Customer Reviews

JVC HR-S3600U 4-Head S-VHS VCR

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If you've never had an S-VHSVCR,as most people have not,this would be a good one tohave.Super VHS is an improvedversion of VHS and nearly doubles the picture quality!All S-VHS decks also record and playback ordinary VHS too.Actually this deck supportsthree formats VHS,S-VHS,andS-VHS ET.S-VHS ET (ET standsfor expansion technology,notextra terrestial!) allows oneto use ordinary VHS tapes tomake S-VHS recordings.If youuse very-high quality VHS tapes,your results will beclose to full-fledged S-VHS!You will lose only 2 to 4 %picture quality as opposed tousing higher-price S-VHS tapes.S-VHS ET works best forS.P. (standard play) speedrecording.If you want to makeE.P. (extended play) tapes,Ireccomend you use S-VHS tapes.Super VHS at E.P. speed looksbetter than regular VHS doesat S.P. ,hands down! This VCRwill make tapes off sateliteand digital cable that areatleast close to the originalbroadcast,unlike ordinary VHS,the difference isn't obvious!This deck is feature-ladden too.It has VCR Plus +,which takes about a half-hour to set-up but allows you to program very quickly via the VCR Plus + codes found in most all TV guides.If you program using the onscreen menu,that's easy too!On the remote the keys used for programing are inside a lined-off area and steps are numbered on the remote so it's hard to make a mistake.Other notable features include automatic clock set( if your PBS station is doing this service),automatic clock adjust for daylight savings time,multi-brand TV control,and skip search (each push of the button fast-forwards your tape thirty seconds,I think you know why!).The remote is an excellent design in the best JVC tradition.Other VCR manufacturers should copy their remotes,they're that good! With today's improved video sources like DBS,S-VHS recording is the ticket! You can buy just any VHS recorder real cheap,but if you want a really good one,pay a little more for this unit.

I have used this model for 8 months and it has plenty of audio and video (including SVideo) inputs. It can record and play S-VHS and VHS tapes, with the former providing superior playback using the 2-hours recording mode and an S-VHS tape. It auto detects the tape type and has an easy to use remote. The best S-VHS machine in this price range.

This is a very good unit. It cost me half of my previous machine and it's better. Of the many useful features on the JVC, perhaps the best is the programming which is simpler than any other I've seen. The quality of the recordings is uniformly excellent as well.

I've owned an S3600 for about six months. It's my third JVC SVHS deck (the other two are 8 and 10 YEARS old, and both still work) and I am completely satisfied. Aside from the ability to go to a particular time mark on the tape -- which only my oldest unit has -- it is wonderful. Highly recommended.

I'm pleased with the VCR, but it took about an hour to get it set up properly. Plug & play didn't work. I finally ended up setting the channels and clock manually, and the initial configuration is relatively complicated. I am a little bit disappointed with the remote. One reason that I selected a JVC VCR is because I hoped it would interoperate well with my other JVC components, but the remote is awkward to use with my TV and DBS. Overall though, it has a lot of nice features for the money, and the picture quality is good.

I've had two JVC VCRs - the first one was excellent, and lasted for many years of top notch service. This one has excellent features, very good picture. The control layout on the front of the unit and the remote leaves something to be desired, though.

The real killer is that my machine died just after the warranty expired. Boy, was I pissed. One day I found it just sitting there, dead. I don't know if it was just this one, but I am now without a VCR, and I'm trying to figure out if I should try another JVC or not.

I got this JVC video tape player a long time ago and guess I paid about $100 for it back then. It's the only VCR we have now that still works and don't eat up VHS tapes. I got it because of the S/Video and I can play are old VHS tapes with S/Video to a DVD recorder S/Video input to save are old VHS tapes to DVD. With the way are other VCR's are not working and messing up VHS tapes it is very good to get them saved to DVD and this is about the best way using S/Video.

-Raymond Day

I have a HR-S3500U and most recently bought a HR-S3800U and am very pleased with both of them.

The picture quality in S-VHS ET mode is almost as good as the original DirecTV broadcast and much better than the tapes you get at the video stores.

