JVC HRS5902U 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR, Black
Always been a s-vhs fan & am pleased with this one.
Many TV newsrooms use super VHS, in their cameras, or for editing & dubbing in the studio... quickly, on the fly.<br /><br />Flaw, bug, & software free, fool-proof analog video almost as good as DVD, with S-video & multiple inputs & outputs that would make any videophile drool. The more sophisticated a machine becomes, the more sophisticated a user will have to be happy with it. Great pic, great sound, & fantastic for quick editing on the fly... maybe to later be burned on a DVD.<br /><br />The tuner gets a better pic, than my sony wega's tuner. If you get a bad channel 9, one of you're RF cords may be broken inside, at the end, or it not connected properly. Don't blame JVC. I own this & 3 other JVC s-vhs machines. The tuner is better than any equipment I'm seen... even on channel 9. But really, if you don't have a cable box or satellite, don't buy this machine, it's capable of much more than your system is capable of. If you don't know what a s-video connector is for & why you need it, these machines are too good for what you're capable of. AMF if you don't notice a startling difference in the picture quality compared to ordinary VHS, you're TV or how you got it hooked up isn't good enough.<br /><br />But these machines also play back ordinary VHS tapes with better quality than ANY other machine. There are pic/filter settings to clean up extra crummy tapes too.<br /><br />This particular machine I purchased as a back-up & extra. I was expecting it to be the quality of some of their cheapest s-vhs machines. To my surprise the machine works very well & the pic is excellent for s-vhs at this price range.<br /><br />One minor problem noted. The oscillator that generates the voltage for the fluorecent display generates interference to my Akai DVD burner it's setting on, & my other JCV s-vhs machine I have stacked ontop of it (on top of that I have my Directv TVO box). So with 4 units stacked together some interference came from this machine's fluorecent circuits. I found if I slid it 1\\" back from the burner, & the other machine ontop of it 1\\" back, all the interference disappeared. But now they aren't flush with each other. Someday I'll try stacking them differently. Beside them I have a JVC DVD player, Terapin VCD/CD burner, & another JVC s-vhs deck stacked together. Between the 2 stacks is 2 5\\" LCD monitors (for dubbing/cueing).<br /><br />Anywho, it's not unusual to have stacked machines interfere with each other. But it's the first time it ever happened with a JVC unit. Some TVs will even interfere with some machines set on top of them. It's not a defect but rather an occasional coincedence that one machine is emitting a certain frequency close to a frequency that another machine is particularly sensitive to. Moving the units a little or the wires behind them usually will clear it up.<br /><br />Update: I've read S-VHS tapes are harder to come by in another review. These machines use ordinary VHS tapes, you don't need super-vhs tapes for them, but they should be good tapes. My best pix on the come from ordinary t-120 & t-160 memorex tapes I buy in 10-packs real cheap. DVD burners & blank DVDs are getting cheap but the lasers & drives wear out after your 100th to 500th disk. 10 years after your fifth DVD burner has bit the dust your super-vhs machine will still be going strong. I know from experience, I'm a tech, I work on stuff like this all the time. My first 10 year old super-vhs machine is still running like new after extremely heavy use & conditions. It's been banged around overstacked, & used in hot environments that would kill most electronic equipment. It's never been opened or repaired. The newer cheaper s-vhs models only had minor negligible problems, & are still many times better than any ordinary vhs machine.<br /><br />BTW, I don't work for JVC., & the other machine ontop of it 1\\" back, all the interference disappeared. But now they aren't flush with each other. Someday I'll try stacking them differently. Beside them I have a JVC DVD player, Terapin VCD/CD burner, & another JVC s-vhs deck stacked together. Between the 2 stacks is 2 5\\" LCD monitors (for dubbing/cueing).    Anywho, it's not unusual to have stacked machines interfere with each other. But it's the first time it ever happened with a JVC unit. Some TVs will even interfere with some machines set on top of them. It's not a defect but rather an occasional coincedence that one machine is emitting a certain frequency close to a frequency that another machine is particularly sensitive to. Moving the units a little or the wires behind them usually will clear it up.    Update: I've read S-VHS tapes are harder to come by in another review. These machines use ordinary VHS tapes, you don't need super-vhs tapes for them, but they should be good tapes. My best pix on the come from ordinary t-120 & t-160 memorex tapes I buy in 10-packs real cheap. DVD burners & blank DVDs are getting cheap but the lasers & drives wear out after your 100th to 500th disk. 10 years after your fifth DVD burner has bit the dust your super-vhs machine will still be going strong. I know from experience, I'm a tech, I work on stuff like this all the time. My first 10 year old super-vhs machine is still running like new after extremely heavy use & conditions. It's been banged around overstacked, & used in hot environments that would kill most electronic equipment. It's never been opened or repaired. The newer cheaper s-vhs models only had minor negligible problems, & are still many times better than any ordinary vhs machine.    BTW, I don't work for JVC.