Cheap VCRs worth buying?
Alec Marsh
The Philips unit I saw has a Funai FCC ID (ADT...); I don't expect anyone
will tell me their quality's gone up significantly in the past year or
so. But there are two nearly identical units, one a Panasonic (with FCC
ID indicating Matsushita) and the other an RCA with what appear to be
identical innards down to the silk-screening on the PC board I can see
through the loading slot. All are hi-fi units with VCR+. So, what advice...?
1. Buy the Funai/Philips.
2. Buy the Panasonic or the RCA.
3. Get her some concert tickets and let her save for a decent unit.
--
..signature missing
Andy Cuffe
Why don't you just rip one of his favorite tapes to shreads and give him
a bill for $100? Funai's are total crap. You can't even replace the
heads on them. I've seen plenty of them junked beforre the pinch roller
was even dirty.
If the RCA is made by panasonic, it should be of equal quality. Buy
either on. If price is an issue, a Sanyo might be better. They seem to
be more durable than the recent panasonic's I've seen.
--
Andy Cuffe
balt...@psu.edu
Robert Hancock
expect something made by Sanyo to be better than a Panasonic model, but it's
likely often true. A Philips-Magnavox might be made by Matsushita, a
Panasonic might not be, etc.
--
Robert Hancock Saskatoon, SK, Canada
To email, remove "nospam" from hanc...@nospamhome.com
Home Page: http://members.home.net/hancockr
Andy Cuffe <balt...@psu.edu> wrote in message
news:376342...@psu.edu...
John Del
A Philips-Magnavox might be made by Matsushita, a
> Panasonic might not be, etc.
>
I haven't yet seen a Panasonic sold not built by them (Matsushita). And
I believe that Philips has abandoned all makes except the junk from
China, although they may have one in the high end (but I doubt it).
John Del
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
Jerry G.
with the more expensive models. Many of the cheaper VCR's end up
eating the tapes or failing after the first year or so of use. They
are also not feasable to service. When buying a cheap VCR, if you
look over a 5 year period you end up paying about double than if you
bought a good one in the first place. Generaly speaking if you have
an expensive VCR and you do atleast on repair during a 6 year period,
you are still ahead of the game.
If you have a cheaper unit, and it starts eating tapes, this will also
be expensive it it is a rented tape!
--
Jerry Greenberg
Greetings...
From the land of the " Great Ice Storm Of 1998 ! "
Floods, And Who Knows What ???
See Y'a Soon... Jerry Greenberg
======================================
jer...@total.net
http://www.total.net/~jerryg
http://www.zoom-one.com
http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
Just Looking At You Kid...
If It's Not Broke, Don't Fix It...!
If It Don't Make Noise, Shake It !
If It Don't Move, Smack It !
If It's Broke, Then Fix It ...!
If You Don't Know How To Fix It, Give It Out !
======================================
Three Things To Not Take A Crash Course:
1) Flying
2) Driving
3) Computers
4) Marriage???
Your Computer May Be 2000 Ready... But Are You???
=========== Message Separator ===========
Alec Marsh <spam...@example.com> wrote in message
news:376328C7...@example.com...
Sarah
wrote:
>Happened to think of an inexpensive VCR as a present for a recent grad.
>The Philips unit I saw has a Funai FCC ID (ADT...); I don't expect anyone
>will tell me their quality's gone up significantly in the past year or
>so.
How much? The reason they are under $100 is because they lack
features-lots of them. I got an RCA for $119 that has commerical
advance, film advance, commerical skip, etc etc.
But under $100 you might get one feature.
Andy
Things like VCR+ Commercial Skip etc, are on a piece of
silicon. These features definately make more $$$ for the VCR
companies.
They seem to be able to add some gimmicky feature to help
hide that each successive 'generation' of VCR is even more cheaply
constructed to the average consumer. They definately are not
making them more durable, that is for sure!
I myself will continue to use my main workhorse VHS machines, a 1984
Zenith VR4000 (JVC), and Mits U71 for VHS stuff. (I actually use beta
more than either)
Andy
Andy Cuffe
>
> Features do not really add much to cost of manufacturing the VCR-
> Things like VCR+ Commercial Skip etc, are on a piece of
> silicon. These features definately make more $$$ for the VCR
> companies.
