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WHAT VCR's DO YOU OWN?

40K views 112 replies 28 participants last post by  Dude111 
#1 ·
I know this is a dvd recorder forum but I assume most of us here have dvd recorders mainly because of transferring old material from our videotape collections to dvd. I wanted to see what members on the board have in their vcr collections.


I received my 1st vcr way back in 1985 (a cheap mono Fisher vcr which went bad 24 hours after I took it out the box). I probably have been through 20+ vcrs since then but this is what I still have now:


JVC 5400 SVHS

JVC 5911 SVHS

JVC 7800 SVHS

JVC 9500 SVHS (just bought off Craigslist 2 months ago for $20). Great deck.

Sony SVO-2000 SVHS (2) (A lady on Craigslist who once had a video suite business was just giving them away & I was the lucky recipient of both).


3 different Sony Betamax (SL-5200 which is the 1st ever Beta VCR with HiFi stereo audio, SL-HF300 & SL-HF450).
 
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#52 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by plplplpl /forum/post/20198778


In reverse chronological order:


- a Sony SLV-n71 VHS:

Interesting: this Sony looks almost EXACTLY like the excellent but overlooked Panasonic AG2560. It would be nice to know if Sony actually did have Panasonic make this for them, if so I'm sure you've been very happy with it.

Quote:
- surprisingly resilient GE from the early 2000s

Yeah, the GEs of the late '90s-early'00s were surprisingly good value-for-dollar. At some point their true mfr became a mystery- they started as Panasonics but ended as Philips or Funai or something (while maintaining a Panasonic outward appearance). I remember when mine broke down it would display an alert in French that I traced back to a mfr I didn't expect. Nice thing about the GEs was you could fix a breakdown by just unplugging it for an hour, then it would work fine again for six months.

Quote:
- a Zenith whose front looks like this:


It seems to me it was acquired a little earlier than the dates mentioned in the links, perhaps around 1986 or even 1985. I do remember it was one of the first models with hi-fi stereo output and line-in input (but no MTS stereo tuner) and years later a fix-it guy told me this was a sought-after model because it was one of the last made without the built-in Macrovision circuitry. It's Macrovision-free!

VERY nice! I liked the way the Zeniths would have almost exactly the same design as the JVCs, but silver-tone instead of black and membrane panels instead of a thousand tiny buttons that collect dust. I've never seen this one, but it looks like a clone of the '86 JVC I had which was the first (and one of the last) to include the complete "VHS HQ" circuit upgrades. When JVC came up with "HQ" it included luma/chroma noise reduction, white clip extension, and sharpness/detail enhancer. As usual, the other VHS licensees took the cheap way out and included just the sharpness boost to gain an "HQ" label, which was worthless. The early full-HQ JVCs were really excellent: in those days it was still worth dealing with the flaky transport and reliability headaches endemic to JVCs looney chassis engineering as a tradeoff for the much better PQ. Too bad "full HQ" was just a stopgap while JVC figured out a way to combat Sony's "SuperBeta" challenge (resulting in SVHS about 18 months after this Zenith was sold). Once SVHS hit even JVC dropped the full HQ circuit, which was a blow to those of us who had no interest in moving to an incompatible new version of VHS.


My first truly awful JVC experience came with the unique model HR-D470U , the "compact" version of the Full HQ vcr. For novelty's sake, JVC desingned it to accept tapes from the smaller end, which was a really weird process I never got used to. While end-loading made the chassis narrower, it was still quite deep and weighed a ton. The front panel looked like something out of an air traffic console, and it had every feature under the sun. Probably the best PQ of any JVC I owned, but man was it unreliable and jeez did it eat, warp and otherwise ruin tapes in ways I'd never imagined possible. This was the Linda Blair of JVC machines, the beginning of their long slide into horrific quality control issues. But when it worked well, it was phenomenal. (Note the "DA 4-Head" logo on the tape door: this was around the time JVC gave up the 58/19 heads and went with the Panasonic combo-DA-heads).
 
