Hitachi VM-1700A manual

1 1 HITA CHI Instruction Manual Video Camera/Recorder VM-1700A / VM -2700A Hitachi Home Ele c tronics (A merica ), Inc. HITA CHI (HSC) CA NA DA INC. 3890 Steve Rey nolds Blvd., N orcross, GA 30093 3300 Trans Canada Hw y., Pointe Cla ire, Tel. 404-279-5600 Quebec, H9R1B1, CAN ADA Tel. 514-697-9150 HITA CHI SA LES CORPORA TION OF HA WA II, INC. 3219 [...]

2 WARNINGS ........................................................................................................................................... 4 PRECAUTIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 6 PRECAUTION S ....................................[...]

3 CAMERA/RECORDER TO VCR DUBBI NG .................................................................................... 53 AUTOMATIC REWIND ............................................................................................................... ....... 54 FLYING ERASE HEAD (only for VM-2700A) ..................................................[...]

W ARNINGS 4 W A R N I N G S WA RNING: TO PREVEN T FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK , DO NOT EXPOSE THIS A PPLIA NCE TO RA IN OR MOISTURE. This symbol w arns the user that uninsul ated voltage w ithin the unit may have sufficient magnitude to cause el ectric shock. Therefore, it is dang erous to make any kind of contact w ith any inside par t of this unit. Th[...]

W ARNINGS 5 is connected. --Consul t the dealer or an exper ienced radio/TV technician for help. Caution to the user: Changes or modi fications not expressly approved by the manufacturer could v oid the user's authority to operate the equipment. CA UTION: Avoid operating your camcorder immediately after moving it f rom a cold area to a warm hu[...]

PRECAUTIO NS 6 P R E C A U T I O N S Thank you for choosing the video camer a/recorder. For max imum pleasure and convenience pl ease read these simple instructions before oper ating your camera/recorder . PRECA UTIONS Any problems that occur as a result of any of the f ollowing conditions w ill not be covered by our w arranty .  Be careful that[...]

PRECAUTIO NS 7 FEA TURES • Solid-state camera pickup • High Qual ity pictur e technology • Auto focus power z oom Lens with macro feature • Full record and playback capability with standard cassette • Progr am AE (Auto Exposure) • Flyi ng erase head (Only for VM-2700A) • Built-i n camera light (Onl y for VM-2700A) • Time and date ?[...]

IMPORT ANT SAFEG UARDS 8 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 maj or 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 enjoy[...]

IMPORT ANT SAFEG UARDS 9 and have it r eplaced by y our servic e technician if appearance indicates damag e or deteriorated i nsulation. 7 Powe r Cord Protection -- Pow er supply cor ds should be routed so that they are not likely to be walk ed on or pinched by items pl aced upon or against them, pay ing particular attention to cords at plugs, conv[...]

IMPORT ANT SAFEG UARDS 10 excessiv e force, and uneven surfaces may cause the appl iance and cart combination to overtur n. 12 Outdoor A ntenna Grounding -- If an outside antenna or cable system is connected to the video pr oduct, be sure the antenna or cable system i s grounded so as to provi de some protection against v oltage surg es and built-u[...]

IMPORT ANT SAFEG UARDS 11 SERVICE 17 Servicing -- Do not attempt to serv ice this vi deo product yourself 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 i[...]

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCT IONS FOR AC ADAPTER/CHARGER 12 IMPORTA NT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS FOR A C A DA PTER/CHA RGER 1. Save these instr uctions - This page contains important safety and operating instructions for AC Adaptor /Charger Model VM-AC68A (T) 2. Before using AC Adaptor /Charger, read al l instructions and cautionar y marking s on (1) AC Ada[...]

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCT IONS FOR AC ADAPTER/CHARGER 13 as close to the point of cable entry as practical".[...]

ELECTRO NIC VIEW FINDER 14 ELECTRONIC VIEWFINDER  Set the view finder to the position show n in the figure w hen carryi ng the camcorder or storing it in the carrying case.  Turn the view finder to the position show n below w hen shooting pictures. 1. Turn the view finder 2. Turn the eyepiece.  You can adjust the posi tion and angle of the[...]

ELECTRO NIC VIEW FINDER 15[...]

