Hitachi VT-F372A manual

Table of Contents 1 1 HITA CHI Video Deck VT-F372A Owner's Manual Your Complete Guide to Videocassette View ing and Recording Using these quality feat ures:  VHS hi-fideli ty sound in play back  Automatic tape head cleaning  Up to 8 delay ed recording pr ograms  Auto tracking for impr oved picture in play back  Cable-compati ble[...]

Table of Contents 2 Table of Contents FOR YOUR SAFET Y ............................................................................................................................... 5 Read This First .......................................................................................................................................... 6 IMPORTAN[...]

Table of Contents 3 Special Play back Effec ts ................................................................................................................... 34 To Find Speci fic Sections on a Tape ............................................................................................... 36 Basic Operati ons (Rec ording) .................[...]

Table of Contents 4 Don't Atte mpt Repairs Yourself ........................................................................................................ 68 Care and Ser vicing (Problems) ............................................................................................................ 69 Hitachi Service Hotlin e .................[...]

FOR YOUR SAFET Y 5 F O R Y O U R S A F E T Y POW ER SUPPLY: AC 120V, 60 Hz ONLY. The POW ER swi tch turns the VCR on and off, leaving the cl ock/timer unaffected. If the unit is to be left unattended for a long period, it is r ecommended that the unit be completely switched off and unplugged. Illustrated below is the label on the back of y our unit[...]

Read This First 6 This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B l imits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference r egulations of the Canadian Department of Communications. "Note t o CA TV sy stem installer: This reminder i s provided to call the CATV system installer' s attention to Article 8[...]

Read This First 7 Instructions in French and Spani sh.....19 Problem chart.....65 Recording a Program, 33 Before You Record, 33 Basic Recording Steps, 33 Recording Tips, 34 Using the In sta nt Record ing Tim e r (IRT), 35 Setting the VCR to Record Later, 36 Revi ewing W hat You Hav e Programmed, 38 Progr amming Prior ities, 39 Easy Delay ed Recordi[...]

Read This First 8[...]

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS 9 I M P O R T A N T S A F E G U A R D S In addition to the careful attention dev oted to quality standards in the manufacture of your v ideo product, safety is a major factor in the design of ever y instrument. But, safety is your responsibility too. This page lists important inform ation that will help to assure y our enjoymen[...]

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS 10 a risk of fire or electri c shock. Overloaded AC outl ets and extension cords are dangerous, and so ar e f rayed power cords, damaged or cracked w ire insulation and broken plugs. They may result i n shock or fire hazard. Peri odically ex amine the cord and have it r eplaced by y our servic e technician if appearance indicat[...]

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS 11 near a bath tub, w ash bowl, kitchen sink, or laundry tub, in a w et basement, or near a swi mming pool, and the lik e. 11 A ccessories -- Do not place thi s video product on an unstabl e card, stand, tripod, bracket or table. The v ideo product may fall, causing serious injury to a child or adult, and serious damage to the [...]

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS 12 16 Lightning -- For added protection for this vi deo product during a l ightning stor m, or when i t its left unattended and unused for long periods of time, unplug it from the wall outlet and disconnect the antenna or cable-system. This will prev ent damage to the video pr oduct due to lightning and power-l ine surges.[...]

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS 13 SERVICE 17 Servicing -- Do not attempt to serv ice this vi deo product yoursel f as opening or removi ng covers may expose y ou to dangerous v oltage or other haz ards. Refer all servi cing to qual ified service per sonnel. 18 Conditions Requiring Service - - Unplug thi s video product from the w all outlet and refer serv ic[...]

Getting Started 14 G e t t i n g S t a r t e d Relax. Using a V CR is very straightforw ard. This sections explai ns how to hookup the VCR, quick tour of the controls , set up for first-ti me operation using on- screen menus, and videocassette tapes. Enjoy getting to know all about your Hitachi VCR. Let's get star ted.  Simple Hookups 1 Dec[...]