Plus the price can;t be beat. Do yourself a favor and get the S-VHS over the standard VHS model. You will be glad you did in the long run!

I have no complaints. I love the picture quality. The picture quality is even further raised with features like VIDEO STABLIZER, VIDEO CALIBRATION, and you can change the sharp tone to "SHARP" for a sharp picture, "SOFT" for a smooth picture, and "AUTO" for use with VIDEO CALIBRATION. This VCR is the most reliable I have ever seen. Sometimes the picture quality is better that DVD recorders. Unlike DVD recorders, there are certain tapes that can record HDTV. Use that tape with its Super Video connection, and you will have a knock-out.

When you hook up your antenna to the VCR, then from the VCR, to the T.V., you get a super clear picture. (For antenna users) It also has VCR plus, so you can connect it to your cable box and it will automatically record for you, A S-Video connection, HI-FI, and an MTS decoder.

Pros: Excellent value, great picture quality in S-VHS, jog/shuttle, S-Video in/outs, Easy setup, cables included, quality construction, lots of features, OK tracking, Super VHS ET mode, 400+ lines of resolution, Has 19u Heads For Taping In The Extended Mode, Can Record Super VHS On Standard Tapes, do I need to say more?!?!

Cons: Tracking problems in EP mode, flimsy, some color problems, Super VHS tapes may be hard to find and expensive, the menu system is kind of complicated, Clunky remote, traditional programming procedure, Front Display Panel

The Bottom Line
The HR3600U is a bargain  the picture quality, S-VHS ability and features for $ are excellent.

Highly Reccommended!!

Introduction
My reason for purchasing this VCR was simple. I wanted an inexpensive VCR with S-Video inputs. For those who may not know, S-Video inputs allow the transfer of 400 lines of resolution, as opposed to the usual 260 or so transmitted via RCA connections. In theory, the higher the resolution is the better the picture looks.

Functionality
In addition to the VCR, there are a set of RCA cables and an S-Video cable included as well. Overall the unit is a piece of cake to setup. The unit has both RCA and S-Video jacks on the back, and a set of RCA jacks on the front. This makes it easy to hook up an external source (such as a camcorder or something) and record to VHS. I have my unit hooked up to my computer (it has a video card with S-Video out and RCA audio outs), and I havent actually used the input jacks on the front of the VCR. Another feature I really like is the simple 1-touch recording button on the unit. The way I have it set up, I can just reach up from my computer and hit it, and off it goes.

This unit has a jog/shuttle wheel which is used to perform all the rewinds and fast forwards. Ill have to say, this is my first experience with a shuttle wheel. I like it! It just seems more cool than a rewind or fast forward button. Lol The unit rewinds tapes faster than my old Zenith VCR.

The clock is easy to set as well. I think this is an area which has been greatly improved upon in recent years. For that matter, all the menu items are laid out in a common sense manner, which makes programming and such even easier.

I noticed some were saying they didnt like the remote control, but I think it is just fine. Grant it, I dont use it much, but the times I have used it, I havent encountered any problems with it.

Two other things I really like are (1) Having a time code counter display on the LCD so you know how much youve recorded. (2) When you rewind, this little bar pops up on screen and shows you where you are relative to the length of the tape. Its not really super useful, but I just like knowing where Im at.

Picture Quality
Ill have to say that for $, this unit produces great quality dubs in regular VHS mode. Ive been using it for several months now, and the video productions Ive produced always come out looking very good. And thats the most important thing! I havent dubbed anything in S-VHS or S-VHS ET mode yet because none of my projects have warranted that. I would imagine that the picture quality would be even more outstanding than the regular VHS mode though.

Nit Picks
While the outer enclosure looks nice, the unit feels- cheap. I dont think it would hold up too well under any kind of rough conditions. Hopefully this VCR will reside either in your home theater or a setup like mine where it stays put and isnt moved around too much.

The cheesy glow in the dark keys on the keypad of the remote. I hate it when electronics manufacturers use these gimmicky things. They never work.

Conclusions
For the money, you just cant beat this VCR. The ease of setup and great picture quality are this VCRs strongest points. I highly recommend this VCR to anyone looking for a budget level VCR.