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From: olling@batcomputer.TN.CORNELL.EDU (Cliff Olling)
Newsgroups: net.audio,net.video
Subject: Re: Hi-Fi VCRs
Message-ID: <1030@batcomputer.TN.CORNELL.EDU>
Date: Wed, 17-Sep-86 09:33:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: batcompu.1030
Posted: Wed Sep 17 09:33:58 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 20-Sep-86 04:00:12 EDT
References: <15853@gt-cmmsr.UUCP>
Reply-To: olling@batcomputer.UUCP (Cliff Olling)
Distribution: na
Organization: Theory Center, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Lines: 45

Greetings,
        Allow me to suggest the Hitachi VT-1800, a fairly new model (perhaps
not yet available on the east coast) which has all the features you mentioned
(except perhaps reliablity, I don't have one yet), including the ability to
put electronic marks on the tape each time you start recording.  These marks
are found when fast forwarding/rewinding.  According to Hitachi sales, the  
vcr will either stop at the first mark it finds, or go into "high speed
visual search", like pushing FF when in Play mode, when it finds one of these
marks. There is a switch which controls which action is taken.  

        As a side note, from comparing Panasonic & Hitachi Sales Literature,
It appeared to me that Hitachi's high-end vcr's are more useful than
Panasonic's.  Ex.  the Pana. PV-1742 "can control on/off for the TV".  In fine
print, it says that this is done by plugging the TV into a switched outlet in
the back of the VCR.  As I plan to buy a Hitachi VT-1800 in the next month or
~p
~p
or so, I would appreciate any comments on the reliablity of Hitachi VCR's in
general.  If you still like Panasonic equipment, let me suggest you investigate
the Technics SA-590 Receiver.  Aside from the usual Receiver stuff, it has a
remote which will control any of several Technics tape decks, cd's, etc., as
well as most newer models of Panasonic TV's & VCR's.  Again, this is according
to Panasonic Sales people, so hopefully it's actually true.  The sales
literature I received does have a closeup of the remote, and there really is a
section on it for TV, VCR, Tuner, CD, and audio tape deck.  It has somewhere
between 45 and 55 buttons.

Anyway, please let me know, or post, any reliability info you have on Hitachi.

=Cliff Olling
P.S> The Hitachi tech. people (the service dept.) told me that all Hitachi VCR    
's have only 3 out of a possible 4 HQ circuits.  The said I'd have to call back
to find out which one was left out, as the person who knew wasn't in today.
They said that the omitted circuit "improved the same thing that one of the 
other circuits improves, and would have added >$100 cost at the manufacturing
level, i.e. $300 increase for the consumer, so they left it out".  
-- 
Cliff Olling
Cornell University
olling@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu

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