VR420CAT Video Cassette Recorder Owner’s Manual
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Introduction 3 Welcome to your VCR owner’s manual. This manual has seven sections: Setting Up Your VCR; Description of Controls; Basic Operations; Recording; Playing; Additional Features; and Information You May Need. The instructions explain all of the VCR’s features, which are listed below. You cannot hurt your VCR by trying the features! So read on – and relax.
Table of Contents Setting Up Your VCR Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Before Using Your VCR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Hookups Without a Cable Box/Direct Broadcast System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Before Using Your VCR 5 Putting Batteries in the Remote Control 1 1 Remove the battery compartment lid on the bottom of the remote control by pressing the tab, then lifting the lid. 2 Place two AA batteries inside the battery compartment with their + and – ends aligned as indicated. 3 2 Replace the battery compartment lid.
Hookups Without a Cable Box/Direct Broadcast System The basic VCR/TV connection – antenna/cable to VCR to TV – is shown below. If you have a Cable Box or a Direct Broadcast System, please see pages eight-nine. If you have a Stereo TV, please see page 10. After you hook up the VCR, go to page 11 to turn on the VCR. 1 Disconnect the antenna or cable from your TV.
Hookups Without a Cable Box/Direct Broadcast System (cont’d) 7 3 Connect the supplied black RF coaxial cable to the OUT Jack on the back of the VCR and to the ANTENNA IN Jack on the TV. (You may use either a snap-on type (supplied) or screw-on type of coaxial cable, whichever you prefer.) ANT IN AUDIO OUT IN VIDEO OUT CH3 CH4 ANT IN 75 ANT CAB / LE AUDIO OUT 75‰ ANT / CABLE IN VIDEO OUT ANTENNA IN Jack (on back of TV) example only CH3 CH4 RF coaxial cable 4 5 Plug in the TV and the VCR.
Hookups With a Cable Box/Direct Broadcast System There are two ways to connect your Cable Box/DBS to the VCR. With this connection: ● You may view any channel. ● You must select channels at the Cable Box/DBS. Channels cannot be changed at the VCR. ● You may not view a channel other than the one you are recording. ● You may not program channels at the VCR. ● You can only program a timer recording for one channel at a time.
Hookups With a Cable Box/Direct Broadcast System (cont’d) 9 With this connection: ● You may watch one channel while recording another. ● You may not record scrambled channels. 1 VCR ANT IN 2 Cable Box/DBS 75 ANT CAB / LE AUDIO IN OUT IN VIDEO OUT OUT CH3 CH4 RF coaxial cable Cable Signal RF coaxial cable 3 TV’s ANTENNA IN Jack Connections 1 2 Connect a Cable signal to the VCR’s ANT(enna) IN Jack.
Hookups with a Stereo TV 1 antenna or cable to ANT(enna) IN Jack ANT IN AUDIO OUT IN VIDEO VIDEO (yellow) and AUDIO (white) OUT Jacks OUT Audio and Video IN Jacks on TV CH3 CH4 2 Video Cable ● Audio and Video cables are not supplied. 1 Connect the antenna or cable to the ANT(enna) IN Jack on the back of the VCR. 2 Connect a video cable to the yellow VIDEO OUT Jack on the back of the VCR. Then, connect the other end of the video cable to the VIDEO IN Jack on your TV.
Turning on Your VCR 11 Before turning on your VCR, make sure batteries are in the remote control and the VCR and TV are connected correctly. Details are on pages five - 10. ● You can not program channels if you are using a Cable Box or a Direct Broadcast System. 2 EJECT 1 POWER Press the VCR button, then press the POWER button. The VCR/TV light and the POWER light will appear on the VCR display panel. 4 2 MENU STATUS/EXIT CLEAR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 MEMORY 1 9 ALT.CH 0 Turn on the TV.
Automatic Channel Setup Although your VCR may automatically memorize the channels you receive when you turn it on for the first time, this function lets you set up the channels again. 2-3 1 Press the VCR button, then press the MENU button. EJECT SELECT op CHOOSE B → PROGRAM VCR SET UP TUNER SET UP SET CLOCK 1 POWER MENU STATUS/EXIT CLEAR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 TO END PUSH EXIT 2 MEMORY 9 ALT.CH 0 Press the PLAY/o button or the STOP/p button to select TUNER SET UP, then press the F.
Automatic Channel Setup (cont’d) 13 Adding/Deleting Channels If your channel lineup changes, you may want to add newly available channels or remove channels that are no longer available in your area. To add or delete channels from the VCR’s memory, follow these steps. 1 2 6 2-5 EJECT POWER Press the VCR button, then press the MENU button. Press the PLAY/o button or the STOP/p button to select TUNER SET UP, then press the F.FWD/B button.
