Nice VCR, Nicer Price
Written: Jun 06 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great features, great quality, great looks, great price
Cons: loud rewind (almost sounds like it might break the tape the way it stops so hard, but that hasn't happened to me yet)
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| tedhammond's Full Review: Sharp VC-H812U VCR |
This VCR really has all that you could want. The quality of the picture is superb. I'll get into the details later. But the real beauty about this product is it's price. I found it on sale for $80. You'll most likely find it for $100 or lower. Compare this price to the low-end Sony VCR, which goes for about $150. The features are relatively the same, except the high price for the Sony label. This Sharp VCR really is a high quality machine, and is much more tha I expected I would get.
First of all, the 812U is Hi-Fi. That means on every video you watch, you are hearing stereo sound. I have a mini sound system connected to my TV that uses Dolby Pro Logic. This VCR makes everything sound great, much better than the mono VCR I had before.
Other features found in this VCR include the hyper rewind. It's a little noisy tho. It sounds like a plane getting ready to take off. But if get's the job done: A full length tape can be rewound in about a minute. The remote control included is nice as well. It is a universal remote, which means you can control your TV and cable box with it. It is very convenient, as it is now my main remote control for the whole setup. A nice feature that can be found on the remote is the replay button. Press it once, and it will rewind the tape automatically 30 seconds or something, and it starts to play.
A nice feature found on the machine itself is the front A/V jacks. You can connect a camcorder or a Nintendo64 or whatever right to the front, then push input on the remote and voila.
Setup is easy. When you connect it to the cable, it automatically scans the channels for you. Then it tries to set the time automatically by trying to tune into a time signal broadcast on certain channels. This feature didn't work for me tho, and after a few minutes of waiting, I entered the time manually. Setting the timer to record a program couldn't be easier. push menu, and select "Timer," which is conveniently on top. Enter the date, time and channel. A little indicator on the bottom of the screen tells you how to enter the information. Fortunately, the remote has a + shaped group of four arrow buttons to easily navigate the menu system.
The picture quality is great. I don't think a more expensive VCR will give you a picture any better that what the 812U can give you. Recording quality is also good, altho recording at the slowest speed is a little less than optimal, but no VCR can record great on slow speeds.
One more thing I forgot to mention is the slow motion. You have a speed selection at the bottom of the remote. If you press it, the tape will automatically be put into slow motion. Then there are two buttons next to it that speed up or slow down the speed of the slow motion. So you can really have control like they do in the studio with instant replays. It's a great feature for sports fans.
Anyway, that's my story. This is a great VCR. The quality of picture is great. The features are great. Heck, the VCR itself looks nice. This particular model has an updated look from the other models close to it. For $100, you got a VCR that is just as good or better than it's $150 Sony counterpart.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tedhammond
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Member: Ted Hammond
Location: Winchester, MA, US
Reviews written: 31
Trusted by: 7 members
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