Panasonic PV-V4022 4-Head Mono VCR
Because It's Black
Yes, the color was the first consideration. My three-year-old JVC 20&quot; TV is black, my 6-month-old JVC slim DVD player is black, and so I wanted a black VCR to go with them.<br />My nine-year-old Panasonic PV-4308 died (well, OK, I killed it trying to force-feed a video) right after Christmas. For the longest time, I enjoyed not having a VCR at all. I have yet to find one that doesn't take up any room or is as slim as my trusty JVC XV-N50BK DVD player. All VCRs are fat!<br />However, I'm not prepared to spend an exorbitant amount on a PVR or DVD recorder yet, even though I can afford it. I think it's dumb to spend that kind of money on a gadget when there are people who can't eat, or are having their civil liberties taken away, etc. Besides, I'm still getting VHS tapes as presents, and I have a fair amount of tapes that I still enjoy. So, I finally decided to buy another one.<br />Why didn't I buy a JVC unit, since it would be compatible with the equipment I have? They do have a black one, a model readily available at the discount electronic retailers, but it doesn't review very well. I'm puzzled that JVC would drop the ball on their video equipment when everything they make is top drawer, but I decided not to chance it. I stuck with a name I knew.<br />Why not get a stereo unit for not much more? Panasonic's PV-V4523 VCR is readily available at the discount electronic retailer, but nobody likes it. The one everyone likes is the PV-V4623, but I ruled it out on three counts. One, it wasn't locally available, only online; two, I decided against stereo VCRs in general because it would be too much hassle to unplug my DVD player's audio output to run the VCR's stereo. A mono VCR hooks up through the antenna and plays the sound through the TV tuner. I don't have to go to the back of my set and pull plugs out every time I want to watch a different format. But I guess the most important reason I didn't get either is number three: neither one of them comes in black.<br />I even considered one of those space-saving combo units that's half DVD and half VCR. That was ruled out, too, because then I'd have two DVD players and one VCR. I also didn't like the fact that I couldn't find any that were as low profile as my DVD player, which is also why I don't like the TiVos and other DVRs. And then there's that color problem: no black.<br />So, I went and got the V4022 on Saturday in time for the Grammys and CBS Sunday Morning. It's sure a different animal from my former Panasonic VCR. The new remote is quite a bit smaller. It would be nice if I could get my DVD player's remote to work on the VCR, but alas, no record button!<br />The rewind is downright frightening! I'm not sure what it's doing yet; it would speed up and then slow down, stop, then start again until it was through. Hey, I remember a time when VCRs didn't rewind at all; luckily all three of mine have had this feature. The record is slow on the uptake. There's some lag time if you use the one-touch, it's not quite as immediate as I'm used to.<br />I listen to my TV through stereo headphones, so I really don't pay attention to the noise level. Outside of the whirring sound it makes when rewinding, I'm not sure how to grade on that. Recording is still possible in three speeds: sp, lp and slp. As usual the best quality is the fastest speed. Neither speed gives DVD quality.<br />The manual is more like a folding road map rather than an actual book. I haven't fully studied it yet, other than to read how to hook it up and how to reset the channels. You'll need to know this. If you don't have cable, make sure to tell the VCR this after the auto channel setup. The factory set it up to look for cable channels, and you end up with way more channels than you need.<br />This is only the third VCR I've had in eighteen years. One was an Emerson that lasted nine years. Next was the Panasonic PV-4308 that lasted nine years also. I really don't expect that kind of longevity out of this one, dueto the fact that I will have gone digital and high definition before the next nine years is up. But until then, until I have to change to a silver HDTV, I expect this Panasonic V4022 will last as long as I need it to.to the fact that I will have gone digital and high definition before the next nine years is up. But until then, until I have to change to a silver HDTV, I expect this Panasonic V4022 will last as long as I need it to.