#53 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Super Eye /forum/post/20186243


What was it with musicians in the 70s referring to 1984? I know some other musicians also refered to 1984 back in the 70s. Was that supposed to be the end of the world?
1984 is a George Orwell novel. Coincidentally, I read it in my senior year of high school in 1984.



I don't have any standalone VCRs left. I remember having several different JVC models but I don't know any of the model numbers. The only VHS machines I have now are a couple of DVDR/VCR combos and an old camcorder.


Pioneer DVR-RT500

Panasonic DMR-EZ48

RCA CC286
 
#54 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisSwanson72 /forum/post/20200094


And ALL was very good for a while, until FEB. 2001.

That is when the infamous S6700U broke down.

I then bought 2 Sony SLV R5UC vcr's (shown in the picture).

BOTH of the sellers on ebay LIED to me, one vcr was sent back

right after I got it. The other had the Magenta Smear.

That was fixed in the summer of 2001, and once fixed, I bought 1

of those Sima units. and it worked okay for a years or 2.

In Feb. 2003, the sony SLV R5UC broke down again, with

magenta smear, so I got rid of that one.

In in came one of MANY JVC SVHS vcr's.


In March 2003, I bought a JVC S5800U with NO remote or manual off of

ebay for $200. The seller LIED said it was in "PERFECT WORKING ORDER",

IT WAS NOT!! It was returned, right after purchase.


In April 2003, I bought a JVC S6700U again off of ebay AND FOR A CHANGE,

THE VCR ACTUALLY WORKED! That vcr, is the ONLY jvc vcr that I STILL

HAVE to this day. That restored my faith in buying vcr's on ebay,

(but not for long)!


In May 2003, I bought another JVC S5800U off of ebay for like

$300, WITH THE ORIGINAL REMOTE AND MANUAL.

The seller once again, LIED said the vcr was in

"PERFECT WORKING ORDER"! It was NOT! However, the seller agreed to

give half of my money back for repairs. Which I did repair it,

for $150, and it did work great for a while.


In June 2003, I once again bought another JVC SVHS vcr off of ebay.

It was another S6700U. I bought it from a ebayer named

jimmy-rip. And BOY did I get RIPPED-OFF!

Seller Lied and said vcr was in "PERFECT WORKING ORDER"! IT WAS NOT!

The seller also, showed the remote, and it did NOT come with the

remote. It also needed over $220 to fix, after paying $280 for it.

Once that vcr was fixed it didn't take too long, before something else went

wrong with it.

By this time, the right side of my cabinet rack held 3 JVC SVHS vcr's

TOP was a S6700U

MIDDLE was a S5800U

and BOTTOM was a S6700U.

Although, I never took a picture of the 3 vcr's stacked on 1 another

I took 1 when I still had the 2.


This ends 2nd installment, be sure to come back for the 3rd.

Please see the pictures.

In NOV. 2003, I got rid of the Panasonic S4880 due to Magenta Smear.


In FEB. 2004, I got rid of the Jvc S5800U due to Magenta Smear.


In March 2004, I bought a Panasonic S4990, the seller said it was in

"PERFECT WORKING ORDER", IT WAS NOT!!

THE VCR came to me with Original box, manual, and remote, but it

only played tapes in

Black and White/NO COLOR! And with MAJOR GHOSTING!

Therefore, shortly after this, I bought the SAME model number, that

still has GHOSTING, but plays tapes in color, with NO HI-FI sound!


In Sept. 2004, I FINALLY found a Pioneer Elite

DVD recorder DVR-7000 BARELY Used on ebay for $300 that HAD THE MANUAL RECORDING LEVEL METERS AND CONTROLS,

LIKE I had on my vcr's, and the dubbing project started.

I found it from a local person who was only 20 minutes away.

So, from then, till March 2010, everything stayed the same.

See picture.