>
> They seem to be able to add some gimmicky feature to help
> hide that each successive 'generation' of VCR is even more cheaply
> constructed to the average consumer. They definately are not
> making them more durable, that is for sure!
>
> I myself will continue to use my main workhorse VHS machines, a 1984
> Zenith VR4000 (JVC), and Mits U71 for VHS stuff. (I actually use beta
> more than either)
>
> Andy
>
You're right about all these new features like VCR+, and even auto
tracking costing almost nothing to add to the VCR. They cost so little
to add, that a lot of the time it's cheaper to make all the VCRs capable
of these features, but disable them in the low end models. You can
sometimes enable these features by removing a jumper wire, but they
usually aren't labeled. They probably do this in the EEPROM on new
VCRs.
Those old JVC's are great VHS machines. I have a 1985 VR-3250 that gets
used all the time. I can't see it ever dieing. I also use beta for
most of my taping. It's a shame Sony wants such a ridiculous price for
4 head drums. I've got a new SL-HF750 (a board was cracked in
shipping), but the heads were taken from it before I got it. It has
some cosmetic damage, but the tape path is like new. I wish I could get
heads for it, but $250 is totally out of the question.
--
Andy Cuffe
balt...@psu.edu
Alec Marsh
> On Sat, 12 Jun 1999 22:43:03 -0500, Alec Marsh <spam...@example.com> wrote:
> >Happened to think of an inexpensive VCR as a present for a recent grad.
> >The Philips unit I saw has a Funai FCC ID (ADT...); I don't expect anyone
> >will tell me their quality's gone up significantly in the past year or
> >so.
>
> How much? The reason they are under $100 is because they lack
> features-lots of them. I got an RCA for $119 that has commerical
> advance, film advance, commerical skip, etc etc.
> But under $100 you might get one feature.
All were within a couple dollars of $139. I'd be VERY suspicious of any
VCR under a hundred dollars (though a player-only unit might not be so
suspicious, it's not worth buying IMHO).
--
..signature missing
yup
wrote:
>When buying a cheap VCR, don't expenct the life expancy that you get
>with the more expensive models. Many of the cheaper VCR's end up
>eating the tapes or failing after the first year or so of use. They
>are also not feasable to service. When buying a cheap VCR, if you
>look over a 5 year period you end up paying about double than if you
>bought a good one in the first place. Generaly speaking if you have
>an expensive VCR and you do atleast on repair during a 6 year period,
>you are still ahead of the game.
>
>If you have a cheaper unit, and it starts eating tapes, this will also
>be expensive it it is a rented tape!
>
>--
>
>Jerry Greenberg
>
>Greetings...
>
>From the land of the " Great Ice Storm Of 1998 ! "
> Floods, And Who Knows What ???
> See Y'a Soon... Jerry Greenberg
>
<snip>
From what I have seen, most vcr's are based on very few different
chassis/mech. designs. The higher price being paid for more features,
not better quality. One machine of any given design will require the
same amount maintenance as the next one.
I personaly would not want an old technology machine sitting on my
shelf. Keeping up with the "new features" is what I am after. I just
bought a Panasonic vhs machine to replace the "old" Sanyo that I have
had for 2 years. Got all the bell's and whistles on the new unit, that
the old one didn't have for the same price as I paid for the Sanyo.
($150.00 us) Panasonic has a one year warrenty. After that something
with more features will be here, and I will want those as well.
What is the average repair bill now ? $60 - $70 ?
Can't see spending that kind of money on something so cheap to buy
new.
Used to be we had small appliances repaired too. Can't justify that
anymore either.
Sarah
Many of the cheaper VCR's end up
>>eating the tapes or failing after the first year or so of use. They
>>are also not feasable to service. When buying a cheap VCR, if you
>>look over a 5 year period you end up paying about double than if you
>>bought a good one in the first place. Generaly speaking if you have
>>an expensive VCR and you do atleast on repair during a 6 year period,
Some stores that offer cheap vcrs, $89 or so, also offer longer
warrentees. Like Circuit City & you just bring it to them and they
service it for you...Cost about $27 for 2 years.
