Hitachi VT-FX6404A manual

1 VIDEO CASSETT E RECORDER VT-FX6404A Ow ner's manual Using these quality features: • The VCR Plus+* programming sy stem allows y ou to program the VCR for timer recording by simply entering a PlusCode* number. * VCR Plus+ and PlusCode are trademarks of G emstar Development Corporation. The VCR Plus+ sy stem is manufactured under license fro[...]

2 TA BLE OF CONTENTS FOR YOUR SAFETY................................................................................................................ ..3 IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS .....................................................................................................4 INSTALLATION ............................................................[...]

3 RECORDING A PROGRAM .....................................................................................................44 Basic recording st eps .......................................................................................................... ..44 RECORDING A PROGRAM - RECORDING TI PS ...................................................[...]

4 This sy m bol alerts the user that im portant literature c oncerning the operation and m aintenance of this unit has been included. Theref ore, it should be read car efully in order to avoid any problem s. CA UTION: T O REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECT RIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (O R BACK). NO USER-SERVICEABLE PART S INSIDE. REFER SERVICING T O QUALI[...]

5 5 Pow er Sources -- T his video product should be operated only from the ty pe of power s ource indicated on the mar king label. If you are not sure of the ty pe of power supply to y our hom e, consult your video dealer or local power com pany . For video products intended to operate from battery power, or other s ources, ref er to the operating [...]

6 13 Power Lines -- An outside antenna system s hould not be located in the vicinity of over head power lines or other electric light or power circuits, or where it can fall into such power lines or circuits. W hen installing an outside antenna system, ex treme car e should be taken to k eep from touching or approaching s uch power lines or circuit[...]

7 perfor m saf ety check s recom mended by the manuf acturer to determ ine that the video product is in s afe operating condition. CUSTOMER CONTROLS VCR Customer Controls Item No. Function 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 POWER button Infrared receiv er Cassette compartm ent STOP/EJECT button PLA Y /STILL button CHA NNEL (channel up/down)/ TRA CKING buttons[...]

8 been inserted or a c assette without a safety tab has been inserted) A ccessories supplied Check and identify the acc essories supplied. If any are missing or appear damaged, cons ult y our dealer.    Cable for connec ting Batteries for rem ote this VCR to a TV c ontrol handset (R6) VCR Customer Controls Item No. Function 12 13 14 15 16 [...]

9 Item No. Function 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Trans miss ion w indow POW ER button TAPE SPEED button - s elect the recording s peed SP or EP. VOL button - incr ease or decrease the audio volume SLOW button - for slow m otion picture REW button - f ast rewind or search STOP button - stops play/ record f unction GUID[...]

10 Install batteries in the remot e control The remote control re quires two "A A " batteri es. 1 Insert your fingertip into the notch and push the battery compartment lid to remove it. Note: W hen r eplacing the batteries, rem ove the old batteries and keep the PO W ER button depressed f or 10 seconds bef ore inserting f resh batteries. [...]

11 1 Make su re there is no obst acle between th e remote control an d VCR's infrared receiver. Note: You cannot operate the VCR if there is an obstacle (for ex ample, cof fee table, sof a, etc) between the VCR and rem ote control. 2 Point th e remote control at the VCR's infrared receiv er and press the required button on the remote cont[...]

12 The VCR autom atically enters the play back mode when a cass ette without its safety tab is inserted. The VCR won't record on a tape w ithout a safety tab and the cassette will be ejected if the REC or REC/IRT button is pressed. Be sure to c heck the saf ety tab before ins erting a cassette. Insertion Push the v ideo cassette gent ly into t[...]

13 Basic Hookup with A ntenna: RF Hookup * PURCHASED SEPARATELY Switch the RF Channel W hen the VCR is on, its video signal can com e into y our T V on either channel 3 or channel 4. You need to select the appropriate channel. • W hen the power is tur ned on, press the POW ER button to turn it off. Pr ess the PLAY button on front of the VCR. Pres[...]

14 * PURCHASED SEPARATELY BA SIC CA BLE HOOKUP [C] WITH THIS HOOKUP YOU CAN... • WA T CH A VAILA BLE CABLE CHA NNELS • RECORD A ND WATCH THE SA M E CHA NNEL • RECORD ONE CHA NNEL A ND WATCH A NOT HER Caution: Do not connect to the m ains supply socket bef ore connecting all leads ( ss page 17).[...]