Getting Started 15  Any other dev ices you w ant to include in the sy stem (stereo, second VCR, etc.) W e will guide you throug h the process. But f irst, turn the TV and the VCR around so you are looking at their backs. Note the v arious input and output receptacles, their shapes, and how they are labeled. Then read throug h the rest of this ho[...]

Getting Started 16 electronic sig nal won't hav e to go through a conv ersion process. Plus your VCR has a stereo decoder, w hich your TV mig ht not. For big speaker sound, you can also use these jacks to connect the VCR to y our stereo system (page 54). Capabilities : The audio and video si gnal connections are all you need to play back a pre[...]

Getting Started 17 TV jack on the back of the VCR. 4. Connect the other end of the same cable onto the 75 ohm antenna input on y our TV (w here you first disconnected the TV in step 1.) Capabilities : W ith this hookup, you should now be able to perform all the basic functions provi ded by this eq uipment. External or Internal 300 Ohm A ntenna If y[...]

Getting Started 18 Single 300 ohm flat w ire Separate UHF and VH F antenna wi res, both 300 ohm fla t w ire 300 ohm flat UHF and 75 ohm round VHF If you have "rabbit ears" (an antenna on top of your TV), y ou will need an additional adapter and 75 ohm extensi on to make your leads r each from the antenna to the VCR. This connection will w[...]

Getting Started 19 1. Using whichev er adapter you hav e fit your antenna w ith, attach that connector to the IN FROM ANT jack on the back of the VCR. 2. Using the 75 ohm cable supplied wi th your VCR , connect either end to the OUT TO TV jack on the back of the VCR. 3. Use a second adapter to attach the other end of the 75 ohm connector back i nto[...]

Getting Started 20 W hen the VCR is on, its vi deo signal can come into y our TV on either channel 3 or channel 4. You need to select the appr opriate channel.  Turn the power on to both the TV and the VCR , and look for a switch on the back of the VCR. Set the sw itch to 3 or 4, whi chever is not a commercial channel in y our area. Your basi c [...]

Getting Started ( Controls) 21 Getting S tarted (Controls )  Quick Tour of the Controls Study these pictur es carefully to learn about the buttons and contr ols that you'll need f or every day operati on. Various controls ar e explained throug hout this manual as they are needed, but now is a g ood time to get f amiliar with their locations[...]

Getting Started ( Controls) 22 device you are con trolling at th e mom ent. Remote Co ntrol Illustra tio n Remote Control Buttons POW ER Turns the VCR on and off . VCR1, TV CATV, VCR2 Dev ice buttons let you set the r emote to control one of f our devices. MUTE Turns off the audio until you press M UTE again. VOLUME Increase or decrease the audio v[...]

Getting Started ( Controls) 23 TRACKING Lets y ou fine tune the picture. 0 to 9 Number buttons used in on- screen programming . Can also be used to change channels. (Simply press 2 or 3 dig its for the channel you want - such as 0 and 6 for channel 6, or 100/ENT and 2 and 4 for channel 124.) VCR/TV Sw itches between v iewing through the VCR and not[...]

Getting Started ( Controls) 24 VCR Controls POW ER Turns VCR power on and off. STOP/EJECT Cancels any v ideotape action, and when pr essed a second time, ejects tape. PLAY Play the loaded videotape. SHUTTLE Controls the v ideocassette's forward and r everse motion w ith one convenient di al. DISPLAY Show s time, channel, and status indicator s[...]

Getting Started ( Controls) 25 Your H itachi VCR has as a special feature call ed the Easy Guide System. This f eature guides you throug h simple setup and programming tasks right on the TV screen. W ith the T V and VCR turned on, press GUIDE on the rem ote control. You will see this screen: You may view all the on-screen instructi ons in English, [...]

Getting Started ( Initial Setup) 26 Getting S tarted (Ini tial S etup)  Setup for First-Time Operation Before you use y our VCR to watch or record from your TV, y ou need to "tell" the VCR whether your TV uses cable or antenna input and l et it program i tself to receive y our TV's channels. It's also a good idea to set the c[...]

