" I just want to watch my shows
without commercials using the equipment that I presently have."

I can dig that. Fortunately for me I don't even watch TV. I'd bet that you only watch a couple of shows anyway. If I get the urge I would prefer to watch old eps of Gunsmoke and things like that, or Get Smart, Lost In Space. What I would really like is Star Trek but CBS is being very stingy with those. When you can't even get ONE full episode on youtube you know they are actively policing it.

I guess I can't bitch too much except for the fact that they should be in public domain. I'm one of those people who would love the RIAA to come knocking because at the trial I will bring in TONS of media. "Go through this and figure out wehat I owe becasue I already paid for this material", by their own words it is the material - not the media. My scratched up records would come in handy.

Unfortunately for what you want you are going to need set top boxe(s). I think with a splitter and one box set to 4 and the other to 3 you can have multiple event timer record, at least two anyway. You could luck out and have another show on one of the channels already coming through one of the boxes.

"If so, would it be
possible to obtain one that way? "

Like smuggling nylons behind the iron curtain or something ? Or dealing drugs, smuggling ? I dunno, in this country they send out a SWAT team for people who sell raw milk. No ****. They come and tear up the farmhouse, confiscate everything but your clothes, like any money, computers, firearms. Then it's hell getting it back even if acqitted. I think I'd rather deal drugs.

The other problem is that for my purposes I would need an NTSC input, so the only options available would be Japan, Canada and a couple of South American countries.

"Everyone of them had lost
coercitivity and all that was left was snow."

I find it hard to believe that that just happened to all of them. Perhaps a small EMP ? This occurs whenever lightning strikes. If it was a few of them yes. All of them ? I hate to ask after the fact but, are you sure the VCR didn't have bad heads ? I mean did you try them in another, or maybe make a test recording on one to see that they were actually erased ? I played a beta tape last year or so ago that was recorded back in about 1990. When I used to actually use the beta I ran across some tapes I got from someone that were in beta 1 and while my machine wouldn't play them, you could tell the signal was still there.

J