Panasonic PV-V4523S 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR
Buy Panasonic PV-V4523S 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR Now !
Manufacturer: Panasonic
When it comes to VCRs, Panasonic knows how to ensure the highest quality. They are designed, developed and manufactured with the best technologies available to ensure the highest levels of reliability and performance. With state-of-the-art features such as easy to use menus, universal tower remotes, auto set-up functions and front audio/video jacks, these VCRs come loaded with features making set-up, recording and playback easier than ever.PRODUCT FEATURES: 4-Head VHS Hi-Fi Stereo VCR; Video Head Sensor System; Front A/V Jack; 181-Channel TV/CATV Tuner; All Channel Auto Set; Auto Clock Set; Auto Power Off; Video Head Sensor System; Commercial Skip; Index Search; Program End Search; Ready to Play; Tape Position Display; Trilingual On-Screen Display; Home Theater Ready.
Amazon.com Product Description:
The compact PV-V4523S offers four-head playback, stereo sound, Commercial Skip, and front-panel audio-video inputs for a camcorder or gaming console. Its four-head design ensures smooth slow-motion play (forward and reverse) and clear still-frame images, while hi-fi sound records and plays back dynamic stereo audio tracks. If you route the stereo output to an AV receiver, you can even enjoy four-channel (left, center, right, and monaural surround) Dolby Pro Logic mixes from TV and Dolby-encoded cassettes.
You can schedule ahead using the recorder's one-month, eight-event programming, and the unit weighs a mere 5.5 pounds--perfect for quick moves from the recreation room to the bedroom or living room when needed. Features like index search, program end search, tape-position display, a trilingual (English, Spanish, French) onscreen display, all-channel auto set, auto power off, and the ever-handy auto clock set greatly simplify setup and operation.
Commercial Skip speeds past unwanted portions of a tape in one-, two-, or three-minute increments. Index search lets you zip right to predefined index points, and tape-position display indicates how much room is left on a tape, before or during recording. The PV-V4523S also has Panasonic's Ready-to-Play feature: as soon as you plug it in, the combo automatically sets its own clock and local TV channels. It comes with a universal remote control.
- Lightweight, easily portable 4-head hi-fi VCR with 1-month, 8-event programming
- Front AV inputs accommodate a camcorder or gaming console
- Commercial Skip minimizes viewing distractions
- Index search and tape-position display simplify navigation
- Includes auto clock set, all-channel auto set
Model: PV-V4523S
Excellent machine
I bought this VCR more than two year ago, in February 2004. At the time, my old, faithful Toshiba VCR, bought in 1984, had bitten the dust (it's been repaired since for more money than my new Panasonic cost, but I had some very good reason to do so). Nowadays, practically all VCRs look and feel "junky," and this Panasonic is no exception, so I did not expect much from my purchase. I was happily surprised.
I first consulted some reviews on the Web. It seemed this player was rated "average," as most of its competitors in its price range. Then I went to several stores, looked at what was available, considered the features offered by each machine, their prices, etc, and eventually narrowed my choice on this Panasonic PV-V4523 VHS VCR.
The machine has a good appearance, with smooth lines and contours, and a pleasant, hi-tech silver color.
Setting it up. I hate reading instruction manuals. I am the kind of guy who figures that, since a machine has been put together by other human beings, and since I am part of the same humanity, I should be able to work it out without instructions, just using logic. Eventually, I will discover all that there is to know about a machine
The manual consists of two "accordion-like," folded long pieces of instructions, printed on both sides, one marked "Basic Operations," and the other "Advanced Operations." A quick look at them seemed to indicate that, like most instruction manuals for consumer electronics, they had been written for people whose I.Q. equals their body temperature, by people whose organization skills have somewhat been altered. So, after reading the instruction about how to plug the power cord in the wall, I decided to program the machine using the TV screen, the remote control, and some common sense.
I found that it was relatively easy to do the set up in this fashion, although this trial-and-error method forced me on several occasions to back up, having followed the wrong path. When stuck, I went back to the manual. I had no problem finding the page with the relevant instruction, and in the process, I had bypassed all sort of confusing and irrelevant instructions.
Remote. Simple to use, with logical and versatile controls. The function of each button is clearly indicated and its resulting actions are as advertised.
Clock Setting. I tried the "Automatic" setting, and I'd probably still be waiting for the results, had I not switched to the "Manual" setting. Once set, the clock seems very stable, and adjusts itself automatically to day-light saving times (as I don't remember ever adjusting it again manually, so it must have). When the VCR power is "Off," the time of day is displayed. When it is "On," the time is still displayed, but with a red light in the upper left corner.
