Panasonic PV-V4620 4-Head Hi-Fi Stereo VCR
Written: Feb 04 '01 (Updated Feb 05 '01)
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Pros: Picture quality, excellent sound, ease of use, reliability, nice remote
Cons: Styling?
The Bottom Line: The Panasonic PV-4620 is an excellent choice - a reliable, easy to use VCR with excellent picture and sound and a host of useful features.
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| dkozin's Full Review: Panasonic PV-V4620 VHS VCR |
The Panasonic PV-4620 is a 4-head Hi-Fi VCR, it is a medium-priced Panasonic’s H-Fi VCR and a “younger brother” of the award-winning PV-4660. Although it is not the cheapest Hi-Fi VCR.on the market, it is well worth the price.
SETUP
The setup is very easy (see the “connections” section below). It is almost completely automatic – the VCR scans for available channels and determines the current time and date automatically (“Auto Clock Set”), using radio signals (make sure the cable or antenna is plugged in).
Since the radio signal is used for setting the clock automatically, you will not be able to use this feature if you have a digital cable service (as I do) or a DirecTV/Dish digital satellite receiver. However, you can connect your digital video source to the VCR's A/V input and connect any antenna to the RF input - this way you get both cable/satellite channels and the "Auto Clock Set".
After power outages, the VCR automatically resets the correct date and time. The Auto Clock Set feature works properly in this VCR, unlike my JVC HR3600 Super VHS VCR, where it doesn’t work – the JVC does not understand what time zone I’m in and there is no way to selectively override the time zone only.
PICTURE & SOUND
Comparing with other VHS VCRs, 4620 provides excellent picture quality and Hi-Fi stereo sound with virtually no noise and high dynamic range, comparable to CD quality. The Hi-Fi stereo VCRs use 2 heads for sound that rotate along with video heads, providing high relative tape speed and the higher the speed, the better the sound. The 4-head design provides still mode and slow motion with no noise that plagues 2-head models.
FEATURES
Unlike JVC and some other brands of VCRs, this VCR is very easy to use and program. I never use VCR+, but this model has VCR Plus+ Silver, which simplifies things even more. The programming is performed by navigating menus and using same buttons, unlike JVC’s remote that makes you use separate buttons for day, time and channel. I guess, you have to use the poorly designed remote and menu system to start appreciating the ease of use Panasonic VCRs provide.
The auto tracking works as it should, unlike some SONY and JVC VCRs I’ve had experience with. The remote has “V-Lock” buttons on the remote that allow you to adjust the V-Lock settings and remove unwanted image shaking during the still and slow motion modes. The same buttons allow you to adjust tracking manually (don’t worry, the auto tracking is so good that probably you will not have to do it at all – I believe in all my years of Panasonic VCR ownership I never had to adjust tracking manually, unlike JVC and SONY VCR, which would make me do it once in a while).
In addition to the excellent slow motion and still modes (without jitter and excessive video noise that plagues 2-headed models), the 4-head design also allows you to use three speeds: SP – standard play (fits 2 hours of recording on a standard T-120 tape), LP – long play (4 hours) and SLP/EP – super long play/extended play (6 hours).
Majority of VCRs on the market do not allow you to record using the “medium” LP speed, Panasonic VCRs is a pleasant exception. Which gives you more flexibility.
This fine machine has an onscreen “Tape Position Display” (the name is self-explanatory – it shows you where on the tape you currently are with no need to eject it). The “position” graph looks nice, unlike JVC’s – it is a real “graph” that uses a bar-type indicator.
The V4620 features very fast rewind and fast forward. The mechanism is very quick to react to your commands and is quite silent (of course not in the rewind mode :-) ).
Index Search
This VCR has an index search capability and also creates so called "timestamps" - records the date, time and channel when you start recording. This information appears on the screen for several seconds (you can disable this feature) when you start playback of this segment. It is not “imprinted” on the picture itself, but recorded separately, in a way that allows you to suppress the appearance of it after it has been recorded if you want. Sometimes it is interesting to see when you recorded that show.
There are two modes of index search:
1. After timer recording, you can search for the beginning of the program you recorded using the menu –just select the program to search for from the menu and the VCR will find the beginning of it.
2. You can specify the number of index "marks" to skip (for example you can skip to the beginning of the currently playing recording by pressing "Index", "1", "Rewind").
CONNECTIONS
The V4620’s back panel features a composite video in , composite video out, analog audio L in and out, audio R in and out (all of them are RCA-type jacks), RF/cable in and out (F-type jack), power cord (of course) and a switch that allows you to choose channel 3 or 4 if you were to use the RF out to send VCR’s signal to TV. It is better to use the composite video out, which provides you with better quality, and is easier to use with your TV.
You get 2 sets of inputs (front and rear composite video/analog audio – 3 RCA jacks x 2) and one out (3 RCA jacks). The front panel does not have buttons to control menus or program VCR, just basic buttons and 3 RCA jacks – composite video in, audio left and audio right channels. The front Audio/Video inputs are also helpful for recording from camcorders and such. The VCR has a width that is suitable for stacking it with your other home theatre components.
RELIABILITY
Panasonic VCRs have very high ratings for reliability among VCR brands, according to "Consumer Reports" magazine - first position among VCR brands. Panasonic and Quasar hold first and second places respectively – see ”Consumer Reports” Magazine reliability survey (Consumer Reports Buying Guide 2000, page 37).
I fully agree with this – I have been using Panasonic VCRs for some 15 years and never had any problems. I used my PV-8661 for 3 years and it still provides me with excellent picture quality. The Panasonic SD-11, which I used for video replication, making it record around the clock, survived this kind of abuse with flying colors.
REMOTE CONTROL
The remote control has an intuitive button layout that along with an excellent menu system makes V4620 very easy to use and program. The up/down/left/right buttons for menu control and other buttons are located in an intuitive manner and are quite large. Unlike some other brands, you don’t have to point it directly to VCR to make it work.
The remote is quite compact and features illuminated buttons, which is useful when you want to control your VCR and TV in the dark. In addition to your VCR, the remote allows you to control TVs, cable boxes and DVD players of almost any manufacturers (unlike JVC’s remotes, you don’t have to press two buttons at the same time to do this). Very good design.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 125
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Epinions.com ID:
dkozin
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 in Electronics |
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Location: California
Reviews written: 842
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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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