Customer Reviews

JVC HR-S3910U Super-VHS VCR

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This is an excellent VCR to fit into home theater systems...and you can't beat the price...

1) It has S-Video out which looks great, and pretty good picture quality even if S-Video is not used.

2) Sound quality is great. I upgraded to a Dolby Pro Logic II receiver recently, and VHS tapes that sounded pathetic (essentially mono with the occassion sound effect here and there) on my older VCR and Pro Logic system now have soundtracks that are closer to Dolby 5.1 (though still nowhere near as good).

3) You can avoid macrovision and record DVD to VHS. I have component video going from my dvd player to my toshiba widescreen tv, and then S-Video (and stereo audio) going from my DVD-player to the JVC VCR. If i want to make a copy, i just hit play on the DVD, and record on the VCR. If you use SVHS tapes (which arent compatible with regular VCR's, but give substantially better picture quality), this VCR can give you a very good copy of a DVD that is a good movie, but isnt quite worth buying. (Cost of this is about $5 for the tape and rental as opposed to $20 buying it brand new).

I was very pleased to figure this out. I am not sure whether DVD player manufacturers choose not to output macrovision through the S-Video Jack, or whether this VCR merely ignores or doesnt recognize macrovision. I have heard that other SVHS VCR's allow you to copy DVD ==> VHS, so my guess would be that it is the S-Video connection and not the player that allows me to do it. But for anyone who is possibly looking into DVD-Recorders that can cost you (a lot of money) and is still in its primitive stages, you might want to look in to this VCR first, as it is (much cheaper) and can give you just a slightly lower quality duplication.

This deck really shines when recording in SVHS mode...almost looks as good as DVD quality on my Panasonic TAU monitor (progressive scanning). Plays back tapes from other machines perfectly...everytime! My negative nit-picking list: like every VCR under $750, it is basically lightweight plastic, not a sturdy metal case. And why did they not include an SVHS jack on the front (it is available on the next model up)...it would have cost about another .20 cents! Finally...lots of advertising on the tape hinge (SuperVHS, Plug & Play, etc.), but this is easily fixed by masking the area around it & applying a coat of silver spray paint (smile)! Over-all, I am very picky & this is a good VCR.

You will have to select which input in the menu, so if you were to plug in an S-video signal, it won't just automatically recognize it which is pretty lame when you want to switch between TV and other signals. Quality of picture recording is okay, but I've seen better elsewhere, especially in Sony's. All in all, I really don't like it. There are numerous little quirky things that just irritate me.

It looks nice. JVC is the inventor of S-VHS, but this machine was so frustrating, I took it back within 48 hours. Programming was difficult to trudge through. The remote is one of the worst I have seen (extremely poor ergonomics). A very unfriendly machine to use.

If you really want S-VHS try one from Sony or a high brand like Denon or Mitsubishi.