Getting Started ( Initial Setup) 27 Here is w hat the options mean: 1 ANTENNA/CABLE Press 1 to select the ty pe of receiving setup y ou have: <ANT.> Internal or external antenna <CATV1> Ordi nary cable <CATV2> Alternate cable ( if CATV1 doesn't give y ou the channels you expect) 2 AUTO CHA NNEL SET TING Press 2 to automatical[...]

Getting Started ( Initial Setup) 28 To set the clock, press GUIDE, then press 6 to br ing up the Clock Set screen: Press the number buttons on the remote contr ol to set the current time - tw o digits for the hour and tw o f or the minutes. Then press 1 or 2 for AM or PM, respecti vely. For exampl e, if it is now 2:15 PM , press 0, 2, 1, and 5 for [...]

Getting Started ( Initial Setup) 29  For conveni ence, the TV channel numbers should match those progr ammed into the VCR. If your TV has automatic channel programmi ng, set it on the same mode - ANT, CATV1 or CATV2 - and l et it reprogr am to match the VCR. Once channels are preset, y ou can use the up and down CH ANNEL buttons to move through [...]

Getting Started ( Initial Setup) 30 STEREO is the normal factory setting because it w orks for both stereo and mono broadcasts. It is also necessar y for recording a second audio program (SAP) . W hen you select MONO, sound is r ecorded as mono even w hen a channel broadcasts in stereo. Use the MONO setting when the ster eo signal is not str ong en[...]

Getting Started ( Videotapes) 31 Getting S tarted (V ideotape s)  A bout Videocassette Tapes Ty pes The best thing y ou can do f o r your VCR i s use the best quality tapes available. This VCR uses VHS tapes onl y, whi ch are the most common type. Look for the VHS mark on new or prerecorded tapes you buy . Tapes are marked either T-120 or T-160,[...]

Getting Started ( Videotapes) 32 Loading and Ejecting W hen you load a videocassette i nto the VCR, there is only one right w ay! Most tapes show y ou the way with a littl e arrow on the top si de which should g o in first. Push the videocassette g ently into the slot on the front of the VCR. You will feel the VCR take it in. W hen the cassette is [...]

Basic Operations 33 Basic Operations Practice starti ng and stopping a video you've rented - play it thr ough, see how it automati cally rewinds. Get a blank tape and tr y recording a TV show. Then you'll know how to use the VCR when you need to - or where in the manual to find the instructions you forgot. Let's go!  Viewing a Vid[...]

Basic Operations 34 Manual Tracking Scratched tapes or poorl y recorded tapes may require addi tional picture adjustment. You can do this w ith the remote control. Pr ess either of the TRACKING buttons (dow n or up arrow s) until pi cture clears up. After operating the tr acking manually , eject the tape and reinsert it to r eactivate auto tracking[...]

Basic Operations 35 W hile in PAUSE mode during playback, press F.ADV to v iew the v ideo one frame at a time. Press PAUSE to resume play . Skip Play back W hile playing back y our tape you can ski p fo rward by pr essing the FRAME AD VANCE button. The tape will search ahead for about a minute and then resume playing. Slow Motion To slow the play b[...]

Basic Operations 36 If noise bars appear on the TV screen during SLOW /STILL mode, first set the VCR to SLOW mode and then press the TRACKING control buttons ( or ) o n the remo te control to mini mize the noise bars. The noise bar s are then eliminated automatical ly in the STILL mode. To Find Specific Sections on a Tape Visual Search This functio[...]

Basic Operations 37 If there is one part of the video that you know y ou ar e g oi ng to w ant to return to, you can set the time counter to memori ze that spot. Begin i n either STOP or PLAY mode.  Press DISPLAY twice to show the counter on the TV screen. (If you want the counter to appear on the VCR's di splay too, press DISPLAY three tim[...]

Basic Operations 38 A quick w ay to access specific prog ram segments is wi th the index search feature. This lets you mov e through a tape that has sev eral recording s on it by searchi ng for the INDEX "mar k." This function only w orks with recor dings that have been set up w ith indexi ng. You create an IN DEX mark ev ery time y ou pr[...]

