Hitachi VT-FX616A manual

1 VT-FX616A Owner's Manual Your Complete Guide to Videocassette Viewing and Recording Using these qu ality featu res: n VHS hi-fidelity sound in play back n Automatic tape he ad cleaning n Up to 8 delay ed recording prog rams n Auto tracking for improved picture in play back n Frequency sy nthesizer quartz tuner n I lluminated remote control f[...]

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR YOUR SAFETY................................................................................................................ ..2 Read This First ................................................................................................................ ...........3 IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS ...................................[...]

3 This sy mbol warns the user that uninsulated voltage within the unit may have sufficient magnitude to cause electric shock. Therefore, it is dangerous to make any kind of contact with any inside part of this unit. This sy mbol alerts the user that important liter ature conc erning the operation and ma intenance of this unit has been included. The[...]

4 IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS I n addition to the car eful attention de voted to quality standards in the manufac ture of y our video product, safety is a major factor in the design of every instrument. But, safety is y our responsibility too. This page lists impor tant information tha t will help to assure y our enjoy ment and proper use of a Video Casse[...]

5 7 Power Cord Protection -- Power supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against them, pay ing particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they ex it from the appliance. 8 Ventilation -- Slots and opening s in the cabine t are provided f [...]

6 supporting structure, gr ounding of the lead-in wire to an antenna discharge unit, size of grounding conductors, location of antenna-discharge unit, connection to g rounding electrodes, and requirements for the grounding electrode. See example below. EXAMPLE OF ANTENNA GROUNDING 13 Power Lines -- An outside antenna sy stem should not be located i[...]

7 controls may result in damag e and will often r equire extensive wor k by a qualified technician to restore the video product to its normal operation. e. I f the video product has been dropped or the cabinet has been damaged. f. When the video product exhibits a distinct change in performance - this indicates a need for service. 19 Replacement Pa[...]

8 Operations) n Any other devices y ou want to include in the system (stereo, second VCR, etc.) We will guide y ou through the process. But first, turn the TV and the VCR around so y ou are looking at their backs. Note the various input and output receptacles, their shapes, and how they are labeled. Then read through the rest of this hookup section[...]

9 4 Hook Up the RF Signal Look at the back of y our TV for a connector that looks like one of these, and follow the corresponding hookup option. I f you have any sort of cable box, see the hookup options in Advanced Operations (page 69). Simple A ntenna/Cable 75 Ohm Hookup This is an easy hookup that y ou can use if your cable or antenna has a 75 o[...]

10 Capabilities: With this hookup, y ou should now be able to perform all the basic functions provided by this equipment. External or Internal 300 Ohm Antenna I f y ou have either an ex ternal or internal (rabbit ears) antenna rather than cable, y ou may have 300 ohm connectors like these. I n this case, y ou will need special adapters to make the [...]

11 75 ohm extension to make your leads reach from the antenna to the VCR. This connection will work only if y ou have a strong, clear picture on the TV, indicating a strong sig nal. Connect the antenna to the a dapter, a nd use the cable extension to go fr om the adapte r to the VCR. Use the supplied 75 ohm cable to connect the VCR to the TV. Now c[...]

12 You need to select the appropriate channel. n Turn the power on to both the TV and the VCR, and look for a switch on the back of the VCR. Set the switch to 3 or 4, whichever is not a commercial channel in y our area. Your basic hookup is now complete. When y ou're ready to try hooking up a second VCR or a video camera for a complete hom e e[...]

13 About the Il luminated Bu ttons Try pressing the remote c ontrol's white buttons one at a time. As y ou press, one of the thre e device buttons lights up – VCR, CAM or TV. This helps y ou keep track of which device you are controlling at the moment. Remote Control Buttons Remote Control I llustration POWER Turns the VCR on and off. MENU B[...]

14 JOG DIAL Moves the tape forward and r everse one f rame at a time. LA ST CHANNEL Switches to the TV channel y ou watched previously during the current viewing session. F.FWD Fast forwards the videotape. STOP Stops a videocassette from play ing, recording , pausing, rewinding – or any thing it is doing. i Used to display program related informa[...]

15 I f y ou are recording on the VCR but want to watch a different channel on the TV, press the VCR/TV button to switch back and forth between the TV channel and the recording channel. VCR Control s POWER Turns VCR power on and off. STOP/EJECT Cancels any videotape action, and when pressed a second time, ejects tape. PLAY P lay s the loaded videota[...]

16 Your Hitachi VCR has as a special feature called the Easy Guide Sy stem. This feature guides y ou through simple setup and prog ramming ta sks right on the TV sc reen. With the TV and VCR turned on, press MENU on the remote control. You will see this screen: Now, y ou will do most of your prog ramming and setup by pressing numbers on the re mote[...]

