JVC HR S3901U VHS S-VHS VCR - A DVD-Recorder Alternative For $129?
Written: Dec 12 '02 (Updated Feb 25 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Picture Quality: |
|
|
| Durability: |
|
|
|
Pros: Excellent picture and sound, low price, excellent features, multibrand remote, S-Video
Cons: Somewhat complicated to program, noise in SVHS-ET mode
The Bottom Line: The JVC HR-S3901 Super VHS VCR, although has some issues, provides excellent picture quality in Super VHS mode and doesn’t cost ...
|
|
|
| dkozin's Full Review: JVC HR-S3901 S-VHS VCR |
The JVC HR-S3901U is an inexpensive Super VHS ET VCR. You can buy it for less than $140. The same VCR is available in silver color as JVC HR-S3911U
Picture Quality
For me, the most important thing is picture quality, especially considering Super VHS VCR vs. VHS VCR. If you don’t want the best picture quality available in an analog VCR, you would get regular VHS model and save money.
This model is very impressive in terms of the picture quality – in “real” Super VHS mode on a somewhat expensive S-VHS tape (about $5 per tape). After watching a recording in S-VHS, regular VHS looks blurry, which makes sense, since the SVHS provides around 400 lines of horizontal resolution compared to 240 lines of VHS. You can see smaller details with SVHS recording, that are not visible if you use “regular” VHS.
However, the marketing pitch is S-VHS-ET mode, which is the same as S-VHS, except you use cheaper regular VHS tapes. And, although you would think you could get better picture quality and save on tape costs, there is a problem here. The S-VHS-ET produces mixed results, which largely depend on the quality of tape used and are worse than S-VHS overall since there is video noise and some “color bleeding”. But it is still better than VHS in terms of resolution and detail level.
So if you want excellent resolution and picture quality, in addition to getting this VCR, you will have to buy expensive S-VHS tapes. But this way, you can perform time-shift recording of your favorite programs with virtually no loss in quality and reuse the tape. All this without having to spring for an expensive DVD-recorder and expensive DVD-RAM discs.
The VCR also records and plays tapes in VHS mode and produces excellent results (although with lower resolution than S-VHS).
The sound is Hi-Fi and is close to CD quality.
Active Video Calibration
The S3901U uses so called Active Video Calibration that probes the tape for several seconds before the first recording or playback and adjusts recording/playback parameters accordingly. Does this produce any improvement in recording quality? I honestly don’t know but hope it does.
And if it annoys you, you can turn it off. Because it delays the actual start of recording for several seconds (unless you start with Pause-Rec mode or the tape has already been “probed” before).
Shuttle Control
The HRS3901U has a shuttle control on the front panel, useful for finding the exact frame you want to start recording from. The mechanism is pretty quick and works well. The remote has “super shuttle” control that allows you to perform the same function but using buttons.
Connections
The VCR has an S-Video in and out on the back panel in addition to an A/V input (composite video, analog stereo audio) and an A/V out. You also get an additional set of RCA-type A/V jacks on the front panel (to connect you camcorder for recording, for example), but with no S-Video.
There is an AV CompuLink connection available as well as a jack to connect a “Cable Eye” cable box controller, which can be obtained free from JVC by using the included coupon.
Cable Eye Controller
The so-called “Cable Eye Controller” allows you control your cable box or satellite box during timer recordings. It is placed in front of your DBS or cable box and sends the IR signals making the device think it’s being controlled by its own remote. You have to make sure the cable box is turned on before the timer recording - the controller switches the channel, but does not turn the box on or off.
Note: although you can use the "Cable Eye" controller to control number of cable boxes, the number of DBS (satellite) boxes it can control is limited to JVC (DISH), ECHOSTAR (DISH), SONY and RCA. I have a HUGHES DirecTV box and cannot control it using Cable Eye.
Another way to record the shows from the DBS is to program the box to turn itself on when the show starts and turn itself off when it’s over. The VCR has a “Rec Link” button on the front panel that makes it record when and what is fed to it’s A/V input.
Remaining Tape Display
The VCR has an onscreen tape position display (which is uglier than the position display Panasonic VCRs use) that shows you graphically where you are currently located on the tape. Also, you can see the remaining tape time in hours and minutes and I find this indicator to be very accurate.
You can record in VHS, S-VHS (if you use S-VHS tape that costs around $5) and S-VHS-ET (same as SVHS, but on regular tape). You can record at SP and EP (SLP) speed, so you can either record 2 or 6 hours on T-120 tape. There is no recording in LP speed, but the LP playback is present. Anyway, the LP recordings are usually worse in quality than EP.
The VCR has index search and instant review functions, auto clock and auto channel set.
Remote
The supplied remote control is somewhat big in size and can control a TV, cable box, DBS and even two JVC VCRs. But the operation is complicated and the programming process is overly complicated too. Four separate buttons allow you set start time, end time, date and channel. Yet another button sets the recording speed. Weird.
Bottom Line
The JVC HR-S3901 Super VHS VCR, although has some issues, provides excellent picture quality in Super VHS mode and doesn’t cost much. It can be considered a much cheaper alternative to the DVD-recorder with a little less features but not much loss in picture quality.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 129
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
dkozin
|
 in Electronics |
 - Top 10 |
|
Location: California
Reviews written: 841
Trusted by: 519 members
About Me:
I love to push buttons on electronic (audio and video) equipment. It makes me happy.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.