Panasonic PV-C1333W 13-Inch TV/VCR Combo
Sony does the same thing
I had the same problem with a brand new VCR that I purchased. The person who commented above is absolutely right. For some reason Panasonic, sony's vcr's refuse to accept older tapes. They either spit them out or they play at the wrong speed. Like the customer above I refuse to play ONLY NEW TAPES in my VCR and strongly encourage anyone who has had the same problem to return the product RIGHT AWAY, and always test a new vcr with an older tape. It's the only thing that will stop this nonsense.