JVC HR-S3800 S-VHS (Hi-Fi / 6 heads) VCR Deck for $129

[robsdeals]

JVC HR-S3800 S-VHS VCR Deck
A Hi-Fi S-VHS ET deck / Records S-VHS on Super Video or regular VHS tapes / Dual Azimuth: 4 Video heads + 2 Hi-Fi Audio Heads

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[PsillyDude]

Sounds like a pretty good deal, but does anyone need a VHS rec/player now? In just a matter of months, digital VCR's and recordable DVD's will all but render these "yesteryear" devices obsolete; i.e. 8-tracks, and cassettes.

The prices will fall, fast. Just like all previous formats; CD, DVD, etc.

I think they just need to clean out their inventory.

I guess if you NEED a VHS machine, this would be the way to go, but I don't have any experience with JVC recorders.

Just my .02 cents.

 

[unclebud]

well, everyone doesn't want to spend $500+ on a dvd writer(plus dvd-rs ain't that cheap either) or have the materia to do it if they wanted to, so your .02 just became .00000000002
dude, this is a good heads up, thanks


edit: a matter of months? cd/dvd prices fell fast? how do you make confused face?

 

[tigerbait]

This is a good player. I have the JVC 3600 from two years ago. Great for recording off the DSS. This is an excellent price for an SVHS VCR.

 

[LED]

Thanks robsdeals can always use a deal like this until the Vid Rental stores and recording off of TV's with cheap media no longer exists

 

[catnap1972]

I don't think rewritable optical media (recordable DVD/for video) will become affordable (to the price where blank VHS tape is now) for awhile at least. Certainly not this year, and probably not for as long as the lifespan of a currently produced VCR either.

 

[msbytes]

Thats a very good price. I remember when these were $600 a couple of years ago.

 

[tigerbait]

Just a FYI for those who are interested in this VCR: keep in mind that while you can make great SVHS tapes for yourself, they will not be playable in other people's VCRs. You can, however, turn off SVHS and make recordings that you can share.

 

[erickotz]

I would caution you guys against this one. I've been told that the JVC HR-S 3x00u, which is the VERY bottom of their SVHS line, is not that great a machine. I have seen this machine around before, and $130 is not a flaming hot price, you can get it normally at that price if you look around. Personally, I have 3 SVHS decks, including the HR-S9500u (The Highest end of the JVC consumer line, but a couple generations older, though they are essentially the same as the current models) and honesa tly, it does have good video, but the construction quality sucks. It's so light you have to hold it in place while you put a tape in or the whole unit slides. If I were doing it over, I would buy a Mitsubishi deck, which probally has better video and DEFINALY has better construction.
Not trying to thread crap, but I'd rather see someone spend a little more and get a machine they would be much happier with. A piece of trash, at any price, isn't a hot deal IMHO.
BTW, SVHS in a decent machine is GREAT. Also, good SVHS decks make plain VHS look better.

 

[rebuilder]

Great price if you need svhs!

However, my model 3600 (svhs) crapped out after only a few uses. The front display lights come on but that is all it will do.
Unfortunately I had it over a year so no warranty.
I have to admit that the quality of the video was good for the few times I used it but the quality of the construction is marginal at least in my opinion.

 

[robsdeals]

I have to admit, I am surprised that quality with JVC an issue. I don't own it and was thinking about buying it. Are all JVC products now crap?? They were high quaility it the past... Great input ...read forums before you buy..

 

[LintBalll]

I've got a 3600 and it is a great VCR...as far as VCRs go. Most of them suck anyway and crap out in short time. Too many moving parts or something...

 

[ingenue007]

I have a HiFi JVC VCR from '94. Quality seems better than a brand new hifi Panasonic. Construction of the JVC seems of much better quality than the Panasonic.

 

[SimMike2]

I bought a HRS 4600 last year. This is one model up from the 3600. This was a piece of junk which consistently chewed tapes, rendering incredible static filled audio and ruining the tapes. This VCR got sent to JVC four separate times and they could not fix it. One time it got sent back way worse than it ever was! I basically had to beg and setup a negative website to get JVC to respond. Finally they exchanged this junk for the 7600 which is pretty nice. Even this VCR occasionally mangles tapes, but it is way better. You can hear this damage when it happens, kind of a subtle crinkling sound emanating from the VCR when it gets toward the end of the rewind cycle. Just pop open the protective door on the tape and you can see either the top or bottom of the tape mangled.

When I first brought this 4600 VCR into the shop, the guy told me that JVC had only recently started farming out some of their manufacturing, which might explain the lemon I got.