Dave Moore
Sarah <Sa...@trix.net> wrote in message > Some stores that offer cheap vcrs,
$89 or so, also offer longer
> warrentees. Like Circuit City & you just bring it to them and they
> service it for you...Cost about $27 for 2 years.
Yes but who can afford to replace all the tires you'll wear out
on your car going back and forth with the vcr to the warranty center ????
guy...@tripper.net
If you have to take it in a certain nbr of times in a year, I think
that its three, they give you a new vcr!
Andy
Here is one point to consider.
Purchase a new POS VCR.
Get the warranty.
Get it fixed everytime it breaks down, until strike 3 (replacment
machine)
Sounds great, but I think alot of people are missing something here:
You are still stuck with a piece of junk VCR! I guess if you like
to goto the Goodguys/Circuit City alot then do it.. I myself could
not live with one of these new crappy engineered (with poor picture
quality usually too) cheapo VCR's.
If people want own a cheap piece of junk, that is up to them, but
that's not for me.
Andy
Patrick R.
$100.00 (US). I have sold many of these, and have not had
one returned to me as far as I can remember. I work in the
Electronics department from time to time, and I wish I would
be permanent over there. A couple of fellow associates and
several customers think the same thing, too!!
Patrick
**** Posted from RemarQ - http://www.remarq.com - Discussions Start Here (tm) ****
Vern
Rudolf Ladyzhenskii
>If you have to take it in a certain nbr of times in a year, I think
>that its three, they give you a new vcr!
And what then? You get another crapy machine with same (or may be worse) set
of problems.
To make VCRs cheaper, they have to save money somewhere. This means
replacing metal parts with cheaper plastic and use as little as possible of
this plastic.
This means to cut cost on electronics by reducing the test time and assembly
quality.
I am an electronics design engineer. To reduce the cost of the electronics
you have to: (i am not designing VCRs, but this will go for them as well).
1. Drop all the devices that are there for protection or to ensure
reliability. As a result, those units more likely to be damaged by static
electricity, power surges, etc..
2. You pick up components that are just meet the characteristics needed. If
a transistor needs to have Ice = 0,99A, you have to pick 1A transistor. 1.5A
will be more reliable in this circuit, but it is more expensive.
And this list goes on and on...
Someone told me a great phrase before:
"I am not that rich to afford cheap stuff!"
Rudolf
yup
wrote:
>
>Here is one point to consider.
>
>Purchase a new POS VCR.
>Get the warranty.
>Get it fixed everytime it breaks down, until strike 3 (replacment
>machine)
>
>Sounds great, but I think alot of people are missing something here:
>You are still stuck with a piece of junk VCR! I guess if you like
>to goto the Goodguys/Circuit City alot then do it.. I myself could
>not live with one of these new crappy engineered (with poor picture
>quality usually too) cheapo VCR's.
>
>If people want own a cheap piece of junk, that is up to them, but
>that's not for me.
>
>Andy
>
So what would you have us do ?, *nothing* lasts forever. New machines
with parts and service lit that is so expensive that it is foolish to
even consider even one repair. Somehow I have to believe that this
type of thing is getting to the point of being like a light bulb, for
example. Burns out, toss it. The manufacturers are definitly not on
the side of the consumer or the service tech. Should I keep and use
the old 2 speed, top loading, wired remote w/one button,(pause). One
must look at the situation from a logical point. I truly wish that the
consumer electronics repair industry was not in such a sad state.
john
Patrick R. <forest...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9295581...@www.remarq.com...
Video Services
1/6 the price of 12 years ago amount to ANYTHING. If I bought a car 12 years
ago for $8000. and today could buy a "new" one for $1,333, what would make
me to think that the "newer" car was any good!. Home electronics is the ONLY
thing MOST of us buy cheaper today that 10 years ago....simply because MOST
of the stuff bought today is crap...it is NOT because the consumer is
"clever". As a matter of fact if electronics are bought "as cheap as I can"
the consumer is a idiot. Another example is the $699.00 "new" Pentium
computers......what crap....and the consumers will pay for this decision for
a long time.