In July 2005, I got tired of repairing vcr's so, I bought a new one

from C.C. a sony model 750. It was okay, but the picture quality

was NOT that good. And as with ALL sony's they do NOT put a

TRACKING control buttons on the remote! This is 1 of the

MAIN reasons that I NEVER LIKED the SLV R5UC SVHS vcr!


In March 2010, I sold the bottom JVC S6700U in the picture.

It needed too much work, the audio hi-fi didn't work, and

the tracking was bad. Sold it for parts for $50.


In June 2010, I bought 2 Panasonic 1980 models off of ebay.

One came with the AG-96 editor, and manuals. and it worked!

The other came to me broken, only plays tapes in

Black and White, NO COLOR. I got half of my money back on that vcr.


In July 2010, I bought a Pioneer 640H HDD DVD recorder to record onto

HDD, all of my vhs tapes to then record them onto DVD-R discs.


In Sept. 2010, I sold the Sony SLV 750 vcr still working, with

BOX, MANUAL AND REMOTE for ALMOST the same amount that I

paid for it in 2005.


There you have it! That's my story, and i'm sticking to it!




 
#56 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken.F
1984 is a George Orwell novel. Coincidentally, I read it in my senior year of high school in 1984.
Jeez, now that you mention it I remember, thanks for the refresher.



Quote:
Originally Posted by jjeff
I said no VHS VCRs were MV free because Beta VCRs were(at least the early ones). I say early because that's all I'm familiar with, it may have continued to the end(but considering how CP crazy Sony is it's hard to believe it would have) but I just don't know.
By the time I got my first betamax (1985) I could not record from a VHS with macrovision without my beta dub flashing brighter and darker due to the macrovision - that means that by 1985 Sony's AGC betamax circuitry complied with the CP standards of the day.
 
#57 ·
Thanks citibear and jjeff for your insights into my machines, especially the Zenith.


Sorry for my blurry picture, but when you flip down the front panel on the Zenith, revealed are a bunch of (physical, not on-screen!) switches and knobs, including one to set AGC from auto to manual. I can't remember if it's because of this switch, but it is in fact Macrovision-free. I remember dubbing some commercial VHS to VHS and with this machine, and unlike with other machines, the results were successfully Macrovision-free.





Later, with the Sony, which does have the best picture of them all, I used an external "video stabilizer" when necessary.
 
#58 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by plplplpl
.... and years later a fix-it guy told me this was a sought-after model because it was one of the last made without the built-in Macrovision circuitry. It's Macrovision-free!
Quote:
Originally Posted by plplplpl
.... including one to set AGC from auto to manual. I can't remember if it's because of this switch, but it is in fact Macrovision-free. I remember dubbing some commercial VHS to VHS and with this machine, and unlike with other machines, the results were successfully Macrovision-free.
If the VCR had a manual AGC switch then I stand corrected in my statement that no VHS VCRs were MV free. A manual AGC circuit would indeed not react to MV but truthfully I've never seen such a VCR, it must be a commercial machine, I never saw that feature on home VCRs even the first ones of the late 70s/early 80s.
 
#59 ·
A better question would be, what is a VCR?
 
#60 ·
The Zenith AGC switch controls audio, not video: no consumer VCR model ever had external controls for the video gain. Control over video gain was a fairly unusual feature even for studio/industrial VHS VCRs that cost thousands: ironically the most common VHS with manual gain were the bare-bones duplication VCRs used by commercial tape facilities (they needed manual gain override or they would not be able to duplicate the MV-protected masters in the first place).


If you look closely at plplplpl's photo, the AGC switch is located next to the manual L/R audio level knobs. AGC is "auto audio level", turning it off enabled the manual knobs. This was a common arrangement in the '80s until VCR mfrs realized almost no one ever used the controls, they mostly disappeared by the '90s. The VCRs that kept them dropped the AGC circuit in favor of a simple detent in the level knobs indicating "normal" level (as in Panasonic AG1980).


