Philips VRA999 manual

Video Cassette Recorder VRA999 Owner’s Manual Important! Return your Warranty Registration Card within 10 days. See why inside.[...]

Warranty Verification Registering your product within 10 days confirms your right to maximum protection under the terms and conditions of your PHILIPS warranty. Owner Confirmation Your completed Warranty Registration Card serves as verification of ownership in the event of product theft or loss. Model Registration Returning your Warranty Registrati[...]

Introduction 3 Features • Automatic Channel Setup • Automatic Clock Setting • Automatic Head Cleaner • Battery Backup • Blue Background • Child Lock • Daylight-Savings Time • Hi-Fi Stereo Tape Playback • Index Search • Multi-Channel Television Sound (MTS) System • 19 Micron Head, provides a better picture when you view tapes r[...]

4 Table of Contents Setting Up Your VCR Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Before Using Your VCR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]

Before Using Your VCR 5 Putting Batteries in the Remote Control Using the Remote Control 3 Replace the battery compartment lid. 2 To record again, cover the hole with cellophane tape. • Do not put objects between the remote control and the VCR. • Point the remote control at the VCR’s remote sensor, then press the VCR button before pressing ot[...]

6 Hookups without a Cable Box ANT. IN VIDEO L R AUDIO (MONO) RF OUT CH3 CH4 CABLE BOX LP 30561-003 OUT IN S-VIDEO OUT IN OR ANT. IN RF OUT 75 Ω ANT / CABLE OR 75 Ω ANT / CABLE The basic VCR/TV connection – antenna/cable to VCR to TV – is shown below. If you have a Cable Box or a Direct Broadcast System, please refer to pages 8-9. After you [...]

Hookups without a Cable Box (cont’d) 7 ANT. IN VIDEO L R AUDIO (MONO) OUT IN OUT IN RF OUT CH3 CH4 S-VIDEO CABLE BOX LP 30561-003 CH 4 or CH 3 CH3 / CH4 Switch CH3 CH4 CH3 CH4 ANT. IN VIDEO L R AUDIO (MONO) RF OUT CH3 CH4 CABLE BOX LP 30561-003 OUT IN S-VIDEO OUT IN 75 V ANT / CABLE 75 Ω ANT / CABLE ANT. IN RF OUT RF coaxial cable Antenna or Ca[...]

ANT. IN VIDEO L R AUDIO (MONO) OUT IN OUT IN RF OUT CH3 CH4 S-VIDEO CABLE BOX LP 30561-003 75 Ω ANT / CABLE OUT IN 8 Hookups with a Cable Box/Direct Broadcast System Connections 1 Connect a Cable signal to the IN jack on the Cable Box/DBS. 2 Use an RF coaxial cable (supplied) to connect the OUT jack on the Cable Box/DBS to the ANT(enna) IN jack o[...]

Hookups with a Cable Box/Direct Broadcast System (cont’d) 9 ANT. IN VIDEO L R AUDIO (MONO) OUT IN OUT IN RF OUT CH3 CH4 S-VIDEO CABLE BOX LP 30561-003 IN OUT 75 Ω ANT / CABLE Connections 1 Connect a Cable signal to the VCR’s ANT(enna) IN jack. 2 Use an RF coaxial cable (supplied) to connect the RF OUT jack on the VCR to the IN jack on the Cab[...]

10 Installing/Removing the Lithium Battery You may install a lithium battery in the VCR. This will allow the VCR to save the clock setting and the programmed timer recordings if a power outage occurs. The battery can back up your timer recordings and clock setting for around six months (4,000 hours). Connect the power plug to an AC outlet before in[...]

3 4 1 Turning on Your VCR 11 • Before turning on your VCR, make sure there are batteries in the remote control and the VCR, TV, and Cable Box/DBS (if applicable) are connected. • The menus will continue to appear every time you turn on the VCR until you complete the steps on pages 11-12. • If you want to set up the Controller now, you must fi[...]

