kevin@voder.UUCP (The Last Bugfighter) (06/05/85)
> I just spent some time playing with an AKAI 603 VHS Hifi VCR. > From the ads, I think this is supposed to be at or near the top of their > line of VCRs. I think it is the pits. > Audio: No MTS stereo receiver, but that's true of almost all VCRs. I've only seen one deck on the market with an MTS tuner, I don't recall the brand but it was a VHS, not a Beta (curiously, it was not stereo). > Presetting the channels: There are 16 preset channels, out of some My MGA VHS deck, which is almost three years old, uses a 10-button keypad for instant access to any channel. I can also scan up/down and the tuner will skip dead channels. Selected channel number is displayed on the front panel, also whether you're in VHF/UHF or VHF/CATV mode. > Playback searching: I had hoped that newer VHS decks had more reasonable > search capabilities. This same MGA will fast scan in forward and reverse in all three speeds, although LP tends to break up bit with no color. This is nine times in SP and 10 times in EP. Because it is a four head deck scan and still-frame are virtualy noiseless. And you can go from any mode directly into any other mode, although you of course can't scan in Record. Slow-motion is forward only at about 1/2 to 1/30. > Programming is done entirely on the TV screen. .......... No way to > do any editting/dubbing without getting silly messages on the output. Mine is the old fasion type, since I don't have trouble with instruction manuals I have no problem programming it. However I can see were on screen instruction could be quite usefull. The messages get recorded? Thats a dumb design! > Tape speeds: The thing is advertised as 3-speed. But it only records > in SP and SLP. LP is playback-only. ....... Is this common in VHS? No. Only JVC and Akai eliminate recording at LP, although you can play back LP tapes, to the best of my knowledge all other decks record and play- back at all three speeds. > My general conclusion is that this thing is a disaster. It has all the > old VHS disadvantages, plus a bunch of new ones. > My questions for the net: > Is there a VHS (preferably Hifi) deck with anything like Beta > cueing/editing/searching? And has anyone done a VHS deck with > reasonable human interfacing? Yes. Several. What I don't understand is if you're so disgusted with Akai why don't you try looking at Panasonic? Or RCA? Or Zenith? Or JVC? Or Hitachi? Or Sharp? Or NEC? Or MGA? Or Fisher? Or...well, I think you get the idea. At least I hope so. Try checking out a copy of Video or Video Review magazine, they usually have several equipment reports (one of them just did a review on the new Sanyo Super Beta, sorry, don't remember which one). Just remember that RCA's VCRs are made by Hitachi and that your Panasonic/Magnavox/Quasar/etc. are manufactured by Mashusta (sic?). By the way, my MGA also has back-space editing. Thats when you're recording and you put it in pause the tape backs up a bit so that it can match the incoming video with the video on the tape for a smooth transition on play- back. How much it backs up varies brand to brand but mine is 32 frames, slow motion comes in real handy here in aligning your transition points! Any problems with my MGA? YES! Damn 24-hour military time clock! --- Kevin Thompson {ucbvax,ihnp4!nsc}!voder!kevin "It's sort of a threat, you see. I've never been very good at them myself but I'm told they can be very effective."