15 Switch the RF Channel W hen the VCR is on, its video signal can com e into y our T V on either channel 3 or channel 4. You need to select the appropriate channel. • W hen the power is tur ned on, press the POW ER button to turn it off. Pr ess the PLAY button on front of the VCR. Pressing the CHANNEL button alternates between (channel 3) and (c[...]

16 * PURCHASED SEPARATELY BA SIC CA BLE HOOKUP -W ITH CA BLE BOX [E] WITH THIS HOOKUP YOU CAN... • WA T CH A VAILA BLE CABLE CHA NNELS • RECORD A ND WATCH THE SA M E CHA NNEL YOU CAN'T... • RECORD ONE CHA NNEL A ND WATCH A NOT HER ALL CHANNEL SELECTIO NS MUST BE MADE AT THE CABLE BOX . BE SURE TO CONSULT YOUR CABLE BOX MANUAL FOR THE CAB[...]

17 Switch the RF Channel W hen the VCR is on, its video signal can com e into y our T V on either channel 3 or channel 4. You need to select the appropriate channel. • W hen the power is tur ned on, press the POW ER button to turn it off. Pr ess the PLAY button on front of the VCR. Pressing the CHANNEL button alternates between (channel 3) and (c[...]

18 A dvanced Hookup with Cable Box: A V Hookup * PURCHASED SEPARATELY A DVA NCED CA BLE HOOKUP -W ITH CA BLE BOX A ND S P LITTER [G] WITH THIS HOOKUP YOU CAN... • WA T CH A VAILA BLE CABLE CHA NNELS • RECORD A ND WATCH THE SA M E CHA NNEL • RECORD ONE CHA NNEL A ND WATCH A NOT HER TO RECORD, ALL CHANNEL SELECTIONS MUST BE MADE AT T HE CABLE B[...]

19 A dvanced Hookup with Cable Box and Splitter : A V and RF Hookup * PURCHASED SEPARATELY A UTO INSTA LL Setting the channel automatically 1 Switch on at the mains supply socket after completely connecting all leads. Please refer to page 10 to 16 on "HOO KUP" sections. The VCR will be in the standby mode at this s tage. 2 Press the POWER[...]

20 W hen the auto inst all is com plete, the channel with the low est num ber appears in the T V display. Notes • If you press the POW ER button inadvertently befor e connecting all leads, follow the steps on page 20 for fur ther tuning function. • If you press the POW ER button during auto install m ode, the VCR automatically switches to the S[...]

21 1 Press the GUIDE b utton. The m ain on-scr een menu will appear on the T V screen. You may view all the on-screen instr uctions in Englis h, French, or Spanish. W hen you first set up your VCR, it will be set to E n glish. Press the cursor button to select LANGUAGE option, and then pr ess the cursor button for French or for Spanish. 2 Press the[...]

22 5 Press the cursor butt on to select the min utes, and then p ress or cursor button to change the minutes. 6 Press the cursor butt on to select M ONTH, and then press the or cursor button to cha nge the month. 7 Press the cursor butt on to select DAY, and then press th e or cursor button to change the day. The c orrect day of the week will appea[...]

23 8 Press the cursor butt on to select YEAR, and then press th e or cursor button to change the year. 9 Press the GUIDE b utton. The VCR cloc k is now set, and should s how the correct tim e of day on the T V screen. Notes: • The cloc k uses the 12- hour sy stem . You set it for AM or PM. • You can correct any item entered as y ou go by press [...]

24 2 Press the GUIDE b utton. The m ain on-scr een menu will appear on the T V screen. 3 Press the cu rsor button t o select the SET UP option, and press the ENTER but ton. 4 Press the cu rsor button t o select the CHA NNEL, and then press the ENT ER button. 5 Press the cu rsor button, an d then press the ENT ER button .[...]

25 The VCR will autom atically selec t CATV1 or ANT and store channels re ceived in y our area. It tak es about 2 - 3 minutes . If CAT V1 doesn't give y ou the channels you expect, press the cursor button to select CATV2 at step 4 . After the c hannels are stored in m emor y , the channel with the lowest number appear s in the VCR's displ[...]