RT
Andrew Dutton
Video Services wrote in message <376c...@news.shreve.net>...
>This whole discussion is pointless. Why would a product that sells today at
>1/6 the price of 12 years ago amount to ANYTHING.
components has dropped every year. The Video you buy today may be engineered
using 3D modelling allowing the design to be optimised and hence the number
of components required can be reduced
If I bought a car 12 years
>ago for $8000. and today could buy a "new" one for $1,333, what would make
Comparatively car technology has not changed very much most of the car is
still made in a very similar way. Cad modelling is used to advantage to
reduce parts count and cost however the gains that can be made are much
smaller.
>me to think that the "newer" car was any good!. Home electronics is the
ONLY
>thing MOST of us buy cheaper today that 10 years ago....simply because MOST
>of the stuff bought today is crap...it is NOT because the consumer is
>"clever". As a matter of fact if electronics are bought "as cheap as I can"
>the consumer is a idiot.
This is a rather strong statement however I would have to agree that in very
few cases does the cheapest product give you the best price performance
compromise. However if you don't have any more money available, it still may
be your best bet, after all it will be guaranteed for a year.
Another example is the $699.00 "new" Pentium
>computers......what crap....and the consumers will pay for this decision
for
>a long time.
Most home users barely come close using the performance of their computers.
So the reliability / compatibility issue is the only one of any real
importance here.
>
Overall All I can say is why are you so up in arms about such reasonable
questions.
>RT
>
>
DrVideoRx
>>This whole discussion is pointless. Why would a product that sells today at
>>1/6 the price of 12 years ago amount to ANYTHING.
* I totally agree that this discussion is pointless BUT not for the reason
you state!!
*Have you stopped to think that maybe 12 years ago you were paying 6X the price
simply because you were getting "ripped off"?.....A PRIME EXAMPLE of this is a
piece that aired on one of the TV magazine shows (actually it has been aired
many times by various media), concerning a simple "pill" for liver problems.
This pill was being sold to the public for $8.00 per pill....when the drug
company was confronted with the knowledge that the same (exact..no difference
at all) pill was being sold for animal use (sheep) for $.08 per pill (and a BIG
profit was still being made at the $.08 price)....after a whole bunch of
stammering and excuses that made NO sense....they came up with (quick thinking)
the recovering costs from research & development excuse.
* Just STOP, and THINK....usually when any new product comes on the market
(especially when covered by patents)....the initial price is high (and yes, R&D
costs are part of the reason...but usually NOT anywhere near what is claimed).
Once the patent runs out, or someone else puts the same product on the
market...all of a sudden the sale prices start dropping FAST!! I paid $1575.00
for my first VCR (Beta in 1976)....now I can go to WalMart and for $89.00 get a
better (many, many more features and easier to use...not necessarily endurance
wise) VCR..(this equates to about 19X difference in 23 years).
So now...we are actually getting a better (more features) unit for alot less
money (I do acknowledge that the older units were better made, quality
wise..but in the electronic field these units reached obsolensence before the
end of their useful life).
* The main reason for all of this is "Competition"...Do you actually think if
there was NO competition and still only one brand of VCR on the market...like
when I bought my first one in 1976 for $1575.00 that the price today would be
19X lower??...or, without competition, would that $1575.00 price actually be
higher today?? (Interesting question...if you think about it!)
**For a simple answer to that question, all one has to do is look at
"Non-competition products" ie: your Utility Companies...Gas, Electric, and
Telephone....the prices keep going UP & UP (while at the same time these
utility companies complain that the rising economy/inflation increases their
costs and they aren't making any money.....yet the Utility companies are among
the wealthiest in the nation..all you have to do is count all (their assets) of
the property (land and new buildings) they are constantly buying...and their
investments...the utilty companies are buying Cable companies and Systems,
Skyscrapers, Cruise Lines, and massive stock portfolios...everything you can
think of to "Hide" all of the "Profits" they are making...and "Still" rasing
rates....A Prime Example.......No Competition = We, the consumers..getting
ripped off again......
I didn't mean to go on like I did...I just get carried away with things like
this "People" (Us as consumers) have turned a "blind eye" to what is really
happening, and tend to "blame" the wrong things for the situation that we are
in!