There was no external or visible sign that a VCR was immune to MV protection: people just figured it out by trial and error. Mostly they were JVCs and Sony Betas. The original BetaMax used a different form of video AGC that was unaffected by MV, with JVC it was because they were the only mfr using the complete set of "HQ" enhancements (full "HQ" included video processing that coincidentally overrode MV). JVC actually put up a brief fight against modifying their VCRs to be MV-compliant, because they felt it would compromise video quality, but they gave up with the introduction of SVHS. Sony modified Beta to be more MV compliant at some point in the early '80s. There were no guarantees, anyway: MV resistance varied among models in a given series, and MV developed stronger signals that would break thru to most "resistant" vcrs by 1988 (MV was so overly-strong between 1988-1992 it ruined the "legit" viewing experience for many people and caused distortion with a large number of televisions).
 
#61 ·
Today I talked to one of my engineer buddies that used to work at one of the TV stations that I occasionally did outside-house work for, he is now retired. I showed him this thread. In a later post I will pass on some of his thoughts into this thread.


In the meantime:

This quote is from JVC's own literature for the latest line of JVC VHS and SVHS VCRs, including my SR-H3911U (2002) and my HR-S5912U (2003)

Quote:
OVAL-CUT DA-4 HEAD SYSTEM Using a different pair of precision cut heads for each recording speed, the DA-4 (Double-Azimuth) head system ensures optimum picture quality in SP, EP, and special-effects playback modes. Unique oval-cut edges and balanced coils prevent pick-up of false signals, thereby eliminating ghosts and color beats to ensure clear, stable picture quality.

CitiBear and jjeff, the above quote is what confused me about newer decks not being optimized for SP. I knew that my JVC VCRs use the Double-Azimuth head system however I was under the impression that the primary heads are 58-micron because of this a different pair of precision cut heads for each recording speed, the DA-4 (Double-Azimuth) head system ensures optimum picture quality in SP


As to the HQ circuitry, below is what JVC claims, again this is from the literature for my HR-S5912U deck manufactured in 2003, and that's all I'm going by.

Quote:
- HQ Circuits (WCL, DE, YNR)

So according to JVC they cut out the CNR (chroma noise reduction) only and kept the other three HQ enhancements

-WCL (white clip extension)

-DE (detail enhancement for improved sharpness circuitry)

-YNR (luminance noise reduction)

in my JVC SVHS decks.


I will post some of my engineer friend's thoughts in on another post here, but in the meantime he sends his compliments to CitiBear for all his well thought out writing in this thread. He did say that he thinks the reason the CNR was cut from the mainstream JVC chip is because the higher-end decks had a separate special CNR circuitry and it made sense to make the 3-HQ enhancement chip for ALL decks and add the extra CNR chip to only the high-end decks with the other circuitry not included in the low to mid end line.
 
#62 ·
As I said I could not record MV encoded VHS tapes to my SLHF400 betamax manufactured in 1985. This is from my “personal experience” not from something I read in literature or heard from others. I still have a working 1985 SuperBeta (SL-HFR70) I can try it for you if you like?


Do note that that is the year Sony added the SuperBeta chip and perhaps that is why the 1985 and newer SuperBetas will no longer record MV-encoded tapes without AGC flashing.
 
#63 ·
Not all BetaMax models, or even specific units of the same model run, will ignore MV. The last ones that reliably did do this, acting as a pass-thru filter, were the 5400, 5600, and 5800: the final top-load models (and arguably Sony's finest). After this, it was unpredictable. Neither BetaMax I still own (SL-HF300 & SL-HF500) defeats MV: they flash about as bad as any other VCR. Others here have reported otherwise- its random. I actually never tested my one SuperBeta model (SL400) for MV while I owned it, your theory about SuperBeta changes sounds reasonable.
 
#64 ·
Lets see, my Step dad gave me a Magnavox decks he bought new when VCR's first came out back about 82? It only had 2 speeds, EP and SP, the heads ran constantly any time it was on and the bearings were so noisy it was distracting, and it didn't track anything very well. It had rotary analog tuner with knobs, and you could set one timer recording slot as long as you left the knob on the channel you wanted to record.

