Quality Product with some flaws
Written: Jun 10 '02
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Pros: Loaded with Features, Six Heads, Toshiba quality
Cons: Difficult to set up, relative expense, small buttons
The Bottom Line: Good overall, but expensive for what you get and not all features work as they should. Probably could do better for less.
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| hawknoah's Full Review: Toshiba W708 VHS VCR |
When it was time to replace my six-year old GE VCR (VCR's are not the longest lasting appliances, in my experience), I had such a high balance in my Paypal account, I decided to take my chances and use it to buy a new VCR over eBay. After researching considerably, I decided that a Toshiba would be a good bet and I was intrigued by this fairly fancy six-head model. I believe this was a reconditioned model, although there was a 90-day warranty on it, so I figured why not? It was about $110, subsequently many VCRs have dropped in price considerably.
The VCR was loaded with features, VCR Plus (which I have found takes too much effort to set up than is worth bothering with), six heads (the only advantage I can tell from this is a fast-forward cycle where you can hear the sound as you fast-forward), hi-fi sound, self-setting clock (could not get this to work), ability to play Super-VHS tapes (never tried this), an automatic head cleaning feature, plugs on the front of the VCR (very convenient if you like to dub from one VCR to another or use a camcorder), a jog/shuttle dial (oddly on the base, not the remote, so it's of limited usefulness), and a super fast rewind (doesn't work with some tapes, but I'm not sure why).
Let me discuss the "cons" first- in addition to my commentary about the features. The setup was not terribly easy, it didn't exactly plug and play like most of the ones on the market today. The self-setting clock feature wouldn't work for me and for some reason the system defaulted to DSS instead of regular cable, which resulted in me screwing up some of the programs I tried to tape while I was out. Only a call to technical support revealed the problem. Although picture quality was good, the six heads did not seem to make any difference (I know this because I also own a 4-head Toshiba w512, much easier to use). Toshiba has a strange feature where you have to press two tiny buttons simultaneously to set the timer-- this is easy to forget. The super fast rewind is a mixed blessing: it doesn't work with all tapes and if you only want to rewind half an hour or so, it goes too fast to control.
Aside from what I've mentioned, overall, it's a perfectly fine VCR. It just feels more substantial than other models, as though it's made of better materials. The picture and sound are just fine, they don't blow me away but they more than suit my needs. Almost any feature you would want is technically on this model, although some of them don't work as well or as easily as they should. The main features (play, timer set, record, rewind, etc) have never failed me, so I can't complain. Recording quality is very good.
I guess overall I would rate this a good VCR. It doesn't wow me, but it suits my needs fine. It does seem pretty expensive for what you get-- I bought a Toshiba w512 as a third VCR and it's really great (see review). For $70, the 512's only real drawback is that there are no plugs in the front of the unit, but since I have the 708 also, I have that covered. I would recommend this model, but only if the price was right.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 110
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Epinions.com ID:
hawknoah
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Reviews written: 67
Trusted by: 0 members
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