You’re staring at a stack of home movies. Maybe it’s your wedding from '98 or that grainy footage of your kid’s first steps. Then there’s the DVD collection—hundreds of discs that "streaming" hasn't quite replaced yet because, honestly, Netflix removes movies faster than you can watch them. You want one machine. One remote. You want a dvd and vhs player combo new because your old one finally gave up the ghost with a terrifying grinding noise.
But here’s the kicker.
Walk into a Best Buy or browse the front page of Amazon, and you’ll notice something weird. The "new" units aren't exactly what they seem. If you’re looking for a brand-new Sony or Panasonic combo deck manufactured in 2025 or 2026, I have some tough news: they don't exist. Funai Electric, the last company on Earth actually churning out VHS hardware, stopped production back in 2016. That’s a decade ago.
The Search for "New Old Stock" and Refurbished Reality
When people search for a dvd and vhs player combo new today, they’re usually hitting a wall of refurbished units or "New Old Stock" (NOS). NOS is the holy grail. It’s a unit that sat in a climate-controlled warehouse for fifteen years, never opened, still smelling like factory plastic.
They are expensive. Extremely expensive.
I’ve seen Magnavox and Toshiba combos go for $600 to $1,000 on secondary markets if the box is still sealed. Why? Because the rubber belts inside these machines degrade over time. A unit that has never been used is a gamble. Even if it's "new," those internal belts might have turned into goop or snapped while sitting on a shelf in a humid warehouse. You’re paying a premium for the hope of longevity.
Then you have the "renewed" market. This is where most people actually end up. Companies like Magnavox, Funai, and Sanyo dominated the tail end of this era. If you find a "new" unit on a third-party site today, it’s almost certainly a professional refurbishment where a technician has replaced the capacitors and the drive belts. Honestly, that’s often better than a sealed box from 2005.
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Why the "Combo" Dream is Dying (and What to Do)
The tech world moved on to 4K and HDMI 2.1, leaving the humble RCA cables in the dust. Most modern TVs don't even have the yellow, white, and red ports anymore. If you find a dvd and vhs player combo new or even a high-end used one, you’re going to face the "Handshake Problem."
VHS is an analog signal. DVDs are digital. Combining them into one output was always a bit of a hack. Most combo units from the late 2000s, like the Samsung DVD-V9800 or the Sony SLV-D380P, were "tunerless." This means they couldn't record TV shows anymore; they were strictly for playback.
If you’re serious about this, you need to look for units with HDMI Upconversion.
Specific models like the Magnavox ZV427MG9 or the Toshiba SD-V296 offered a way to send both the VHS and DVD signal through a single HDMI cable. It won't make your 1994 tape look like a Marvel movie. It just won't. But it will make it viewable on a 65-inch OLED without looking like a thumbprint smeared across the screen.
The Problem With Modern "Knockoffs"
You might see "Brand New" VHS players on certain discount sites or obscure marketplaces. Be careful. These are often cheaply made converters or old components stuffed into new shells. They lack the heavy-duty motors of the original 90s machines. A real VCR needs weight. It needs solid metal guides. The "new" cheap stuff uses plastic gears that strip the moment a tape gets slightly tight.
It’s frustrating. I get it. We want things to just work.
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Digital Digitization vs. Staying Analog
Is it worth hunting for a dvd and vhs player combo new?
If you have a massive library and you enjoy the ritual of physical media, yes. There’s something tactile about the "clunk-click" of a VHS tape engaging. But if you’re just trying to save your memories, the machine isn't the solution—it’s the bridge.
Many people buy these combos thinking they can "dub" their tapes to DVD. Warning: Not all combos do this. You need a DVD Recorder/VCR Combo, not just a player. Models like the Panasonic DMR-EA38VK were legendary for this. They allow "one-touch" dubbing. You put the tape in, put a blank DVD-R in, and hit a button.
But blank DVDs are also becoming a niche hobbyist item.
- Check your connections first. If your TV only has HDMI, and you buy a cheap combo unit with only RCA (red/white/yellow) outputs, you’ll need an analog-to-digital converter.
- Look for "Refurbished with Warranty." Don't chase the "New" tag. Chase the "Tested" tag. A reputable seller on a platform like eBay or a dedicated vintage tech site will show a video of the unit actually playing and ejecting a tape.
- Clean your tapes. A "new" player won't help if your tapes have mold. Look at the edges of the tape through the clear window. See white spots? Don't put that in a $500 machine. It’ll ruin the video heads instantly.
The Reality of 2026 and Beyond
The supply of working VCR heads is finite. They aren't making more. Every time a machine dies, the total number of working units in the world shrinks. This is why the price of a dvd and vhs player combo new (or like-new) continues to climb despite the tech being objectively "obsolete."
Actually, some people prefer separate units. It sounds counterintuitive. Why have two boxes? Simple: if the DVD laser dies in a combo unit, you’re stuck with a massive VCR. If they are separate, you just replace the $30 DVD player. The combo unit was a convenience of the 2000s that has become a single point of failure in the 2020s.
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Actionable Steps for Your Media Collection
Stop looking for "Factory Sealed" unless you are a collector with money to burn. It’s a trap for most. Instead, search for "Professional Grade Refurbished" units from brands like Sony, JVC, or Panasonic. Specifically, look for S-VHS (Super VHS) compatibility if you want the best possible image from your old tapes.
If your goal is to preserve the footage, skip the combo unit entirely. Buy a high-quality used VCR and a USB Video Capture device (like those from Elgato or Diamond). Plug the VCR into your computer. Record the tapes as digital files. Once they are on your hard drive, you can put them on a thumb drive, upload them to the cloud, or even burn them to a DVD if you really want to.
This protects you from the eventual day when every dvd and vhs player combo new or old finally stops spinning.
Don't wait. Tapes are magnetic. They fade. The particles literally fall off the plastic backing over time. Whether you buy a combo unit or a capture card, the time to move those memories to a stable format is right now. Find a seller with a 30-day return policy, test your most important tape immediately, and get those memories off the magnetic strip before the "no signal" screen becomes permanent.
Check the manufacture date on the back of any unit you buy. Anything made after 2012 is likely a Funai-built machine, regardless of the brand name on the front. These are simpler, easier to fix, and generally more "modern" in their internal layout, making them the safest bet for someone who isn't a tech hobbyist but just wants to watch their old movies.