Hmm for Vhs you need to look at products from JVC or Panasonic.
OK Recommended makers
DVD Recorders Panasonic, Pioneer, Sony NOT Phillips
DVD Players - expensive - you need a Toshiba HDDVD and a Pioneer BluRay or for SD an esoteric rebuild of a Pioneer.
Cheap - Pioneer
Super cheap - Tesco special
CRT TV - too late now but toss up between the TV prior to TDs and their last big IDTV
Plasmas as TVs Pioneer and Panasonic
Panels Fujitsu I think
LCD - race between a few big companies, Sony, Philips, Toshiba, Sharp and a few Koreans
Projectors - various makers, however when I said Sony and prices that make you wince I think that is the best LCD projector.
Video Cameras - Sony
AV Recievers ect, Yamaha, Pioneer, Sony
Top end - Lexicon and similar
HiFi
Too many choices and personal taste come into it now, but a minimum system would be £100 per component. My front stereo pair were £450 in a sale.
Don't worry I have been into this sort of stuff for well over 20 years