Toshiba W727 VCR - Reasonable quality, reasonable price.
Written: Jan 28 '03
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Pros: Good tuner, good features.
Cons: None to speak of.
The Bottom Line: This is an above average VCR possessing good features that is offered at a reasonable price.
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| toddjackson's Full Review: Toshiba W727 VHS VCR |
Hi folks,
Well, my old VCR finally died after 12 years and I found myself forced to buy a new one. When I began looking on-line at VCRs, I was startled to find that most manufacturers (Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, etc.) are not offering many VCR models to choose from. Sony, for example, offers 4 plain vanilla VCRs (plus some DVD/VCR combination units). In addition, I found that virtually every VCR being sold at present has a MSRP of $150 or less indicating that the technology is quite mature, perhaps almost a commodity.
A quick discussion with local Audio /Video enthusiasts revealed that VHS-tape based VCR technology is on the wane, and manufacturers are sinking their resources into DVD and digital audio and video products. Not many consumers are purchasing VHS VCR players anymore, hence the bare-bones product selection.
With the above in mind, I went to a local Audio / Video shop and bought the Toshiba W727 which appeared to offer the most features for the price ($100 in January 2003).
At home I was quickly able to set up the VCR and begin using it. It automatically set its internal clock after powering up using time information it obtained from broadcast TV signals. This eliminates the flashing 12:00 o'clock problem of older VCRs after a power outage, but I expect that most VCRs probably have this feature now.
The remote control is universal in that it can be used to control both the VCR and a wide variety of televisions. Otherwise, the remote control is relatively easy to use and comfortable in my hand.
I would prefer to be able to program the VCR with more recording times (it allows for 8 different recording times/dates to be entered), but in reality how much TV do I really want to watch per week? I should really go get some exercise instead. If 8 programs per week isn't enough, I need to watch less TV.
Some unexpected benefits of the Toshiba (relative to my former 12 year old VCR) are that the Toshiba has a sensitive tuner that does a great job of pulling in boradcast TV signals from 60 miles away, signals that my old VCR couldn't detect. The Toshiba also has a rapid tape rewind function that allows a tape to be rewound in less than 2 minutes. I do wonder if this adds to premature tape aging by stretching of the tape, but only time will tell.
Another nice feature is the ability to fast forward by 30 seconds with the press of a single button. This allows you to step past commercials relatively simply. The Toshiba also has a jog button for when you want to step through a movie scene frame by frame to see 'what just happened'. It is something of a gee-wiz feature that will rarely be used, but it is nice to have.
Compared to DVD and other digital quality video / audio sources, VCR's will always come up short. However, I find the Toshiba's video quality to be quite acceptable given the limitations of the technology.
All in all I am satisfied with the features / convenience / ease of use of the Toshiba W727. I recommend it to those looking for a reasonable VCR.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 100
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Epinions.com ID:
toddjackson
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Reviews written: 2
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