Don't mean to trash JVC, but this was my experience and the experience of other people who contacted me about the same problem.

 

[SimMike2]

I recently saw a pretty good price on a Toshiba SVHS VCR, around $150, which is what I would recommend. From past experience, Toshiba machines treat tapes like soft baby bottoms -- very gentle.

 

[anandfan]

I bought one of the JVC low-end SVHS decks last year from Accompany/MobShop . It destroyed the first tape I put in it so I returned it. Replaced it with a $100 Toshiba VHS, works fine.

 

[unclebud]

posting about one's own experiences with a particular brand isn't thread crapping, this is good info. i mean, i got my jvc vhs in the $50 compusa clearance and i still think it doesn't hold a candle to the used panasonic i got for $100 from bud's back in 93-95
but saying dvd's (digital media) recorders will be widely available and cheap is like saying someday there will be a cure for cancer--how does that help people who need it NOW?

 

[The_Dude8]

how come vcr price hasn't drop dramistically like dvd player (apex)???which is more popular w/ the public, vcr or dvd?

 

[PsillyDude]

Hey Bud, chill...

I was just pointing out that you are buying planned obselecense. Like msbytes pointed out, "I remember when a S-VHS player was $600.00!!!...yea, and it wasn't long ago (maybe a year and a half), that DVD changers where 500.00. Now you can get the same thing, (with more features i.e. MP3 playback, DTS decoding etc. for about half that...and dropping.

Just think it's wiser to wait a little while, unless you NEED a VHS deck NOW.

BTW, JVC isn't one of the top rated players, especially their "bargain models".


No offence to robsdeals, it's still a good find.

Peace

 

[stingray2]

I have 2 jvc svhs machines, and one phillips.. these were the first low end vhs machines
i have every purchased. before that all i bought was top of line mitsubishi, and JVC and
yes.. even Sony Beta... yes, the quality of the JVC's is not want it once was, but
neither is the price. my first top of line JVC (1984) was around $1400.. and
my sister still uses it. my first SONY beta was $1500, and my friend still uses it.
whats my point? well, you get what you pay for. if you are planning to buy a ~$100 vhs
hifi, spend a little more and get the Svhs JVC.. its a great price, for a good machine.
is it the quality of a $800 machine, NO.. but it does not cost $800. I have had the HRS3600
for 2years, and no problems. I have the 4600 for over a year, no problem. I love Svhs..
the quality is so much better then standard VHS. that is why i use it.. so if you are copying
you home VHS, or 8mm, or MiniDV to tape. Svhs is the best choice right now.
I will personally be the there to purchase the second generation DVD recoders, I will never
buy first generation. and you can buy DVHS (digital VHS) now, how much?? $800.. is it worth it?
not for me.. Svhs is just fine. for now...

 

[ExplodingBoy]

I picked up the model 3600 last Christmas for $99 ... I originally bought it as a companion to a Tivo but I soon found the tivo much more convenient to use. Even though I only have a 30hr tivo I rarely (maybe 2-3 times per year) find myself wanting to move stuff to tape for archival purposes.

Course if you already have a tivo; a svhs deck is a nice thing to have for the archival stuff you occasionally do. ;-)

 

[SUOrangeman]

I got my bum 3600 from Accompany back in the day as well for $60 or so. I never ate a tape, but would always power-off without warning during playback or recording. I was too lazy to send it back and it is sitting on the floor collecting dust.

Ironically, I have a much older JVC unit (bought in 1993) that is as flawless today as it ever was. It's just not S-VHS.

-SUO

 

[SirDante]

i got a couple of 9600U's last year for 200 bucks each and have heard there were quality issues with the model. but no problems here. although it might have something to do with the fact that I use 0 out of the 10000 options.

 

[donrussell]

Got a HR-S3500 refurb off eBay a couple of years ago, and later a JVC receiver, cassette deck, and TV, just to use the CompuLink features and minimize the number of remotes I have to use. Have been happy with them - the VCR has a semi-SVHS mode where you can use regular tapes and play back on some newer VHS players. The sad thing is that JVC is in a technology backwater. They have NO flat-screen TVs or digital-ready TVs. Their prices are still high, but I just don't see the state-of-the-art features that other manufacturers have available in some of their models.

 

[dirtrat]

I bought the 3600 model and it sucked! I assume this is the exact same thing just the newest version. Mine broke after a few months. I didn't see the need to replace it with my DVD player and TIVO. I just trashed it and didn't even bother sending it in for repair. You really need to evaluate if you need VCR now with the PVR's on the market now.