VCR TV VCR/TV QUICK PROGRAMMING POWER STILL/SLOW EJECT CH VOL EXIT/STATUS TIMER JOG/SHTL SMARTPICTURE INDEX AUDIO/MUTE MENU - + CBL / DBS 123 456 789 START STOP DATE DBS DAILY PLAY REW FF /OK STOP WEEKLY REV /OTR REC REC FWD - + - + SPEED 0 CLEAR 5-6 12 Turning on Your VCR (cont’d) 6 Press the FF : /OK button to begin automatic channel setup. AUT[...]

Automatic Channel Setup 13 5 Wait for the VCR to set up channels. 2-4 1 Although your VCR may automatically memorize the channels you receive when you turn it on for the first time, this function lets you set up channels again. Make each entry within one minute of the previous entry. 5 Wait for a few minutes while the VCR sets up channels. When pro[...]

14 Automatic Channel Setup (cont’d) Adding/Deleting Channels 2 Press the PLAY 8 or STOP 9 button to select TUNER SET UP, then press the FF : /OK button. 3 Press the PLAY 8 or STOP 9 button to select ADD/DELETE CH., then press the FF : /OK button. 4 Use the Number buttons, the CH(annel) 8 / 9 button, or the PLAY 8 or STOP 9 buttons to select the c[...]

Setting the Clock 15 • To program the VCR so its clock will automatically move forward one hour in April and turn back one hour in October, see page 20. • To make corrections, follow steps 1-3, then press the FF : /OK button until the item you want to correct is flashing. Press the PLAY 8 or STOP 9 button to enter the correct information. Press[...]

16 Setting the Clock (cont’d) 6 Press the PLAY 8 or STOP 9 button repeatedly to set the YEAR. When the year is correct, press the FF : /OK button. The day of the week will appear automatically. 8 Press the EXIT/STATUS button. 5 Press the PLAY 8 or STOP 9 button repeatedly to set the DATE (month and day). Every time you press the PLAY 8 or STOP 9 [...]

Setting the Clock (cont’d) 17 6 Press the EXIT/STATUS button. 7 An on-screen message will ask you to turn off the VCR. Press the POWER button to turn off the VCR. Auto will flash in the display panel until the clock is set. Leave the VCR turned off until the time appears on the display panel. If – – : – – appears on the display panel afte[...]

3 Press the PLAY 8 or STOP 9 button to select CLOCK, then press the FF : /OK button. CABLE BOX USERS SET CLOCK MANUALLY will appear briefly. (If AUTO CLOCK is set to OFF, PBS CH. will not be available in the menu. If this happens, press the FF : /OK button to select AUTO CLOCK, then press the PLAY 8 or STOP 9 button to set AUTO CLOCK to ON.) 18 Set[...]

Setting the Clock (cont’d) 19 5 Press the PLAY 8 or STOP 9 button repeatedly so that AUTO flashes beside PBS CH. • To display the time on the display panel, press the EXIT/STATUS button repeatedly. • If you live near the boundary of an adjacent time zone, your PBS channel may come from a different time zone. Use Time Zone Selection to set you[...]

20 Daylight-Savings Time 6 Press the EXIT/STATUS button. Follow the steps below to program the VCR so its clock will automatically move forward one hour in April and turn back one hour in October. 3 Press the PLAY 8 or STOP 9 button to select CLOCK, then press the FF : /OK button. CABLE BOX USERS SET CLOCK MANUALLY will appear briefly. (If AUTO CLO[...]

Language Selection 21 5 Press the EXIT/STATUS button. Follow the steps below to change the language of the on-screen displays and menus. 3 Press the STOP 9 button or PLAY 8 button to select LANGUAGE. • If you accidentally select Spanish or French and need English, follow these steps. 1) Press the VCR button, then press the MENU button. 2) Press t[...]

VCR TV VCR/TV QUICK PROGRAMMING POWER STILL/SLOW EJECT CH VOL EXIT/STATUS TIMER JOG/SHTL SMARTPICTURE INDEX AUDIO/MUTE MENU - + CBL / DBS 123 456 789 START STOP DATE DBS DAILY PLAY REW FF /OK STOP WEEKLY REV /OTR REC REC FWD - + - + SPEED 0 CLEAR VCR Button Press this button before pressing VCR operation buttons. POWER Button After pressing the CBL[...]

