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From: reza@ihuxb.UUCP (Reza Taheri)
Newsgroups: net.video
Subject: Re: VHS -- still the pits?
Message-ID: <1047@ihuxb.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 3-Jun-85 17:50:44 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxb.1047
Posted: Mon Jun  3 17:50:44 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Jun-85 00:41:54 EDT
References: <1444@bbncca.ARPA>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 69

> I just spent some time playing with an AKAI 603 VHS Hifi VCR.
> From the ads, I think this is supposed to be at or near the top of their
> line of VCRs.
   
   In the VCR world (unlike the audio world) Akai is somewhat of an
off brand, so your experience with Akai may not apply to other brands.
Actually, I don't think that Akai manufactures their VCR decks.

>     Presetting the channels: There are 16 preset channels, out of some
>     large number of broadcast and cable frequencies. The ONLY way to
>     associate a preset with a particular channel is to have the deck
>     SEARCH to the station. This takes literally MINUTES per station
>     for the higher numbered ones. There is NO way to say "Make preset
>     'B' be channel 3" without generating a signal on channel 3 and having
>     the deck search for it.

   Yes, I agree that this is a major problem with most VCRs.  Yet,
there are "many" models out there that offer random access tunning.  I
have a GE 5014x (almost top of the line, no Hi-Fi) that has a good
random-access, automatic-quartz tunning system and sells for about
$500.  You can tune into any channel by simply keying in the two-digit
channel number.  You can also program an unlimited number of channels
to be skipped as you scan channels.

   Also note that this is a feature of the tuner of your VCR and is
not really affected by the choice of recording technology.

>     Playback searching: I had hoped that newer VHS decks had more reasonable
>     search capabilities. No way.   This thing has only one faster-than-play
>     search speed, forward and back. If you want to search a little faster,
>     you have to hit stop and rewind, whereupon you suffer 5 seconds of
>     tape unload and 3-4 seconds of tape load time, typical of all VHS
>     decks that I know of, and even then you don't get to see what you
>     are winding past, so you are searching in the dark.

   A $700 GE 5018X gives you multiple speed search (and Hi-Fi.)

>     Pause: (Called "still").  You can't go from play to still.

   All VHS units I have looked at (admittedly most of them were
built by Matsushita, i.e. were identical) go from play to pause.

>     Programming is done entirely on the TV screen.  Without arguing the
>     merits of this, I'll point out that any 7-year-old writing in BASIC
>     could make a better human engineered menu system than this thing has.
   
   Most GE units (and many others that are made by Matsushita) have a
real nice programming keyboard.  I have seen other units with
different but equally good programming features.  I think that this is
also a feature of the tuner/timer rather than the recording technology.

>     Tape speeds: The thing is advertised as 3-speed. But it only records
>     in SP and SLP. LP is playback-only. ...

   You just got a bad model/brand.

>     Is there a VHS (preferably Hifi) deck with anything like Beta
>     cueing/editing/searching?  And has anyone done a VHS deck with
>     reasonable human interfacing?

   Again, look at the GE 5018X.  It gives you all you are asking for
and is a hell of a buy at $700.

***********
The question is, "ARE YOU right for Grape Nuts?"
***********
H. Reza Taheri
...!ihnp4!ihuxb!reza
(312)-979-7473