Panasonic PV-V4022 4-Head Mono VCR
Very good low-budget VCR
I recently replaced my deceased TV and antiquated VCR on the same day (and also acquired my first-ever DVD player), and, as always, I did a fair amount of consumer research before laying out my money. This model got good reviews in a number of print and online sources, and BEST'S had it on sale, so the decision wasn't difficult. It set up and attached to the TV and my cable with a minimum of fuss -- and I was delighted with the feature that allows it to set the time by itself! (Okay, I'm not much of an &quot;early adopter.&quot;) In the three months I've had it, I've played probably 30 videos, both my own and multiple-rentals from Blockbuster, and it has performed flawlessly. I've only recorded programs a few times (I work from home so I don't often need to), and the results seemed quite satisfactory. On the other hand, I don't have pretensions to anything approaching a home theater system, so I'm probably not pushing this machine's limits. But if you're looking for a very competent, very affordable VCR and you don't need a lot of bells and whistles, I highly recommend it!