Automatic Channel Setup (cont’d) Reviewing Memorized Channels 1 4 2-3 Press the VCR button, then press the MENU button. SELECT op CHOOSE B → PROGRAM VCR SET UP TUNER SET UP SET CLOCK TO END PUSH EXIT 2 Press the PLAY/o button or the STOP/p button to select TUNER SET UP, then press the F.FWD/B button. EJECT 1 POWER MENU STATUS/EXIT CLEAR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 MEMORY 9 ALT.CH 0 REC /OTR PAUSE /STILL PLAY SELECT op CHOOSE B → AUTO PROGRAMMING ADD/DELETE CH CH MEMORY REVIEW REW F.
Setting the Clock 15 Follow the steps below to set your VCR’s clock. Make sure: ● The VCR is on and the VCR/TV light appears on the display panel. (If it does not, press the VCR/TV button once.) ● You make each entry within 60 seconds of the previous entry. 1 2 Press the VCR button, then press the MENU button. Press the PLAY/o button or the STOP/p button to select SET CLOCK, then press the F.FWD/B button. 3 6 4-5 EJECT 1 POWER MENU STATUS/EXIT CLEAR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 MEMORY 9 ALT.
Daylight-Savings Time You may program the VCR so its clock will automatically move forward one hour in April and turn back one hour in October. Daylight-Savings Time is ON when you receive your VCR. Turn Daylight-Savings Time ON or OFF by following the steps below. Before you begin: ● Make sure the clock is set. Details are on page 15. 1 4 2-3 EJECT Press the VCR button, then press the MENU button.
Language Selection 17 Follow the steps below to change the language of the on-screen displays and menus. 5 2-4 1 Press the VCR button, then press the MENU button. SELECT op CHOOSE B EJECT 1 → PROGRAM VCR SET UP TUNER SET UP SET CLOCK TO END PUSH EXIT 2 POWER MENU STATUS/EXIT CLEAR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 MEMORY 0 Press the PLAY/o button or the STOP/p button to select VCR SET UP, then press the F.FWD/B button.
Setting the Remote to Operate a TV Your VCR remote control may operate your TV. If the remote control doesn’t operate your TV now, follow the steps below. 1 Point the remote control at your TV and press the TV button. Then, press the POWER button. If your TV turns on or off, try the other TV buttons (see pages 20-21). If your TV doesn’t turn on or off, or if the other buttons don’t work, go to step 2.
Setting the Remote to Operate a Cable Box/Direct Broadcast System 19 Your VCR remote control may operate your Cable Box or Direct Broadcast System (DBS). If the remote control doesn’t operate your Cable Box or DBS now, follow the steps below. 2 1 EJECT POWER Turn on the Cable Box/DBS. Then, point the remote control at your Cable Box/DBS and press the CBL/DBS button. Then, press the POWER button. If your Cable Box/DBS turns off, try the other Cable Box/DBS buttons (see pages 20-21).
Remote Control Buttons POWER Button Press to turn on or off the VCR, TV, Cable Box, or Direct Broadcast System. (You must first press the VCR, TV, or CBL/DBS button.) EJECT Button Press to eject the tape. MENU Button Press to access the VCR menu or some TV menus. Number Buttons Press to select channels at the VCR, TV, Cable Box, or Direct Broadcast System; use to set up VCR features (such as the clock). Cable Users ● Enter channel numbers as a two-digit number for the quickest results.
Remote Control Buttons (cont’d) 21 CLEAR Button Press to erase incorrect data when programming VCR functions. Also, press to reset the real-time counter. Details are on page 36. STATUS/EXIT Button Press to access or remove the VCR’s on-screen status display. Details are on page 22. Press to exit on-screen VCR menus. Or, press to access or remove a status display or menu of some TVs. EJECT REW(ind)/{ Button When tape playback is stopped, press to rewind the tape at high speed.
On-Screen Status Displays A status display will appear when you press the STATUS/EXIT button or certain function buttons. The contents of the status display will vary. To choose the status display mode, follow the steps below. If you select STATUS ON, then select COUNTER ONLY ON: ● Whenever you press the STOP/p button or the PLAY/o button, the status display will appear for five seconds. After five seconds, only the counter will remain on the screen. You must press the STATUS/EXIT button to remove it.
VCR Display Panel 23 VCR Display Panel Information about VCR operations appears here. Cassette Compartment Insert a tape here. STOP/EJECT PLAY REW F.FWD RECORD POWER POWER VIDEO PAUSE VCR/TV CST.IN TIMER RECORD CHANNEL MENU AUDIO STATUS/EXIT VCR/TV POWER POWER Light This light appears when the power is on. VCR/TV Light This light appears when the VCR is in VCR position. This light does not appear when the VCR is in TV position. Details are on pages 21 and 24. VCR/TV CST.
