Features:
- Hi-fi stereo
- VCR Plus+
- Multibrand light tower remote
- Auto clock set with power backup
- Trilingual (English/Spanish/French) onscreen programming
Description:
The Panasonic PV-9451 is an excellent performer loaded with features that make it fun and easy to use. Even without reading the instructions, we had this straightforward product up and running in just a few minutes. This VCR sets the time automatically on the front panel and internal clock displays. (The VCR grabs the data from the local PBS broadcast.) Recording a program is easy with the VCR Plus+ feature; TV Guide and many newspapers list a code number for each program and you simply key the number of your desired program into the VCR. Thanks to Panasonic's "Dynamorphous" recording heads, pictures held up well even when blown up on a big-screen projection TV and when recording on the slowest (SLP) speed. Hi-fi soundtracks (of action flicks and new concert video compilations) came across full bodied and clean. The onscreen operating menu is another big help in getting the show up and running. It works smoothly with Panasonic's Light Tower remote, which hosts big buttons that glow in the dark when you hit the Light Bulb button. Trick play features are decent on this economically priced VCR. We loved the 1 Minute button, which skips through a 60-second commercial in just eight seconds while offering video scanning onscreen. The PV-9451 has only one fast-forward/reverse speed and one slow-motion speed. In addition, this VCR offers index searching and scanning that pauses at the start of each recording segment on a tape. You can also call up an onscreen program index that shows the time, date, channel, and type (optional) of every timed recording made on a tape, as long as the cassette is in the machine. You can record brief index notes at the opening of tape segments. We have one minor complaint about this VCR: Panasonic's fine-edged recording/playback heads for the SLP mode are excellent if you are watching a slow-speed recording, but they sometimes mistrack when you are watching super long play (SLP) recordings made on older decks. However, standard play tapes--including prerecorded rental tapes--were excellent. Pros:
- Excellent video and sound quality
- Easy-to-use remote, onscreen menu, and VCR Plus+ features
- 1-button commercial skip
Cons:
- Tracking problems with some tapes made on other machines
- Cabinet is smaller than "standard" 17-inch-wide components
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