Customer Reviews

JVC HRS3911U 4-Head S-VHS VCR, Silver

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

 

 

I did a lot of online investigations and finally bought this machine. It is worth every dollar we spent for its sharp video and audio quality with two S-video outlets in the back.

If you are looking for top picture quality, especially if you are using satellite dish, it will be your best bet. This model is made for those who have a high-definition TV, using S-video and other gudgets to watch recorded movies with a DVD quality.
However, if you just have a regular TV and use RF cable, you might just as well settle with a cheap model .

I was looking for a VCR with S-video input and output connectors and hoping that the quality with S-VHS tapes would be a significant step up from VHS.

I tried several different brands of S-VHS blank tapes ... but never got a significant improvement over VHS recordings. In some cases, especially with large areas of blue or black, random dancing pixels caused by tape noise detracted noticiably from the the video fidelity.

Furthermore, I found that the machine was susceptable to interference from the TV receiver. This resulted in a travelling black vertical bar that swept the picture once every 5 seconds or so. This only happened when recording one show and watching a different video source (e.g. DVD). I assume this is due to inadequate magnetic shielding of the record head allowing some coupling to the scan coils of the TV cathode ray tube.

On the positive side, the contols were easy to use and picture quality was Okay (except when recording near an unsynchronized TV set). Playback of pre-recorded VHS tapes was of high quality and the use of S-VHS connectors help to reduce picture distortion.

For Satellite TV users, one of the nicest features is the ability to automatically record when a signal is detected from the Satellite box. This avoids having to set up two timers (one in the VCR and one on the Satellite box).

The reviewer with the two "defective" units should've replaced the S-Video cable.

I had good use with mine. eventually replaced it with a JVC 7500, and later a panny AG-1980.

I bought the 3911 because of the s-video input and output. The unit in theory has great features, but in practice it was disappointing. Most notably, the color switched periodically to b/w and sometimes the image was lost altogether. This could be remedied by a gentle bang on the side, although that was not listed as an option in the manual:0! I returned the unit thinking I had gotten a bad unit but the replacement was just the same. So I am returning this one and looking for a different model.