Later I got a damaged 4 head machine from Radio Shack, upgraded to several 4 head Hi FI Rat shack units. Finally got tired of all the mid grade or worse decks and bought a brand new $500 Sony SLV 676 hi fi decks that I still have, it still works today and was very similar in function to the SLVR-5 except without SVHS support. It had features most other decks never got and I'll probably never part with it just because it was such a cool deck and my first really expensive one. Later I got a JVC 9600 SVHS deck, then a Mitsubishi 795 SVHS deck so I could dub and edit in full quality between the 2, plus the Mitsubishi had many of the same editing features my Sony 676 did which no other deck had at that point. The JVC has Time base correction built in so old slow tapes look much better on it, and the 795 has much better editing features, both can use regular tapes in SVHS mode.

Right now I have the JVC hooked up just in case, the old Sony in my bedroom, and the 795 is boxed up as I don't dub tape to tape and wanted the rack space for the newer gear like BluRay and HD DVD players.

Pretty sure I got the Sony in about 90, it was their second generation of VHS decks after they gave up and they wanted to make a statement as to how well built and how many cool features their decks had. Every year they got cheaper and lost goodies after those machines.
 
#65 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by jjeff /forum/post/20196435


Thomas Desmond, You are correct the VBT-200('78) was RCAs first VCR followed by the VCT-200('79) and VCT-201('79). Note the VCT-200 and VCT-201 were identical except for the timer shutoff feature on the 201. Their was never a VAT model except maybe in Japan?? BTW your VCT-201 retailed for $1075

By the time I bought mine (in 1980), I was able to get it as a closeout for just over half that amount -- $550. Which seemed like an incredible deal at the time.


That's one of the reasons why I can't help but shake my head over in the HD recording forum when people complain that they don't want to spend $500 for a good HD DVR...compared to what I paid for my first VCRs, the prices folks complain about today seem like absolute bargains.


On a more general note -- I've been enjoying the heck out of this thread. It's partly learning about the history of video, and also just a fun trip down memory lane. Maybe it will motivate me to dig out some old copies of The Videophile's Newsletter this weekend...
 
#66 ·
My favorite mags of the time were: Home Video, Video Review and Video Magazine. I subscribed to all at one time or another and only within the last 10 years threw most away. I kept the ads of VCRs I've had which are fun to look at again, they dated back to '81. Never heard of Videophiles Newsletter though.

Speaking of hardware prices blank media has fallen even more. My first blank tapes were ~$15 EACH compared to now when I can find 100 blank DVDs for the same price, that's a reduction!
 
#67 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by jjeff /forum/post/20204760


My favorite mags of the time were: Home Video, Video Review and Video Magazine. I subscribed to all at one time or another and only within the last 10 years threw most away. I kept the ads of VCRs I've had which are fun to look at again, they dated back to '81. Never heard of Videophiles Newsletter though.

Speaking of hardware prices blank media has fallen even more. My first blank tapes were ~$15 EACH compared to now when I can find 100 blank DVDs for the same price, that's a reduction!

One of my 20+ VCRs was a top-load JVC that I got from a buddy around 1987. That JCV was huge and must have weighed 35 lbs. It still performed beautifully even though it was around ten years old by that time.


There was a Zenith HI-FI VCR (probably made by JVC) that had a black "tower" case similar in appearance to modern computers. I remember that there was a very positive review of that VCR in Video magazine sometime in the 1988-1990 period. After that review I went looking for one of those Zeniths, even calling the various New York City stores showing that model in their ads in the back of the magazine. This Zenith was always "out of stock." Do you have any information on that model?


I tossed all my Video magazines long ago. I have a subscription through 2013 to Sound & Vision, the successor to Stereo Review and Video. I sometimes glance through S&V but most often I toss them without even opening them.


