Hitachi VT-F381A manual

FOR YOUR SAFETY 1 1 VT-F381A 2 HITA CHI Video Deck VHS VT-F381A 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  Cabl[...]

FOR YOUR SAFETY 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR YOUR SAFETY ......................................................................................................... 3  Read This First ................................................................................................................ 4 IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS ..................................[...]

FOR YOUR SAFETY 3 A Step-by -Step Appro ach ......................................................................................... 40 Remote C ontrol of th e Cable C onverter ................................................................. 42 Advanced Operations (Stereo S ystem) ..................................................................[...]

 Read This First 4 WA RNING: T O PREVENT FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EX POSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTUR E. CA UTION: TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK, MATCH W IDE BLADE OF PLUG TO W IDE SLOT, FULLY INSERT. Caution to user: Changes or modificati ons not expressly approved by the party r esponsible for compliance could v oid the user's aut[...]

IMPORT ANT SAFEG UARDS 5 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 vi deo product, safety is a major factor i n the design of every instrument. But, saf ety is your responsibility too. This pa ge lists im portant in f orma tion that will help to assure your en[...]

IMPORT ANT SAFEG UARDS 6 against them, pay ing particul ar attention to cords at plugs, conv enience receptacles, and the point w here they ex it from the appliance. 8 Ventilation -- Slots and openings in the cabinet ar e provided for ventil ation to ensure reliabl e operation of the video product and to pr otect it from over heating. These opening[...]

IMPORT ANT SAFEG UARDS 7 might be fatal. Installing an outdoor antenna can be hazardous and should be left to a professional antenna install er. USE 14 Cleaning -- Unplug this v ideo product from the w all outlet before cleaning. D o not use liquid cleaner s or aerosol cleaners. U se a damp cloth for cleaning. 15 Object and Liquid Entry -- N ever p[...]

IMPORT ANT SAFEG UARDS 8 damaged. f. W hen the video pr oduct exhibits a disti nct change in performance -- this indicates a need for serv ice. 19 Replacement Parts -- W hen replacement parts ar e required, hav e the servi ce technician ver ify that the replacements he uses have the same safety characteristi cs as the original par ts. Use of replac[...]

Getting Started 9 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- time operati on using on-screen menus, and vi deocassette tapes. Enjoy getting to know all about your Hitachi VCR. Let's get star ted.  Simple Hookups 1 Dec[...]

Getting Started 10 If you have no jacks like these on y our TV, skip this step and proceed to Step 4. TV wi th A udio and Video Jacks If you do find all three ja cks on your TV, y ou need to purchase a three-li ne audio/vi deo cable with bell (RCA) connectors , like this: If you find a video j ack and only one audio jack , your TV is probably monau[...]

Getting Started 11 If you have been w atching the TV in y our home before getting the VCR, you w ill already have a round w ire attached to your TV. Otherwi se, look for a cable connection coming i n thr oug h the w all from outside. (I f you find this connection, remember to call your l ocal cable company to star t the service.) 1. If still hooked[...]

Getting Started 12 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 extension to make y our leads reach from the antenna to the VCR. This connection will work only if you have a strong, clear picture on t[...]

Getting Started 13 7 Set the RF or Video Channel Sw itch W hen the VCR is on, its vi deo signal can come into y our TV on either channel 3 or channel 4. Y ou need to select the appropriate 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 swi tch to 3 or 4, whichev er is not a commerci[...]

Getting Started (Contr ols) 14 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 for everyday operation. Vari ous controls are ex plained throughout thi s manual as they are needed, but now is a good time to g et fam iliar with their locations .[...]

Getting Started (Contr ols) 15 VCR, TV, CATV Devi ce buttons let you set the remote to control one of the three devi ces. 0 to 9 Number buttons used in on- screen programmi ng. Can also be used to change channels. (Si mply press 2 or 3 di gits for the channel you want - such as 0 and 6 f or channel 6, or 100/ENT and 2 and 4 for channel 124.) AVX Us[...]

Getting Started (Contr ols) 16 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. DISPLAY Show s time, channel, and status indicator s. CHANNEL U p and down arrow s for selecting channels. REC/IRT T o begin reco rding. F.FW D Fast f [...]

Getting Started (Initial Setup) 17 Getting S tarted (I nitial 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 w hether your TV uses cable or antenna input and let it program i tself to receive y our TV's channels. It's also a good idea to set the cl[...]

Getting Started (Initial Setup) 18 5 SAP Press 5 w hen you are ready to record a second audio prog ram. Options are <OFF> and < ON>. 7 CABLE BOX SET Press 7 to set up your cable box if you r eceive all channel s through a cable box. 8 AUTO CHA NNE L SET Press 8 to automaticall y progr am the VCR to receiv e all the channels that come in[...]