17 n When every thing is set up as y ou want, press MENU again to back out of the Easy Guide Sy stem. I f y ou do not use the cable box, y ou need to se t items 1 and 6 the first time y ou set up your VCR. I f y ou receive all channels from the cable box , y ou need to set item 1 and item 5 the first time y ou set y our vcr (see page 44). The rest [...]

18 Removing Channels You may not want to keep all the stations the auto-programmer selects, since y ou may prefer to have only a few favorite channels in the tuner's memory . Or, y ou may want to delete from memory a weak or unused channel that the tuner picked up. n Erased channels cannot be selected by the up and down CHANNEL buttons but can[...]

19 Pre-loading Program Data When presetting channels is f inished, perform the procedure to pre-load prog ram data. There are some preset channels which broadcast a TV program guide li sting all activ e channels in y our area as well as broadcasting actual TV prog rams. Pre-loading is the procedure to search for such a channel (host channel) and st[...]

20 n I t takes up to 45 minutes to pre- load progr am data. Do not switch TV sc reen off until pre- loading is finished. I f the TV screen is switched mid-way, prog ram data cannot be pre-loaded. n I f a host channel is not detected, "ERROR" appears on the TV screen. Press MENU when "ERROR" appears. The screen (FAVORI TE CH) in [...]

21 5. Press MENU when y ou have finished pre-loading. 6. Press a number button to select the channel y ou usually view. 7. Press PLAY. The selected channel appears on the TV screen. 8. Press MENU to finish the pre-loading procedure. 9. Turn off y our VCR overnight to receive program data. The TV program guide of the channel y ou have selected will [...]

22 2. Press 100/ENT to specify whether AUTO DST is to be "ON" or "OFF" . I f "ON" is specified, the DST is se t automatically . The time advanced from the Standard Time by one hour is display ed from the first Sunday of April through the last Sunday of October. I f "OFF " is specified, the Standard Time is di[...]

23 SP EP T-120 120 min. 360 min. T-160 160 min. 480 min. You may have noticed that there is also an L P speed. Your Hitachi VCR does not record at this speed, but it can pla y cassettes that were rec orded in L P mode. No special setting is require d for play back. Safety Tabs Prevent Erasure A safety tab is located on the front left edge of every [...]

24 Store y our videocassettes in their jackets and in an upright position (like books in a bookshelf) away from any magnetic sourc es. Resist the te mptation to leave the m ly ing flat on top of the VCR. Tapes will last long er – and so will y our VCR – if y ou store them properly . Remember, dust, dirt and liquids are enemies of y our tapes an[...]

25 have a direct video-to-video hookup. I f this is the case, do not select channel 3 or 4. I nstead: n Press the AUX or VI DEO button on the TV's remote control to select the proper input channel for play back. To Fine Tune the Picture Auto Tracking Pressing PL AY starts the auto trac king fe ature, which a djusts the tuning to e liminate sta[...]

26 tape. I f noise bars appear on the TV screen during PAUSE mode, first set the VCR to SL OW mode and then press the 1 or 4 button on the remote control to minimize the noise bars. I f the scre en jitters during PAUSE, press eithe r 1 or 4 button to minimize it. To resume play , press PL AY or PAUSE again. Fram e Advance While in PAUSE mode during[...]

27 I f noise bars appear on the TV screen during SL OW /STI L L mode, first set the VCR to SL OW mode and then pre ss the 1 or 4 button to minimize the noise bars. The noise bar s are then eliminated au tomatically in the STI L L mode. I f y ou turn the dial in the STOP mode, you can fast forward or rewind the tape. The tape continues to be wound e[...]

28 n Press DI SPLAY twice to show the counter on the TV screen. Begin recording or play ing back a tape. Notice the counter remains on the screen. n At the point that y ou want to go back to, press CL EAR. This resets the counter to 0:00:00. Press STOP when y ou are done recording or play ing back the tape. n Press DI SPLAY ag ain and an "M&qu[...]

29 n When some tapes which were rewound midway are inserted, they may be rewound to the start of the tape au tomatically . n See page 49 for the on-screen display s that appear when a tape is inserted. n Press I NDEX to return to the regular TV screen. 3. Press DI SPLAY, then press 5 when the SP/EP messag e appears on the TV screen, to select SP (s[...]

30 n Press PAUSE to stop the recording temporarily . This is necessary because the C HANNEL buttons won't work while y ou are in recording mode – to keep y ou from accidentally switching the station while re cording . n Change the channel to the one y ou prefer. n Press PAUSE to continue recording. To Record a Second Audio Program (SAP) Some[...]

31 ONE TI ME Records one show a t a particular da te and time. DAI LY Records a show at the same time every day of the week, Monday through Friday . WEEKL Y Records a show a t the same day and time every week. Your VCR can rec ord up to 8 progr ams at differ ent day s and times, or up to 8 progra ms on the same day . Before Y ou Begin Assemble the [...]

