Panasonic PV-V4520 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR

by Panasonic

Product Details

Product Manual [1.87mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 9 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00004NKHY
• Item model number: PV-V4520
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,383 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #35 in Electronics > Televisions & Video > VCRs
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

If you've spent the past 15 years accumulating a collection of homemade VHS tapes, and you're searching for a new videocassette recorder, Panasonic's PV-V4520 should serve you well. This affordable, reliable, and easy-to-use four-head hi-fi model offers plenty of recording features; its straightforward onscreen guide helps you take advantage of those features without having to read the owner's manual.

Although connecting the PV-V4520 was very routine, we found the coaxial cable TV inputs and outputs to be difficult to access with our fingers, making it hard to tighten down the cable company's painstaking CATV terminals. There are no front-panel audio-video inputs on this VCR. Since it's a hi-fi model, however, the PV-V4520 does provide a pair of standard audio input and output jacks on the rear, along with a composite-video in and out. Once you connect the VCR to your TV, you simply turn it on and automatically enter the setup mode. If you need to reset the VCR, the owner's manual gives clear instructions on how to proceed using the onscreen guide and remote control. In less than five minutes, you can manually reset the clock and the language for the onscreen text, as well as the TV output channel (3 or 4), antenna, and automatic channel tuning.

The remote control is intelligently designed to stand up on a tabletop or shelf. It has a backlight button that enables you to see the most important keys (Play, Stop, Rewind, and Fast-Forward) in the dark. Since the remote accepts codes from multibrand TVs, cable set-top boxes, and satellite receivers, you'll definitely want to program it to operate the channel and volume control functions. The remote's buttons are intuitively laid out and simple to use, with the exception of the channel and volume keys, which are rather small.

Most of the PV-V4520's features are geared toward recording, beginning with the VCR Plus+ guide, which, if set up properly, makes it relatively simple to command the VCR to tape programs while you're gone. After configuring the VCR setup for TV only, satellite receiver, or cable set-top box, you must look up the VCR Plus+ two-digit codes in your local TV listings and assign them to their respective channels using the remote control and onscreen menu. This is a rather cumbersome process when compared with today's hard drive TV recorders; however, Panasonic's PV-V4520 VCR is considerably less expensive and you don't have to worry about memory management.

The PV-V4520 has a number of advanced recording features that used to be found only in more expensive S-VHS models. Program End Search places an invisible index mark at the end of each recording on a tape, making it easier to find multiple shows you've recorded. This VCR also has a Zero Search tape counter locator, which enables you to find the location of a specific segment on a tape.

We did not care for the Commercial Skip feature. Contrary to its name, Commercial Skip does not automatically sense the beginning and end of advertisements. It's basically an automatic fast-forwarding device that works in 1-, 2-, and 3-minute increments. We found that 30-second increments would be more useful, since commercial breaks often run shorter or longer than one or two minutes.

We did like the auto start, rewind, tape eject, and power off features, which are great for lazy, late-night movie sessions because they make it easy to crawl off to bed without rewinding the tape and shutting off the VCR.

If you're primarily interested in a hi-fi VCR that simply plays back VHS cassettes, the PV-V4520 probably isn't for you. If you're hooked on VHS "time shifting," however, this is an ideal deck for recording new tapes and watching old ones. The PV-V4520 is a solid performer from a reliable VCR manufacturer with one of the best customer satisfaction ratings in the business. --Eric Gill

Pros:

• Easy to program
• Great remote
• Good build quality
• Lots of useful features

Cons:

• No front-panel audio-video inputs

Amazon.com Product Description

The Panasonic PV-V4520 VCR is part of Panasonic's latest line of VCRs designed for the year 2000 and beyond. This four-head VCR combines hi-fi audio capabilities with a host of convenience features. It is equipped with a 181-channel TV/CATV tuner and an illuminated, universal, stand-up Light Tower remote control. Commercial Skip may be used during playback of a tape to rapidly advance 30 seconds, 60 seconds, or two minutes with each successive push of a button on the remote.

A notable feature made standard in Panasonic's latest line of VCRs is the VCR Plus+ feature, which lets users program the VCR by entering the PlusCode numerical codes that are found in many newspapers' television listings and TV Guide.

