Panasonic PV-S9670 4-Head Hi-Fi S-VHS VCR

Rating:
Summary: Great value for S-VHS
Review: This VCR is a great addition to my DSS receiver/27inch TV. I'm confused by Dr. Hoffman's review, since the Panasonic S9670 offers two S-Video connections, which allows you to hook up a satellite receiver or DVD player to the VCR and also to connect the VCR with a TV which has a s-video input. The one thing that could be improved would be the remote, which I find neither ergonomic nor easy to use. I agree with the other reviewers that the commercial advance feature is great. The VCR+ Plus/GOLD feature has been disappointing, however, since my DirectTV sattelite channels still haven't been recognized by the VCR (a process that is supposed to be done automatically, but it's been unsuccesful so far), so plugging in the VCR+Plus code is useless. I can't comment on reliability since I've only had it two months. The front RCA/Video outputs are easily accessible, but aesthetically they're too prominently displayed. One other quirk--when the VCR is programmed to look for something (memorizing channels, finding the correct time automatically, etc.) the front display reads ALL SET when in fact it isn't. Finally, the VCR has an annoying habit of skipping two to three seconds ahead from play-stop-play, so you have to rewind a bit after stopping to catch all the dialog. Still, a very good VCR overall.

Rating:
Summary: Great value for the price
Review: Very good picture quality and the Commercial Advance is just too cool. If it only had S-Vidio connections it would be perfect but, for the price, you can't beat it.

Rating:
Summary: A nice, inexpensive intro to SVHS
Review: Wow, cheap for the features. I've had no problems at all with this VCR, and it's one of the easier ones to program. It even sets the clock automatically (well, I guess all of them do that now). If you want the higher-rez picture of SVHS at a pretty low price, this ain't a bad choice.