POW ER SOURCES 16 P O W E R S O U R C E S  WHEN USING WITH THE BATTERY (Provided) • To attach, align the mark " " of the battery w ith that of the camera/recorder so that the battery fits into the grov es, and slide the battery dow nward, as illustrated. • To remove the battery : Push and hold "Battery" r elease lever, th[...]

POW ER SOURCES 17 • W hen using the AC adaptor/charg er to power the camera/r ecorder, the battery level indicator may display " ". This indicator i s used for battery operati on and has no meaning when using the AC adaptor/charg er to power the camer a/recorder.  WHEN USING WITH THE CA R BATTERY (By using optional car battery cord H[...]

CHECKING THE BAT TERY 18 CHECKING THE BA TTERY W hen the " " indication appear s in the view finder and flashes while the camera/recorder is being operated w ith a battery (provided) , it indicates that the battery charge is low. Charg e it or replace i t with a charg ed battery. NOTE: W hen the camera/recorder i s turned on, the battery [...]

CHARGING A BATT ERY 19 CHA RGING A BA TTERY 1. Plug the AC adaptor/charger pow er cord into AC electr ical outlet. 2. Attach the battery to the AC adaptor/charger. Al ign the mark " " on the battery w ith that of AC adaptor/charger and push the battery flush wi th the AC adaptor/charger and slide it i n the direction of arrow. NOTE: You m[...]

CHARGING A BATT ERY 20 NOTES: 1. The time requir ed for charging the batter y is approx . two hours. 2. W hen f ully char ged, the battery should supply approx . 90 minutes of operating time (depending on how much you use z oom and pause). 2. Charg e the battery after use and store it at nor mal room temperature. 3. Recharge the batter y at least o[...]

MAKING A SAMPLE RECORDING 21 MA KING A SA MPLE RECORDING 1. Connect the POW ER SOURCE. (See pages 9 and 10.) 2. Press "STOP/EJECT" button and i nsert the cassette so the transparent wi ndow is toward y ou and the arrow toward the cassette holder. Sl ide the cassette into cassette holder as f ar as it will go. NOTE: Push in the center of t[...]

MAKING A SAMPLE RECORDING 22 5. Now, pr ess "REC/PA USE" button to star t shooting the picture. The "REC" indication appears in the v iewfinder and y ou are now recor ding the picture y ou see through the view finder. 6. Press "REC/PA U SE" button to stop recording . Press the button again to resume recordin g. Th e &q[...]

MAKING A SAMPLE RECORDING 23 8. Press "REW" button. The tape will be rewound to the beginning 9. Press "PLA Y" button. The picture you just recorded will be seen through the view finder. NOTE: If you connect the camera/recorder to y our TV, you can see the picture pl ayed back on your TV. Refer to "VIEWING THE PICTURE P LA [...]

MAKING A SAMPLE RECORDING 24 NOTE: If you have a cassette tape that has already been partially recorded on and y ou want to r ecord the remaining blank secti on, see "QUICK EDIT" on page 24.[...]

IDENTIFICAT ION AND OPERATION OF CONT ROLS 25 IDENTIFICA TION A ND OPERA TION OF CONTROLS Diag ram of camera Camera Light (only for VM- 2700A) W hen the "P OWE R" switch is in the "CA M" position, the camera li ght is turned on and off automatically or manually in the r ecord and record/pause modes depending on the position of &[...]

IDENTIFICAT ION AND OPERATION OF CONT ROLS 26 To close the cover, first hook the tab onto the case. Diagr am of Buttons "TITLE" Button Press this button to create and r ecord personaliz ed titles on your v ideos wi th the camera/recorder 's built-in titler . "DA TE / TIME" Button Press this button to displ ay the date and t[...]

IDENTIFICAT ION AND OPERATION OF CONT ROLS 27 "M" is display ed. "POW ER" Sw i tch This swi tch changes the camera/recorder to the r ecord mode or to the playback mode. Press and hold the small button on this switch, and then sl ide it to "CA M" or "VID EO" . "REW" Button Press this button duri ng s[...]

IDENTIFICAT ION AND OPERATION OF CONT ROLS 28 mode. (See "DA TE/TIME SETTING" on pag e 20.) Diagram o f Ca m era Diopter Control To use the electronic v iewfinder w ithout eyeglasses on, tur n this control for your optimum focus adjustment. "BA TTERY " Release Lever Releases the battery attached to the video camera/r ecorder. &q[...]

