Condor Joe
01-09-08, 06:26 AM
Hey everyone, before I begin here's my situation:
As of now I own neither a VHS deck nor a DVD player; haven't owned a former since at least 1997 and a latter since 2006, as weird as that sounds especially when it comes to DVD players. However, I'm finally planning on getting back to movie-watching in a big way, and am also looking forward to dabble with some serious video editing for the first time, with these old VHS TV recordings I'll be getting in the near future being my prime experiments. For all of this, I believe that I need a VHS/DVD combo unit of some sort. But, there are a couple of obstacles and limitations I have to consider before even jumping for one.......
- I'm a near-broke college/undergraduate student, and my bedroom (hell the entire apartment I live in)is very small, square-ish and at near full capacity just with myself in it (my bedroom that is). I can't keep much of any hardware around because there's simply not enough space or accomodations for it; no counters to place more than 1-2 game consoles/cable boxes/DVD players, nowhere near enough A/V inputs/outputs on my 25' Sharp from 2001, and not enough electrical outlets even while using 2, 6-outlet power strips coming off the only outlet near my TV/PC area. It's also because of this that I believe a VHS/DVD combo unit would best suit my limited space and accomodations.
- As I just finished mentioning, I'm damn near broke! I virtually live from paycheck to paycheck with not much money to spend on my hobbies or interests. I'm looking for the best bang for my buck in a VHS/DVD combo unit, and the most I'd be stretched to pay is up to $150, but I'd really only like to spend up to $120 for one, so I'm looking for the best units I can get in those price ranges.
- I'm also looking forward to transfer some of the VHS recordings (that I'll be receiving in the future) to DVD format, obviously to preserve the content and if possible do away with the original tapes because they're clunky and occupy too much space. I'd like to be able to make as close and accurate of a copy from my tapes as possible. Right now I'm not really concerned with editing or cleaning them up, mainly because my six-year old PC simply isn't up to the task of hardcore video ripping and/or editing.
- I currently don't own a credit card since my salary is so abysmal, so I guess that would most online retailers are out of the question for me. Newegg accepts checks and money orders though, and coincidentally I'm planning on purchasing some small upgrades for my PC there, so if Newegg has good deals on combo units let me know! Otherwise, guess I'll have to be hitting up the retailers (CompUSA, Best Buy, etc.)
With all that said, could anyone help me out in choosing the right VHS/DVD combo unit, and perhaps also tell me the pros/cons of one? I really want to snatch something up in the next couple of weeks while I'm still on vacation from college. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
As of now I own neither a VHS deck nor a DVD player; haven't owned a former since at least 1997 and a latter since 2006, as weird as that sounds especially when it comes to DVD players. However, I'm finally planning on getting back to movie-watching in a big way, and am also looking forward to dabble with some serious video editing for the first time, with these old VHS TV recordings I'll be getting in the near future being my prime experiments. For all of this, I believe that I need a VHS/DVD combo unit of some sort. But, there are a couple of obstacles and limitations I have to consider before even jumping for one.......
- I'm a near-broke college/undergraduate student, and my bedroom (hell the entire apartment I live in)is very small, square-ish and at near full capacity just with myself in it (my bedroom that is). I can't keep much of any hardware around because there's simply not enough space or accomodations for it; no counters to place more than 1-2 game consoles/cable boxes/DVD players, nowhere near enough A/V inputs/outputs on my 25' Sharp from 2001, and not enough electrical outlets even while using 2, 6-outlet power strips coming off the only outlet near my TV/PC area. It's also because of this that I believe a VHS/DVD combo unit would best suit my limited space and accomodations.
- As I just finished mentioning, I'm damn near broke! I virtually live from paycheck to paycheck with not much money to spend on my hobbies or interests. I'm looking for the best bang for my buck in a VHS/DVD combo unit, and the most I'd be stretched to pay is up to $150, but I'd really only like to spend up to $120 for one, so I'm looking for the best units I can get in those price ranges.
- I'm also looking forward to transfer some of the VHS recordings (that I'll be receiving in the future) to DVD format, obviously to preserve the content and if possible do away with the original tapes because they're clunky and occupy too much space. I'd like to be able to make as close and accurate of a copy from my tapes as possible. Right now I'm not really concerned with editing or cleaning them up, mainly because my six-year old PC simply isn't up to the task of hardcore video ripping and/or editing.
- I currently don't own a credit card since my salary is so abysmal, so I guess that would most online retailers are out of the question for me. Newegg accepts checks and money orders though, and coincidentally I'm planning on purchasing some small upgrades for my PC there, so if Newegg has good deals on combo units let me know! Otherwise, guess I'll have to be hitting up the retailers (CompUSA, Best Buy, etc.)
With all that said, could anyone help me out in choosing the right VHS/DVD combo unit, and perhaps also tell me the pros/cons of one? I really want to snatch something up in the next couple of weeks while I'm still on vacation from college. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!