The Playback of Tape is straight forward. The forward (FF) or reverse (RR) are fast (one click) and very fast (two clicks), and they ARE fast. You can follow the progress of the viewing material on the TV (at least on mine). The "Auto Rewind" and "Play Auto Eject," are self explanatory. Once the tape ends, it rewinds itself and eject, if programmed to do so.
Slow motion, Frame-by-frame and Pause are available by pressing repeatedly one button. Going from "Pause" to "Play," the tape starts almost instantly, which is a real advantage. The same is true when going from FF or RR to Play.
Recording on a Tape is also very simple and logical. You can record a TV program on one channel while watching another on another channel (Except when using a Cable Box or DSS Receiver).
Copying Your Tapes. Again, this is really straight forward. You hardly need the instruction sheets, except maybe the first time to make sure you have not missed a subtle point. But there are none.
Time Recording I have recorded TV programs on several occasions, while away from the house. The set-up was simple and it worked well.
Special VCR Features. Sorry, I did not bother to test them. To me, they seemed unnecessary for the use I have for this VCR.
On-Screen Displays. This is the real plus. It allows you to set-up, navigate, etc. Its operation is (almost) logical, and you won't have problem getting used to it.
Tracking. Although it is done automatically, there is a button on the remote which allows you to fine tune the tracking, which I found to be necessary in few instances, when viewing home-mad tapes.
I realize that the VCR is being displaced by the DVD in many areas, but there is still a use for it (I still have my AR turn table on which I still play my 33 rpms). I was happily surprise by the Panasonic PV-V4523 VHS VCR, and after more than two years of moderate use, it is still working as it did on the first day. Although my old Toshiba is still with me, I only use it for copying tapes, and my Panasonic is now my favorite (But please, don't tell my Toshiba, it would hurt its feelings). The outstanding features of this VCR are SIMPLICITY, VERSATILITY, and up to now, RELIABILITY.
Panasonic PV-V4523S Review
The Panasonic PV-V4523S is a good VCR. It's one of the last to record in LP mode. The following models only record in SP/EP. The shortcomings are the silver finish and the tape advance. The silver finish wears off quickly in the high use areas, especially on the remote. The tape counter is awkward. It only shows on the TV screen and not on the LCD panel on the front of the VCR. The screen only shows Play and Rec on the LCD panel while in use w/o showing the tape counter. In REW and FF the screen only shows those terms briefly while the tape starts moving, making a precise rewind or fast forward imprecise. After one year of heavy use it has held up well. I bought two more to have one that will record in LP for the future.
Not quite good enough
When you replace an ancient VCR, you expect that the new one will not respond to the index marks laid down by the earlier one. That is why the ability to search by time reference is important. This model lacks that feature. To make things worse, the time reference disappears from the screen when one does fast forward or reverse. What can the designers have been thinking?Also, there is a fuzzy band on the left side of the screen during all playback. I regret not being alert enough to spot the shortcomings in time, and return this thing for credit. Most of the competitors would have served me better.
Good while it lasted
This is a very good VCR for the money and picture quality is very decent...for the first 8 months that is.We purchased this VCR in Oct. of 2003...and as of June 2004 it appears to be nearing the end of its usable life. We use it to record about 2 hrs of programming a night, apparently this is too much for this VCR to handle over long periods. When we bought it picture quality was amazing, as was sound quality. SLP recording quality is fair but not impressive. LP and SP modes are very good.At about 7 months of age, it began fast-fowarding without notice. Taking batteries out of remote, thinking that was the problem, made no difference. We had to fight with the thing to get it to respond at times. When it started fast-forwarding, nothing would make it respond, not even hitting the power button on the unit itself. Only unplugging it and re-plugging it back in would stop it long enough for you to remove the cassette from inside. After that we would get a "No Cassette" message all day as the VCR repeatedly attempted to fast-forward.When that began to go away, the picture quality began to decline. Recording on tapes, the bottom of the screen began to get distorted and, later on, lines began to run through the picture. Now, sound will periodically drop out for 1/2 a second while recording at various intervals, which is highly annoying on playback.We have cleaned it numerous times with a head cleaner to no avail. It appears that this VCR encounters serious problems if you use it repeatedly for long periods of time. It's really sad because we love this VCR, it has worked great and had a fantastic picture(except for SLP), for a long time now. It's a shame that it is giving up after only 8 months.Perhaps you will fare better. I give this VCR 4 stars based on its performance before it began acting up. I would recommend it because we were very happy with it. But be cautious that this VCR may not last very long. Or maybe it was just us. This puts us in the unfortunate position of having to replace it with another VCR....none of which have good reviews on amazon.com.