26 3 Press the cu rsor button t o select the channel, an d then press the ENT ER button . 4 Use the cu rsor buttons t o select CH LIST <ADD/ERA SE>, and then p ress the ENTER but ton. 5 Use the num ber buttons t o select the numb er of the chann el y ou w ant to ad d or erase. 6 Press the ST OP button to delete the chan nel, or press the PLAY[...]

27 7 Press the GUIDE b utton to return to regu lar viewin g. A uto blue setting 1 Turn on the TV an d select the vid eo channel (3 or 4). Or, if y ou are hooked up with an audio/video cable, set the T V to AUX or VIDEO. 2 Press the GUIDE b utton. The m ain on-scr een menu will appear on the T V screen. 3 Press the cu rsor button t o select "SE[...]

28 4 Press the cursor button to se lect A UTO BLUE "ON" or "OFF". ON: The s creen becom es blue and m utes sound when a channel without a broadcast signal on the VCR or a channel on which broadcas ting has finished. • If the signal is too strong, this func tion may not operate even if you specify <ON>. During play back t[...]

29 2 Press the GUIDE b utton. The m ain on-scr een menu will appear on the T V screen. 3 Press the cu rsor button t o select the SET UP option and then press the ENT ER button. 4 Press the cu rsor button t o select the CHA NNEL and t hen press the ENT ER button. 5 Press the cursor butt on to select CATV2, and then press t he GUIDE butto n to end th[...]

30 6 Press the GUIDE button. T he main on-screen menu will appear on t he TV screen. 7 Press the cu rsor button t o select SETUP op tion, and th en press the ENTER. Note: Refer to the cable box owner's manual to identify the cable box output channel ( usually 3 or 4). 8 Press the cu rsor button to select "VCR PLUS+ SET UP", and then [...]

31 10 Using the VCR remot e, press the or cursor button to enter the ca ble box output channel numbers. 11 Press the GUIDE b utton to end this settin g. The c able box output channel has now been set. However, the VCR does not control your cable box. T urn on the cable box and leave it tuned to the channel you want to record befor e the recording i[...]

32 3 Press the PLAY button to start playing th e tape. If you press the PLAY button and the cassette has not been inserted, the warning screen will appear on the TV scr een for several sec onds, Insert a cas sette. 4 Press the ST OP button to end playback. Note: This VCR can quasi playback the tape that is rec orded by S- VHS type. SQPB stands f or[...]

33 Mov ie Re tur n If your video cassette has the s afety tab removed, the VCR will stop and autom atically rewind the videocass ette, eject it, and turn of f the power when it reaches the end of the tape or a blank sec tion of tape which lasts f or mor e than 30 seconds Note: This function work s only in PLAYBACK mode, not in RECORDING mode. Rew i[...]

34 Press the CH ( or ) button on the remote control or TRA CKING button on the VCR when view ing a cassette. Press either the or buttons until picture is clear . Note: To r eactivate auto track ing, simply eject the tape and reinsert it into the VCR. SPECIA L PLAY BA CK EFFECTS Variable speed play back Still Playback (Pause) Press the PA USE button[...]

35 Note: The s ound is muted and c annot be heard during "Special Playback Eff ects". Notes: • After 1 m inute in the PAUSE mode, the VCR autom atically switches to STO P mode to protect the tape. • If noise bar s appear on the TV sc reen during the PAUSE mode, f irst set the VCR to the SLOW mode by pressing the (4) button during play[...]

36 Press the ST OP button to stop th e tape. Notes: • Use the CH ( or ) button to m inim iz e any visual noise bands on the screen. • After 1 m inute in slow motion playback, the VCR will stop the tape autom atically to prevent damage to the tape and VCR. Visual Search This function let you search back ward and forward through the videotape whi[...]

37 2 Press the cu rsor button t o select the SET UP option, and then press the ENT ER button. 3 Press the cu rsor button t o select A UDIO, and th en press the ENTER bu tton. 4 Press the cursor button to select "HIFI" or "LINEA R". • Select Hi-Fi to playback sound rec orded on the Hi-Fi track and for norm al use. • Select LI[...]

