S-VHS ET feature, onboard noise filtering for picture, LP recording (if you want that)

No amorphous heads feature, no 19 micron EP heads, no tape bios calibration when recording

I used to own an older 1997 model Panasonic PV-S4870 which was a well built little unit for a Super VHS deck. It wasn't big on features, but it did well what it was supposed to. It was also made in Japan back then. I paid $600 Canadian for it then. That unit had amorphous heads. For some reason Panasonic decided to do away with those heads in the current top model vcr. Why? Only to save costs on manufacturing I guess as those heads only improve picture quality in todays DVD market. The unit down for 2001 lineup for some reason does have amorphous heads, so this doesn't make sense. Also why does Panasonic not incorporate the 19 micron head feature? I have seen the results of those types of heads and yes it does improve EP picture quality. Most decks these days have those type of EP heads. This new 2001 unit I paid $300 Canadian for it. I needed it as a secondary deck. I currently own a JVC HR-S 9800 as my main deck. It is of a higher caliber then the Panasonic and the noise filtering on the JVC is noticably better then the Panasonic's filtering. I did comparison tests between the two decks and sure enough the Panasonic's picture was grainier and grittier. The JVC was noticably cleaner looking. The sharpness on both decks was about equal however. My Hitachi VTS-751 deck gave out and was non-repairable so I had to buy a second deck. The recording quality on the Panasonic was pretty good in EP, and not so great in EP. I think a tape calibration would help here as the Panasonic doesn't use this feature and goes straight to recording when you push the button. For some that's a plus, but if you want to maximize record quality its needed, especially for Super VHS ET. I briefly tried the S-VHS ET feature on the Panasonic. I won't be using that feature on this deck, but on my JVC (if I use it at all). Anyway the results were fair as it didn't look much sharper then VHS. The picture again was grainier as well. I think the JVC does the better job using ET. I went into the menu screen on the Panasonic to turn on and off that feature. When I turned it off it also turned off S-VHS recording and I wasn't able to figure out how to turn S recording back on without turning on the ET feature. Confusing. I ended up erasing the decks memory to get it back to normal. The build quality is not as good as my old Panasonic, but its still ok for most use. Pushing the buttons feels cheap, Speaking of which the remote layout is not so user friendly either. The pause button is way down compared to the other playback functions, and the record button is tiny to the point you could miss pressing it when needed. The remote is backlight for dark room use so that is a plus. It also stands up on its base so you won't fumble for it in the dark. If you're using this deck to record it does have that rainbow bars problem of in expensive decks, so if you need clean edit points when recording, get a flying erase head deck. The front display could also be more informative, but its a minor gripe for a cheap deck. I have read this deck has a better playback picture then similar JVC priced S decks like the 3800, 3910, 4800, and 5910. I wasn't able to visually confirm that myself. The JVCs do offer some features this Panasonic doesn't like the before mentioned video calibration and 19 micron EP heads. The JVCs however don't as far as I know offer picture noise filtering like this Panasonic does. Why Panasonic ditched the amorphous heads option is stupid to be honest. That alone improves picture quality and the heads last longer. It does bring up the cost though, but considering a lower model has it I can't see why this unit doesn't. I would almost consider seeing if its possible to install the amorphous heads from the lower unit into this machine (assuming the decks pre-amp is the same). The rewind on the Panasonic is also noisy, especially with tapes with bad mechanisms. Its is fast though. The playback search is not so fast however. All in all for the price the Panasonic isn't a bad buy considering the picture it puts out and the filtering you get. It just lacks some features that other decks do have for even a lower price then this unit. If you expect more from S decks like I do, especially since own my Hitachi high end deck (more high end then my current JVC when decks were built well), get a JVC 7800 or 9800. If you want a well built unit even better then the 9800, get Sonys SLR-1000 as its built to early 90s standards most decks aren't these days. If thats not good enough then Panasonics industrial line deck the AG-1980 will do for you.

If you desire better record quality then S-VHS can offer, then get a fullsize DV home deck like Sony's, or wait for a DVD-R/ RW home recording deck that's coming out soon. I myself tape on mini-dv through my video cameras analog input. Now that's quality.

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic PV-S4870, Hitachi VT-S751, JVC HR-S9800

nice silver finish, panasonic name

everything!

Panasonic should be ashamed to sell such a product! Do NOT buy this product, you will be very disappointed. It begins with the flimsy construction of the unit as well as the remote control, if you wouldn't know it's a Panasonic, you would think it's a no-name VCR for $79 from Walmart which has, by chance, an SVHS symbol printed on. The quality of the tuner was very disappointing, it didn't show my cable clear while my JVC TV and other JVC VCR (4600) showed it sharp and without any noise. Recordings in SVHS mode very much noisier than the JVC and also the colors were not clearly separated, overall, a good picture for a noname $79 Walmart VCR, but very disappointing for a Panasonic SVHS VCR. Panasonic seems to have skimped on almost every thing, except the drive mechanism which is good. I returned the product, and would recommend to anyone to save the trouble trying it out. Probably, the 4820 is much better, but I don't as I haven't tried it out.
I would generally recommend JVC VCRs as mine has a MUCH better picture, the only drawback of JVC VCRs are their reliability and noise/unreliable drive mechanics.

Similar Products Used:

JVC HR-S4600U

Super fast rewind, good SLP recording

Comm.advance works on very few channels

After reading prev.reviews I still risked to buy it because I hoped that electronic part was not changed from 4820 (picture enhancement and comm.advance). My JVC died and first I thought to buy another JVC, but then decided to try something new, besides I always liked Panasonic.

To my surprise the cover is not thin plastic but metal (thin though) and unit was made in Indonesia (usually almost Japan quality). The SP recording is of good quality but picture very noticeable waves vertically. Comm.advance works ONLY ON ABC (channel 7) and sometimes on movie channels like TNT! (JVC worked on CNN and MSNBC too). Though on ABC it works flawlessly.
What makes me not to return the unit is SLP recording quality which is definitely better than on JVC (on SVHS cassetes, I did not tried ET) and fantastic rewind speed (less than 1 minute on 180 min tape!). Also tape stops and resumes immediately when I press Pause (JVS thinks 2 seconds). And comm.advance marking process does not prevent from watching TV (again, JVC shows blue screen).
So for using for SLP recording (by the way, picture is more stable than in SP) on SVHS cassetes this unit looks quite OK.

Similar Products Used:

JVC 5600