DVD/VCRs are a technology that is soon to be extinct. So, you better find your's before they're gone. If you’re on the search for one and need to understand your options, you’re in the right place. I put the features in order by importance.

1. New or Used?

The first thing to consider is if you want new/unused or preowned. Bear in mind that if you find a new one, it most likely won’t include the manufacturer's warranty. New ones are rare and will cost much more.

2. Do you want a warranty?

All VCRs from our store include a lifetime warranty. Most others don’t offer any sort of warranty. Checkout what you get with the Lifetime Warranty HERE.

3. Are you recording cable TV?

You should look for a VCR with the VCR Plus feature. This allows for very user friendly recording options.

VCR Plus + Logo

4. VHS To DVD Dubbing

If you plan to record Home Videos onto DVD, make sure you get one that can do it. All VHS to DVD Recorders in our store are clearly labeled and include a video on how to use it in the description. Click here to see the whole collection of VHS to DVD Recorders. (The words you want to look for are VHS to DVD Recorder, VHS to DVD Converter, VHS to DVD Dubbing Machine, VHS to DVD Dubber, VHS to DVD Transfer, VCR to DVD Recorder, VCR to DVD Converter, VCR to DVD Dubbing Machine, VCR to DVD Dubber or VCR to DVD Transfer)

8. SVHS Playback?

If you have Super Video Home System tapes, you want to get a compatible player. Most VCRs won’t play SVHS tapes, some VCRS will play SVHS tapes at VHS quality, and very few will play SVHS at SVHS quality. Look for a VCR with an S-Video port if you want the best quality.

JVC HR-S3902U VHS VCR VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER

9. Rapid rewind( or Jet Rewind)-

Also called fast rewind, it will rewind your VHS tape in seconds. Without it, you'll be waiting a whole year for the video cassette recorder to rewind. You can find jet rewind on some panasonic DVD VCRs. Not only does it sound like a jet when it rewinds, it also rewinds at jet speeds... at least. 

10. Six Head VCR-

Six head VCRs will produce high quality EP recordings.The Extended Play Recordings created by 6 head VCRs are very, very comparable to Standard Play (SP) recordings created by 4 head VCRs. 

11. Front AV Ports-

Get this if you want to connect an external device. You can simply just do playback, or you can record onto VHS.

12. Child Lock-

Lock the buttons on the front panel of the device so your young ones can't mess with it and lose your spot in the movie.

13. Jog-

The jog feature allows you to adjust the speed of the video more precisely. Anywhere from .1x speed to 5x speed if the DVD/VCR is capable.

14. Commercial Skip-

This will seamlessly fast forward a whole 30 seconds so that you don't have to watch commercials. The Video Cassette Player or Digital Disc will continue playing after 30 seconds.

Still aren't sure how to decide?- Check out our recommendations here.