Sharp VC-H965U 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR
No problems - great machine
I had thought at first that this VCR did almost everything well, but was worried because of a dark picture during playback.  As it turns out, though, it was the copy protection interfering with the picture on the TV.  Because I have a TV/VCR combo, it would darken everything from the new VCR.  On other TVs without a built-in VCR, this Sharp model works perfectly.<br />So it's got a great picture on any normal television, the sound is crisp and in stereo, which is a big plus.  And its features are all clearly explained in the directions and easy to figure out on the remote.  I was nervous about the backlit display being distracting or too bright, but it's not at all.  Automatic tracking is good, but the option to manually track is nice to have.  The fast rewind and fast forward are good about being careful with the tapes and slows them before stopping or playing them.<br />This Sharp model was the clear winner in my shopping research, and my only complaint in the first place was the dark playback - but upon discovering that the problem doesn't lie with this VCR, I would recommend this unit to anyone interested in a good, solid, quality, and featured-packed VCR for a reasonable price.