My first was acquired second hand when I was a college student about 1990. It was a NEC front loader that had a mirror inside the tape compartment so you could watch the tape movement as it played and see how much tape was left. Lent it to a friend for a bit, and he wrecked the heads because he would re-wind tapes without pressing stop first.

Around August of 1985..first Beta player. I think in november--first VHS Hi-Fi. Replaced beta with Super beta the following year--STILL have it--though it currently is not running--needs an idler, maybe more.

My first VCR, a Citizen-branded VHS, was given to me for my sixth-grade graduation in 1993. I broke something in it by using visual rewind way too much and had it repaired, but it never was the same again. There was an older Sears VCR in the main room before that, and it just ran and ran and ran. We eventually "upgraded", which we quickly regretted because the replacement quickly broke. I now have a Sears VCR that is slightly older than what we had before, I think it just needs belts. I have two more VHS VCRs, including a notorious idler-eating Fisher FVH-530.

Family got an NEC front loader in 1988.. was a pretty deluxe machine at the time, hi-fi stereo, etc. it worked for about 15 years to the end of the VHS era. I gave the idler tire the MG chemicals rubber renue treatment a few times.

Back in 1982, after a year or so working for the RCA Smirnoff Labs, I bought an RCA VFT456 vcr. The industrial version of the VFT450, had a 3 prong power plug. Also got a videodisc player. Then I decided I needed a TV set, so I got an RCA CTC101, the one with the infamous flyback, and a line comb filter.

1983 - RCA VJP-900 "convertible" VHS. The deck slid into the Tuner/Timer docking station. I recall I paid just under $1000 at Trader Horn in NJ. Carried that "portable" deck and separate camera all over Disneyworld and on vacations recording the kids. When it finally wore out I got a Sony VHS. That RCA is still here though.

Does that VCR have BNC connectors, instead of RCA connectors for the audio/video outs.
I bought a JVC unit like that, just for the BNC to RCA adaptors, that it came with. I paid less for the VCR, than the adaptors would have cost. This also used a IEC power cord like computers use. :yes:

Back in 1980-81 my parents got one. I don't remember the make.

No, just RCA connectors. And the cabinet was mostly a silver color instead of wood grain. Other than that, it was the same as the consumer VCR VFT 450. I had the attachable IR remote module as well.

This channel 62?
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/830/464/1600/UHF.jpg

That movie COULD have been a good movie....but it was "ALL over the place"...and with a very haphazard plot. As such....it was not too good.

lol.

First vcrs...
 

My parents bought teir first vcr, a JVC HR-D120U from Woodward's in '84 and replaced it in '94 with a Panasonic PV-8450 (?) but I saved the JVC and still run every so often but the idler tire for the take-up spindle should be replaced. Still plays quite well considering the mileage it accumulated over the years! My first vcr was (and still is) a Sony SL-100 2 head mono superbeta I saved up for while in high school in '87, but the hall sensor has failed a couple years ago so it is in storage till I can get around to dealing with that. My first U-Matic is a VO-2600 in '91, bought from the school district complete with the TT-100 tuner/timer AND the FA-20 timer adapter! all for $11. Still works perfect!! Bought my first EIAJ-1 vtrs at the time too, AV-3600 and AV-8600 for $15 for both. These are still working great too, just did maintenance on my AV-8600 to do some transfers recently.

I think it was this one!

I was aware of the VCR as early as 1979-ish. I was 15 in 1979. There was one kid who's parents were loaded and they had one. I was fascinated by the concept and was always dreaming about recording music off TV.

I started pestering my parents to get one but they weren't interested. Once I started working I saved and saved and in 1983 I bought the JVC HR-7100 with the big color buttons. One of the first things I recorded and saved was Journey Live at the Summit Houston TX 1981. I still have that tape.

During the 80's I was a hardcore tape trader. Got into the whole multi-system TV/VCR thing to trade with overseas traders and bought a Minolta camcorder to film concerts with. That JVC HR-7100 had a LOT of mileage put on it.

By the time I relocated to the Czech Republic in 1998 the JVC had only required one major repair of the chassis. I believe that was in the early 90's. The JVC was still a workhorse when I shipped it to the Czech Republic in 1998.

Sadly, the JVC HR-7100 was destroyed in Europe when a careless fork-lift driver pierced the shipping box. What a sad, sad delivery that was.

We were late in the game. My family got a VCR probably around 1990-91. It was a Sears (Goldstar).

The first VCR of my own was trash picked in the night at a recycling depot around 1996. It was an RCA much like this. Someone cut the power cord off and dumped it. After a good cleaning I used it for several years.

https://i.postimg.cc/Y0rVZsZv/s-l160...165739-986.jpg

Around 1984 found a Sony VO-2600 at a surplus store for $20.00

JVC VHS VCRs were once rated #1 in reliability by Consumer Reports from 1979-1985 model years only.

1988. Radio Shack. Model 25. Think it was a basic 2-head deck and no idea who made it. But I do remember Planes, Trains And Automobiles was the first movie I saw on it.

Made an upgrade to a 4-head Sylvania in 1991 or 1992. Good match for the 20" Sylvania TV we upgraded to.

We were an RCA dealer and my boss bought for himself RCA's first offering, the VBT-200 that was available in September 1977. He let me borrow it one weekend and I was hooked ! I got my own in November of 1977 and every couple of years I upgraded to a fancier model. VBT-200, then VDT-600, 3 speed, VGT-650, wireless remote, linear stereo sound and then VKT-650, HI-FI stereo, on screen programming, memory backup. Ended up with 3 of the VKT-650s when RCA had a close out sale.

1st VCR: Sony SL-2300 Betamax (purchased 1984-12 at Wards [demo model, was $350 instead of $600])

1st VHS VCR: RCA VJT-255 (purchased 1985-05 at Walmart)

1st VHS Hi-Fi VCR: Emerson (purchased 1987-04 at Walmart)
Found out the local PBS station (KMOS TV 6 was in stereo and also took this VCR to KC and watch Miami Vice in stereo in WDAF TV-4)

I recently bought several used VHS Hi-Fi VCRs (from thrift shops) to record from the 5 streaming services I have (using an HDMI -> baseband NTSC color video converter)


Kirk Bayne

You know you can buy HDMI capture devices that will record those streaming box outputs in full HD right? Most you need a cheap HDMI splitter before the capture box to strip copy protection (it's the friggin plague I swear nobody wants you to be able to archive anything and most services don't want you to time shift if you aren't renting their DVR for more $) from the HDMI for recording to work. That's what I switched to when I still wanted to regularly capture from live streamed sources.