STILL/SLOW Buttons While recording, press STILL/SLOW to temporarily stop the recording. Press a second time to resume normal recording. Details are on page 31. During tape playback, press STILL/SLOW once to freeze the picture. Press repeatedly to advance the Still picture frame by frame. Details are on page 57. During tape playback, press and hold [...]

Operation indicators These indicators tell you the current operation of the VCR. 3 : Play, Forward and Reverse Searching : Record I : Record Pause 3I : Still Picture +8 4 0 6 - 15 dB NORM SP VCR 24 Display Panel Remote Sensor Receives a signal from your remote control so you can operate your VCR from a distance. Press the VCR button on the remot[...]

SUPER VHS ET - REC/OTR MENU/EXIT /OK S-VHS ET VCR/TV lingual ON SCREEN DISPLAY POWER SMARTPICTURE VRA 999 S-VHS HI-FI STEREO CHANNEL PLAY PAUSE/STILL STOP/EJECT +8 4 0 6 - 15 dB NORM SP VCR OPEN S UPER VHS ET @ F O R W D R E W I N D HI FI STEREO SMARTPICTURE A/V FRONT CONNECTORS- VCR/TV Button Press to select the signal that your TV receives. VCR P[...]

ANT. IN VIDEO L R AUDIO (MONO) RF OUT CH3 CH4 CABLE BOX LP 30561-003 OUT IN S-VIDEO OUT IN S-VIDEO OUT Jack Connect an S-Video cable going to the S-VIDEO IN jack of a TV here. You may use S-Video connections instead of the standard RCA-style video (yellow) connections. S-Video connections provide a better picture. S-VIDEO IN Jack Connect an S-Video[...]

On-Screen Status Displays 27 5 Press the EXIT/STATUS button. • If ON SCREEN MODE is set to ON or COUNTER: • You may bring up the status display at any time by pressing the EXIT/STATUS button. (The exception is during Slow, Search, or Still mode.) The display will appear for about five seconds. • Channel numbers (when tuned) will appear for a [...]

VCR TV VCR/TV QUICK PROGRAMMING POWER STILL/SLOW EJECT CH VOL EXIT/STATUS TIMER JOG/SHTL SMARTPICTURE INDEX AUDIO/MUTE MENU - + CBL / DBS 123 456 789 START STOP DATE DBS DAILY PLAY REW FF /OK STOP WEEKLY REV /OTR REC REC FWD - + - + SPEED 0 CLEAR 28 Setting the Remote Control to Operate a TV • If you had to program the remote control to operate y[...]

Setting the Remote Control to Operate a Cable Box/DBS 29 • If you had to program the remote control to operate your Cable Box/DBS, whenever you replace the batteries in the remote control, you may have to program the remote control again. • The remote control may only operate some features of your Cable Box/DBS. • Some Cable Boxes/DBSs can on[...]

6 Press the EJECT button to remove the tape. 2 Insert a tape in the VCR. The power will come on. The VCR will place itself in VCR position automatically (the VCR light will appear on the display panel of the VCR). If the VCR light does not appear, press the VCR/TV button once. If the tape’s record tab has been removed, playback will start automat[...]

Recording 31 9 Press the STOP 9 button to stop recording. The light will disappear from the display panel. • If the REC(ord)/OTR button is pressed while a tape without a record tab is in the VCR, PROTECTED CASSETTE CANNOT RECORD will appear on the screen briefly. The VCR will eject the tape. • The VCR records in a preset volume. • If the en[...]

32 S-VHS Recording When shipped from the factory, this VCR was set to automatically select S-VHS format for recording on an S-VHS tape, and VHS format for recording on a VHS tape. If you want to make a recording using VHS format on an S-VHS tape, follow the steps below. 1 Press the VCR button, then press the MENU button. 1 5 2-4 SELECT , 9 CHOOSE :[...]

