And brand name (3M, Memorex, TDK) blank video tapes were 12.99 EACH at the cheapest discount electronics store in L.A.

The first VCR we had...

- The tuner only handled six stations at a time.

- It had six little white dials at the top that you had to rotate to
set it to receive the channel you wanted.

- Had a pause button that got you a jumpy, distorted picture most
of the time unless you got it just right. There was no "slo-mo". We
thought it was fantastic.

- Setting the timer was like setting an alarm clock. And naturally you could only set it to record one program at a time.

The only reason we actually got one when they were still that expensive was my dad had a few friends who tended to just happened to have a knack for being around when things "fell off the back of the truck". Be kind to your local longshoreman. ;-)

Records one show while you watch another? PATENT INFRINGEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Due to a recent break up, I moved, and no longer have TIVO. I miss the TIVO more than my ex, lol. No more pausing, no more rewind. No more copying shows/films on DVDs. Sigh. No more scheduling to record. I stil have a VCR to record on, but, well...I remember how excited I was when I first bought a VCR in 1982.

"The Magician", wow, that's a blast from the past. I really enjoyed watching it when it first aired, and haven't thought about it in years. Thanks for the reminder.

WOW! And I paid less than 50 bucks for my last VCR three years ago. The other thing i hated pre-VCR technology was having two or even three shows on at the same time and having to choose only one to watch.