Getting Started (Initial Setup) 19 UHF 14- 69) and 125 cable channels (CATV 1-125) . W hen you press 8 on the Initial Setup scr een, the tuner automatically cycles thr ough all av ailable channels in y our area and places them in memory. This takes 2- 3 minutes. You can w atch the progress on the VCR's displ ay - w hen the channel numbers stop[...]

Getting Started (Initial Setup) 20 dynamic range of over 90dB w ill record either stereo or monaural broadcasts w ith the highest quali ty possible. Linear sound, on the other hand, will record monaural sound using the same format as a non hi-fi VCR. Stereo pr ograms are recor ded in hi-fi on both the left and rig ht channels and also recor ded on [...]

Getting Started (Videotapes ) 21 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 avail able. This VCR uses VHS tapes only , whic h are the most common type. Look for the VHS mar k on new or prer ecorded tapes you buy . Tapes are marked either T-120 or T-1[...]

Getting Started (Videotapes ) 22 W hen the cassette is all the way in, the VCR pow ers up automatically and a TAPE-IN indicator show s on the display . It may also start play ing immediately if the safety tab has been removed. To remove the cassette, simply pr ess the STOP/EJECT button on the VCR. (If the tape is pl aying, press STOP/EJECT once to [...]

Basic Oper ations 23 Basic Operations Practice starti ng and stopping a video you've rented - play it thr ough, see how it autom atically rewi nds. Get a blank tape and try 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 Vi[...]

Basic Oper ations 24 Rew i nding the Tape W hen you are done watchi ng a video, y ou can rewi nd the tape automatically or manually . If the video cassette reaches the end of the tape, the VCR will stop and automatically rewinds the vi deocassette. If you press POW ER while the tape is rewi nding, the power w ill shut of f automatically after the t[...]

Basic Oper ations 25 Using the buttons on the VCR:  Press PLAY and then REW to search in rev erse.  Press PLAY and then F.FW D to search ahead.  Press PLAY ag ain to return to normal play back. Using the SHUTTLE dial on the remote control:  Press PLAY and tur n the dial to the far right or l ef t to search forwar d and backward. Searchi[...]

Basic Oper ations 26 digits for mi nutes. If you enter a wr ong digit, pr ess CLEAR and enter the correct one. Then press F.FW D if you w ant to move that many minutes ahead, or REW if you want to mov e that many minutes backw ard. For exampl e, say you w ant to revi ew a scene that began about 2 minutes earlier in a video, press 0, 0 and 2 to di s[...]

Basic Oper ations (Recor ding) 27 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. Copy right Infringement Warning Most telev ision programs and films are copy righted. This means that someone has legal r ights gov[...]

Basic Oper ations (Recor ding) 28 You can ch eck on the recording b y pressing VCR/TV a gain . This will swit ch you back to view ing throug h the VCR, you'l l see the program y ou are recordi ng. To Skip Commercials W hen a commercial comes on that you don't w ant to record, simply press PAUSE on the rem o te control. T he VCR will stop [...]

Basic Oper ations (Recor ding) 29 At the end of your recording the display will read "0:00"; recording w ill then automatically stop and the VCR will turn itself off. To stop recording w hile in the IRT mode, press the POW ER button and then press the STOP button (this can be done either on the VCR or w ith the remote control) within 10 s[...]

Basic Oper ations (Recor ding) 30  To preset additional recor dings, repeat these steps. Otherw ise, press GUIDE to return to the r egular TV screen.  Don't forget to load a v ideocassette to record on.  Your del ayed recording settings take effect when you turn off the power on the VCR. W hen the power is off , the delayed recording [...]

Basic Oper ations (Recor ding) 31 program, if there are more, or it will switch back to the main menu. Programming Priorities W hen you have set up sev eral timed recording s, it may occur that some of their times ov erlap. For ex ample, this can happen if you ar e set up to record show s on a daily or w eekly basi s, and a special show comes on th[...]

Basic Oper ations (VCR Plus + Rec ording) 32 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, ti me, or duration of a program. Al l you enter is its Pl usCode - a number of up to eight dig it[...]

Basic Oper ations (VCR Plus + Rec ording) 33 Channel 34 Arts and Entertainment N etwork Channel 35 Turner Netw ork Television Channel 36 ESPN 5. Now y ou're ready to assi gn your local channels to VCR Plus+ channels in the VCR's memor y. The way you do this depends on how your VC R is hooked up to the incoming R F signal. D ecide which ho[...]