IDENTIFICAT ION AND OPERATION OF CONT ROLS 29 Graphics in the Electr onic Viewfinder[...]

DATE/T IME Setting 30 D A T E / T I M E S e t t i n g The date and time can be recorded on y our tape to act as a handy reference w hen view ing them at a later time. Use the follow ing procedure to set up thi s display for the curr ent date and time. The time backup battery i s rechargeable. C harge the backup battery every tw o months. Set "[...]

DATE/T IME Setting 31 button. 6. Press "F.FWD" or "REW" button as many times as may be req uired to select the correct hour, and then pr ess "STOP/EJECT" button. 7. Repeat step 6 to select minute and AM /PM. 8. After setting AM or PM , press "DA TE/TI ME" button to change the display and start the internal cl[...]

AUTOMAT IC DATE RECORDING 32 A UTOMA TIC DA TE RECORDING This feature records the date automatical ly once a day . Af ter you begin recor ding, the date is recor ded automatically for 10 seconds. The same date is r ecorded again in the following cases. • W hen the cassette is replaced. • W hen " " is display ed again after being switc[...]

AUTO FOCUS 33 A U T O F O C U S • You can alw ays focus the object automaticall y. The range of the obj ect w ith which auto focus can be used. • On "T" side: about 3.6 feet (1.1m) from the lens surface to infinity . • On "W" side: about 1.2 inches (3cm) from the lens surface to infinity .  The auto focus w ill not w or[...]

AUTO FOCUS 34 6. Objects movi ng rapidly . 7. Dark objects.[...]

POW ER ZOOM 35 P O W E R Z O O M • Press power zoom swi tch on the "W " side, and the picture g radually w idens. • Press power zoom swi tch on the "T" side, and the picture gradual ly becomes telescopic. • The zooming speed i s slow w hen the power z oom switch i s pressed lightly , and the zooming speed is fast when the [...]

MACRO 36 MA CRO Allow s you to shoot objects as close as 1.2 inches ( 3cm) from the lens tip. Press and hold "W" side of power z oom switch. An object i s auto focused. NOTES: • Determine the siz e of the object by movi ng the camera backwar d and f orward. • Be careful as the lighti ng may tend to be insufficient w hen shooting in th[...]

PROGRAM AE ( Auto Exposure) 37 PROGRA M A E (A uto Exposure) Progr am AE automatically sel ects the shutter speed 1/60, 1/100, 1/120, 1/180, 1/250, 1/350, 1/500, 1/750, 1/1000, 1/1500, 1/2000, or 1/4000 second that is optimum for the brightness of the subject. The iri s is also adjusted automatical ly in response to the shutter speed.[...]

INDEX SIGNAL RECORDING 38 INDEX SIGNA L RECORDING Indexing your tapes w hile recording makes it easy to find desired pr ogram segments when y ou play back the tape in a VC R that has a compatible index ing feature called the "VHS Index Sear ch System". See your VCR's instruction manual f o r index play back instructions. "INDEX&[...]

QUICK EDIT (Edit Searc h) 39 QUICK EDIT (Edit Search) The quick edit feature allow s you to sear ch fo r the end of previously recorded material, or find a particular spot on your tape, to begi n your editing , or recording new material . Quick edit is used w hile the camera/recor der is in the record/pause ( stand-by) mode. By holding down the &qu[...]

INSTANT REVIEW 40 INSTA NT REVIEW 1. In record/pause (s tand-by) mode, press " REVIEW" button, and the last few seconds of the recorded scene is play ed back in the rever se direction and then play ed back in the forward di rection. 2. W hen the tape reaches the end of the scene you have just recor ded, the camera/recorder returns to the [...]

DISPLAY BUTTO N 41 D I S P L A Y B U T T O N Each time the "DISPLA Y" button is pressed, the display in the view finder switches as follo ws. W hen the linear time tape counter w ith memory i s displayed i n the view f inder, the same display appears on the screen of the connected TV/monitor receiver .[...]

LINEAR TIME COUNT ER 42 LINEA R TIME COUNTER Shows leng th of tape run in hours, minutes and seconds. Load a cassette into the camera/recor der and perform recording or playback; the counter indicates the el apsed time. NOTES: • The linear time counter does not operate when nothing is recorded on the tape. • Counter changes to 0:00:00 w hen cas[...]

