong with any of these machines although they are a little above $200 range. You might be able to find a deal on a used one.

I recently bought the HR-S9800 model and I can't be more happier.
I have game tapes that I thought were worthless (because of my cheap vcr's) and once I played them in the new machine, I couldn't believe the difference. Excellent for those wishing to transfer tapes to dvd.

is a lot of newer vhs players dont allow u to manually adjust tracking
the more expensive ones do
but the less expensive ones have auto tracking, which is usually fine
unless u have an old tape u r trying to play, and then it is a big pain

for the price of a stand alone dvd recorder you can't go wrong!

However.........if its NOT an option as you say..........

then i'll recomend the JVC S4600U

its actualy a SUPER-VHS recorder. by using the more expensive SUPER-VHS tapes you will achieve excellent results. it is YES backwards compatible with standard VHS tapes for playback and recording. price tag of about $229

again....you get what you pay for. SUPER-VHS is nice but still doesn't hold a candle to capturing into a DVD recorder in SP mode

Both still have their fair share of problems. Stupid NTSC signal.

Actually, Jophess, you might get more detailed information if you posted the same question on www.videohelp.com, since that forum has got some really super-expert folks on it. Not to take away anything from the expertise and knowledge of the people on this fine forum...but on videohelp, there are guys who design video test equipment who post on a regular basis.

y2K3Joker had a good suggestion when he proposed a bunch of high-end JVC VCRS: JVC HR-S7600U, JVC HR-S7800U, JVC HR-S7900U JVC HR-S9600U, JVC HR-S9800U, JVC HR-S9900U, JVC HR-S9911U JVC SR-V10U, JVC SR-V101US are all very good models. Some of those are better than others. The JVC HR-S9600U had a heftier chassis than the more recent models, and models like the JVC HR-S7600U don't have a video frame buffer as large as the 9600 or the later models. The 7600 had a 2 meg video digital noise reduction frame buffer, whereas the 9600 and later models had a 4 meg video frame buffer. This boils down to better video noise reduction, which means your old tapes look better on the 9600 and later models than on the 7600.

However, while the JVC models y2k3joker cited are excellent, you shouldn't restrict yourself only to JVC. Various models of Toshiba VCR have excellent video quality, including the same digital noise reduction found in the high-end JVC 9600 etc. models, as well as similar preamps built into the video heads to boost the signal-to-noise and produce a better picture. Probably the best ordfinary VHS Toshiba model is an old one with a really heavy chassis, the M781. This was an ordinary VHS machine but produced output as good as or better looking than most S-VHS recorders courtesy of all the signal processing and built-in video preamps on the video heads. Later excellent S-VHS models of Toshiba include the W808 and W814 and W818, all of which include the V3 video preamps built into the video head and the DNR digital video noise reduction (essentially the same thing as the 4 meg frame buffer noise reduction in the JVC 2911 and other hi-end models). I think the W818 was the last model of VCR Toshiba made with all the fancy digital noise reduction. After that, they shifted away from making analog VCRs with lots of digital circuitry to improve the picture, and into digital video equipment that recorded the signal in the digital domain to avoid having to clean it up afterwards. None of these analog VCRs are made any longer, except for the hi-end latest JVC, the S9911.
http://www.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelId=MODL026935&pathId=49
However a brand new JVC S9911 has a list price of $600, far from the "under $200" price you cited.

Also, there were several models of Sony VCR which featured something called "reality regeneration circuitry," the SLV-SE850, also the SLV-SE710, which seems to be pretty much the same thing as JVC's Digi-Pure and Toshiba's DNR. These Sony VCRs were made around 1999 to 2001, and, like the other models mentioned here except for the very recent high-end JVC S9911, are no longer manufactured or sold.

As for the "under $200" price...well, you're going to pay a lot more than that even for a used hi-end JVC. Whenever these older high-quality VCRs show up on eBay in good condition, bidding wars erupt, and the units typically wind up selling used for at least $400 to $600, often more. A good Toshiba M781 with a solid steel chassis will sell for at least $400 used, and you'll wind up paying at least $500 for a JVC HR9600U used in good condition. One reason for these high prices for antique VCRs from 2001 or 1998 is that the older models were often built like tanks. I own a 1987 hi-end VCR (two of them, in fact) that's built with a solid steel chassis and does a fantastic job of playing back my old VHS tapes. You just can't buy VCRs with this kind of superb build quality anymore -- nowadays, instead of having steel frames to shield the electronics from RF noise, recent VCRs are typically built with cheap plastic shells, and the knobs and butons on today's VCRs break right off in your hand. Those older model VCRs have enough buttons and knobs to make you think you're in the cockpit of the space shuttle...but one nice thing about the older VCRs is that if you lose or damage the remote, the VCR still works.

The VCR market has segmented into a few high-end excellent quality models and vast quantities of lowball junk. The junk sells at K Mart for nickels and dimes, while the expensive stuff costs tons but boasts superb quality and is built to last. Personally, my own suspicion is that VHS is on the way out even among connoisseurs, and everyone seems to be shifting to DVD recorders. The main virtue of really excellent VCRs is that they will do a great job of playing back your old tapes, assuming you were foresightful enough to tape cool rare shows off Fox and UPN and the WB back when there were such networks as UPN and the WB.

On the other hand, Time Warner announced about 5 months ago that it was putting up 4800 episodes of old TV shows on the internet for download, so those old VHS tapes might not be as valuable as they once were:
www.iht.com/articles/2005/11/14/business/tv.php
This makes the rationale for spending those big bucks on a high-quality hi-end VCR like a JVC 9600 or the JVC S9911 even more iffy...unless you've got a real treasure trove of old VHS tapes you absolutely, positively have to transfer to DVD.