Basic Operations (R ecording) 39 Basic Operations (Recording)  Recording a Program Before y ou Record  The VCR must be hooked up properl y for recording . See the Simple Hookups at the beginni ng of this manual.  Make sure you are f amilia r with the Easy Guide System f or on-scree n programming (page 19) and the basi cs about videocassett[...]

Basic Operations (R ecording) 40 Recording will start unless the casse tte is protected with the saf ety tab. If this ta b has been removed, the VCR will eject the tape to prev ent recording over w hat is there. (See About Videocassettes for more about prev enting tape erasure.) Recording Tips To Watch the Same Program While Recording To view what [...]

Basic Operations (R ecording) 41 To Leave Index M arks on the Tape This feature is useful when y ou are recordi ng several pr ograms on the same tape. It helps you q uickly find the begi nnings of the shows duri ng playback (pag e 32). You create the i ndex "mark" ever y time y ou begin recording by pressing REC. To leave an index mar k b[...]

Basic Operations (R ecording) 42 Setting the V CR to Record Later W ith the delayed recordi ng feature, you can set this VCR so that it automatically comes on and records prog rams whenev er you li ke - without y our being around! You can record a prog ram one time only , or you can automatical ly recor d a show ever y weekday or ever y week at the[...]

Basic Operations (R ecording) 43 example, 0 and 6 for channel 6. After you enter the channel and time, the VCR automaticall y shows the cur rent date or the next date, w hichever is most logical. Leav e the date as it comes up, or enter new digits for the month and day .  You can corr ect any item entered as y ou go by pressi ng the CLEAR button[...]

Basic Operations (R ecording) 44  Press TAPE SPEED to swi tch to SP because you want the best q uality picture for this recordin g. Every thing is as you want it, so pr ess GUIDE to set the progr am in memory. Insert a vi deocassette, and power off the VCR. Check for the delay ed recording indicator on the VC R's display . Prepare to admire[...]

Basic Operations (R ecording) 45 starting time. To avoid recor ding only bi ts and pieces of diff erent over lapping show s, review your progr amming and delete those show s that are not essential.[...]

Basic Operations (VC R Plus + Recording ) . 46 Basic Operations (VCR Plus + Recording) .  Easy Delayed Recording with VCR Plus + A bout VCR Plus+ This handy feature makes timed r ecordings a snap. You don't need to enter the specific channel, date, time, or duration of a progr am. All y ou enter is its Pl usC ode - a number of up to eight d[...]

Basic Operations (VC R Plus + Recording ) . 47 3. If you don't get cable TV, make a li st of all the broadcast channel numbers y ou receiv e on your TV - for exampl e, channel 4 W TTV (Ind.), channel 20 W FYI (PBS) . 4. If you subscribe to cable TV, hav e your cable company 's channel directory handy. This should lis t all the channels as[...]

Basic Operations (VC R Plus + Recording ) . 48 progr am guide to your list of channels that you recei ve at home. If any channel numbers don't match, follow the steps (page 43) to assig n your local channel numbers to VCR Plus+ numbers. Cable (No Cable Box) This is the channel setup to use if y our VCR is hooked up dir ectly to cable w ithout [...]

Basic Operations (VC R Plus + Recording ) . 49 arrow. 3. If your broadcast channel number is not the same as the VCR Plus+ channel in your TV listing , use the number buttons to assi g n the br oadcast channel to the cor respondi ng VCR Plus+ channel. If you enter a w rong digi t, press CLEAR and enter the corr ect one. In the example bel ow broadc[...]

Basic Operations (VC R Plus + Recording ) . 50  Some of your cable channel s through a cable box (scrambled premium channel s), and  Some of your channels ( unscrambled) directly through the cable Before you begi n, you need to know w hich cable channels y ou receiv e through your cable box. You also need to know the output channel number for[...]