Basic Oper ations (VCR Plus + Rec ording) 34 2. A small arr ow points to a blank "-- " in the Channel column. If your broadcast channel number i s the same as the VCR Plus+ channel i n your TV listing , do not enter any number. Press C HANNEL up or dow n to position a nonmatching station next to the arr ow. 3. If your broadcast channel nu[...]

Basic Oper ations (VCR Plus + Rec ording) 35 You are r eady to begin del ayed recording with VCR Plus+. (W hen you set up a delayed recording, y ou will need to select the desired channel using the channel selector on y our cable box.) Cable w ith a Cable Box and Sw itchbox Setup This is the ri ght setup if you used Option 3 in the cable box hookup[...]

Basic Oper ations (VCR Plus + Rec ording) 36 1. Press GUIDE, then pr ess 1 to select VCR PLUS RECORD ING and bring up thi s screen: 2. Use the number buttons to enter the PlusCode of the program y ou want to record. This code can be up to eig ht digits. If you enter a w rong di git, press CLEAR and enter the cor rect one. 3. If you accidentall y en[...]

Basic Oper ations (VCR Plus + Rec ording) 37 Impor tant: Your timed recording settings take eff ect when y ou turn off the power on the VCR. Caution on the VCR Plus+ recording After entering a VC R Plus + number, check the information displ ayed wi th the "PROGRAM R EVIEW ", if there is (are) any unnecessary pr ogram(s), pl ease cancel or[...]

Advanced Operations 38 A dvanced Operations This section explai ns how to use the VCR's rem ote control to operate your TV. It also shows you how to hook up a cable box and how to connect a stereo or a second VCR for a complete hom e entertainment system .  Controlling Your TV with the VCR's Remote Compatibility The remote control is d[...]

Advanced Operations 39 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 button of the T[...]

Advanced Operations (Cable Box Hook ups) 40 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 satisfactory hookup can be chall enging. To sort out w hat to do, we suggest a step- by-step approach to i nstallation. You w ill need RF TV splitters, coaxial cabl[...]

Advanced Operations (Cable Box Hook ups) 41 Check all the TV and VCR functions. If you don't g et all the functions you want, pr oceed with Option 2. Option 2--A ll Channels U nscrambled 1. Remove the cabl e company's line from the back of the cable box that goes to y our TV. Connect it to the IN FRONT ANT lower jack on the back of the VC[...]

Advanced Operations (Stereo System) 42 functions you w ant, proceed with Opti on 4. Option 4 If none of the preceding hookups wor k, check with y our cable company. You may need to purchase a video sw itching sy stem from your local electronics or video retailer. This will easily handle most hookup problems. Remote Control of the Cable Converter If[...]

Advanced Operations (Second VCR) 43 stereo system. Look at the back of y our receiver . Probably y ou have AUDIO IN and OUT jacks for a second tape deck - labeled T ape 1 and 2, or AUX 1 and 2. Consult your ster eo owner's manual for further information. You w ill need two audio cables - the kind wi th two color-coded plugs on each end (for le[...]

Advanced Operations (Second VCR) 44  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 your TV (follow i nstructions in the other VCR' s manual). [...]

VCR Care and Servicing 45 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. We offer some suggesti ons for care to prevent problem s, ways to troubleshoot, and places to contact when you cannot sol ve [...]

VCR Care and Servicing 46  Technical Specifications Format: VHS Video Signal System: NTSC color EIA standard Record/Play back System: Video: 4 heads Audio: VHS Hi- Fi stereo record / play back system Tape Speed: 33.35mm / sec (SP) , 16.67mm / sec (LP) (playback onl y) 11.12mm / sec (EP) RF Input: UHF/VHF 75 ohm Tuner: USA : 181 channel tuning ca[...]

Care and Servicing ( Problem s) 47 Care and Servicing (Problems) Often Encountered Problems Problem Things to Check Solution PROBLEM THINGS TO CHECK SOLUTION NO POW ER POW ER CORD PLUGGED IN? CONNECT T HE POW ER CORD TO AC OUT LET DELAYED RECORDING PROGRAM SET TO THE CORRECT CHANNEL? RESET TH E DELAYED RECORDING. IF USING VCR PLUS+, CHECK DOES NOT [...]

Care and Servicing ( Problem s) 48 IS NECESSARY . Hitachi Serv ice Hotline Authorized Hitachi serv ice f a cilities are available throughout the US and Canada. For the location near est you, call the H itachi Servi ce Hotline at one of these numbers: In the continental U.S.A . DIA L TOLL FREE 7 days a w eek, 24 hours a day 1-800-HITA C HI (1-800-44[...]