Almost anything you can think of has been made on the VHS format. From exercise tapes to sing-along-songs, you can find any material imaginable on VHS. The VCR has made it's way into almost every part of people's lives. You can watch a VHS tape at home, at work, and while you travel in the car. VCRs are simply convenient, but there may not be a future for the VCR much longer.

Outdated?
LaserDisc players once tried to compete against the VCR in the mid 80s, but to no avail. While LaserDisc supplied better video and digital audio, the discs were too bulky, required flipping, and way too expensive. The VCR reigned supreme with the general pubic while LaserDisc kept it's home among the early home theater enthusiasts and videophiles out there.

Enter DVD
The mid 90s brought the power of the DVD player. With far better video quality than LaserDisc, digital surround sound, and a price tag on new movies similar to that of VHS, the DVD format has ramped up to become the VCR killer. While critical movie watching with VHS is a possible, nothing can come close to the superior quality DVD brings home. The VCR hasn't been made obsolete by DVD yet, but it's on its way.

While recording your favorite shows has been a big reason for the VCRs success, new digital products have come out that make the process a lot easier. With TIVO, ReplayTV, and other digital video recording devices, your shows are recorded to the devices hard drive. Enabling a whole new host of features such as, pausing live TV, commercial removal, automatically finding your shows, and no rewinding. These new devices are pricier than the conventional Hi-Fi VCR, but their ease of use makes VCR recording seem archaic. When the prices go down you'll find one less reason to buy a VCR.

What to Look For
Most VCRs sold today have a cheap build quality. The best thing to do is shop for a Hi-Fi VCR brand that you can trust such as Sony, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, and Panasonic. These brands all offer great video and reliability in their VCR lines.

When identifying which VCR is right for you, make sure it has all the conveniences you need. If you're going to plug a camcorder into it you'll want those handy input jacks on the front off the unit. You may want to look at the quality of the remotes as well. You will likely be able to find a suitable Hi-Fi VCR in the $80 - $150 range.

The Future
The future of the VCR will be tied to HDTV. Digital VCRs are able to record an entire HDTV station, which can have sub-stations if that HDTV network chooses to do so.

For example, when one station broadcasts the Olympic Games in HDTV, it could broadcast 6 different events simultaneously on the same channel. You would simply choose whether you want to watch channel 5, 5a, 5b on so on. With a digital VCR you will be able to record all of these "sub-stations". Meaning that a half-hour worth of recording on tape could have six hours of program material to watch. You will start seeing the digital VCR make its way to the general public over the next couple of years. So while the current VCR format is almost dead, a new Digital VCR format is on the horizon.

While all is not said and done yet, it would be best to disregard the Digital VCR and get a format you can use today. If everybody waited for the next best thing on the horizon they'd always be waiting and not enjoying a killer system today. Besides, the HDTV format is going to have a lot of growing pains before it becomes the standard in everyone's home.

The success of Digital Video Recorders has changed the landscape for the VCR. For recording and watching TV shows DVRs are simply the best way to go. The VCR is only useful if you want to archive your shows, but a DVD-Recorder would be a much better solution.

Should You Buy?
If you need to record any video material that you can't use a computer for then you'll need a VCR. The best bet is to buy an affordable VCR from brand you know, and save your money for other gear on your wish list.

VCR Quick Advice:

Pros:
1. Well established format is in most homes
2. Still the only format available that can fit all you recording needs

Cons:
1. With the future of recordable DVD on the horizon the VCR has a limited time left in the home
2. The only reason left to own one is for the recording capabilities
3. Low video quality

If you do not need to record anything, passing on a VCR purchase and getting a DVD player instead could be the best approach. If you absolutely need a VCR, get a cheap, brand name, Hi-Fi VCR priced around $80-$150. Note: this VCR purchase will most likely be the last VCR you buy.