Basic Operations (VC R Plus + Recording ) . 51 2. Use the number buttons to enter the PlusCode of the program y ou want to record. This code can be up to eight dig its. If you enter a w rong digi t, press CLEAR and enter the correct one. 3. If you accidentall y enter a nonexi stent PlusCode, the VCR g ives you an er ror message that disappears from[...]

Advanced Operati ons 52 7. Revi ew the screen to be sure ev erything is set as you w ant, then press GUIDE to complete your programming or continue w ith additional prog rams. W hen you have set up all the ti med recordings y ou want:  Don't forget to load a videocassette (w ith the safety tab still attached) to record on.  If you have a[...]

Advanced Operati ons 53 wi th every one made. If y our TV or cable box does not r espond the way i t should when you prog ram it as ex plained below , this remote may be i ncapable of operating it. Once you hav e programmed the r emote, you won't hav e to do it again unti l you change the batteries. This Hitachi r emote control can be used wit[...]

Advanced Operati ons 54 Gold Star 1 6 Toshiba 7 Gold Star 2 8 NEC 9 R C A 0 Panasonic CHANNEL ( up arrow) Mitsubishi CHANNEL (dow n arrow) JVC 100/ENT Sharp 1 LAST CH Sharp 2 DISPLAY Controlling the TV Once progr ammed, the VCR's remote control i s ready to control the TV.  First press TV to chang e to the TV f unction mode, then press the [...]

Advanced Operati ons (Cable Box H ookups) 55 A dvanced Operat ions (Cable Box Hookups)  Hooking Up to a Cable Box The cable box bri ngs all the adv antages of pay cable, but finding a sati sfactory hookup can be challengi ng. To sort out what to do, w e suggest a step-by -step approach to installation . You w ill need RF TV splitters, coaxial ca[...]

Advanced Operati ons (Cable Box H ookups) 56 Option 1 - A ll Channels Scrambled 1. Remove the cabl e company's cable line from the back of your TV. Connect it to the IN FROM ANT low er jack on the back of the VCR. 2. Using the 75 ohm coaxial cable suppl ied with y our VCR, connect either end to the VCR's OUT TO TV upper jack. 3. Connect t[...]

Advanced Operati ons (Cable Box H ookups) 57 Option 3--Some Channels Scrambled This hookup requir es three coaxial j umpers with connector s, a 1-into-2 splitter , and an A-or-B switch box . 1. Disconnect the cable from the cable box and attach it to the input line of the 1-into- 2 splitter. 2. Using a coaxial jumper, r econnect one of the splitter[...]

Advanced Operati ons (Cable Box H ookups) 58 Hamlin 4 Zenith 5 Scientific Atlanta 6 Pioneer 7 Philips 8 To operate the cable box once the r emote is progr ammed for it:  Press CATV and then the button of the function you w ant.  Press VCR1 to oper ate your VCR w ith the remote agai n.[...]

Advanced Operati ons (Stereo System) 59 A dvanced Operations (Stereo System)  Integrating Your Stereo Sy stem There are sever al reasons to consider hooking up your stereo sy stem with y our TV and VCR.  If your TV does not have ster eo, you can get stereo q uality from your VCR by hooking it to your stereo receiver .  Even if y our TV doe[...]

Advanced Operati ons (Stereo System) 60 cassette into the VCR. Be sure that H IFI is selected in the Initial Setup scr een of the Easy Guide Sy stem.  Press DISPLAY , then press 5 on the remote control to select SP or EP. The EP setting g ives y ou reasonable qualit y and a longer tape program.  Press AVX on the r emote control to turn the LI[...]

Advanced Operati ons (Second VCR) 61 A dvanced Operations (Second VCR)  Integrating a Second VCR W ith another VCR hooked up, you can copy videotapes as needed, and y ou can get fancy wi th multimedia progr amming. For this di scussion, we refer to the model VT- F372A Hitachi as VC R2 and the other unit as VCR1. Hookup To hook up a second VCR, y[...]