Other features include Auto Clock Set with 24-hour backup and a trilingual onscreen display (French, English, and Spanish). Auto Clock Set, featured on every Panasonic VCR, takes advantage of the Extended Data Service signal from the user's local PBS channel to automatically set and update the time and date. In the event of a power outage, the time and date will automatically be reset within 24 hours. This model also features index search and a tape position display.

The Panasonic PV-V4520 is Energy Star compliant, so it will draw significantly less power in the standby mode than noncompliant VCRs. Panasonic backs this model with a warranty of one year on parts, 90 days on labor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid VCR, June 2, 2000

By 

"angryvirgin" (Kansas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic PV-V4520 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR (Electronics)

This is a very solid VCR. It does a good job at recording as well as playback. Programming is very, very easy--I didn't even need the manual to figure it out, there are on screen directions which are real easy to follow. The only weak part of this unit is the remote. The channel and volume buttons are really small, so it is a little difficult to use at first, especially in the dark. This isn't a real big deal to me, but it would be nice if these buttons were bigger. It is also nice that you can use all the functions of the VCR without the remote, which is nice for those of use who have the tendency to lose the remote.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inexpensive, a bit noisy, but worth it, October 10, 2000

By 

mister_t42 (Andover, MA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic PV-V4520 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR (Electronics)

I've owned 6 Panasonic VCRs, each one better than its predecessor. I am not sure that the same holds for this one, though the price is certainly too good to pass on.

If you've owned a Panasonic VCR before then you expect reliability and ease of use. This unit delivers on that...while including 4 heads, commercial skip, a lighted remote (finally!), and the entire bevy of features now standard on every VCR.

The real negative is that it is much noiser than the model it replaces; particularly when it is rewinding. We are talking a good bit noise, enough that it makes me want to turn up the TV volume while it is rewinding.

I actually went out and purchased a JVC VCR to consider as an alternative, but returned that one and kept the Panasonic becaese the JVC was way too confusing to program.

So why did I keep this one? It is very inexpensive, I like the features, and I can live with the added noise. I think this one is a keeper unless the noise will drive you crazy.

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo Panasonic!, August 9, 2000

By 

Chris Wood (Miramichi, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic PV-V4520 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR (Electronics)

I consider myself to be a video junkie and consider the ownership of a good VCR a sacred thing. My 9 year old Mitsubishi which I loved and cherished for being an excellent VCR for so long started to die so this is why I went shopping for the best VCR under $140.00 US. I initially purchased the Sony SLV-N50 and returned it, then moved on to trying an Hitachi VT-FX6510A both of which are in the same price range of the Panasonic. I have since returned the Hitachi and have found a new love with this Panasonic PV-V4520. It's not the top of the line but it sure beats the other 2 I tried first and foremost in recorded picture quality. The PV-V4520 is comparable to the Sony SLV-N50 when you record in SP, but the PV-V4520 kills the Sony SLV-N50 when recording in EP/SLP. The Sony SLV-N50 fell apart in EP mode where the EP of the PV-V4520 was amazing! The Sony SLV-N50 also falls short on features when compared to the PV-V4520. The PV-V4520 offers VCR+, and the ever crucial Index Search function which the Sony does not. You need to upgrade to the Sony SLV-N70 to get that feature. The Hitachi VT-FX6510A has pretty much the same features but also does not compare with the PV-V4520 when recording in SP or EP. The Hitachi has the worst recording quality of the 3 in all speeds.

The PV-V4520 offers a rare LP record speed and that is nice when you want to tape up a 3.5 hour movie on 1 tape with the Panasonic's excellent picture quality in LP... It's worth every dime and then some. The PV-V4520 is made in Japan making it even more attractive to buy because you know it will last longer than one that is not.

On a last note, the Sony SLV-N50 and the Hitachi VT-FX6510 both come equipped with the so-called 19 micro head technology to give better recording and playback in EP. After seeing the PV-V4520 record and playback BETTER than the others you tend to wonder if this micron head business is a marketing stunt and nothing more.

What more can I say, Panasonic has the quality in sound, picture and the best reliability in the business. So the choice should be easy for you!

PS: I don't work for Panasonic and this is my first Panasonic piece of equipment.