Mitsubishi HS-U445 VHS VCR

In regards to the HS U445, I haven't had the all-wonderful experiences that others have had, but rather good and bad experiences. The problem I just had was the weird sound it began to make while watching a VHS movie. The sound became so irritating that we actually would turn down the volume, since the irritating sound increased and decreased with the volume. The problem was that we then couldn't hear the characters speaking too clearly. Then, one day I put in a VHS movie and pressed power, but nothing happened. Needless to say my video movie is forever stuck inside.
We've had the VCR for maybe four years and perhaps they just aren't meant to last that long? This VCR worked quite well in it's "prime." We liked the quick fast forward and rewind. We used a universal remote through it, which worked fine. The ability to record different shows before coming home is a nice feature and was easy to use. The on screen speed and fast forward and rewind on the screen helps with finding when you want to stop to play. We never had any problems with the remote it worked well, however, we ended up using a universal remote, which was more simple to manage at the end. the bottom line is I would have to talk to someone about the newest models. It may be that this Mitsubishi U445 VCR lifespan had simply ended.