I check in on the world of consumer electronics rarely, but I think I’d like to expand my home entertainment capabilities. So I ask the TM, should I get a DVD player or a VCR?
DVD is the newly rising technology of course. I’m not concerned with being able to record television shows, thus both recording capability as well as programability are not that important. The only time it will be working will be when I’m watching a movie.
Have many of the jillions of old movies that are on tape migrated to DVD yet? What do tape movies cost compared to DVDs? How about relative costs of the players?
I haven’t shopped yet - I’ll be leaving here shortly to do a bit of that. A cheap and simple unit is all I really need. Are there any other things I should take into consideration?
IF you do not wish to record, DVD is the superior technology.
For DVD
High quality picture.
Low amount of physical space on shelves
Play as many times as you like
More durable when lending to idiots.
Special editions have many features, which you may like
Against DVD
Cost a few bucks more
Not yet as many titles
Weird special features you could care less about
Idiot friends who borrow them use them as coasters and kleenex, etc.
For VHS
Cheap
Adequate picture
Against VHS
Bulky
Can get tangled up, erased
Idiot friends never return them and lend them out
Can be copied over
I just got a cheapo ($65) Apex DVD player and it is great. Plays VCD, MP3, photo CD and all that as well. Of course I’m a nerd, but I think being able to burn VCDs on my PC and watch them on my TV is the coolest thing ever.
You can also rent DVD’s on the internet. Check out Netflix.com, I have been very happy with their service and selection, and it’s much cheaper in the long run than local video stores, and selection is VASTLY superior. You pay a monthly fee (from under $14 to $30 depending on how many movies you want to have out at a time) and when you’re done watching you just mail them back (postage is pre-paid). No late fees or anything. It rocks!!
I got a dvd player, like the one mblackwell mentioned cause I can run it through my vcr & because
a lot of films on vhs aren’t captioned but are on dvds. Some films are on dvds but not vhs. You
can get a Apex 1500 for $65 or so from circuit city (no lcd display anymore) & a vcr for about $59.
If you buy these two you can get longer warrentees on them too.
Make sure that your TV has the right connections in back so that you can run the DVD player into it. Few DVD players have regular coaxle jacks on them, most only offer Composite/S-Video/Component jacks. If your TV doesn’t have any of these, you should buy an RF modulator to go along with it. It usually runs around thirty bucks.
I love DVD. Better quality of picture. No rewinding. Special features. Doesn’t wear out (my daughter actually did wear out a couple of her favourite VHS tapes). Takes up less space on my shelf than a VHS collection of tapes. Less fragile. And strangely, because the kids can be so noisy, we use the subtitles feature a lot! No more “what did he say??”
I don’t know about your area, but around here, DVD’s are beginning to take over the local rental places. And previously viewed DVD’s go for as little as $10.
On average, I find that DVD’s cost $3-$5 more than their VHS counterparts, but offer much more in terms of quality and extra features.