Features:
- Dual Azimuth 19 micron 4 head
- Fun OSD & Barking Dog sound
- Compact & Round Translucent Style (Teal )
- Full Clock Display with Auto Clock Set & Plug and Play
- Animated onscreen guide
Description:
Rarely does a VCR make such a cool fashion statement as does the Samsung VR400P. Perfect for kids of all ages, this four-head video recorder comes dressed in a curvaceous translucent teal cabinet with snappy silver accents. Shine a bright light down on the VCR's top, and you can see the mechanical innards going through their paces and pulling the tape around the spinning video head drum. Why, even the remote control has a see-through case--though no moving parts to study. This friendly little VCR also attracts special attention with a supercute onscreen cartoon display and the inclusion of two simplistic but fun video games. Reminiscent of the virtual pets that can run rampant on your computer, the VCR's graphic display features a pooch that barks (audibly!) and chases his bone one way or the other across the screen when you hit play or rewind. In fact, the pooch has eight different moves, each code for an action. We suspect a very young viewer will grasp the meaning of this display even before he or she learns to read the traditional printed explanations for stop, auto tracking, record, or eject. (If you're allergic to pooches, you can shut the graphics off.) Appropriately, the unit is also extremely easy to operate, with only six big and distinctive buttons on the front panel. There's also an auto-start function that kicks in when a prerecorded tape is inserted. Performance is pretty good despite the VCR's low price. Thanks to the inclusion of a fine 19-micron head, the record/playback picture quality at the economical SLP (six-hour mode) speed is almost equal to the video quality on the SP (two hours) recording/playback mode. Cartoons glistened. Even a dark, letterboxed action-adventure flick looked decent. Sound is not stereo but is sufficiently clear and full bodied enough to pump dialogue, special effects, and soundtrack music through your average TV speakers. Have we mentioned yet how easily this VCR gets itself up and running? Just plug in a cable or over-the-air antenna line, connect the power, and the VCR takes charge. The 180-channel tuner automatically scans for and memorizes the viewable (unscrambled) channels--it even automatically sets the correct time on the front-panel clock. You also get an auto tape-speed feature, which calculates whether to go with SP or SLP recording depending on available tape and your programming agenda (up to eight programs can be programmed for delayed viewing). Not incidentally, that same technology used by broadcasters for sending clock-set signals now also allows the TV engineers to beam station ID and program title information for brief display whenever when you tune to the station. The Samsung VR400 generates that basic onscreen program guide as well when it's available. A surprising number of broadcasters are actually delivering it--including ABC, A&E, Comedy Central, Discovery, FX, Nickelodeon, Sci Fi, TBS Superstation, TNN, Toon, and WB. A child door-lock system prevents your rascal from treating this VCR too much like a toy--say, by shoving peanut butter inside. Also, an electronic lock function (accessible on the remote) makes certain that your timer-set recording schedule won't be disabled. Clock watchers will appreciate the real-time (hours and minutes) tape counter and a rare built-in alarm function to ring you awake. Because there are no direct-access number buttons on the remote--and no channel tuning ability at all on the VCR--channel switching can be very slow and tedious when you're going a long distance (such as channel 5 to 54). Recording and menu access are possible only from the remote, which is apparently another kid-proofing safety feature, though the remote is also the only device that can summon the two built-in video games. The upshot is that you'd better not misplace the device, or everyone's out of luck. Anyway, the video games offer a shooting gallery (with apples and cherries to attack) and a primitive road-racing game. While nothing fancy (think first-generation Game Boy titles), both are fun to play. In fact, the VCR itself is like a toy--really cool and lots o' fun. Pros: - Easy setup and operation
- Offbeat toylike design
- Onscreen pet and gameplay!
- Cool display of cable channels and program titles
- Good record/play performance at SLP thanks to 19-micron head
Cons: - Monaural sound
- Many features are accessible only on the remote
- Channel hopping is slow without a direct-access numbered keypad
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