S-VHS ET 33 This VCR allows recording in Super VHS ET (Expansion Technology). You can play back those cassettes recorded in S- VHS ET on a VCR equipped with S-VHS ET. You can record with S-VHS picture quality on VHS cassettes. 1 Before you begin the recording, press the S-VHS ET button on the front panel so that the button lights. S-VHS ET recordin[...]

34 One-Touch Recording 3 Press the REC(ord)/OTR button repeatedly until the desired recording length appears briefly on the screen and on the display panel. The light will flash on the display panel. (The recording length will not appear on the screen if ON SCREEN MODE is set to OFF.) • To check the time remaining for an OTR that is in progress[...]

Recording One Channel/Watching Another 35 5 To return to the channel being recorded, use the TV remote control to select channel 03 or 04 (whichever channel the CH3/CH4 switch on the back of the VCR is set to). Or, if the VCR remote control operates your TV, press the TV button, then use the CH(annel) 8 / 9 button to select channel 03 or 04. • If[...]

36 Setting Up the VCR Plus+ Programming System 1 First, fill in the boxes on this page. It will only take a few minutes, and you must do it if you want the VCR Plus+ programming system to work properly. Since the channel numbers of the stations you receive may not be the same as the station numbers, and since channel numbers differ from area to are[...]

Setting Up the VCR Plus+ Programming System (cont’d) 37 2 Now, compare the channel numbers you have written into the VCR PLUS+ CH. and CABLE/TV CH. columns. You’ll notice that some stations have VCR Plus+ and Cable/TV channel numbers that are the same, and other stations have channel numbers that do not match. You must tell the VCR the VCR Plus[...]

38 Timer Recording with the VCR Plus+ Programming System • If you enter an incorrect PlusCode programming number at step 4, ERROR-RE-ENTER CODE will flash on the screen after step 5. Enter the correct PlusCode programming number. Helpful Hint Follow the steps below to program a timer recording using PlusCode programming numbers. Before you begin [...]

Timer Recording with the VCR Plus+ Programming System (cont’d) 39 Turn off the VCR for a timer recording! Put a tape in the VCR. Leave the Cable Box/DBS on. 9 Press the POWER button to turn off the VCR. The VCR must be turned off for a timer recording to take place. The r light will appear on the display panel. The r light and the Cassette-Inside[...]

ONE TIME PROGRAM PROGRAM 1 CHANNEL +/– – – – START +/– – – : – – AM STOP +/– – – : – – AM REC SPEED SLP DATE +/– – – /– – /– – SET DAILY=8 OR WEEKLY=9 TO END PUSH EXIT 40 Quick Programming Follow the steps below to program your VCR to record TV programs while you’re away from home. The VCR will turn itsel[...]

Quick Programming (cont’d) 41 5 Press the Number 2/STOP+ or Number 5/STOP– button to set the recording’s stop time. Every time you press a button, the stop time changes in one-minute increments. If you press and hold a button, the stop time changes in 30-minute increments. 6 Press the SPEED button to select the tape speed (SP or SLP). Details[...]

42 Quick Programming (cont’d) 10 Press the POWER button to turn off the VCR. The r light will appear on the display panel. (The r light and the Cassette-Inside light will flash when you turn off the VCR if there is not a tape in the VCR.) The VCR must be turned off for a timer recording to take place. Leave the Cable Box/DBS on, if applicable. 9 [...]

Quick Programming (cont’d) 43 • To stop a timer recording that is in progress, press the POWER button on the remote control. • If you change the time or date, make sure the new time or date does not conflict with other timer recordings. • If you leave the VCR on past the scheduled start time of a timer recording, you will not be asked again[...]

44 Timer Recording Speed Setting If a program is recording in SP and there is not enough tape to record the entire program, the VCR automatically switches to SLP to allow complete recording if TIMER REC SPEED is set to AUTO. This feature is especially useful when you set a timer recording for a program that is more than two hours long. For example,[...]

