How EXPENSIVE was your 1st VHS, Betamax, or DVD player?

With all these talks regarding the expensive price tag of a Blu ray player (or a PS3) piling up tab, with A STARTING PRICE OF $400, I can't help but scratch my head... as to how I could bring myself to puke out $489 on my first JVC SUPER VHS player, back in the day... during 1994!

Having said that: How much did your FIRST VIDEO PLAYER SET YOU BACK? What was it, & when did you buy it?

My first video player was a Sony HF-V770 (as best I recall - it's in the garage but I don't feel like looking to see at the moment) VHS tape player. It ran about $650. I thought I was future-proofing as it had editing features, a jog shuttle dial thing and super high quality picture (which it did). I did not watch more than three movies on it (I wasn't a big VHS fan to begin with) which was "Star Trek: First Contact", a porno I bought from the store I worked at, and I forget the third movie.

I didn't get to record to much TV on it either. Biggest waste of money I ever spent (beside at the casino).

I've already got more use out of my HD DVD player ($294) and my PS3 ($428).

I'm glad I didn't get too involved in SD DVD. Most of what I have I won on the radio, or bought below $7 except for a few box sets. "The Matrix Trilogy" was my biggest setback there.

Sony Betamax. $499 with Howard the Duck, and European Vacation
RCA Stereo Hifi VCR. $799 No deals
Toshiba SD-3109 $399 / 3 Movie Offer, all Warner titles.
Toshiba SD-5109 Dual Tray Progressive Scan $899 with free Monster component cable!!

That's a very valid point which has been made before. My first VHS player was an NEC: I think it was $499. The same for my first CD player, a very early Sony around $500 also.

Yeah, they were BIG bucks in those days, but they were also finished products. They worked out of the box. There was no such things as upgrades in those days. When BD gets their hardware issues in order and their prices down, then I'll buy one. Not before. A person does get more frugal as they get older.

Quote:
There was no such things as upgrades in those days.

Then why did I feel compelled to replace my first CD player within only 2 years to one that included 4Xover-sampling DACs? And why the heck did I replace my DVD player so many times, one finally to DTS support, then analog outs, then a progressive model that could do SACD and DVD-A, etc.? I even upgraded my VCR when the 4 head types came out!

Heck, even my gradma upgraded her washing machine at least 4 times in her life - from washing board, to a roller type, to a front loader. Good grief, do you really believe there was a time in recent history when technological progress was at a perpectual standstill for ANY product?

Edit: And thank goodness for upgradeable firmware today. Used to be I had to literally throw out my old equipment every 2 years and replace the unit to get the new features.

[Post edited by Skyhawk on Feb 1, 2008]

My first Betamax was the one that weighed about 800 lbs. and loaded from the top. I believe it was well over a $1,000. My first DVD player was a Panasonic, around $500. But my second DVD player, and one I still use and that still works perfectly after eight years, is a Sony 7700 costing over $1,200.

Many of today's Blu-ray and HD DVD players are bargains.

John

The first DVD player we bought was in 2002, a $50 from BB. Then I bought the PS2 (which I used mostly to watch DVDs, yes, I did). My HD-A2 was $98 at Wal-Mart...as for the Beta/VHS, I don't remember, ...was too young...

When i was a kid, our first machine was a Betamax, and I believe that cost $600 if I am not mistaken, but it included a one year membership to the localvideo store, this was back when you had to pay to be a member.

Our First VHS was $399.00 I remember because my dad gaveme the cash to go out and buy it. I was the tech guru in the house.

First DVD player was $899.00

First HD-DVD player $299.00

The first DVD player my family got was a DVD/VHS combo. I believe we got it in 2000. Maybe early 2001. It was about $200. It's pretty funny since now you can get a good quality DVD player for about $20. Never owned a betamax player and I have no idea how expensive the VHS player was. I wasn't even born.

I remember I waited for DVD player prices to come down to $320 before I bought my first DVD player, and it seems like that happened in late1997, or mid 1998.

Wow, it's still astonishing to me to think of where we're at now, compared to 1996, at which time almost NO ONE knew what a DVD was!



- Josh