Panasonic PV-9450 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR

VHS HiFi Stereo VCR, multi-brand universla light tower remote keep watch over for TV, cablebox, VCR and DSS, auto clock set, trilingual on-screen display, channel caption to id 34 channels w/station ID, program index search, tape position display, time stamp
The Panasonic PV-9450 isn’t cluttered with features that you’ll be able to probably never use anyway, but it does offer those that are important: 4-head video quality, stereo hi-fi sound, and on-screen programming. The unit also includes Panasonic’s Multi-Brand Universal Light Tower Remote, which works with most TVs and cable boxes.

The PV-9450 impressed us with its simplicity; we took it out of the box, connected an antenna and TV, and plugged it in. We then followed the initial on-screen setup instructions and, on its own, the unit found the active broadcast channels and even set its clock. We played a prerecorded tape and found the picture to be crisp and sharp. The PV-9450’s audio used to be rich and full, characteristic of hi-fi stereo.

Another interesting feature of the PV-9450 is a time stamp, which, at the beginning of a videotape, displays the time and date of your recording and the channel from which it used to be recorded. A tape-position display shows how close you are to the beginning or end of a tape.

The remote keep watch over, unlike the VCR, is a bit bulky, and its many buttons get in the way of the few you’ll be able to use more often than not. Of course, this is a universal remote, and, as such, will have to sacrifice some design elegance.

If a very powerful features to you are 4-head picture quality and hi-fi stereo sound, then Panasonic PV-9450 is a good choice.

Pros:

• Universal remote works with most TVs and cable boxes
• 4 heads for a clear picture
• Hi-fi stereo for great sound

Cons:

• Limited feature set

VHS hi-fi stereo
MTS/SAP broadcast reception
Multibrand universal remote
Auto clock set with backup, trilingual on-screen programming and setup
Limit 2 per customer