13 Features To Look For When Shopping For A DVD/VCR Combo
DVD/VCRs are a technology that is soon to be extinct. So, you better find your's before they're gone. If you’re on the search for one and need to understand your options, you’re in the right place. I put the features in order by importance.
1. New or Used?
The first thing to consider is if you want new/unused or preowned. Bear in mind that if you find a new one, it most likely won’t include the manufacturer's warranty. New ones are rare and will cost much more.
2. Do you want a warranty?
All VCRs from our store include a lifetime warranty. Most others don’t offer any sort of warranty. Check out our SpenCertified warranty here
3. Are you recording cable TV?
You should look for a VCR with the VCR Plus feature. This allows for very user friendly recording options.
VCR Plus + Logo
4. 1080p HDMI Upconversion
If you want the best possible DVD playback, get a player with this. It uses an HDMI port instead of component to utilize higher resolution. Click here to see some with this feature.
5. Do you care about the brand?
There are many different brands to choose from, but what is the best? I would recommend a Magnavox, Sony or Toshiba. In my experience, these are the most reliable options. Though, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend others if you wanted it to match your system.
6. What should it look like?
Do you want it to be shiny or matte, big or small? There are many designs to choose from.
7. S-VHS Playback?
If you have Super Video Home System tapes, you want to get a compatible player. Most VCRs won’t play S-VHS tapes, some VCRS will play S-VHS tapes at VHS quality, and very few will play S-VHS at S-VHS quality. Look for a VCR with an S-Video port if you want the best quality.
JVC HR-S3902U VHS VCR VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER
8. Rapid rewind( or Jet Rewind)-
Also called fast rewind, it will rewind your VHS tape in seconds. Without it, you'll be waiting a whole year for the video cassette recorder to rewind. You can find jet rewind on some Panasonic DVD VCRs. Not only does it sound like a jet when it rewinds, it also rewinds at jet speeds... at least.
9. Six Head VCR-
Six head VCRs will produce high quality EP recordings. The Extended Play Recordings created by 6 head VCRs are very, very comparable to Standard Play (SP) recordings created by 4 head VCRs.
10. Front AV Ports-
Get this if you want to connect an external device. You can simply just do playback, or you can record onto VHS.
11. Child Lock-
Lock the buttons on the front panel of the device so your young ones can't mess with it and lose your spot in the movie.
12. Jog-
The jog feature allows you to adjust the speed of the video more precisely. Anywhere from .1x speed to 5x speed if the DVD/VCR is capable.
13. Commercial Skip-
This will seamlessly fast forward a whole 30 seconds so that you don't have to watch commercials. The Video Cassette Player or Digital Disc will continue playing after 30 seconds.
Still aren't sure how to decide?- Check out our recommendations here.
SpenCertified
456 E Juanita Ave Suite 8
Mesa, AZ 85204
(480) 207-1511
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