The Emerson EWV-404 --- A good little VCR

The sole purpose of purchasing this Emerson VCR, was to have something else with which to record television shows when I wasn’t home. I admit that I am a television junkie, and the addiction has led me to watch shows ranging from ½ hour sitcoms to the latest reality show on FOX Reality. Ultimately this leads to shows being on at the same time as others that I enjoy, and still more of them being on in either the wee hours of the morning, or during the time when I am at work. So, I needed to go purchase a VCR that could be hooked up to an additional cable outlet, and I really didn’t care about the quality of the VCR, because all I needed it for was to record shows and then watch them on my main television and VCR. The Emerson was an easy choice, as it was even on sale at my local Shopko store, and I was able to purchase it for right around $40.00. For its intended use, the Emerson EWV404 VCR has performed brilliantly, and if you are looking for a very inexpensive VCR option, this one could fit the mold just right.

The VCR is about as spectacular as you would expect for $40.00, made of an off-gray color that feels like plastic, and which doesn’t have all that many bells and whistles. The trade-off, is that though it feels cheaply made, it is extremely light, and easy to move around the house to where-ever you want to use it. It also comes with an easy to use remote control that controls all of the VCR functions, which includes an eject button right on the remote. The remote is small and light, so be careful with it, as it can be easily misplaced if you aren’t careful. The good part though, is that with all of the main buttons located on the front panel of the VCR, the remote is only necessary to make life easier. You have the main control buttons (on, off, FF, Rew etc.) all located right on the front, so if you want to just use those, it isn’t the end of the world. I have found though, that I like having the ease of the remote, and as with most of my electronics, it isn’t necessary to push many of the buttons on the machine itself.

The Emerson VCR is a 4-head VCR, which has a 181 channel auto-set tuner. You can do a lot with the VCR if you want to, including taking advantage of freeze-frames, frame advancement, and even a slow-motion feature. There are also several speeds for the rewind and fast-forward, so if you know something is far into the tape, you don’t have to waste a lot of time trying to find it. This function also works while you are watching the tape, and has come in handy when I am trying to get to a specific end-point of one show in order to tape the next one. Other features that the VCR has are a 3-second program memory back-up (for those power-surges or signal losses), a real-time counter on the display, an auto head cleaner, and of course the ability to play and record at three different speeds (SP/LP/SLP). For hooking up external AV, there are two plugs on the front, and on the back are the cable input and output ports to hook everything up to your cable and television.

The Emerson EWV404 is not a flashy or spectacular VCR by any stretch of the imagination. It is an electronic component specifically geared towards someone getting basic use out of it, and it is a product that is available to people who may be on a tight budget. For the specified use of recording television programs, it has been the perfect purchase for me, and it has added even more hours to my out-of-control addiction. I think that this could be the perfect VCR if you are looking to purchase one for a younger kid, as it is easy to control, and no so expensive as to be devastating should it be broken. It is pretty durable as it is, and the lightweight feeling (less than 4 pounds) makes it maneuverable for any consumer. If you are looking for an inexpensive VCR that is going to be able to record for you, this could be the perfect option. If you are looking for a great VCR to watch films or shows on, this one leaves a little to be desired, as the picture is never quite perfect. Because of how well it has performed for me, I can easily give this little VCR 4 out of 5 stars, and a recommendation for anyone looking for an inexpensive option to record television shows.