4373jml@hou2a.UUCP (J.LISS) (01/14/84)
HELP! I'm in the market for a vcr/camera combination. I think I've narrowed my choice down to PANASONIC PV6600 and PK957. Local stores are pushing the GE comparable model. Is it really comparable? What are good prices? Comments on the PV6600/PK957, the future, etc? jonathan m. liss hou2a!4373jml
jjb@pyuxnn.UUCP (J Bernardis) (01/16/84)
speaking from experience, I'd say that the GE is more than comparable to
the panasonic - it's probably the same unit. I bought a GE VCR about
a year ago and was told that it was really made by panasonic (I was also
told that there are only 4 companies that manufacture VCR's). Before
I bought the unit, I went to another store to check out the panasonic
and it was virtually identical. The labelling on the controls was
different and some of the plastic was a different color but everything
else was the same so I went back to the original store (Crazy Eddie's)
and bought the cheaper GE. I haven't had any trouble with it yet.
Jeff Bernardis, AT&T Western Electric @ Piscataway NJ
{eagle, allegra, cbosgd, ihnp4}!pyuxnn!jjbburton@fortune.UUCP (01/17/84)
#R:hou2a:-23400:fortune:9300001:000:312
fortune!burton Jan 16 16:17:00 1984
Please post to the net your requirements, products considered, etc.
Also, mail order places for a good price.
thanks,
Philip Burton, Fortune Systems, 101 Twin Dolphin Drive,
Redwood City, CA 94065 (415) 595-8444 x 526
- - -
{allegra,ucbvax!amd70,cbosgd,harpo,hpda,ihnp4,sri-unix}!fortune!burtonrs55611@ihuxk.UUCP (01/17/84)
Yes, GE's, Panasonic's and Quasar's (as well as some others, such as Philco, and maybe Sylvania) are all built by Matsushita. Matsushita owns Quasar outright, and builds under license for the others. The basic deck mechanism and features are all the same, but there are occasional performance differences in some features, and the different models in each company's product line may add various features at slightly different levels. However, the video performance will be identical across equivalent models. By the way, Matsushita is the leader in VCR manufacture, in terms of units sold. Other American brands are also built by the other three big Japanese outfits. I believe that RCA's are now built by Hitachi, Fisher's by Mitsubishi, etc. Most American Beta format VCRs are now built by Sanyo, although Sony may make tnem for other companies, as well As far as I know, the only companies building VCRs are Sony, Toshiba, Sanyo (Beta, under licensing agreements with Sony) JVC, Matsushita, Hitachi, Mitsubishi (VHS) Of these, Matsushita doesn't sell under its own name, Matsushita of America uses the Quasar brand name. (I'm neglecting to mention Philips, who make VCRs under a different format that is only popular in Europe.) Bob Schleicher ihuxk!rs55611 AT&T Bell Laboratories, Naperville, Ill. (There may be a minor error in all this, so don't quote me!)
marla@ssc-vax.UUCP (Marla S Baer) (01/18/84)
. <-- for the hungry article eater One correction- GE vcr's are now manufactured by Hitachi. Otherwise, all of the machines are comparable. We just purchased a Quasar and we love it! Once we figured out how to set the timer (the instructions weren't too good) all our problems went away. Just a note- We were warned away from Fisher (sp?) machines. Although some of the dealers said they were great, a few we spoke to said that they have had a lot of problems with that company (broken machines, loooong delays on repairs, etc.). In fact, a number of the stores refused to carry them. On the other hand, I know a couple of people who own one and have had absolutely no problems.(I'm not trying to persuade anyone one way ot the other, I am just reporting what we were told). Marla S. Baer ssc-vax!marla