~From The Electronics Vaults of DrVideo ~
~ EMail Replies require the Removal of : "edyClub"
Video Services
DrVideoRx wrote in message <19990621115047...@ng-fz1.aol.com>...
>*Have you stopped to think that maybe 12 years ago you were paying 6X the
price
>simply because you were getting "ripped off
People paying high prices for the "newest toys" is in no way getting "ripped
off". A product cost what it cost...but I will never agree that MOST of the
home electronics sold today are a "good value, They are crap. What is
interesting is that more and more people are buying quality before price. I
LOVE competition, it is the backbone of our economy and it protects
consumers. I don't think that a quality VCR/TV that is made well (and there
are some) will ever be found on the discount rack at wal-mart.....NEVER.
Because of competition "you get what you pay for" is very true in
electronics....ALWAYS..... CHEAP PRICE=CRAP. A lot of people buy what they
can afford...a lot of people think they are "clever" ...a lot of people are
just plain cheap...and a lot of people kid themselves that the cheap stuff
is as good a quality as the higher priced models because "they want to
believe it"....and a lot of people are just plain ignorant. My personal VCR
is a 13 year old that has stereo sound and a very good picture.....it cost
$750 and is still going strong. There is no way a $80.00 VCR is going to
last much past 2 years. There are exceptions I know.....WHATEVER. We all
have the right to buy what we want....I do not choose to buy plastic crap.
RTW
Video Services
>You'll get no argument from me here...as I stated before the older units
were
>made TOO good..they outlast their obsolesense. Your unit (which in
fairness
>would have to be compared to a unit selling today for around $169.00) has
less
>features and is harder to use...but WILL in all likelyhood outlast a new
one
>purchased today.
I don't work on VCR,s anymore because I refuse to get in the squabble about
"how cheap I can get a new one".
RTW
Video Services
DrVideoRx wrote in message <19990621201820...@ng-fz1.aol.com>...
>>From: "Video Services" <bop...@shreve.net>
>
>Writes (in reply):
>
>>
>>People paying high prices for the "newest toys" is in no way getting
"ripped
>>off". A product cost what it cost
>
>
course
>in Manufacturing/Marketing 101, but suffice to say that todays market
(speaking
>of Electronics..but it pretty mush follows thru in all markets) is mostly
>governed by what it will bear...NOT by a true reflection of actual cost +
>reasonable profit = selling price. The marketing mentality seems to be:
price
>the product at the very highest level possible (and still have customers
buy
>it) regardless of actual cost, and when a competitor comes out with the
same
>product...then lower the price.
You are right !!! and how is this any different than.....medical,
automotive, homes, insurance, food or anything any government does at any
time or any place.
RTW
DrVideoRx
Writes (in reply):
>
>People paying high prices for the "newest toys" is in no way getting "ripped
>off". A product cost what it cost
* I must STRONGLY disagree with you here. I won't bore everyone with a course
in Manufacturing/Marketing 101, but suffice to say that todays market (speaking
of Electronics..but it pretty mush follows thru in all markets) is mostly
governed by what it will bear...NOT by a true reflection of actual cost +
reasonable profit = selling price. The marketing mentality seems to be: price
the product at the very highest level possible (and still have customers buy
it) regardless of actual cost, and when a competitor comes out with the same
product...then lower the price. Take ANY electronic product you care to....and
follow the history..EXAMPLE: 18" mini-satelite system (originally marketed by
Thomson (RCA) about 5-6 years ago).....5 years ago it was $700-$900..with a
standard $125.00 installation fee....NOW they are $49.00 to $99.00 with FREE
installation....PLUS they have MORE features and are easier to
use..........just what would you call this (if not a consumer rip-off)? I sold
many of these systems in my store, and the end dealer (me) made only about
$50.00 on the sale of one of these systems. The things we are using right now
to communicate on (computers) is another prime example...but I won't get into
that now.
> ...but I will never agree that MOST of the
>home electronics sold today are a "good value, They are crap.
