VCR died, brand to recommend?

[Deja Q]

My 2.5 year old Sony VCR now eats tapes by creating ridges on the tape's lowest 1mm by the edge.

Damn.

Need a new one.

I'd rather avoid JVC, but are there any brands you could recommend?

Thx!

[supernova]

1. Upgrade to DVD!

:D Got a new Phillips DVD player.

I did. My old VCR and tapes are in the bedroom now.

[Deja Q]

5. Already have 2 DVD players and I need to convert my VHS tapes...

So I do need a VCR in order to do it with...

Nice thought though. :D

[supernova]

7. LOL!

OK, point taken.

You might get away with finding an old one at the local flea market, instead of buying a new one. I'd try that route first instead of sinking new $$ into an old technology.

[Deja Q]

8. 14 years ago, I learned not to buy used VCRs

The one I had bought ate a tape. :cry:

It's another nice thought, but $50 for a new VCR isn't bad, and I've got 100 tapes to digitize anyway.

[Skittles]

9. I loaned my VCR to a friend to do the converting

bug your friends

[Deja Q]

11. I already have all the equipment necessary to do the work. Besides,

I have no friends.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

2. A DVD Player

My VCR is a Panasonic-wrks well and is inexpensive.

[THUNDER HANDS]

3. get a DVD/VCR combo machine

get the best of both worlds. And when you do, make sure it's a Panasonic - they're the best, I've heard.

[Kahuna]

6. I have a new Panasonic DVD/VCR combo. I can't access the

chanels by selecting them on the keypad. I have to scroll thru the channels to select one. That sucks.

Make sure if you get the Panasonic DVD/VCR you get one with keypad access to the channels.

[Kahuna]

4. Avoid Toshiba too. I have a RCA that takes a licking ..

and keeps on ticking. It's so user friendly you don't need to read the directions to record. Only, I don't know if they're still making them. I've been looking for one to replace the Toshiba I bought last year.

Panasonic is good.

[NashVegas]

10. Get a DVR

TiVo does the trick.

If you must have a VCR, I don't see what your problem with JVC is. My JVC is 10 years old, still works like a charm. The Sony started screwing up inside of three months.

[Deja Q]

12. I bought a JVC a few months back...

39 days later, it started playing tapes with a jerk motion. It would play and then do a quick little 'fast forward scan' for 1/4 second and then play for a while then do the fast forward again.

That was the 2nd model.

The first model wouldn't even power up, it was DOA.

Forget JVC these days. Blech.

[Flightful]

13. What junk!

My 10 year old Sears VCR still works fine, but I just replaced it with a Citizen DVD/VCR combo because I wanted to keep the cabling to a minimum. Best thing about it is I can play a DVD while it records a TV show.

[never cry wolf]

14. Try consumer's reports online

www.consumersreports.org

You can subscribe for a month for $3.95, I think it is.

not sure if this will work but here goes:

http://www.consumerreports.org/main/content/display_report.jsp?FOLDER%3C%

on edit: I guess the above link to their rating page didn't work. They also put out a buying guide which should be in your local library.

[solinvictus]

15. General Electric

Had it 5 years, no problems at all.