Sound & Vision lost interest in DVD and HDD/DVD recorders a few years back but the final straw was when they made an editorial decision that TVs up to and including 37" don't rate mention in their magazine. The largest TV in our household is a 37" model, seen here:
 
#68 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by DigaDo /forum/post/20206149


There was a Zenith HI-FI VCR (probably made by JVC) that had a black "tower" case similar in appearance to modern computers. I remember that there was a very positive review of that VCR in Video magazine sometime in the 1988-1990 period. After that review I went looking for one of those Zeniths, even calling the various New York City stores showing that model in their ads in the back of the magazine. This Zenith was always "out of stock." Do you have any information on that model?

I can't remember the model number, but it was made by JVC: it was one of several Zenith versions of the novelty JVC HR-D470U model. The JVC remained the same over three years of production but its twin Zenith VR-2300 was horizontal for only the first year. To further differentiate Zenith from JVC, the later Zeniths controls were labeled and laid out for it to stand vertically (like a small PC tower). So when you loaded a tape into it by the small end, the transport would draw the tape downward into the mechanism. This was the most sought-after vcr Zenith ever sold, because it was totally unique-looking in the vein of the Philco Predicta televison. As DigaDo mentions it was perpetually sold out for its entire production run (unless you were willing to pay a $50-75 premium for it "under the table" in a dealer scam similar to what still happens with hot small cars sometimes). While it was capable of excellent recordings like its twin the JVC HR-D470U, it was equally unreliable and even more likely to ruin tapes due to the vertical orientation. Pretty to look at, a nightmare to own.


Here's a report from someone who used to repair them:


"One big problem they have that will cripple or kill the machine is the clock memory back-up capacitor on the timer board behind the front panel will leak and ruin the board. Something like .47F/5.5V "supercap" as I recall. Anyway I can pretty much guarantee the memory backup cap is no good, you can see that when you set the clock and unplug it, then plug back in. If the clock lost it's time, the cap is bad. Whether it is leaking you'd have to take it apart and look. That model as well as others with the same chassis and conventional tape loading have problems with the mode switch getting noisy causing transport operation problems ( a little shot of DeOxit in the switch helps) , also the tape guide rollers getting loose and out of alignment. And the board on the bottom of the deck has 3 screws that act as grounds for the circuit, and can get loose and cause weird symptoms. Fix is to add small star lockwashers under the screws to ensure ground. That little machine produced one of the best pictures of any VHS VCR."
 
#69 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by DigaDo /forum/post/20206149


One of my 20+ VCRs was a top-load JVC that I got from a buddy around 1987. That JCV was huge and must have weighed 35 lbs. It still performed beautifully even though it was around ten years old by that time.

Thanks to CitiBear for linking to the JVC Gallery:

http://vintageelectronics.betamaxcol...hsgallery.html


It appears that the JVC HR-7100U is much the same as the model I refer to above. Mine had the same general layout but I don't recall the large colorful transport buttons.


CitiBear, I have to say WOW! Now I'm going to watch for the JVC HR-D470U or the Zenith VR-2300 (the horizontal version):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azledRMWooU
 
#70 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by DigaDo /forum/post/20206851


Thanks to CitiBear for linking to the JVC Gallery

To give credit where it's due, plplplpl was the one who first linked to the vintageelectronics website, I just branched off from where he started.



BTW when I referred to a "really unpopular JVC model with Fisher-Price control panel and Crayola buttons", it wasn't the HR-7100U, which is actually kind of nice-looking with its big Mondrian-inspired buttons. The one I'm thinking of probably came earlier: it had huge ugly buttons shaped like the labels on other VCRs (a big "O" for record, a big ">" for Play, a square for Stop, ">" for FF/REW, and huge "+" and "-" buttons for the channels. It did not go over well with the housewives of the time.
 
#72 ·
I used to think having two VCRs was a real luxury. Now I own over a dozen of 'em, and never use any of them. At one time I thought there was no sense of having more then two DVD recorders, but now I own ten! Why? My wife thinks I'm a NUT. Maybe I am. I think I own two very nice Panasonic VCRs that I never actually took out of their box(es). Some of the older machines work better then the newer ones--built to last I guess. Oh, and I have over 2000 blank T-Y DVD-R blanks. Am I a hoarder or what?