I never said (nor meant to imply in the least) todays electronics are a "good
value"...I agree with you totally...They ARE crap........BUT other than the end
result..ie: a TV produces a picture on the screen, and a VCR plays a "Tape"
which is viewed on the TVs screen...the inner workings..design/engineering and
technology are now different and difficult to compare. The prices, on the
other hand (for a product which produces the same end result) are right
there...and easy to compare!
> . What is
>interesting is that more and more people are buying quality before price
* I don't know what part of the country you are in..but that is NOT true here
(I am just outside of the Baltimore/Washington area), I keep a few JVC and
Toshiba high-end VCRs (which you are right...are NOT available at the local
K-Mart or WalMart)...just for the customer(s) who will only buy such units
(frankly though, I am NOT impressed by the new JVCs (talk about crap)..I did
have Sonys for high end units up until a few years ago (more crap compared to
what they once were)!
>Because of competition "you get what you pay for" is very true in
>electronics.
* If only we DID get what we pay for...I think things would be alot
better...It's sad to say but (in my opinion) weither it's high-end or
low-end...I don't think the consumer is even getting 1/2 of what he/she pays
for anymore.....I still work on this stuff every day...and it would be very
hard to convince me otherwise!
> . My personal VCR
>is a 13 year old that has stereo sound and a very good picture.....it cost
>$750 and is still going strong. There is no way a $80.00 VCR is going to
>last much past 2 years. There are exceptions I know.
You'll get no argument from me here...as I stated before the older units were
made TOO good..they outlast their obsolesense. Your unit (which in fairness
would have to be compared to a unit selling today for around $169.00) has less
features and is harder to use...but WILL in all likelyhood outlast a new one
purchased today.
*It becomes an individual matter of taste (I still have Panasonic and Akai tube
Stereo Equipment), and perference!
> .....WHATEVER. We all
>have the right to buy what we want....I do not choose to buy plastic crap.
*My only suggestion to you here would be to "stock-up" on plenty of used units
just like yours (for a parts source), which should be easy to do
now.....because even the current "good" units you speak of are mostly plastic.
*Not to be smart or start another discussion...BUT some "Plastic" can be a good
thing...I have "Plastic" parts/pieces that have kept me walking and mobile
since they were implanted in my back in the 70's (replacing part of my
spine)...so you see, I happen to really LIKE Plastic...(I know what you really
mean..just thought I'd throw this in!)
BELJAN E
battle with the Magnavox portable CD Player) but I had plenty of time
since to run into a few interesting quality tales.
ElectroBrand QCD-1000 portable CD Player- In easter of 1996 Sun TV had
an ad out, $47 for a portable CD player. At the time the price was
impossible to resist. I purchased one of these things. You would
naturally expect low quality junk at that price, especially at the time
when prices had not fallen off to where they are today. I took the
thing out to the car opened the box and saw this small, portable CD
player, Electro Brand 1-Bit Digital CD Player in the front in gold
lettering. I took a look in the battery door to see what appeared to be
poorly finished soldering and wiring. I thought it wouldnt last a week.
Today, June 22 1999, after years of using this CD player exclusively
for all portable needs (even though I have a few others including the
Magnavox I battled with in the past), the thing still works.
Excellently I might add, probably the best bass boost I have heard on a
portable CD player. As poorly built as it looked it has not failed
(amazingly). I still use it more than any other CD player and will
continue to do so until it dies (I may even attempt to repair it
then!).
MTC 1428CC 13 inch Color Television- another bargain buy at Sun TV
$134 in 1994. In 1997 or so I had an incident of it turning off by
itself and other oddities. Eventually the problem turned out to be the
power supply (which I eventually was able to trace back to a lightning
storm which actually burned out the switch of our Fantom vaccuum of the
same year), it was repaired and as of June 22 1999 the TV still works.
The IC (supposedly a problem in this set) has yet to fail.
Emerson VCR4003- I purchased this 4 head VCR at the low price of $179
back in 1994 from Wal-Mart (low then, expensive now). These VCRs have
the reputation for the bad mode switch, but that aside compare it to a
modern $100 VCR. They actually were built nicely and fairly sturdy
(espcially compared to today's VCRs). Metal parts, sturdy feeling
loading mechanism etc. I picked up a 4 head Hi-Fi Funai (dont laugh!)