38 How t o use the shutt le ring 1 Turn th e shuttle ring during playback or still play back (pause). • As you turn the ring, y ou get diff erent play back speeds and forward or r everse m orion. • T ry using the shuttle to explore back ward and forward through your next video. 2 Turn the ring while in stop mode to fast forward or re w ind the [...]

39 NOTE: T his function only works with recor dings that have been set up with indexing. 1 Press the button (rewind) or the button ( forward) to begin th e index search in the STOP mode. • The INDEX search scr een is displayed, and the tape rew i nds or f ast for w ards until an index mar k is detected. • A black square in the tape bar shows th[...]

40 • BLANK SEARCH cannot be operated with a cassette without a safety tab. • BLANK SEARCH may not operate when a blank section las ts no more than f ive minutes. • BLANK SEARCH will not be engaged in the following sections s ince they are not recognized as blanks : - Sections with noise - Sections where only sound has been recorded - Sections[...]

41 Switching rew ind or fast forward to visual search ( EA SY VIEW) Hold down the (VIEW /SKIP/BLANK) button during rewind (or f ast for ward), and the mode will switch to visual searc h, so that y ou can sear ch for a s cene y ou want to view w hile scanning pictures. Hold down the (VIEW /SKIP/BLANK) button during rewind: The tape will be visually [...]

42 While playing back your t ape you can skip forw ard by pressing the (VIEW/SKIP/BLA NK) button. The tape will searc h ahead for about a m inute and then resum e play . VIEWING THE ON-SC REEN DISPLA Y Sw itching betw een the clock, time counter and time of remaining tape Press DISP while the on-s creen display is display ed. The on-screen dis play[...]

43 • The tape rem aining tim e is not displayed correctly for a tape without any recordings or tapes other than T-30/60/90/120/140/160/180/210. • The rem aining tim e may not be display ed corr ectly during f ast forwarding or r ewi nding. INDEX WITH THE TIME COUNTER To find specific sections on a tape Indexing with the Time Counter You can set[...]

44 4 Press the STOP button when you are done recording or playing back the tape. 5 Press the REW b utton to rewind th e tape. It will automatically stop at the spot where you cleared the counter in step 3. • Press the PLAY button to watch the tape from the selected s pot. Notes: • Press the DISP button to tur n the counter display off. T he sel[...]

45 Note: You may use a blank tape or you may record over a previous ly recorded ( erasable) tape. 1 Turn on TV and select the video chan nel (3 or 4). Or, if y ou are hooked up with an audio/video cable, set the T V to AUX or VIDEO. 2 Insert a blank o r erasable tape. The power com es on autom atically and the tape indicator lights on the display. [...]

46 Exam ple: Select channel 8. • 100/ENT and and for the channel 124. 5 Press the REC but ton on the remo te control or the REC/IRT butto n on the VCR. Recording will start and the REC indic tor on the VCR will appear. Notes: • Recording will not start unles s the cassette has the s afety tab in place. W hen a cassette without a saf ety tab is [...]

47 6 Press the ST OP button to finish reco rding. RECORDING A PROGRA M - RECORDING TIPS To w a tch one program w hile recording another 1 Once you hav e set the VCR for recordin g, press the VCR/T V button. The VCR indic ator disappears. Now, you w ill be viewing through your TV only. 2 Switch channels using y our TV controls or the VCR r emote, if[...]

48 VCR, and y ou'll see the progr am you are recording. • If you're hooked up with an audio/video cable: Switch the TV f rom AUX or VIDEO m ode back to the TV m ode, then select the channels y ou want to watch, as described in Step 2. Switch TV bac k to AU X or VIDEO to m onitor y our rec ording. To change the channel being recorded 1 P[...]

49 To record a Second A udio Program (SA P) Some s tations transm it a Second Audio Program - such as in a second language. If a st ation broadcasts in SAP, the SA indicator will display on y our T V screen. You can set the VCR to record a s econd audio program by activating the SAP option. How to set the SA P option. 1 Press the GUIDE b utton. 2 P[...]