HORRORS I AM my father!
 
#73 ·
Since I seem to have started a roll-call of OEM VCRs, I suppose I should finish it. Matsushita/Panasonic snatched up most of the American TV and Dept Store brand names, except Sanyo got Fisher, and Hitachi eventually stole RCA from under Panasonic (by coming up with the "dockable" portable idea).


JVC really only got Zenith because Panasonic was already contracted to RCA and couldn't take them on as well. For awhile, JVC had only Zenith, its partners Akai and Mitsubishi decided to build their own VCRs. Akai was the first audio brand to try and ride the video gravy train: they marketed the first consumer VHS with Dolby Stereo linear track audio. JVC liked this idea and followed suit, but few others did. After JVC one-upped Beta by introducing VHS HiFi, the remaining big audio brands mostly flocked to JVC including Sansui, TEAC and I believe dbx. Harman Kardon went with NEC as an independent, I think Pioneer went with Hitachi but the Pioneers remain so impossibly rare no has seen one in 20 years so it may have been another mfr.


For some strange reason a couple big photography names decided they wanted to be in the HiFi vcr business. Minolta went with Hitachi, and got possibly the finest vcr Hitachi ever made in the MV70S (whose "ordinary VHS" PQ could knock any later "SVHS" model on its ass). Canon went with Panasonic, but cleverly got Panasonic to relabel their then-obscure "AG" industrial models for them so they wouldn't have "me too" Matsushita knockoffs like everyone else. The Canons were pretty advanced and not cheap, but they bombed, so after a year or so smart shoppers who wanted an expensive Panasonic AG found they could pick up the identical Canon at quite a discount.


Samsung and GoldStar (later LG) were the bottom feeders, along with Funai, until they branched out into more upscale models in the '90s like Samsungs popular multi-region multi-standard unit. Funai eventually got Philips which gave them entree to Magnavox and then GE/RCA when Philips bought those trademarks. When I began working at one post-production house in late 1986, I was surprised to see they had a stack of cheap Emerson VCRs they used to make take-away temporary preview copies from Umatic and 1" masters. One of the techs explained he'd accidentally discovered they had incredibly good PQ that year, when he showed me I had to agree. Whoever mfr'd those cheapies for Emerson did a great job.
 
#74 ·
Who knew what a history class this would become? There is a lot of obscure and obsolete information in this thread about the VCR world. I thought I had been well informed, but I knew little of this.


Aside from Sony and Sanyo, did anyone else make Beta units? I remember the slogans that Beta was "always doing VHS one Beta", and "Anything you can do, we can do Beta".


Market share suggested otherwise though.


For the record, I was never a Beta person, but many of my friends were militant Beta supporters. They were OH, SO superior!
 
#75 ·
Sears sold a Beta unit for a while, it was basically a rebadged Sanyo. Toshiba was originally made by Sony but had a Toshiba built Toshiba(beta) in 1979, model V-5310. I think it's been mentioned by Citibear that Zenith betas were just a rebadged Sony.

Aiwa(Sony) NEC(Nippon Electric) and Pioneer made beta units very early on but I don't think they ever made it to the US.


A couple VHS brands I don't believe I've heard mention of yet, very early 80s:

Akai(made by JVC and apparently at least one model by themselves) Don't think made it to the US

Curtis Mathis(made by Matsushita)

MGA(JVC)

Philco(Matsushita)

Quasar(Matsushita)

Sharp(JVC and Sharp)

Sylvania(Matsushita)
 
#76 ·
We had a Montgomery Ward when I was growing up. I think we bought it in 1983, but I could be wrong. I think Citibear identified them as being rebadged Matsushitas.



We replaced it with a Goldstar, but by then everyone was making a VHS VCR. It's around the time that VCRs became smaller, flimsier, more disposable electronics.
 
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