Panasonic PV V4611 VCRs
Panasonic PV V4611 VCRs
USER REVIEWS
[Mar 06, 2002]
jeffdan
Casual Listener
Strength:
Simple recording, lots of features (VCR+, auto timing which is very handy) very good sound when connected to my receiver.
Weakness:
Very light, slow FF. I had been shopping for a "cheap" hifi VCR, and came across this one as an open box. Much better than the Sylvania system I was about to buy. Maybe not as good as some of the super expensive VCRs, but I usually watch DVDs, and was looking for a simple set up to play older movies and do recording. I agree with the reviewer above. Do use the RCA cables. I have my system hooked up to my tv through both rca jacks and regular coax. cable, and the difference is very distinct. Similar Products Used: Emerson, Sylvania, RCA, other lower end VCRs. Panasonic 5160 DVD player. |
[Mar 02, 2002]
rw1302
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Nice remote
Weakness:
Noisy recorded picture especially in ep/slp, noisy picture all speeds recorded from any vcr. dots in picture in slp from tapes recorded on any vcr including this vcr. When recording a black screen, there are color streaks in the recording. I know it''s a recording problem because the streaks appear on other VCR''s playing back the same tape. Noisey FF & REW, No "time remaining": just a graph. Noisy picture recording, noisy picture playing back all type tapes at all speeds, especially ep/slp In the ep/slp speed there are 2 dots dancing in the center of the picture as well as 2 dots at the bottom. The 2 dots at the bottom are normal for all vcr''s, however 2 dots in the middle of the picture are not. This is very noticeable on a big screen TV. I have 4 other hi-fi vcr''s at home including one 20 years old and none of these produces a picture as shoddy as this VCR. I kept this VCR for 3 weeks and returned it before the 30 day trial expired. Panasonic has gone a long way downhill since they first introduced VHS VCR''s Similar Products Used: Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Quasar, Techincs hi-fi VCR''s, Kenwood VR409 surround receiver, Pioneer DV333, RCA 45" big screen |
[Feb 19, 2002]
Lord Of The Sound
Casual Listener
Strength:
Good remote, easy set-up, fair picture quality, good sound, easy programming.
Weakness:
Picture quality is only fair-to-good, intermittant color waves sometimes appear with tapes recorded on this machine. Good value for the money paid. Only problem is this; when playing back a tape recorded on this machine, I noticed color waves going back and forth across the screen. Similar Products Used: Various low-price Magnavox Hi-Fi VCR''s throughout the last fifteen years. |
[Feb 01, 2002]
Ted
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Great picture at all 3 recording speeds. Some VCR''s give you only two speeds to choose from. Great sound too, it truly is "Home Theatre Ready" like it says on the box. Nice remote but some of the buttons are about the size of pin heads. It''s dimentions also match my other components for that professional look. Easy to read display, can be read clearly from across the room but it doesn''t display the tape time so it hard to rewind back 30 minutes without digging out the remote and pushing the display button which is on screen...kind of a pain. Great price for such a fine machine.
Weakness:
The buttons on the remote are kinda small but my universal makes this point moot. This VCR purchased at Costco is the model PV V4601. I''m not sure what the differences are between it and the 4611 but the description above and photo are similar with the exception that the 4601 has VCR+ Silver, just type in your Zip Code and it alters the cable channels for you...that''s kinda nice. Great picture at all playback speeds and I was impressed with the playback quality of tapes recorded on different machines which can be a problem sometimes. I haven''t noticed any of the noisy FF/RW that others have reported but I keep mine in a closed cabinet and I think I would have noticed if it had. I also didn''t notice a slow rewind either. I really like the commercial skip feature dispite the fact that it is nearly impossible to tell how long the commercials are going to be during any given program so it''s a crap shoot to get it right most of the time. You just have to take your chances and rewind after overshooting a minute. Best thing about it is the sound. I replaced a HiFi VCR with this one but it never sounded this good! Granted my Yamaha 5250 is no slouch when it comes to sound but it is only as good as it''s source and using the RCA patch cable it provides great picture and sound for the price. Funny, Consumer Reports didn''t even test a Panasonic in this price range yet they listed the Panasonics as having one of the better problem/repair ratings. They liked the Toshiba N71 but it is 30 bucks more with about the same features. You will like this VCR at this price. Similar Products Used: Replace a Magnavox VCR+ HiFi that didn''t come back to life after a recent power failure. |
[Jan 16, 2002]
Mike
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Video Playback, Features, VCR+
Weakness:
Slow Rewind, Noisy FF/RW Overall this VCR is very nice. I just recently upgraded from a mono VCR to complete my HT system. Similar Products Used: Samsung Mono 2-Head, Philips Hifi 4-Head |
[Nov 12, 2001]
Kinston Sessoms
Strength:
High Picture quality at all speeds , Excellent easy to use remote and was no trouble hooking up to my other home entertainment units.
Weakness:
Slight video noise when playing tapes, Doesn,t show counter time remaining on tape. Very good performance in all areas, Very very solid and will meet most, If not all you vcr needs. Similar Products Used: RCA VR618HF HI FI VCR. |
[Nov 12, 2001]
Kinston Sessoms
Casual Listener
Strength:
High picture quality at all speeds, Excellent remote control, Easy hook up with my other enterainment audio-video units, Solid performance and nice hi fi stereo sound.
Weakness:
Slight noise when playing tapes and does,nt show counter time remaining on tape. This product works very well and will probly meet most of if not all of your vcr needs, Rock solid and performs in all areas. Similar Products Used: RCA VR618HF VCR |