Front Panel STOP/EJECT Button Press once to stop the tape. When playback is stopped, press to eject the tape. Press to select an item in the menu. PAUSE Button While recording, press to pause the recording. Press again to resume recording. Details are on page 27. You can not pause a One-Touch Recording. During tape playback, press to freeze the picture. Press again to resume playback. Details are on page 38.
Rear Panel 25 ANT(enna) IN Jack Connect your antenna or cable here. Details are on pages six-10. AUDIO IN Jack Connect an audio cable coming from the AUDIO OUT Jack of a camcorder, another VCR, or an audio source here. Details are on page 34. AUDIO OUT Jack Connect an audio cable going to the AUDIO IN Jack of a camcorder, another VCR, or an audio system here. Details are on page 34.
Playing 1 2 Read and follow the steps below to play a tape. 1 Turn on the TV and set it to channel 3 or 4, whichever channel the CH3/CH4 switch on the back of the VCR is set to. 2 Insert a tape in the VCR. The POWER, VCR/TV and CST. IN lights will appear on the display panel. If the tape’s record tab has been removed, playback will start automatically. 3 If playback does not start automatically, press the VCR button, then press the PLAY/o button. 4 5 6 6 3 Turn on the TV.
Recording 27 Read and follow the steps below to record a television program. 1 2 1 Turn on the TV and set it to channel 3 or 4, whichever channel the CH3/CH4 switch on the back of the VCR is set to. 2 Insert a tape with its record tab intact in the VCR. If playback begins, press the VCR button, then press the STOP/p button to stop the tape. 3 POWER 5 Use the CH(annel) o/p buttons or the Number buttons to select the channel to be recorded.
Recording One Channel/Watching Another 1 2 4,5 Press the VCR button. EJECT Press the REC(ord)/OTR button to start a recording of the current channel. (See page 27.) The RECORD light will appear on the VCR display panel. POWER 3 Press the VCR/TV button to put the VCR in TV position. The VCR/TV light will disappear from the VCR’s display panel. 4 Press the TV button, then press the CH(annel) o/p or Number buttons to select the channel you want to watch at the TV.
One-Touch Recording 29 The One-Touch Recording (OTR) feature allows you to set an immediate timed recording 30 minutes to eight hours long. Before you begin: ● Set up the channels at the VCR. ● Select a recording speed (SP, SLP) with the SPEED button. ● Put a tape in the VCR. Make sure the tape’s record tab is intact and the tape is long enough to record the program(s). If the end of a tape is reached during an OTR, the VCR will eject the tape and turn itself off. ● Place the VCR in VCR position.
Timer Recording Follow the steps below to program your VCR to record TV programs while you’re away from home. The VCR will turn itself on, record, and turn itself off automatically. Before you begin: ● Set up the channels at the VCR. Details are on page 12. ● Set the clock. Details are on page 15. ● Put a tape in the VCR. Make sure the tape’s record tab is intact and the tape is long enough to record the program(s). ● Make sure the VCR is in VCR position.
Timer Recording (cont’d) 31 4 Use the Number buttons (1-8) to select a slot in which to store the timer recording. There are eight slots. Numbers for open slots will flash on the screen. NOTE: If you enter a number for a slot that has already been used to store a timer recording, PREVIOUSLY SET PROGRAM will appear on the screen briefly. Information about the program in that slot will appear on the screen. If this happens, press the STATUS/EXIT button, then select another number.
Timer Recording (cont’d) 8 10 Press the Number 1 button to record in SP speed or the Number 2 button to record in SLP speed. (See the chart below.) You cannot use the SPEED button at this time. EJECT ONE TIME PROGRAM PROGRAM 1 CHANNEL 10 TIME ON 09:30 PM TIME OFF 11:00 PM REC SPEED SLP SP=1 SLP=2 POWER 8 9 TO CORRECT PUSH CLEAR TO END PUSH EXIT 9 MENU STATUS/EXIT CLEAR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 9 MEMORY ALT.
Timer Recording (cont’d) 33 Checking or Cancelling Timer Recordings 5 2-4 1 With the VCR on and in VCR position (the VCR/TV light will appear on the display panel), press the VCR button, then press the MENU button. 2 Press the PLAY/o button or the STOP/p button to select PROGRAM, then press the F.FWD/B button. 3 Press the PLAY/o button or the STOP/p button to select PROGRAM REVIEW, then press the F.FWD/B button.
Rerecording (Tape Duplication) 1. Audio cable from AUDIO OUT Jack of VCR 1 to AUDIO IN Jack of VCR 2 VCR 1 Playing VCR VCR 2 - Recording VCR ANT ANT IN AUDIO OUT IN VIDEO IN AUDIO OUT CH3 CH4 OUT IN VIDEO 2. Video cable from VIDEO OUT Jack of VCR 1 to VIDEO IN Jack of VCR 2 OUT CH3 CH4 3. RF coaxial cable from the OUT jack of VCR 2 to the TV’s ANTENNA IN Jack ● Audio and Video cables are not supplied. 1 2 3 Make the connections shown above. VCR 1 will play your tape.
