Samsung VR8460 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR
Samsung VR8460 not bad, but...
I picked this VCR up locally for half price. I am still wondering whether it is worth the $$. I would rate it 5 stars for user (tape) controls, 2 stars for recording quality, and 1 star for the cheap remote. Read on...<br /><br />Good Points: Nice user control features, good tape positioning (FF/REW, Still Frame, etc), easy to speed through (and stop after) commercials, \\"Shuttle\\" buttons that give 4 speed levels of FF and REW, \\"Instant Replay\\" button that rewinds and plays last 5 seconds (SP mode) or last 15 seconds (SLP mode) (yes, two presses doubles, three triples...), multiple levels of slow F&R, good display (4 levels) of tape information, and it even has channel text display when you press the channel button up/down (channel text displays information about the show being watched--like the movie title). Some reviewers say that it even put time stamps on the recordings that give day/time/channel/text(?) information on recorded tapes, but I have not yet seen this feature.<br /><br />Bad Points: SLP-mode recording is not that good. To be fair, I am still testing different tapes, but all seem to be a speckled step down from the TV reception. It seems to be enhancing the signal, but it is also enhancing the noise (speckles, lines, etc). SP mode is better, but not much. The remote is cheap and DOES NOT control the TV (no volume, etc). This causes you to have to keep switching back and forth between remotes--kind of a pain.<br /><br />I also picked up the Panasonic PV-V4524S for half price locally. What a deal I thought, but I can confirm other reviewers--it records and plays back tapes very well, but only those recorded on this VCR. Tapes from other VCR's have definite tracking problems--some work good, but some don't work at all. After two weeks messing around testing this unit I returned it. Yes, VCRs have gotten cheaper in price, but also in quality! Love those half-off coupons and 30-day return policies. Good luck...