Even with the all the advancements and additions to home entertainment systems over the last couple of years, the VCR remains the most popular home electronics product ever built, and a fundamental component in a well-balanced theater system.

A VCR is a Video Cassette Recorder. Its main functions are playing videos and recording shows from television or dubbing them from another VCR. A VCR works with a Video Home System or VHS, more commonly known as a videotape. There are many features of a VCR that you need to pay special attention to. A basic two or four-head VCR that plays and records will cost you well under $150. If you add Hi-Fi sound, editing functions, and other embellishments, the price begins to go up. A VCR remains a key component of any home-theater system, and more importantly, allows you to watch what you want, when you want. VCRs may connect to your television, cable box, satellite system and/or audio system. It is also the only piece of home video equipment that can do what DVD players and many other devices cannot, record your favorite television shows.

VHS stands for Video Home System, which is very simply, a videotape. A VHS tape is a small plastic rectangular device that has a roll of magnetic tape inside, just like an audiocassette tape. The standard resolution of a VHS is 240 lines. A Super Video Home System or SVHS has a resolution of 400 lines, outputting better image quality. An SVHS VCR is recommended for use with high-quality satellite systems. Some VCRs are for VHS only, and therefore an SVHS tape played in one, will play at VHS quality. An SVHS video, on the other hand, can play both VHS and SVHS tapes.

A VCR head may be the most important piece inside your VCR. The VCR head is the part that comes into contact with the magnetic tape inside a VHS cassette. How many heads your VCR has affects the quality of recording, playing and pausing videotapes. The main difference is in transitions. With a four-head VCR, a pause is a clear still frame, as opposed to a fuzzy paused frame with a two-head VCR. Definitely get a four-head VCR if it will become part of your home theater system. A VCR with two heads works well in a kid's room. As part of regular maintenance for your VCR, it's important that the head is cleaned. Since a video head comes into contact with so many videotapes, it tends to collect dust. Special tapes and solutions are available for cleaning the head.

High Fidelity or Hi-Fi refers to the quality of sound. The human ear can hear up to 20,000Hz of an audio frequency, and Hi-Fi provides 20-20,000 Hz. Good quality audiocassette tapes never reach Hi-Fi quality, and neither do non-Hi-Fi VCRs. If you plan to hook your VCR to a stereo system or want it to be part of your home theater system, definitely shop for a VCR that's Hi-Fi. Many movies are recorded with Dolby-encoded soundtracks. To enjoy the sound of these movies like they were meant to be heard, a Hi-Fi VCR is a must. Using high-grade videotapes are preferable with Hi-Fi VCRs to optimize viewing quality.

VCRs that have VCR Plus simplify recordings, and allow you to record from a particular television or cable channel just by entering a specific code. VCR Plus Silver allows you to create auto-channel mapping, matching your television channels with your VCR channels, and VCR Plus Gold has all these features and more for satellite connections.

SP, LP and SLP are all modes of recording speeds. A standard T-120 VHS tape records two hours of video on the SP mode, four hours with the LP mode, and up to six hours with SLP. Not all VCRs record in all speeds. If you plan to record long shows, make sure your VCR comes with speed adjustments. The slower the recording speed, the poorer the quality of video, but the more time you have to record on a single VHS.

AV or audio/video inputs and outputs are what you use to connect equipment like a stereo, television, satellite system, cable box, video editor and other devices to your VCR. Every VCR has at least one audio and video input and output. AV inputs and outputs are usually located on the back panel of any VCR, and some models have an AV jack on the front panel for easier access. If you just want a TV-VCR connection, then one output should be enough. Two or more input and output jacks are recommended if you plan to add your VCR to a home theater or stereo system.

Multi-system VCRs have the ability to play a videocassette from any country. In America, a standard in all videos is NTSC. Other formats are PAL, M-PAL, and PAL-SECAM. A Multi-system VCR will play some if not all of these formats. With another standard single-system NTSC VCR, you have the ability to transfer videotapes from one system to another, so they may work in other countries. If you often view tapes from other countries, or have business in transferring videotapes from one system to another, then you need a multi-system VCR.

Most VCRs do come with remote controls so that you may control your VCR while not standing beside it. Some VCRs come with an MBR or Multi-Brand Remote which functions like a universal remote, allowing you to function not only your VCR, but your television and even your cable box. If your VCR will be part of your home theater system, it's a good idea to find a VCR that has an MBR. Some VCR remote controls have functions like slow motion and fast-play that normally are not found on a VCR.

There are thousands of VCRs that have been used for recording movies, and hundreds of different brand names. Although basic functions are the same for all brands of VCRs, there are some differences in playing and recording. It is because of these differences that most VCRs have a tracking feature. Whether it's automatic or manual, you should always buy a VCR with adjustable tracking. Most newer model VCRs have an ATR or Automatic Tracking feature, while others have a manual knob or button for adjustment. It allows you to get rid of annoying lines and static that you may find on your screen while playing a pre-recorded video.

A dual-deck VCR is essentially two VCRs built in one machine. Made especially for dubbing purposes, most dual-deck VCRs function like any other VCR with a remote control and channel changing. Each deck has its own head, and is stacked either one on top of another or side-by-side. One-touch button features allow for easy and speedy dubbing.

The auto-head-cleaning feature on a VCR doesn't mean that the VCR cleans itself whenever it needs to be cleaned. It does mean that the VCR you buy will have a light indicator that goes on to let you know its time your VCR head is cleaned.