Panasonic PV-V4611 4-Head Hi-Fi Stereo VCR
Don't buy this one or the 4620.
First of all, I wish there was an option to not give a star.  A product ought to meet minimum performance requirements.  This unit doesn't.<br />I purchased this VCR very excited about its features.  I experienced a problem with it putting a yellowish cast along the top of the video.  I thought it might be the tape so I put the tape in an older Panasonic VCR and a Sony VCR.  The color was not present.  I then played the VCR through my RF input thinking perhaps that my new Panasonic TV had faulty video inputs.  The same problem happened.  I returned the unit and bought another just like it.  It too had an identical problem.  I dismissed it as a QC problem since the VCRs were made in Malaysia.<br />I then located a new Panasonic 4620 VCR.  It was made in Japan (like the good old days.)  The yellow band was gone --- to be replaced by distortion.  Vertical lines at the top of the pictures were all slanted almost 90 degrees to the right.  The trees in the battle scene from Gladiator looked like someone had taken an axe to them.  I exchanged it for another of the same model.  Same problem.  I went through all of the previous diagnostic routines using the tape in other VCRs and had no problem.  I also plugged the unit into my Sony TV.  The image was improved but still unacceptable.  All images had a slight tilt to the left.<br />Tracking adjustments did not help me in any of the cases.  I gave up and decided to stick with my old 4-head hi-fi Panasonic VCR from 1987 (now only usable in mono).  I also ended up taking the new Panasonic CT27D20 television back and exchanged it for a Toshiba 32A50 suspecting that the Panasonic TV shared part of the problem.  The Toshiba is great!  I also purchased a Panasonic DVD-R65 DVD unit.  The Panasonic DVD is a fantastic unit.<br />I've been a long time Panasonic and Sony fan.  But I lost faith in Sony TV quality -- they just don't last long.  I'm now wondering about Panasonic.  What's puzzling is that their VCRs are rated highest in quality by Consumer Reports.  I was very thorough in my analysis.  Perhaps I had the 1 in 1,000,000 statistically bad ones.  The units were not characteristic of my Panasonic experiences.  Nor do my experiences match up with other reviews.  The tapes I test were all good ones too.  <br />The Toshiba is a first for me -- so far it, the old Panasonic VCR and the new Panasonic DVD work great together.