50 4 Press the and cursor button to set the STEREO/M ONO option to "S TEREO". 5 Press the and cursor button to set the S A P option to "ON". 6 Press the GUIDE b utton to end the settin g. 7 Follow the Step 1 through 6 on " Basic Recording S teps" on pages 33 and 40. • Stereo vs. mono sound W hen you select the STEREO[...]

51 Before you begin Assem ble the inform ation you need f or timed recording: • Be sure that th e clock is set to the correct time • Dat e and day of the program • Starting time • Ending t i me • Ch annel to be recorded • Blank or erasable videocassette (s afety tab in tact) Delay ed Recording Steps You set up the delay ed recor ding us[...]

52 • Erase any unnecessary program s, please refer to page 40 "Reviewi ng what y ou have programm ed". Types of Delay ed Recordings ONE T IME Records one s how at a particular date and time. DAILY Records a s how at the same tim e every day of the week, Monday through Fr iday . W EEKLY Records a s how at the same day and time every week[...]

53 6 Press the cursor butt on to select the min utes, and then p ress the or cursor button to change the min utes of the start time. 7 Press the cursor butt on to select th e recording time, and t hen press the or cursor button to change the hour. 8 Press the cursor butt on to select the min utes, and then p ress the or cursor button to change the [...]

54 11 Press the cursor to select t he recording dat e, and then press th e or cursor button to change th e date. 12 Press the PROGR A M butto n to set the prog ram in memory. Note: If progr am is over lap, the VCR gives y ou an error m essage that dis appears from the screen in about 5[...]

55 seconds. 13 Press the POWER butt on to turn off the VCR. T he delayed recording indicator will display on the VCR. This tells y ou that the VCR will automatic ally record at the tim es and dates you have program med. Note: If a cas sette has not been inserted or a c assette without safety tab has been inserted, the delayed recording indic ator w[...]

56 Important: Y our tim ed recording settings take eff ect when y ou turn off the power on the VCR. USING THE VCR PLUS+ S YSTEM FOR RECORDING A bout the VCR Plus+ sy stem This handy f eature m akes tim ed recording a snap. You don't need to enter the spec ific channel, date, tim e, or duration of a pr ogram. All you enter is its PlusCode progr[...]

57 20 (PBS) 08 42 (Cable News Network) 38 Note in the exam ple that the channel number s are the sam e except for 20 (received on channel 8) and 42 (received on c hannel 38). These two channels must be as signed. EA SY DELA YED RECORDING W ITH THE VCR PLUS+ S YSTE M This setup should be performed if y ou are using an A ntenna or Cable without a cab[...]

58 The m ain on-scr een menu will appear on the T V screen. 3 Press the cu rsor button t o select SETUP op tion, and th en press ENTER butt on. 4 Press the b utton to select VCR PLUS+ SETUP, and then press the ENT ER button . Note: If you have set up the cable box, the f ollow i ng operation is not nec essary. 5 Press the cu rsor button t o select [...]

59 In this exam ple broadcast c hannel 38 is assigned to VCR Plus+ c hannel 42. Note: If y ou enter a wrong digit, Pres s the CLEAR button to erase the wrong num ber and enter the correc t one. 8 Repeat steps 6 - 7 for all channels that need to be assign ed. 9 Press the GUIDE b utton to end the setup procedure. You are ready to begin delayed record[...]

60 2 Press the PROGR A M butt on to select VCR PLUS+ RECORDING . • If eight progr ams have already been stored in m emor y , "FULL" will flash in the VCR's dis play for about f ive seconds. • The s creen on the right (below) will not appear at this tim e. 3 Press the num ber button s to enter the Plu sCode number of the program y[...]

61 disappears f rom the s creen in about 10 seconds . 5 Press the or cursor bu tton to select O NE TIM E, DA IL Y or WEEKLY PRO GRA M , and then press ENTER button. Note: Program ming does not tak e effec t unless y ou selec t one of these options. 6 Press the cursor butt on to select tape sp eed, and then press t he or cursor button or TA PE SPEED[...]

62 Note: If program is overlap, the VCR gives you an error m essage that disappears from the screen in about 5 seconds. 8 Press the POW ER button t o turn off t he VCR. The delayed recording indica tor will display on the VCR. This tells y ou that the VCR will automatic ally record at the tim es and dates you have program med. Note: If a cassette h[...]

