4.94.9 out of 5 stars
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Would recommend100% agree

Good value100% agree

Good quality100% agree

8 reviews

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The best VCR I’ve ever used.

I digitize old tapes for a living, so it’s essential that I have a sturdy, perfect working VCR that can handle tapes that are often times in bad condition.
I’m a perfectionist. To me, a tape is never finished until I feel that it’s just right. Without any glitches, sound or picture drop-outs all the way through. That way I never have to dig that tape out and play it again.
This VCR has made it so that I have had little to no problems whatsoever, even with some of the roughest tapes that I’ve encountered.

It’s not only good for S-VHS tapes. Honestly, I’ve never even seen a S-VHS tape. From my understanding, there were less than 20 movies actually released on S-VHS back in the day, with ‘Ghost’ being one of them.
This VCR is excellent for playing just regular tapes. I often transfer old tapes from all over the world, however this VCR can only play NTSC.
The majority of tapes that I encounter are recorded in LP, SLP and EP.
This is definitely the best choice for those tapes recorded at a lower speed.
A lot of the tapes I’ve transferred look as good as SP Mode tapes, just because this VCR has the ability to really clean them up and make them presentable.
I highly recommend it.
If you’re looking into digital archiving, this is your best choice.

This is just a warning, however.
When purchasing this VCR, please keep in mind that it was basically made as a high quality piece of equipment, no different from a high performance sports car. This is one of the best consumer grade VCRs that you can buy. That’s not counting the industrial VCRs that need constant maintenance, and special training and cords to be able to use.
This VCR was made to be maintained every 6 months or so. It was originally created with some faulty equipment. The belt being one huge problem.
Also, the belt is almost impossible to replace, unless you absolutely know what you’re doing, and you have the same exact belt to replace it with. Regular belts definitely will not work, you need what’s called a ‘Caterpillar Belt’, which is serrated.
I attempted to replace mine on my first VCR, but couldn’t unfortunately.
So your best bet would be to purchase one that has been refurbished, and had all of the problematic parts replaced and maintained.
Even buying one that’s brand new, still in the box, it will need to eventually be maintained.
I bought a brand new one the first time, and it lasted me about 2 years.
But I got countless perfect transfers out of it. So I really can’t complain.
This is just why I’m suggesting that you purchase a refurbished one, because after a short time I noticed that the panel display on mine started going rather dim.
I just purchased a refurbished one, and it’s perfect. The panel display looks very bright, especially compared to my old one.
It’s your money, but if you want something that lasts longer, I recommend buying a refurbished one.
If you are just planning on transferring a few golden tapes that mean the world to you, just buy a new one. But if you have a large collection of VHS that you recorded off TV, or inherited, that have priceless commercials and things you can’t find anywhere else, and you want to digitize them the right way, I suggest going for a refurbished one so it will last longer.
This VCR was definitely the best choice for me. It’s definitely worth the investment.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: 123wonbid

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Best value for serious VHS archivers.

Sure VHS is old tech, but if you need to archive those old VHS tapes, this in the VCR to start with. Use the S-Video out for the best resolution. The TBC feature helps avoid dropped frames when experiencing those bad sections of the tape. Just make sure the power supply capacitors are switched out and that the AC outlet solder has been reworked, two weaknesses of this model.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: 123wonbid

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Excellent quality "Super" VHS player, even for old VHS tapes

I am impressed by this Super quality player. I have tapes that were fuzzy and non-viewable on regular and dual VHS DVD players. The Panasonic AG 1980 made them clear as if I had taken them yesterday. I personally used this to convert 40 VHS tapes so far onto DVD. It has been a great investment.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: audio-video-hobby

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Great deck for home digital capture

Clarity of s-video feed is superior to old consumer decks including my JVC SHR5500U, which I thought had been rated among best when bought many years ago. The unit is like new. High quality quiet operation and great output.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: 123wonbid

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Champ of VCRs

I first heard of this when i heard that the Intelligence departments were using these. Controls EP sync awesomely

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: audio-video-hobby

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great for vhs and svhs playback

great for vhs and svhs playback

Verified purchase:  Yes | Sold by: klocksales

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Excellent Quality.

Excellent Quality.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Sold by: bargainmarkonline

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Best VCR Panasonic ever made for transferring to digital

With the built in Time Base Corrector and Digital Correcting does an awesome job.
Make sure you get one with changed capacitors in color circuits, and display, the originals go out over the years

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