REMAINING T APE 43 REMA INING TA PE The tape remaining di splay show s the remaining tape that can be used for recor ding and playback, usi ng seven dashes. This feature is handy when recordi ng since it lets you know how long you can record on the loaded tape. Insert a cassette in the camera/recor der and start recording or playback; 10 seconds la[...]

TIT LE RECORDING 44 TITLE RECORDING You can easily create and record per sonalized titles on y our vi deos with the camera/re corder's built-in title r. T he titler will store 2 dif fere n t title pages in m emory. Once a title is stor ed, it can be displayed and r ecorded at any time. Each titl e page can contain two l ines of 16 characters e[...]

TIT LE RECORDING 45  Creating a title 1. Attach a power source to the camera/recorder and sl ide "PO WER" switch to either "CA M" or "VIDE O" position. 2. Press "TITLE" button. The flashing cursor will appear in the v iewfinder. 3. Press "SHIFT" button repeatedly to move the flashing cursor to th[...]

TIT LE RECORDING 46  Correcting errors during title st orage 1. Press "Shift" button repeatedly until the character to be corrected will flash. 2. Press either "- " or "+" button until the corr ect character appears. NOTE: The correct character m ay flash, howev er it will be recorded correctly w ithout flashing. ?[...]

TIT LE RECORDING 47 Recording titles on another VCR w hile play ing a tape back w ith the camcorder 1. Connect the camera/recor der and VCR. (See pag e 31.) 2. Select the title you wish to record f rom pa ge 1 or page 2. T h e last title selecte d will appear first. Press "TITLE" button to tur n title of f . 3. Set the VCR in the r eco[...]

VIEW ING T HE PICTURE PLAYED BACK ON YOUR TV 48 VIEWING THE P ICTURE PLA YED BA CK ON YOUR TV To play back a tape recor ded on your camera/recor der and view it on your TV receiver, you must connect the camera/r ecorder to the TV receiver using either audi o/video cord (not prov ided) or RF conv erter unit ( optional). You also may play back the ta[...]

VIEW ING T HE PICTURE PLAYED BACK ON YOUR TV 49 NOTE: W hen noise appears in the play ed back picture, adjust "TRA CKING" control on the VCR so there i s no noise. Example 3: If y our TV is a regular TV, Diagr am of Hookup 1. Disconnect the VHF antenna l eads f rom the rear of the TV receiver. NOTE: Leave the UHF antenna l eads connected [...]

STILL 50 S T I L L W hen "REC/PA USE" button is pressed during play back, a still picture can be seen. To start again pr ess "REC/PA USE" button and playback will be resumed. NOTE: Th ere will be some n oise (interf erence ) in th e still picture.[...]

FORW ARD AND REVERSE SEARCH 51 FORWA RD A ND REVERSE SEARCH W hen you press "F.FWD" or "REW" button during playback, the tape w ill be played back at a speed about 3 times faster than normal play back speed, and you can easily locate a certain spot on the tape. Pr ess "PLAY" button to return to nor mal playback mode or[...]

MEMORY 52 MEMORY W hen the tape counter with memory indication appears i n the view f inder, a tape that is being r ewound automaticall y stops when the counter reads approximately "0:00:00" . This is useful if there is a secti on of tape you want to rev iew immedi ately after recordi ng or if you w ant to return to the same point several[...]

CAMERA/RECORDER TO VCR DUBBING 53 CA MERA /RECORDER TO V CR DUBBING If you wi sh to exchange or copy some of your friend's favori te home recordings, the following instructions can be used to connect camera/recor der to VCR for this purpose. 1. Connect the vi deo/audio cord (not prov ided) to "A UDIO" and "VIDEO " of your c[...]

AUTOMAT IC REW IND 54 A UTOMA TIC REWI ND W hen the tape reaches its end during play back, it automatically rewi nds to the beginning and stops.[...]

FLYING ERASE HEAD (only for VM-2700A) 55 FLYING ERA SE H EAD (only for VM-2700A ) A rotating er ase head which eli minates glitches and rai nbow noise that occurs at the joints betw een recorded segments.[...]