Repeat Play 35 Follow the steps below to make the VCR play a tape over and over. 5 2-4 1 Press the VCR button, then press the MENU button. SELECT op CHOOSE B EJECT POWER 1 → PROGRAM VCR SET UP TUNER SET UP SET CLOCK TO END PUSH EXIT 2 MENU STATUS/EXIT CLEAR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 MEMORY 0 Press the PLAY/o button or the STOP/p button to select VCR SET UP, then press the F.FWD/B button.
Real-Time Counter Memory Follow the steps below to reset the real-time counter to zero at a tape location you want to refer to later. 3 1 2 Press the VCR button. EJECT POWER Play, fast forward, or rewind a tape to the location that you would like to refer to later. Press the STOP/p button to stop the tape. 3 Press the STATUS/EXIT button to see the status display. STOP 1:08PM CH10 5 6 MENU STATUS/EXIT CLEAR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 MEMORY 9 ALT.CH 0 REC /OTR PAUSE /STILL PLAY REW F.
Time Search 37 Follow the steps below to program the VCR to search forward or backward on a tape a specific length of time. There must be a tape in the VCR. 1 Press the VCR button, then press the TIME SEARCH button. EJECT POWER TIME SEARCH 0:00 2 ENTER SEARCH TIME 2 Within 10 seconds, use the Number buttons to enter the desired length of time you want to skip forward or backward. For example, for 1 hour, 25 minutes, press Number buttons 1, 2, 5. Or, for five minutes, press Number buttons 0, 0, 5.
Special Effects Playback Forward and Reverse Searching (SP/LP/SLP) 1 During tape playback, press and release the F.FWD/B button or the REW(ind)/{ button. A fast forward or reverse picture search will begin. EJECT POWER 2 To return to playback, press the PLAY/o button. Super High Speed Searching (LP/SLP) 1 During tape playback, press the F.FWD/B button or the REW(ind)/{ button, then press again. The VCR will now search in super high speed. Press the F.
Automatic Operation Features 39 The following playback features will always operate. Automatic Playback When you put a tape in the VCR, the power will come on automatically. If the tape’s record tab is missing, playback will begin. If a timer recording is set, the power will not come on automatically when you insert a tape with the record tab intact. If a timer recording is set and the VCR power is off, the VCR will eject the tape if the record tab is missing.
Blue Background If you want the TV screen to be solid blue when a weak signal is received, set BLUE BACKGROUND to ON. The screen will be blue and the sound will be muted. Or, if you want to receive the weak signal, set BLUE BACKGROUND to OFF. When you select a channel that is receiving a weak signal, you will see and hear the static in the TV programming. The channel number will not appear on the screen when you select a weak channel, and you can not access the VCR’s status display.
Glossary / Specifications 41 Glossary AUDIO IN/OUT Jacks: jacks located on the front and back of the VCR which are used to record audio from another source (IN) or to send audio to another system (OUT). Automatic Channel Setup: process in which the VCR memorizes all available channels. Then, when you press the CH(annel) o/p buttons, you only scan through channels you receive. Bands: settings that allow you to tune channels.
Helpful Hints If you are having problems with your product, check this list of problems and possible solutions before requesting service. You may be able to solve the problem yourself. If you need to call a customer service representative, please know the model number and serial number of your product before you call. This information is displayed on the back of the product. Also, please take a moment to identify the problem you are having, and be prepared to explain this to the representative.
Helpful Hints (cont’d) 43 TV programs cannot be watched normally. • Put the VCR in TV position, then change channels at the TV. (Press the VCR/TV button so that the VCR/TV light disappears from the display panel. Details are on page 24.) • Check the connections between the VCR, TV, antenna/cable, and Cable Box/Direct Broadcast System (if applicable). Details are on pages six-10. Tape cannot be inserted. • Insert the tape, window side up, with the record tab facing you.
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Index ac power cord.................................25 accessories .......................................46 alt.ch button.....................................21 ant(enna) in jack ...................6-10, 25 audio in/out jacks ..........................10, 24,25, 34, 41 automatic playback .......................................39 rewind, eject, off........................39 memory button ........................20, 36 menu button .............................20, 24 mute button ..........................
SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES The following items are supplied with your VCR; they are provided to help you use or set up your VCR. Remote Control 4835 218 37309 Two AA Batteries 4835 138 17012 RF Coaxial Cable, 75 ohm 4835 323 27011 OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES The following additional items are not provided with your VCR, but they are designed for use with your new VCR. To order these optional accessories, contact us at: Philips Parts & Accessories Marketing Department 401 East Old Andrew Johnson Highway P.O.
