Rating: 
Summary: Panasonic? NEVER AGAIN!!
Review: The timer recording DOESN'T WORK about 50% of the time! How can I trust it to record a show when I'm away? and that's the whole reason I bought the damn thing! Also, most of the time it has problems ejecting the tape!
Some people say that it's good for the money... I think that VCRs are a thing from the past and the prices should be even lower. "good for the money" is not an excuse for selling this piece of junk for 60 bucks. I thought that this is going to be the last time I buy a VCR... now I definately know it's the last time I buy a Panasonic product!
Rating: 
Summary: bad playback quality
Review: This deck records with good quality. It also plays back really well, but only if it's something you recorded on this deck. Shows recorded on other decks, or even professionally produced home videos, have a nice, thick tracking line right thru the center of the screen. I have yet to find out if events taped with this deck will play back with good quality on other decks. I recommend doing what I should have done in the first place: spend just a little bit more money and get a good Toshiba or JVC, either one will definitely outperform this cheap Panasonic.
Rating: 
Summary: Go Speed Racer, Go Speed Racer, Go Speed Racer, GO!
Review: This is an affordable, capable little VCR. Like the other reviewers, I do wish it had auto-tracking and a better "time remaining" counter but it does the job and records about as well as a 30-50 dollar VCR can.
And, man, when they say FAST FORWARD they aren't kidding. This VCR's fast forward and rewind are FAST. I'm talking Tasmanian Devil fast. I'm saying you might cast a cautious eye toward your VCR if you're rewinding a tape because when this sucker gets to work, it sounds like it's about to lift off and blast right through the ceiling. That's good when you want to skip around on a tape, but it makes scanning through commercials tricky work. I wish the "play" were as fast as the "scan" because I always over- or under-shoot it when I'm trying to stop at a specific point.
Rating: 
Summary: Beware VCRs with only 1 audio plug
Review: This Panasonic has both left and right audio plugs, so the sound is excellent!!!!! Much better than my Sharp VCR which had only 1 audio plug.If you are searching for a low-price VCR, do not get suckered into buying one that has only 1 audio plug. With such a VCR, you will not hear minor high-pitched background sounds. Like glass breaking, or an object shattering. Also beware of advertisements for some decks that claim to have superior picture quality. That is just false advertisement. All decks are currently made with the same video technology, that means that ALL VCRs HAVE THE EXACT SAME PICTURE QUALITY. So you do not need to spend extra money on some fancy brand name.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest value for recording
Review: Yes, the world is going digital and VCR's are quickly becoming dinosaurs. In fact, this most likely will be my last one. Why am I buying a new VCR in 2004 ? Simple, I needed something to record my sports & TV shows and I simply couldn't beat the value of a Hi-Fi VCR. I bought this model at a local retailer for 60$!! Amazon's price (58$) wasn't enough of a discount for me to want to wait for the shipping, sorry amazon. DVR's are nice, but I didnt want to pay a monthly fee (60-156$/yr.). DVD recorders are clearly the future, especially those w/ built-in hard drives, but are still way overpriced (350$+). I'll be patient and wait until they become affordable. I researched VCR's are found a nice Sony model(SLVN750), but it was 20$ more(80$). Sony's have always seemed overpriced. That model was actually the most expensive Hi-Fi VCR I found out there.
Anyways, I've always liked Panasonic and have been satisfied with their products before. In fact, Panasonic is #1 in terms of reliablity for VCR's. I won't try to compare the picture between VCRs(analog) and DVDs(digital). I'll just say that the picture is acceptable. The sound from playback on a Hi-Fi (stereo/2 channel) VCR is actually quite good, I was impressed. Make sure you use the RCA(composite) inputs. I'd actually recommend Monster Cable RCA's - they are spendy yes, but worth it. Panasonic offers a similiar, slighty more expensive model to this one, the #PV-V4624S, the main differences are that one is wider and offers a "light tower" remote. S-VHS(or Super VHS) machines are nice because they offer higher resolution(and an S-Video out), however they are 3X + the price of a Hi-Fi 4 head model and I couldn't justify spending that much on a VCR.
Some things I like about this model are it has a very small remote, commercial skip button (1,2,or 3 min. fast forward), it features auto clock set, on-screen programming, energy star, universal remote (for VCR & TV only), memory back-up, front inputs, 1 year warranty(90 day labor). My complaints are: the design of the sides and back are now plastic instead of metal, guess Panasonic is trying to cut costs. Also, I wish this one was available in black as all of my other A/V electronics are. This thing is fast at rewinding too! We are talking mere seconds! SP & SLP recording only... whatever happened to LP mode? Doesn't matter to me, I always use SP anyways(better picture & sound). In closing, VCRs are still the most versatile and inexpensive way to play, record, and keep videos, even in 2004! I recommend this product to those also looking for an alternative to record
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