Connecting the Controller 45 If you are using a Cable Box/DBS, connect the Controller to your VCR. The Controller will automatically select channels at the Cable Box/DBS during a timer recording. Leave your Cable Box/DBS turned on during a timer recording. 2 Connect the Controller to the CABLE BOX Jack on the back of the VCR as shown above. 3 Attac[...]

5 Press the PLAY 8 or STOP 9 button to select the output channel, then press the FF : /OK button. The display shown below will appear. If CABLE BOX USERS SET CLOCK MANUALLY appears, follow steps 4-8 on page 16, then go to step 6 on page 47. • If the EXIT/STATUS button is pressed during steps 5-8, “CABLE BOX CONTROL IS OFF” will appear on the [...]

• If your Cable Box does not respond to any of the codes at step 7, the Controller will not change channels at the Cable Box during a timer recording. You must select the channel to be recorded at the Cable Box before a timer recording begins. Enter the Cable Box output channel (03 or 04) at step 3 on page 40. Leave the Cable Box on for the timer[...]

SELECT CODE NUMBER OF YOUR DBS RECEIVER 40 REFER TO INSTRUCTION BOOK TO SET PUSH , 9 TO TEST PUSH : /OK TO END PUSH EXIT 48 Setting the Controller to Operate a DBS • If you use a DBS, you must set the clock manually. Details are on pages 15-16. • Complete the steps on page 29 before proceeding. This will allow you to use the VCR remote control [...]

• If your DBS does not respond to the code in steps 6-7, the Controller will not change channels at the DBS during a timer recording. In this case, you must select the channel to be recorded at the DBS before a timer recording begins. Enter the DBS output channel (03 or 04) at step 3 on page 40. Leave the DBS on for the timer recording. Details a[...]

ANT. IN VIDEO L R AUDIO (MONO) RF OUT CH3 CH4 CABLE BOX LP 30561-003 OUT IN S-VIDEO OUT IN ANT. IN VIDEO L R AUDIO (MONO) RF OUT CH3 CH4 CABLE BOX LP 30561-003 OUT IN S-VIDEO OUT IN 6 Press the PLAY button on VCR 1 and the REC(ord)/OTR button on VCR 2 at the same time. The light will appear on the VCR 2 display panel. • Unauthorized recording o[...]

3 When you make a recording, the VCR automatically places an index code at the beginning of the recording. Essentially, an index code is a type of “bookmark” for your tape. This feature is useful if you have several different programs recorded on a single tape. Fast forward or rewind to the next or previous index code on the tape by following t[...]

52 Multi-Channel Television Sound System The VRA999 can receive and record programs broadcast in stereo or second audio. It can also play back tapes recorded in stereo or second audio. • Second Audio You can program your VCR so you can hear a program that is being broadcast in second audio or a tape that was recorded in second audio. A second aud[...]

To receive and record programs broadcast in second audio, follow steps 1-6. To receive and record a program broadcast in stereo, make one of the connections shown, then follow steps 1-6. 6 Press the REC(ord)/OTR button to start recording. ANT. IN RF OUT ANT. IN VIDEO L R AUDIO (MONO) RF OUT CH3 CH4 CABLE BOX LP 30561-003 OUT IN S-VIDEO OUT IN VIDEO[...]

54 Hi-Fi Stereo Tape Playback • During playback, Hi-Fi stereo may temporarily revert to normal audio when you adjust tracking. This is normal. • If Hi-Fi stereo continually reverts to normal audio during playback, you may want to press the FF : /OK button to select MONO at step 3. • Only tapes recorded in Hi-Fi stereo will play in Hi-Fi stere[...]

• Regardless of the setting, this feature has no effect during recording or special effects playback. • To set VIDEO STABILIZER to OFF, follow steps 1-2 above. At step 3, press the FF : /OK button so that OFF appears beside VIDEO STABILIZER. Press the EXIT/STATUS button. Helpful Hints 4 Press the EXIT/STATUS button. You can correct vertical vib[...]

56 SmartPicture You can make the tape playback picture softer, sharper, more natural, or more distinct by adjusting the SmartPicture setting. SmartPicture is set to NATURAL when you receive the VCR. Follow the steps below to adjust the SmartPicture setting. 2 While the setting appears, press the SMARTPICTURE button repeatedly to choose DISTINCT, SO[...]

