Sony SLV-N700 Hi-Fi VHS VCR
Newer Isn't Always Better
A Sony VCR has had a place in my entertainment center for many years. I bought one of these in August 2003 to replace an SLV-N71, which I found was no longer available new. It was great - for about 4 months, just long enough to be out of warranty. At that point it had about 60 hours of recording time. It could no longer record a usable control track, so during playback the sound and picture would fade in and out. Doubly annoying is the fact that the picture would look fine while fast-forwarding or rewinding. This same problem was the reason I stopped using the SLV-N71 when it was about 2 years old.<br />I found a repair shop that cleaned and aligned it for about $75. The resulting picture was better than when it was new! It was great again - until it had about 56 more hours of recording time. Then the same problem cropped up again.<br />It seems that no one makes them like they used to. The electronics in the new ones are terrific. The high speed rewind in this one is [the best] ever. They weigh just a fraction of the older models. But they just don't last. My advice is if you have an old VCR, you're better off spending the money repairing that than buying a new one. The repair warranty is probably as good as can be had on a new one - and it [will] last longer anyway.