VCR today for $66 at Target. Weighs maybe 9 ounces, thin plastic
everything. Compare that to the 1994 Emerson which is heavier and
actually quite decent. It may have been budget then but at least you
got something for the money that was at least halfway decent.
Magnavox 2 head VCR circa 1983- half of this two piecer weighs as much
as the above Emerson (making half of it three times heavier than the
entire Funai). 1983-1999 and still going, believe that speaks for
itself.
Zenith 16 inch B&W Tube TV circa 1971- its 1999 this set has had tube
replacements once, in 1979, 20 years ago. It recieved almost an hour of
use or more per day between 1980 and 1997 or so. It still works,
excellently at that. When Zenith said handcrafted chassis with quality
components built to last it applies perfectly to this set, no false
advertising here! I actually saw an identical one at a local flea
market, still worked as well. A true masterpiece of quality.
Amtel 12 inch B&W TV- I purchased this thing at Hills' going out of
business sale for $11. Doesnt look too great, but looks can be
decieving. In the coming years I hope to update you on it and how long
it lasts.
I have many more tales of electronics that lasted longer than most or
failed early that you might find interesting next time you head out
looking for a new TV. When I get a chance I will post some more, hope
you enjoyed this stuff!
DrVideoRx
Writes (in response):>
>You are right !!! and how is this any different than.....medical,
>automotive, homes, insurance, food or anything any government does at any
>time or any place.
>
>RTW
* There isn't much difference....just that this post was about Electronics..so
I tried not to stray too far off-topic.
* See my first or second post to this thread where I use the $8.00 pill as an
example, or my reference to the Public Utility monoplies.
* The insurance industry is defenitely a topic in need of MUCH discussion, and
even MORE reform (my opinion), and I did not mention it here, as I feel it is a
horse of a different color (so to speak). I was mentioning "competition" as
one of the main reasons that the "inflated prices of new electronic products"
is brought down to a more reasonable/realistic level. I believe the Insurance
Industry (altho it is supposed to be a private, competitive industry), IS and
HAS been a conspiracy of MEGA $$$ companies..setting their own
prices/rules/terms/and regulations on the consumer. Twenty years ago I could
go to 3 different insurance companies..and get 3 different rates (cost of
policy)........Today I could go to 10 different insurance companies..and get
basically the SAME rate from all.......WHAT'S UP HERE...Where is the
competition?? Also what is up with the Mandatory auto insurance (most
states). I had better quit here now with insurance......there is SO much wrong
here (with the Insurance industry)...but here is another Prime Example of how
BIG $$$ and POWER corrupts (as our so-called-democracy becomes more and more
dictatorial).
Anyway I guess the question, at this point becomes: What can we do about it?
dana
like to collect lots of electronic stuff, take a look at old radios and
see what they are bringing before you make that statement.
On Sat, 19 Jun 1999, Video Services wrote:
> Date: Sat, 19 Jun 1999 19:37:51 -0500
> From: Video Services <bop...@shreve.net>
> Newsgroups: sci.electronics.repair
> Subject: Re: Cheap VCRs worth buying?
>
> This whole discussion is pointless. Why would a product that sells today at
> 1/6 the price of 12 years ago amount to ANYTHING. If I bought a car 12 years
> ago for $8000. and today could buy a "new" one for $1,333, what would make
> me to think that the "newer" car was any good!. Home electronics is the ONLY
> thing MOST of us buy cheaper today that 10 years ago....simply because MOST
> of the stuff bought today is crap...it is NOT because the consumer is
> "clever". As a matter of fact if electronics are bought "as cheap as I can"
> the consumer is a idiot. Another example is the $699.00 "new" Pentium
> computers......what crap....and the consumers will pay for this decision for
> a long time.
>
> RT
>
>
>
>
BELJAN E
<da...@randomc.com> writes:
>
>if you are a collector, like i am, it would be worth a lot, i am blind
>and
>like to collect lots of electronic stuff, take a look at old radios
>and
>see what they are bringing before you make that statement.
>
Transistor handheld radios from the 1960s new in box for sale at $4 a
piece.