32 scheduled during that time. L uckily y ou just purchased this Hitachi VCR. Press Menu, press 2, then press 1 to bring up the screen for One Time recording: Now fill in the blanks: n Select channel 8 by pressing 0 and 8 on the remote control. n Enter the start time by pressing 0, 6, 0, and 0 for 6 o' clock. Then press 2 f or PM. n Enter the [...]

33 progra mming and dele te those shows that ar e not essential. Basic Operations (VCR Plus + Recording) n n n n Easy Del ayed Recordi ng w ith the VCR Plus + System About the VCR Plus + System This handy feature makes timed recordings a snap. You don' t need to enter the specific channel, date, time, or dur ation of a prog ram. All y ou enter[...]

34 5. Turn on y our cable box and tune it to channel 02. 6. Enter the output channel of y our cable box by pressing a number on the remote. For example, press 0 3 for channel 3. 7. Press MENU to enter the output channel of y our cable box. You will then see this screen. 8. Press MENU to display the CABL E BOX TYPE message on the TV screen. 9. Enter[...]

35 • Try entering all cod e numbers (00 - 61). Press CLEAR on remote to change incorrect entries. If none of the codes w ork, press MENU several times to quit. The VCR will not control your cable box. However, the output channel of the cable box has been set. Turn on the cable box and leave it tuned to th e channel you want to record some time be[...]

36 5. Press number buttons 1, 2, or 3 to select ONE TI ME, DAI LY , or WEEKLY RECORDI NG. Important: Progr amming does not ta ke effe ct unless y ou select one of these options. 6. When the next screen comes up, choose between standard or extended tape speed by pressing the 5 button. This is also a good time to check the channel number – it shoul[...]

37 page 24). n The I ndex Plus+ system stores tape data in memory . If the data is erased due to a memory defect, etc ., the reg istered data will not be recover able. Quick Index of Index P lus+ Operation 1. Display s on the TV screen when a tape is inserted (see page 49) 2. I nterpreting a tape directory (see pages 50 and 51) 3. Searching for a p[...]

38 n When a tape is inserted, this VCR automatically survey s the data on the tape ty pe and on what programs are recorded. "PL EASE W AI T" is display ed during the survey . You cannot operate the VCR for recording and play back while "PLEASE WAI T" is display ed. Interpretin g a tape directory: 1. Turn the TV on and select the[...]

39 minutes in the curr ently set recording mode (speed) .  END This indicates the end of the display ed directory .  Recording T ime I ndicates how long the recording was made in minutes in the SP mode.  Recording d ate/Recordin g start time/Recording title (en try) These are display ed when the data on the prog ram title could not be rece[...]

40 n I f STOP is pressed in place of PLAY, the tape stops automatically after the program is found. Searching f or a blan k (not recorded) secti on of tape an d cautions when record ing: 1. Turn the TV on and select the video channel (3 or 4). 2. I nsert a tape recorded by this VCR. The following screens will a ppear. (When a tape is already in the[...]

41 n When making a recording on a new blank tape, it is recommended for tape manage ment that y ou note the tape number which is display ed on the screen after "PLEASE WAI T" appears. n When recording, select th e channel and recording mode (speed), then press REC. n Recordings should be made from the start of a new blank so no signal rec[...]

42 4. A: Editing a title  Press 100/ENT.  Press CLEAR to move the character box n to the left end.  Press the select or button to select a cha racter y ou want to ente r for the title. Characters available: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z _ ! " # $ % & ' ( ) * + , - . / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > [...]

43  Press DI SPLAY to move the character box to the next digit on the right.  Repeat steps  and  to edit the title.  Press 100/ENT. B: Erasing titles or en tries:  Press CL EAR.  Press CLEAR once again.[...]

44 n "BL ANK" will appear in place of the erased entry or title if it has a recording time of 3 minutes or longer in the SP mode. n Press INDEX for reg ular TV viewing. Using the Tape Library function: 1. Turn the TV on and select the video channel (3 or 4). 2. Press MENU. The following screen will appear. 3. Press 7. A. NUMBER SEARCH Ent[...]

45 tape numbers from the library . D. ADD PR-TAPE You can assign a tape number to a generally available prerecorded tape to manage y our tape library. E. RESTORE I f the tape data is erased due to a power failure, etc., use this option to restore the data. A. NUMBER SEARCH  Press 1. The following scree n will appear.  Enter a tape number to s[...]

46 the program y ou want. Up to 40 characters can be input to search for a title.  Press 100/ENT. The following sc reen will appe ar. You can view the selec ted title and the title s with the same first letter and subsequent lette rs after the selecte d title in the alpha betical orde r.  Press MENU sever al times for re gular TV viewing. C. [...]