Advanced Operati ons (Second VCR) 62  Insert the vi deotape you wi sh to record in VCR2.  Insert a blank or er asable tape (wi th the saf ety tab intact) into VCR1.  Press AVX on VCR1 - the LINE in dicator will display.  Press REC on VCR 1, and press PLAY on VCR2. To monitor the picture as y ou record, VCR1 must be connected to y our TV[...]

Advanced Operati ons (Synchro Editi ng) 63 A dvanced Operations (Sy nchro Editing) Sy nchro Editing Tape copying i s much easier if you can connect VCR 1 and VCR2 with a sy nchro edit cable. This lets y ou use a single set of controls to gov ern both VCRs.  W e assume that VCR2 is your model VT-F372A. This is the playback VC R.  The other VCR[...]

Advanced Operati ons (Synchro Editi ng) 64  Insert the cassette you w ant to copy into VCR2.  On VCR2, press PLAY . Locate the place on the tape where y ou want to beg in copying , then press PAUSE.  Insert a cassette (w ith its saf e ty tab intact) into VCR1. Put this VCR in RECORD- PAUSE mode, and press AVX to put it in LINE mode.  Pr[...]

Advanced Operati ons (Synchro Editi ng) 65  Select the start point of the section of the progr am that you want to copy . You can locate the beginni ng of the program by using the shuttle dial or the PLAY, REW IND, or FAST FORW ARD co n trols.  W hen you have located the start poi nt of your edit press the EDIT button on the remote. The curre[...]

Advanced Operati ons (Camcorder) 66 A dvanced Operations (Camcorder) Copy ing Tapes From a Camcorder If you woul d like to copy a v ideo tape shot in your camcorder onto your VCR here's how to do it.  Connect the camcorder's AV output cabl e to your VCR. ( see diagram below ) Camcorder H ookup Illustration  Press the AVX button on t[...]

VCR Car e and Servici ng 67 V C R C a r e a n d S e r v i c i n g The VCR is fai rly self-ser vicing, but you'll want to keep an eye on a few things as you go. In addition, you m ay sometim es have troubles with your VCR . W e offer som e suggestions for care to pr event problems, ways to troubl eshoot, and places to contact when you cannot so[...]

VCR Car e and Servici ng 68  If the VCR Doesn't Work Right Many oper ational problems are easi ly remedied by revi ewing the i nstructions in this manual and try i ng out some di fferent controls and setti ng s. The chart on the facing pag e covers the more common problems that new VC R owners encounter . Don't A ttempt Repa irs Yourse[...]

Care and Serv icing ( Problems) 69 Care and Servicing (Problems) OFTEN ENCOUNT ERED PROBLEMS PR OBL EM THI NGS TO CH EC K SO LUTI ON No Power Power cord plugged in? Connect the power cord to A C outlet. Delaye d recording does not work. Program set to the correct chann el? Reset the delayed recording. Program time and date set correctly? Reset the [...]

Care and Serv icing ( Problems) 70 Mechanical s ounds during the STO P Has a loaded cass ette been stopped m ore than 5 minutes ? Nothing is wrong. The tape protection m echanis m is working. Ejec t the cass ette if you are done viewing. Otherwise, no action is necessar y . Hitachi Serv ice Hotline Authorized Hitachi serv ice f a cilities are avail[...]

SPECIFICATIONS 71 SPECIFICA TIONS  Technical Specifications Recording : Rotary two-head heli cal scan azimuth recor ding Video: NTSC color EIA standard Cassette: VHS type Heads: 4 video heads 2 for SP, 2 for EP 2 hi-fi audio heads 1 full track audio/v ideo erase head 1 combination head for control tr ack, audio erase and record/play (3 heads/sin[...]

SPECIFICATIONS 72 38.0cm (W ) x 8.2cm (H ) x 33.4cm (D ) W e ight: 11.7 lbs. ( 5.3 kg) Accessories: 1 coaxial cabl e (Part No. 5861141) 1 remote control uni t (Part No. 5616491), 2 AA batteri es For information about how to obtain these accessories, please call TOLL FREE 1- 800- 448-2244 for your nearest Hitachi Authori zed Parts Dis tributor in th[...]