63 1 Press the GUIDE b utton. The m ain on-scr een menu will appear on the T V screen. 2 Press the ENT ER button to select the PROGRAM M ENU. 3 Press the cu rsor button for the PROGRAM REVIEW o ption, and t hen press the ENT ER. This brings up the screen s etting for the firs t program. If you want to clear this program, press t he button to r emov[...]

64 5 Press the GUIDE b utton to end. PROGRA MMING THE VCR REMOTE TO CONTROL YOUR TV The VCR remote control ca n be programmed to control ma ny TV brands that are remote controlled. 1 Turn on the T V. 2 Point VCR remote control toward T V. 3 Press and ho ld the "TV" b utton.[...]

65 4 Press the remote button corresponding to your TV brand as shown in the set-up chart. The T V channel will change to confirm that the remote control has been set. TV Brand Press "TV" and this remote button TV Brand Press "TV" and this remote button TV Brand Press "TV" and this remote button Hitachi 1 Gold star 1 6 [...]

66 PROGRA MMING THE VCR REMOTE CONTROL TO CONTROL YOUR CABLE BOX The VCR remo te control can be pro grammed to control man y cable boxes that are remote con trolled. You can easily change channels. 1 Turn on the cable box. 2 Point VCR remote control toward cable box 3 Press and hol d the "CA T V" button. 4 Press the number button correspo[...]

67 number button number button Jerrold 1 1 Zenith 5 Jerrold 2 2 Scientific At l an t a 6 Jerrold 3 3 Pioneer 7 Hamlin 4 Philips 8 Note: If y our cable box is not listed on the Set-Up Char t, try all the buttons listed in the c hart until the cable box changes channels . If the cable box c hannel does not change, y ou won't be able to program t[...]

68 * PURCHASED SEPARATELY To record from stereo BEFORE YOU BEGIN... • Make s ure the VCR is connected to your stereo system, as shown above. • Make sure that "ST EREO" audio is selec ted from the VCR Set-Up Menu, as shown on page 36, of "RECORDING OPERA TIONS" section, "Stereo vs. mono sound" . • Select VCR recor[...]

69 4 Press the ST OP butto n to stop reco rding. COPYING TA PES FROM A CA MCORDER Hook-up You may use your VCR to copy tapes from any camcorder onto standard VHS cassette tapes. Note: If your camc order is not stereo ( has only one audio plug), connec t it into the AUDIO IN-L input on the back of the VCR. * It is not necess ary to connect the S- VI[...]

70 2 Press the REC, then PAUSE buttons on the VCR remote control. Th e VCR will go into Record/ Pause. 3 Press the PLA Y butt on on the camcorder. You will see th e camcorder tape being play ed on the TV. 4 When you see t he part of the Camco rder tape you wish to copy, press the PAUSE button again to release pause an d start copying the camco rder[...]

71 1 Press the AVX button on t he remote control o f VCR-1 so that L (line) appears in t he display. 2 Press the REC, then PAUSE buttons on VCR-1. The VCR w ill go into Record/Pause. 3 Press the PLA Y butt on on VCR-2. You will see the taped program being played on the T V. 4 When you see t he part of the p rogram you wish to record, press the PAUS[...]

72 Problem guide No pow er • Make s ure the VCR is plugged into an AC outlet. Remote control doesn't wor k • Make sure the batteries are fresh, and proper ly installed. W on 't record • Safety tab has been removed f rom c assette (VCR will automatic ally eject the tape). W on't play back • Make s ure the TV/VCR switch is set [...]

73 The f ollowing indications appear in the VCR display and OSD screen to tell you the current status of y our VCR. ODS Indication When it appears Mean ing and troubleshooting W hen you turn power off aft er pr og ramming t he timer, or tra nsfer progr am m ing with pow er off • A cassette has not been inserted or a c assette without a safety tab[...]

74 at 1-800-995-4500 (in the c ontinental United States). For ALASKA and HAW AII, please contact the neares t Hitachi Regional Of fice. Design and specif ications subj ect to change without notice. Hitachi Service Ho tline Authorized Hitachi service f acilities are available throughout the US and Canada. F or the location nearest to you, call the H[...]