47  Check to see whether y ou can deltet the tape data or not.  Press CL EAR. The data for tape number 1 has been erased. n Repeat steps  -  to delete data for other tape numbers.  Press MENU sever al times for re gular TV viewing. D. ADD PR-TAPE  I nsert the prerecorded tape with directory information on which y ou want to put a [...]

48  Press 2 to restore the tape data. n Press 1 if the data is not to be restored and to return to regular TV viewing. The data will be r estored. Displaying and using Program Related Information: 1. Turn the TV on and select the video channel (3 or 4). 2. Press the i button on the remote control when "I " is display ed on the TV scree[...]

49 2. Turn the TV on and select the video channel (3 or 4). 3. Press i . 4. Press 100/ENT. 5. Press 1 to print the program related information. Displaying a program title and simply programming a timed recording while vi ewing a TV program guide: 1. Turn the TV on and select the video channel (3 or 4). 2. Press TI TLE. The received program title is[...]

50 Press 2, for example, to view the nex t page of the TV prog ram guide. 4. Press the select or button to select the program y ou want to record. Basic Operations (Index Plus+ cont.) pg. 64 5. Press 9.[...]

51 6. Press 1 to prog ram the timer for a one- time prog ram in this example. 7. Press MENU. The timer has be en progr ammed for a one-time prog ram. Cautions and Referen ce for the Ind ex Plus+ System When the L IBRARY memor y become s full: I f y our tape library becomes full, y ou cannot store the data on subsequent recordings in the memory . Th[...]

52 n I ndex Plus+ does not operate with tapes on which only audio is recorded or dubbed from a CDV (compact disc video). Contents of data stored in memory when pause is engag ed during recording : n The program number does not change even if pause is engage d during recording. I f the channel is cha nged a fter pause is instructed, the prog ram num[...]

53 This Hitachi remote control can be used with y our TV as well as the VCR, as long as y our TV comes with a remote control. This feature comes in handy – y ou don't have to juggle two remotes. The remote control is compatible with the fifteen makers of TV's listed below – but don't be alarmed if y ours is not on our list. You m[...]

54 Sharp 1 LA ST CH Sharp 2 DI SPL AY Controlling the TV Once prog rammed, the VCR' s remote c ontrol is read y to control the TV. n First press TV to change to the TV function mode, then press the button of the TV function that y ou want. For example, press TV and the CHANNEL up arrow, and the TV station will chang e to the next higher statio[...]

55 3. Plug in power cords of VCR, TV, and cable box. Check all the TV and VCR functions. B. Advanced Hook up (Cable box to unscramble all channels) Use this hookup for slightly improved picture quality and more convenient operation – use of VCR/TV button is not required. 1. Connect as shown. This connection requires addit ional accessories which [...]

56 n Even if y our TV does have stereo, y ou can get better sound by taking advantag e of y our stereo's better speakers. n You can rec ord stereo a udio on y our VCR for longer play times, or use the VCR as a n extra tape deck for dubbing. Hook up Stereo Sy stem Hookup To make this hookup, y ou need to be familiar with the options on y our st[...]

57 n A video cord with a single jack on each end, and n An audio cord with two jacks on each end, or n A three-way cord that has both audio and video jacks Study the back of VCR2 (VT-FX616A) to find the three color-coded jacks that are labeled I N. The y ellow jack is for video, red a nd white are for audio. L ocate similar jacks on VCR1. Then, wit[...]

58 the VCR display . n Press REC/IRT on the VCR to start recording. n Press PLAY on y our camcorder to start copy ing y our tape. Information on Audio Hookup I f y our camcorder is only capable of monaural output (one audio jack) connect it to the AUDI O I N L input on the front of the VCR. VCR Care and Servicing The VCR is fairly self-servicing, b[...]

59 Many operational problems are easily remedied by reviewing the instructions in this manual and try ing out some different c ontrols and setting s. The chart on pa ge 79 cove rs the more c ommon problems that new VCR owners encounter. Don't Attempt Repairs Yourself Do not remove the cove r or the bac k of the VCR – this will void the warr [...]

60 Progra m time and date set Reset the dela y ed recording . c o r r e c t l y ? VCR power turned off? Turn power off to activate the timer. Safety tab removed from Put cellophane tape over the the videocassette? tab area, or use a videocas- sette with the safety tab i n t a c t . Clock set to "- -:--" ? Set the time, then progra m d e l[...]

61 can rec- ognize. (Not all TV brands are c o m p a t i b l e . ) I s remote contr ol set to Press the TV device button, control the TV? then press the button corre- sponding to the TV function y o u w a n t . Mechanical Has a l oaded cassette Nothing is wrong. The tape sounds during been stopped more than 5 protection mechanism is the STOP mode. [...]