Stupid question - why aren't there 5-disc DVD & VCR combo decks?

[reapersaurus]

Here's my thinking - tell me where I'm off:

5 disc DVD player is an almost-must. Far too often would a person likely want to flip between multiple discs to bother with a 1-disc deck. Plus, 5-disc CD players are so common, right?

(Here's the thought I'm not so sure of) A VCR is still a valid electronic device. Taping TV and dubbing video cameras is still commonplace uses for a VCR. It shouldn't be obsolete yet (yet it's coming close for viewing movies on).

If a DVD player and a VCR player are still common devices to have, why don't they have a 5-disc DVD and VCR player?
Why do they offer so many single-disk DVD & VCR combos? If I'm going to want a combo to save space and connections, why would I want a single-disc DVD player? Don't tell me I'm supposed to have a 5-disc DVD player in addition to the combo deck?

Help me underastand why this device is not available, when I think the need for it is quite apparent in the market.

[aintnosin]

I think mostly because there's not enough room for the VCR mechanism and a 5-disc carousel without making the player larger than they want.

[reapersaurus]

I was thinking that might be the case, but then I see how much room there is in most entertainment centers, and I think there's plenty of room to add a little bit of height to the player.
Most dual-decks are quite thin currently. I doubt if a bit more would make it unworkable.
Plus, it would save height overall, since many people (I'd guess) have 2 players, this would take the place of both.

[reapersaurus]

any other ideas?

[Miggy]

I've always seen the DVD-VCR combo for people who have more slowly adopted DVD than we early adopters did. It's hard for me to imagine, but there are plenty of people who still play tapes and have large enough tape collections that they cannot quickly convert to DVD. So, they have a unit that helps them transition from tape to DVD more easily (sort of how early 486 machines had 30-pin and 70-pin SIMMS).

Conversely I've always seen 5-disc DVD changers and recorders for those who are more into HT, and thus have long abandoned their tape collection.

This is the only theory I have, as I have never thought about it before I opened this thread.

Miggy, the Thief

[reapersaurus]

Miggy - thanks for the response.

So you're stance is that most people who enjoy DVD's don't have a VHS player anymore?

[Jellodyne]

I don't have a VCR.

As for the original question, the benefit of a 2-in-1 is that you get both in the space of a single device. It's relatively trivial to make both a VCR and a DVD player in a half-standard-width size. Put 'em side by side and use one case and you've got your combo deck. On the other hand, it's impossible to make a 5 disc carousel in a half width, and nobody wants cartridge based changers, so if you make a dvd changer+vcr you've got to stack them. At that point you might as well just get two devices and stack them, since you've lost the small size factor.

[aintnosin]

What Miggy said....