Panasonic PV-V4520 4-head Hi-Fi Stereo VCR
Written: Dec 12 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use, excellent picture and sound, great build quality, high expected reliability, compact and lightweight, nice remote
Cons: No front inputs
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| dkozin's Full Review: Panasonic PV-V4520 VHS VCR |
If you read me reviews, you know that I love Panasonic VCRs. Although they might look better then they do, you cannot find better VCRs – mechanically, in terms of picture and sound quality and, last but not least, ease of use.
I had a chance to play with PV-V4520 and it did not disappoint me. I got it for $99 at BestBuy.com with free shipping.
The VCR is lightweight – just 3 kg (about 6.6 pounds) and compact. Although some online stores (I think BestBuy.com) say it does not have auto tracking, 4520 has it (I cannot imagine any VCR nowadays without it).
4520 is 4-head Hi-Fi stereo VCR. Unlike some other manufacturer’s VCRs, Panasonic VCRs (and this one) allow you to record and play back at 3 speeds – SP, LP and SLP (EP). Some other VCRs (like JVC HR-3600) does not have LP speed, so you have to choose either SP or EP.
The remote is very good – it is more compact than my 3.5-year old Panasonic NV-PV8661 remote and also has backlit buttons. Unlike some other remotes that just slightly glow in the dark, this one has a button that activates the backlight for several seconds.
The remote also works when not directly pointed towards the VCR. Button layout is intuitive and you can control almost all functions from it. You can also control different brands of TVs and cable boxes from it.
The VCR has 1 A/V input (composite video and analog audio – left and right channels – 3 RCA-type jacks total) and 1 A/V output – all on the rear panel. Since this model is one of the cheapest, you don’t get the front inputs. There is also an RF in and out
The automatic clock set works in this model as expected – it set the time and date automatically, in contrast with JVC HR3600, where I couldn’t make the “Plug’n’Play” feature work properly. The channel setup was also easy.
4520 allows you to use VCR+ codes to program the recording, but I never use VCR+. The programming process is very easy both using VCR+ and “regular” programming.
The VCR has a tape position display that shows you a graph on the screen indicating the position of the tape. This graph looks much better than my JVC HR3600’s. My Panasonic 8661 doesn’t have this feature at all.
The picture quality is very good (to get better picture you have to pay much more for the model with Dynamorphous laminated heads or/and S-VHS VCR) and the sound in Hi-Fi mode is excellent. 4520 also has Index search and Commercial Skip.
Overall, 4520 is much easier to use than JVC and other brands of VCRs.
If you need a reliable, easy to use 4-head 3-speed Hi-Fi VCR, Panasonic PV-V4520 is your ticket. It combines ease of use with excellent build quality, great picture quality and sound and very affordable price.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dkozin
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 in Electronics |
 - Top 10 |
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Location: California
Reviews written: 838
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About Me:
I love to push buttons on electronic (audio and video) equipment. It makes me happy.
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