VCRs that will last forever

[waltchan]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

No one lusts after the NEC DS8000U? I have two friends that still have running ones that I've kept up for them over the years. Pretty reliable overall except for the typical NEC tape guide issue on both years ago. Had to replace a few electrolytics too.

Was the PV-S4990 the one that had the MTS stereo RF modulator? Seems I recall there was only one Panny that had stereo RF output.

NEC DS-8000U is fairly hard to find on eBay, but it's a great, well-made unit and was the most popular NEC SVHS unit. I used to own one 4 years ago. There is also a much rarer, higher-end DS-8500U that retailed over $3,000 when new with all kinds of fancy features found similar to Toshiba SV-F990.

Yes, the PV-S4990 has a MTS stereo RF modulator. It has four coaxial inputs/outputs. I do own one, but I never know what a RF modulator does. Would you care to explain?

This year Christmas, my Sharp VC-H98U 8-HEAD 19-micron Hi-Fi MTS Stereo VCR (yes), which is used only on December 25 every year, will see its FINAL year recording 6 hours of memorable Christmas performances from its original analog tuner. Next year, I will need to connect it with a converter box. What a sad day analog VCRs have been. The analog tuner will never see the light again, although it begs me to work for another 20 years. The Sharp 8-head 19-micron VCRs are by far the best performing EP/SLP recording quality I have ever seen. Most professional VCRs only have 4-head and still don't produce a good picture. Good luck finding one on eBay as they are very rare.