1 Press and hold the PLAY : button until the 3 light flashes on the display panel. Now, when a tape has finished playing, the VCR will rewind it and start playback again. The VCR will play the tape 50 times. The 3 light on the display panel will flash during tape playback and while rewinding. TV programming will appear while the tape is rewinding. [...]

58 Playback Options (cont’d) 3 Or, turn the inner dial (the Jog Dial) in either direction. The tape will move frame-by-frame at the speed with which the dial is turned. Viewing Pictures in Slow to Fast Motion 1 First, press the JOG/SHTL (shuttle) button while in the Play or Still mode. The JOG/SHTL button will light. 2 Next, turn the outer ring ([...]

59 Child Lock The Child Lock feature disables the buttons on the VCR and the VCR feature buttons on the remote control. • If you lose your remote control when Child Lock is on, contact Philips. Helpful Hint VCR TV VCR/TV QUICK PROGRAMMING POWER STILL/SLOW EJECT CH VOL EXIT/STATUS TIMER JOG/SHTL SMARTPICTURE INDEX AUDIO/MUTE MENU - + CBL / DBS 123[...]

60 Blue Background If you want the TV screen to be solid blue when a weak signal is received, set BLUE BACKGROUND to ON. The screen will be blue and the sound will be muted. Or, if you want to receive the weak signal, set BLUE BACKGROUND to OFF. When you select a channel that is receiving a weak signal, you will see and hear the static in the TV pr[...]

Automatic Playback When you put a tape in the VCR, the power will come on automatically. If the tape’s record tab is missing, playback will begin. Automatic Rewind When a tape is played, fast forwarded, or recorded to its end, the VCR will rewind the tape to the beginning, then stop. The VCR will not rewind the tape if the end of the tape is reac[...]

62 Glossary AUDIO IN/OUT Jacks: jacks located on the front and back of the VCR which are used to record audio from another source (IN) or to send audio to another system (OUT). Automatic Channel Programming: process in which the VCR scans all available channels and places the ones you receive in its memory. Then, when you press the CH(annel) 8 / 9 [...]

Video Heads Four heads with Hi-Fi stereo Video Signal EIA standards; NTSC color Antenna VHF/UHF – 75 ohm external antenna terminal VHF Output Signal Channel 3 or 4 (switchable) 75 ohms unbalanced Power Requirement 120V AC; 60 Hz Power Consumption 22 W Operating Temperature 41°F (5°C) to 104°F (40°C) Relative Humidity 10% to 80% Weight 10.2 lb[...]

64 Helpful Hints If you are having problems with your VCR, check the following list of problems and possible solutions before requesting service. You may be able to solve the problem yourself. If you need to call a customer service representative, please know the model number and serial number of your product before you call. This information is di[...]

Tape can’t be removed. • Make sure the power plug is completely connected to an AC (alternating current) outlet. The motor (cylinder) rotates even when the VCR is in Stop mode. • To enable the quick play mechanism, the cylinder will rotate for about five minutes. This is normal. The quick play mechanism enables the tape mechanism to switch fr[...]

66 Limited Warranty VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER 90 Days Free Labor/One Year Parts Exchange. This product must be carried in for repair. WHO IS COVERED? You must have proof of purchase to receive warranty service. A sales receipt or other document showing that you purchased the product is considered proof of purchase. WHAT IS COVERED? Warranty coverage [...]

ac power cord . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 ant(enna) in jack . . . . . . . . .6-9, 26 audio in/out jacks . . . .25-26, 50, 53 audio/mute button . . . . . . . . . . .23 automatic playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 rewind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]

IB8142E001 LPT0243-001A S UPPLIED A CCESSORIES O PTIONAL A CCESSORIES The following items are supplied with your VCR; they are provided to help you use or set up your VCR. The following additional items are not provided with your VCR, but they are designed for use with your new VCR. To order these optional accessories, contact us at: Philips Parts [...]