[Frameworks] Buying a VCR in 2016

[Gene Youngblood]

I have two of those JVC S-VHS decks and they work like a charm.


> On Feb 4, 2016, at 3:37 PM, Dave Tetzlaff <djtet53 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Check thrift stores that let you return electronics (usually just for store credit) if it doesn't work: Salvation Army and Goodwill usually do. Thrift stores are where all VHS decks go to die – and the stores just want to move them, so they price the good ones the same as the crappy ones. For digitizing, I think you'd want one with:
> • s-video output
> • separate heads for SP and EP
> • some kind of built-in frame-store buffer on the video out
> 
> The later JVC S-VHS models fit the bill. They weren't super-reliable, but now you're basically dealing with a disposable item that should cost less than a pizza -- $5-$15. 
> 
> If one works well when you get it, it should serve for a god while if you take care of it. 
> 
> VCRs either run at the correct speed or don't play-back a clean picture at all. 
> 
> If the transport mechanisms are bad, the problems are generally obvious: they either don't load/eject the tape, don't Play or FF or REW, or do obvious damage (e.g. creases) to the tape. Run a junk tape through the various functions: and if they all work, and there are no suspicious noises, you're probably good mechanically.
> 
> The electronics generally either work or don't. They don't degrade. At some point, a capacitor dies or something, and the machine just gives up the ghost. If you have a working unit of any substantive age, there's no saying how long the circuits will last, so keep the investment low and don't worry about it.
> 
> The part of a VHS VCR that will cause the picture to degrade with use is wear on the heads. But all you can do about that is check the image at home.
> 
> Aside from JVC, Mitsubishi made some good S-VHS decks, though they didn't have frame-stores...
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