i was just checking the argos book today and a mono video recorder can set you back £39.99 while a dvd player can cost you £29.99 and it's better quilty picture it's stero and i bet it's got an output for a surround kit coaxal or digital optical while the videos got mono one scart output and a less better picture quiality i mean come on the dvd player has been around since 1998 or before and the vcr has been around since 1980 it's about time they start selling themat like £25.00 i understand that they have more machics and stuff but the dam thing older that i am and dvd is going to take the crown for best bargin on earth the most expensive mono vcr is page 682 product 9 at £74.99 and it doe'snt have video plus the cheapest nicam vcr on page 683 product 11 at £49.99 and the most expensive vcr is product 15 at £119.99 but thats got all the gear mean while the dvd players on 686 product 2 dvd45 is £29.99 without display the most expensive on page 687 is product 11 at £89.99

...and on page 263, they've got a special offer on commas and full stops.
Fair point though.

Possibly because the VCR has more moving parts.

I think that part of the reason is down to where the two products are manufactured.
The cheap dvd players are basically manufactured in China, a country that was effectively a closed economy when VCRs were launched.

VCRs in my experience of buying over the years, tend to be manufactured in the West, and the higher labour costs will factor into the price of this product.

When China switched to being an open economy, VCRs were already a mature product, and it didn't make sense for manufacturers to invest in plants in that country.

Also as has already been mentioned, VCRs are a complicated product compared to dvd players, which you will realise if you have ever opened one up.

Just a small, additional point. You're comparing a DVD player with a video recorder

Also, most manufacturers of cheap DVD players don't pay their licencing fees.