Panasonic PV-VS4821 4-Head S-VHS Hi-Fi  VCR
Excellent S-VHS VCR, very easy to use, many conveniences
I bought the Panasonic PV-VS4821 S-VHS VCR in July 2005 at a store closeout sale. Eight months later I'm very happy with this unit.  Apparently you can't buy these new anymore. I also own a JVC HR-S7600U S-VHS vcr (a more expensive unit with TBC and somewhat better picture quality) and a Toshiba RD-XS32 DVD recorder. Of course, DVD and other digital video is taking over, but S-VHS vcr's still have many desirable features and conveniences and are close to DVD quality in SP mode.    The Panasonic PV-VS4821 is still my favorite of the bunch for practical, convenient, every day recording and playback. The PV-VS4821 is far more easy to use and program than the others.   My favorite features are the super high speed fast forward and rewind and super easy programming, commercial advance, and availablility of \\"ET mode\\".  You can pay more for one of the high end JVC S-VHS VCR's with better picture quality, but there are con's to the JVC's, such as short life spans of many of the units, and a terrible program menu.  I finally mastered the Toshiba RD-XS32 DVD recorder (and recommend it) but it's menus are riduculously complicated with unnecessary/duplicate menu loops and a massive  instruction manual.    When I am burning old tapes to DVD, I use the JVC as the player because it has TBC, thus theoretically better play, but I don't notice the difference vs. this Panasonic. I have not had any problems playing old tapes in the Panasonic PV-VS4821. So I would not hesitate to use the Panasonic as a player for burning tapes to DVD.    I had  one mechanical problem with the Panasonic PV-VS4821 which was solved quickly and free through Panasonic tech support. After 7 months of heavy use (and after I made a change in the SVHS-ET menu setting), the vcr suddenly stopped playing and recording properly, with a number of different types of tapes tested. I sent a message to Panasonic Tech support via the Panasonic web site. Two days later I received an e-mail from Panasonic with instructionsto \\"Reset the vcr\\". This solved the problem.  (To reset the VCR, Hold down the Play button and the Channel up button on the main unit vcr front panel for more than 5 seconds until unit turns off.) The unit has been working again for the last week with daily programmed recording.    Pro's  - Super fast high speed fast forward and rewind. This is true  when you are reviewing tapes, as well as when you are rewinding the tape.  - Extremely easy to program compared to most other brand VCR's and DVD recorders.   - Picture quality in SP mode is excellent for the money, close to DVD quality. Any mode with this unit is superior to regular VHS, even though not as good as some high end JVC s-vhs decks, which you will pay alot of $$$ for and the JVC's  fail on other features.  - Commercial advance feature. Great feature! It doesn't always cue up precisely to the exact beginning and end of the commercials, but it's still a great feature. If for any reason, you want to go back and see a commercial or promo, you can still rewind and watch it. The VCR actually records all of the commercials, but it fast forwards through them automatically if you don't want to watch them. You can turn this feature on or off through the menu system, but the default setting is on.  - S-VHS ET feature allows recording near S-VHS quality on your old blank vhs tapes if you want to use them instead of more expensive S-VHS blanks. I mostly use real FUJI H471S S-VHS tapes, but ET mode is a convenient feature that can save $$$.    Con's  - Very lightweight and fragile compared to earlier models. (My vcr says was manufactured in Indonesia in 2002 whereas other Panasonic S-VHS models were manufactured in Japan.)   - Difficult to read the writing on the rear panel and find the correct IN/OUT plugs. The letters are raised black on black, not painted. You need a strong light or flashlight.   - No S-video input in the front. S-Video line-in is on the back only.  - I encountered one mechanical problem after 7 months of heavy use that was solved quickly and free by an e-mail from Panasonic tech support and involved \\"resetting the VCR\\".  (Hold down the Play button and the Channel up button on the main unit vcr front panel for more than 5 second until unit turns off.)  - No TBC which can provide better playback of some old tapes (i.e., for burning to DVD) if you encounter a problem old VHS tape that's not playing properly. This is a feature you will pay alot for if you need it, though. I have played many tapes in this vcr and have yet not encountered any playback problems.