Comments

farss wrote on 11/26/2008, 5:06 PM
About the only good ones I've seen still maybe in stock are the Panasonic SVHS ones that the medical profession uses. Expect to pay serious money for them though. Apart from that keep your eyes on eBay as I'm sure you're doing already.

Bob.
musicvid10 wrote on 11/26/2008, 5:26 PM
Scrounge some Goodwills, thrift stores, estate sales, flea markets.
VHS machines are a drug on the market right now. Look hard enough and you can find them nearly new, including a few higher-end models with svhs. Don't pay more than about $20 for one.

Also, some stores are closing out VHS / DVD combo recorders with NTSC tuners because they are outdated. My Panny set-top unit works well and makes great DVDs from VHS tapes.
Coursedesign wrote on 11/26/2008, 6:58 PM
Get a Panny AG-1830 if you can, nearly indestructible great professional SVHS deck. Mine lasted 20 years.

Cost $1800 back then, but I saw them for a few hundred bucks in very good condition last year, may be less now.

If you want to make VHS tapes for customers, you'd be even better off with a professional dubbing deck with 50 micron heads. Those make significantly better looking VHS tapes thanks to a stronger signal (and a broader track that makes the tapes less sensitive to tracking problems).

craftech wrote on 11/26/2008, 7:38 PM
I agree with Bjorn on the Panasonic VTR, but finding an older but better built deck may be a problem. Most of the newer ones (combos) are real junk including the Panasonic models. The only company still making "professional" decks is JVC. They are as poorly made as most JVC products.

I did find one that may serve your purpose and it has generally good user reviews. It is the Toshiba DVR-610. It also seems reasonably priced.

John
rjm1717 wrote on 11/27/2008, 4:34 AM
What about eBay? quality will vary obviously but some a really cheap.
Editguy43 wrote on 11/27/2008, 11:14 AM
Thanks for the info. I found this in Ebay anyone know about it.

Ebay .com
lynn1102 wrote on 11/28/2008, 2:53 PM
I bought an LG vcr/dvd combo and it works great. Construction is solid. You can dub to and from dvd to vhs. it also upconverts to HD 1080i. It's got a digital tuner. Also component and composite in and out as well as hdmi and a usb plug on the front for you mp3's. My cost about 6 months ago was $318. Conversions alone have more than paid for it.

Lynn
msrpro2 wrote on 11/28/2008, 3:32 PM
Try VCR 2 PC
USB Videotape Conversion Player

http://www.ionaudio.com/vcr2pc
lynn1102 wrote on 11/30/2008, 1:20 PM
I just looked at this converter and it doesn't give a lot of information. If you use this, what format is used to save the file? Can it be loaded into and edited in Vegas?

Lynn
msrpro2 wrote on 11/30/2008, 3:32 PM
I have not used it but check out: Manual

http://www.ionaudio.com/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/55753
blink3times wrote on 11/30/2008, 4:44 PM
They still sel vcr's here at Bestbuy, Wallmart, futureshop, Visions....etc. But then this is Canada.... we're always a step or 2 behind the times :)
LReavis wrote on 12/1/2008, 2:36 PM
some years ago I bought 16 VCRs and a distribution amplifier for dup. of the training videos I was making for home inspectors. But by the time that I had some videos to sell, almost everyone had a computer that would play .WMV files, so I rarely used them - I bought a Primera CD dup. robot/printer - see the product at

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=330291173068

They've been in a dust-free cabinet since new, and all worked fine the last time I used them (perhaps a year ago).

After considerably reading, I chose Toshiba M-761 - considered by Consumer Reports to be the best for recording at slow speeds (they have 19u heads); and for their reliability (one stopped responding to the remote control, and one stopped recording audio - both repaired).

I rarely use them now and would be happy to put some of them on ebay if anyone is interested, with guaranteed replacement with another if anything is wrong with the one sent. I have new remotes & manuals for them.