RCA VR661HF 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR (Silver)

Rating:
Summary: Lacks important features
Review: I bought this VCR based on the review of 5 stars.
This VCR did not perform as stated and I returned it.
The other reviews must have been written by RCA employees.
The VCR recorded a blurred picture. Playback of tapes recorded on other VCRs was good. The color and size of this VCR do not match any of my other components that I have in a audio cabinet.
It was not as good as my seven year old Sony or my 8 year old Sanyo or even my Toshiba.

Rating:
Summary: VR661HF overrated [...]
Review: I bought this VCR based on the review of 5 stars.
This VCR did not perform as stated and I returned it.
The other reviews must have been written by RCA employees.
The VCR recorded a blurred picture. Playback of tapes recorded on other VCRs was good. The color and size of this VCR do not match any of my other components that I have in a audio cabinet.
It was not as good as my seven year old Sony or my 8 year old Sanyo or even my Toshiba.

Rating:
Summary: easy and simple setup
Review: I just hooked up this vcr last night and the on screen instruction walks you question by question through the whole setup process. It didn't take long and I didn't have to look at the instruction booklet once. Everything is on the screen in plain english (or several other languages). The best part is it works via your zip code. It goes out into the network to find the stations that serve your area. I had a sharp vcr which was supposed to be automatic like this one, but it didn't do half the things this one does. Plus you have the menu button on the front of the vcr,so if you lose your remote (which I did with the sharp and couldn't program anything with out it) you're still able to utilize the pre-programming features. Also I didn't need to put a tape in before I set the pre-programming mode.Another feature is you can lock the front very easily so nobody can accidently eject the tape. Very good feature for me. I don't know how it tapes yet, but so far everythings a breeze. I definitely recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Good features, lackluster picture
Review: On paper the RCA looks very promising. VCR Plus Silver, hi-fi stereo sound, and auto setup. I also like RCA's menu system which allows you to directly enter numbers using the remote (Other units, like a similarly priced Sony I also own, make you hit Up/Down repeatedly until you reach the desired number, which I find inconvenient. This Sony also lacks VCR Plus). But the RCA's picture is a bit fuzzy and jittery, which is a problem. However, the programming convenience is hard to beat, so I use the RCA to tape shows that I don't plan on keeping, and the Sony for recording stuff that I want to archive. Not the best VCR for important recordings, but for day to day programming it's fine.

Rating:
Summary: Very Good 4 Head VCR from RCA
Review: This is a very good VCR and it records and plays pictures back very good. At this price you can't beat it. If you have old tapes that were recorded in the LP (4-hour mode) you will find that all RCA VCRs play tapes back recorded at this speed better than any other manufacturers' units. RCA was the last manufacturer to offer LP recording capability before all manufacturers discontinued to offer it. A real great feature is the Quasi S-VHS playback for compatibility with tapes recorded in S-VHS and S-VHS-ET modes. This unit has VCR+ Silver. RCA remembers and at a good price.

Rating:
Summary: Lacks important features
Review: This is overall a good vcr but it lacks some really obvious features. The lighted display on the front tells the time, etc., but it does not tell you when the unit is playing, rewinding, fast forwarding, etc. It does have a record indication, but it is so small you can't read it from 5 feet away. This may seem trivial, but when I am on the couch, I like the visual feedback of what mode the vcr is in when I'm going back or forward through a movie, or when I'm recording. Seems like pretty simple features that it ought to have, and I have always seen on other vcrs.

Rating:
Summary: Commercial Advance Needs Some Work
Review: This model has some great features but they need some fine tuning. Unfortunately the commercial advance needs the most work. It does very well on basic commercials but seems to miss almost all commercials for the network's upcoming shows. It is also quite frustrating if you've recorded say, a Yankees/Red Sox game. It cuts off the final play of almost every inning!! This forces you to watch with your finger on the play button every time there are two outs! The commercial advance also takes a long time to mark the commercials. A basic 1 hour show will take almost 15 minutes to mark. On the positive side... the menu is very easy to set up and use, and the auto tracking is great. Basic features such as rewinding will be difficult to use without the remote(you end up holding down the button for almost 10 seconds); so if you frequently lose the remote this is not the model for you!

Rating:
Summary: Commercial Advance Needs Some Work
Review: This model has some great features but they need some fine tuning. Unfortunately the commercial advance needs the most work. It does very well on basic commercials but seems to miss almost all commercials for the network's upcoming shows. It is also quite frustrating if you've recorded say, a Yankees/Red Sox game. It cuts off the final play of almost every inning!! This forces you to watch with your finger on the play button every time there are two outs! The commercial advance also takes a long time to mark the commercials. A basic 1 hour show will take almost 15 minutes to mark. On the positive side... the menu is very easy to set up and use, and the auto tracking is great. Basic features such as rewinding will be difficult to use without the remote(you end up holding down the button for almost 10 seconds); so if you frequently lose the remote this is not the model for you!