Vintage RCA VBT-200 VCR

[devilman1962]

I had the Magnavox version of this VCR. Back in those day's RCA & Panasonic made VCR's for everyone except JVC, They made their own. I had one of the firs 3 speed machines and that thing was a tank. Weighed at least 40 pounds or more. We had a store called Memco and they use to sell blank tape for $12 a roll and we thought that was a steal since everyone else wanted $15 to $18 for a T-120. We would buy the whole case and split the cost. Lots of Memories here.

[burr1aj]

Very cool video, but you would think that the first ever VCR would still have an analog clock. I think I have seen them. Maybe I'm wrong.

[TheUltraCoolDude1]

actually, selectavision was before that

[TheJoeyEmilyShow]

I've actually lifted one of those things up. They are f***ing heavy. No less than forty pounds, but the old school machines tend to have robust construction compared to the newer machines.

[pimpingmrli]

give my left nut for that thing...

[MVillani1985]

This was the first modern VCR, but commercially available VCRs had existed since 1965 and by 1968 there were multiple brands. The first one ever was invented in 1956.

[HomeoftheGoodGuys]

Never seen that VCR before. RCA made the first VCR in the US before it became Selectavision by 1980 where they used to manufactured CED videodisc players. This late 70's VCR can also watch a lot of Disney VHS tapes including the "Neon Mickey", "Black Diamond", "Masterpiece" and other series of Disney VHS titles for years to come from the 80's and 90's. Nice machine.

[Thoreandan]

@prs0889 You should get a digital-to-analog converter box for the unit so you can tape a modern show, and see how well you can a recording/playback on 2011-era broadcasts / tape media :-) Thanks for posting!

[chaseman94]

This looks similiar to an old Panasonic my dad bought way back in 1979 for $700. I still have it in my garage somewhere but I doubt it works.

[yellafever]

Wow thats really high tech! Where could i get one of those state of the art machine? -The Amish

[mymovienerd]

Now that's a VCR.

[FeCr3]

Very nice vintage machine! Looks very solid and heavy. I like these ones.

[4gasem]

We had one of these growing up... I don't own a VCR today. DVD and Apple TV for me.

[kstarpictures]

This looks like the RCA SelectaVision VCR my parents had when I was little.

[3y3tiger]

could you post a vid of this dinosaur in action, please?

[DILLIGAF425]

my brother and i bought one of these in march of 1978 we payed about 1200 dollars that was a lot of money back then

i remember the blank tapes were around $21

we still have it i am not sure if it still works

thanks for posting this video

when you turned it on that is just how i remember it sounding

[Thoreandan]

@DILLIGAF425 Looks like that would cost $4,112.89 in 2011 money, with blank tapes costing $71.98 ... no wonder people didn't exactly fill their houses with VHS tapes of stuff starting in '78... :-)

[73mathesar]

We used to have the exact same model VCR back in the early 90's, Those things were built to last and never gave us issues. but we eventually replaced it with a newer JVC S-VHS model.

[courtney359]

i remember we had one of these at school.when the teacher ejected the tape the windows rattled with the shock

[3y3raven]

Do top- loaders have fewer problems ejecting tapes than front loaders?

[RetroCaptain]

Good Day,

I have 1 of these also,.it used to work, had it repaired and it quit a year later.

Cost abt 1800CDN in 1978.

Parts not avail anymore...nice conversation pcs, though! The clock will go forever....

[WestVirginiaRebel]

The VBT200 retailed for about $1000 and was introduced in October '77.

[ReeceIsDaWord]

OMG that is so cool, i wish i had one of those

[digitalrbn]

damn its meant conditions! i remember the brilliant clock, it could light up a dark room lol.

[Dreambro1]

actually , the VHS was around in the late 60s ,,,,,Ive seen ads LOL

[MRLOL785]

@Dreambro1 no VHS was 1976, there were early tape formats like U-Matic, cartivision, and some others that were first introduced in the late 60's early 70's. The first successful tape format was Betamax in 1975.

[Vinylrecordsneverdie]

I remember that model from kingergarten back in 1992.

We got our 1st VCR in 1988. It was a Goldstar manufactured in June 1987. I forgot the model number on it. I remember when we first got it, I used to push the buttons on it and my brother would tell my mom that I was playing with the VCR. I though he was saying "ECR", LOL!

Compared to the Goldstar, the RCA is a Tank!

[john6380]

I like the look of that VCR. I've never used a top loader but I wish I could sometime. Do you use it to tape stuff off T.V.?

Hey, can you do a demonstration video showing the VCR with a tape in it?

Thanks.

[PrincessTigerlili]

I have one of those VCR and it's still working! The sound is not verry loud though. I cleaned it but it didn't solve the problem.

[longlivemacs]

Cool, ya gotta love the top-loading VCRs!

[unclemort1960]

@longlivemacs you could hardly lift `em up

[cole3481596]

Wow, I did not know that the first VCR was in the 1970's and are you still using it to record TV shows of "Smallville", "The Simpsons", "American Dad", "SouthPark" and "Family Guy".

[floridapig]

I just got today the Quasar version of this vcr at a thrift shop for $10, works great, but the audio is very very low,.. Tv has to be turned all the way up just to barley hear it, I'm guessing its a faulty cap on the audio board... I'll have to post a video of it..

[WULFY1993]

im prety shure jvc was the first vhs player

[Watcher3223]

Well, JVC made the first ever VHS VCR in the world.

That said, it was RCA that introduced the first VHS VCR for sale in the North American marketplace. However, these RCA VCRs were made by Panasonic.

Of course, RCA did not invent VHS, though they and Panasonic were responsible for the American LP speed that permitted 4 hours of time on a T-120 cassette. JVC refers to this LP speed as "the bastard."

The American LP speed is not to be confused with the LP speed anywhere else in the world.

[PupuTheClown]

,,I believe the first actual video recorders were used in American TV stations and studios as early as the 1950s, B&W of course.

[smartalex61]

Did I see an IBM PC in the background? I'd love to see a video of it! I'm 19 and into vintage and modern electronics as well. (As you can see from my channel!)

[prs0889]

Yes, that was an IBM PC. I have many 5150's and 5160's around, and a couple other AT's too. I will try to make a video of some of the computer equipment soon.

[MrGoldenwaffler]

Love that VCR! reminds me of when I was a kid and watching cheezy movies at friends house!

[Frritzz]

We had an RCA Selectavision back in 1980. That was our first VCR. The one you showed has THE looks of the one we got. My dad got some fast forward add-on thingy for zipping through commercials as well as slowing down the video. It came with a schematic showing how to hook it up. You could still hear the sound when the speed changes. The VCR worked well, but the repairs were rather costly (as I recall).

[CassetteMaster]

Very nice VCR! Did you try a tape on it yet? And this is built to last. DVD players built to last? NOOOOOOOO.

[MRLOL785]

@CassetteMaster Actually, I have a 2001 Sony 5 disc that works brilliantly. It was $500 back then, and has outlasted 2 DVD players, ( a panasonic 5 disc and a magnavox). Just goes to show you that you get what you pay for.

[Maxxarcade]

I had one of those a few years ago, and it worked great until one of the plastic gears broke. I'll probably never forgive myself for getting rid of it.

[prs0889]

Yes, I will put in a tape and make another video.

[eyeh8nbc]

@prs0889 We're still waiting...

[retrochad]

That's a real tank of a VCR! Can you demonstrate the operation sometime?