USING TH E BUILT-IN CAMERA LIG HT ( only for VM-2700A) 56 USING THE BUILT-IN CA MERA LIGHT (only for VM-2700A ) Use the built- in camera light i t you wi sh to shoot objects in dark places. W hen the "LIGHT" sw itch is set to "AUTO" , the camera l ight turns on automatical ly w hen the camera/recorder is pointed at objects in a [...]

USING TH E BUILT-IN CAMERA LIG HT ( only for VM-2700A) 57 3. After use, set the "LIGHT" sw itch to "OFF" or set the "POW ER" switch of the camera/recorder to "OFF" position.[...]

USING TH E BUILT-IN CAMERA LIG HT ( only for VM-2700A) 58 CA UTION: • During operation and/or after use of the camera lig ht, the front surface and lamp of the camera ligh t will be very hot. To a void bu rns o r hair damage, d o not touch th em with your hand. • W hen the camera light is on, do not all ow w ater to drop on the light. • W hen[...]

EYEPIECE ADJUSTMENT 59 EYEPIECE AD JUSTMENT To use the electronic v iewfinder w ithout eyegl asses on, adjust the diopter control for optimum focus adjustment.[...]

HOW T O ATT ACH TH E SHOULDER STRAP 60 HOW TO A TTA CH THE SHOU LDER STRA P Attach the shoulder strap (provided), as illustrated.[...]

TROUBLES HOOTING 61 TROUBLESHOOTING Your camer a/recorder is a hig hly sophistic ated instrument. It has been carefully checked and adjusted at the factory under the most r igid qual ity control and i nspection systems. How ever, should pr oblems develop, check the follow ing points and take the necessary cor rective measures. INSERTING OR REM OVIN[...]

TROUBLES HOOTING 62 switch g ently using a toothpick, etc. until you f eel a click. T he display will be reset. Then set the information again. PLA YBA CK OF PRE-RECORDE D CASSETTE Symptom Check Point & Corr ection “PLAY” button cannot be engaged. Set the pow er swi tch to “VIDEO” position. No picture appear s on television screen w hen[...]

TROUBLES HOOTING 63  CLEA NING THE INSID E OF THE ELECTRONIC VIEWFINDER If dust or foreign matter adheres i nside the view finder, clean it by usi ng the following procedure. 1. Push the tab and hold it, then open the cov er, 2. Clean the pictur e tube f ace and lens. T o prevent scratching, use a soft non abrasiv e cloth, swab or lens cleaning [...]

HEAD CLEANING 64 HEA D CLEA NING • Picture play back may become blurr ed or be interrupted. This does not mean that the recorded prog ram has been erased. • Dirt accumul ated on the head af ter long periods of use causes this probl em. In this case, head cleaning r equiring hi ghly technical care is necessary. • Consult y our nearest dealer o[...]

PERIODIC MAINTENANCE 65 PERIODIC MA INTENA NCE The video camera/recorder is a precision electromechanical device which w ill require periodic mai ntenance af ter a period of normal use. W e expect that no maintenance other than head cleaning w ill be required during the warranty period of m ost users, unless the vi deo camera/recorder is heavily us[...]

SPECIFICATIO NS 66 SPECIFICA TIONS  General Power r equirements 9.6V DC Power consumption 7 watts (nominal) Dimensions: 4-3/8"(W ) x 8- 1/16" (H) x 12-1/4" (D) 111(W ) x 205(H ) x 311(D ) mm W e ight 4.4 lbs (2.0 kg)  Video Recorder Section Format VH S Record/play back system VM-2700A: Two vi deo record/playback heads plus a fl[...]

HOTLINE 67 H O T L I N E For U.S.A. only HITA CHI Service Hotline To locate an authoriz ed HITACHI service f acility in the continental U.S.A. DIA L TOLL FREE 7 days a w eek, 24 hours a day 800 HITACHI 1-800-448-2244 Hitachi Home Elect ronics (A merica), Inc. Hitachi has made ev ery effort to assure y ou hours of trouble free operation from your un[...]

ACCESSORY TO ADD MORE EX CITEMENT 68 A CCESSORY TO AD D MORE EXCITEMENT You're r eady to add more exci tement to your home v ideos, and Hitachi's rig ht there with you. W ith our new line of video accessories, y ou can go anyw here your imagination takes you. Now that y ou know how much fun video recording can be, you'll w ant to add[...]