Hitachi VT-F370A manual

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 1 HITACHI Video Dec k VT- F370A Owner's Manual Your Complete Guide to Videocasse tte Viewing and Recording Using these q uality features:  VHS hi-fidelity sound in play back  Automatic tape head cleaning  Up to 8 delay ed recording pr ogram s  Auto track ing for im pr oved picture in playback  Cable-com patib[...]

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENT S .............................................................................................................. ............................... 2 FOR YOUR SAFET Y ................................................................................................................ ..................[...]

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 Basic Rec ordin g Steps ............................................................................................................................. 37 Recording T ips ........................................................................................................................................ 38 Using the I nstant Re[...]

FOR YOUR SAFETY 4 F O R Y O U R S A F E T Y POW ER SUPPLY: AC 120V, 60 Hz ONLY . The POW ER switch turns the VCR on and off , leaving the clock /tim er unaf fec ted. If the unit is to be left unattended f or a long period, it is r ecom m ended that the unit be com pletely switched off and unplugged. Illustrated below is the label on the back of you[...]

Read This First 5 "Note to CATV system installer: T his rem inder is provided to call the CAT V system installer' s attention to Article 820-40 of the NEC that provides guidelines for pr oper grounding and, in particular, s pecif ies that the cable ground s hall be connected to the gr ounding system of the building, as close to the point [...]

Read This First 6[...]

IMPORT ANT SA FEGUA RDS 7 I M P O R T A N T S A F E G U A R D S In addition to the caref ul attention devoted to quality standards in the manuf actur e of your video product, safety is a m ajor f actor in the des ign of every instrum ent. But, saf ety is y our responsibility too. This page lists im portant inf orm ation that will help to assur e yo[...]

IMPORT ANT SA FEGUA RDS 8 walked on or pinc hed by item s placed upon or agains t them , paying particular attention to cords at plugs , convenience rec eptacles, and the point where they exit from the applianc e. 8 Ventilation -- Slots and openings in the cabinet are pr ovided for ventilation to ens ure reliable oper ation of the video produc t an[...]

IMPORT ANT SA FEGUA RDS 9 IMPORT A NT SA FEGUA RDS (cont.) pg. 7 12 Outdoor A nte nna Grounding -- If an outs ide antenna or cable system is connec ted to the video product, be sur e the antenna or cable system is grounded s o as to provide som e pr otection against voltage surges and built- up static c harges. Sec tion 810 of the National Elec tri[...]

IMPORT ANT SA FEGUA RDS 10 SERVICE 17 Servicing -- Do not attem pt to service this video product yourself as opening or rem oving c overs m ay expose you to dangerous voltage or other hazards. Ref er all ser vicing to qualified s ervice pers onnel. 18 Conditions Requiring S ervice -- Unplug this video produc t fr om the wall outlet and refer s ervi[...]

Getting Star ted 11 G e t t i n g S t a r t e d Relax. Using a VCR is v ery s traightforward. This sec tions explains how to hookup the VCR, quick tour of the controls , set up for firs t-time operation using on-sc reen menus, and videoc assette tapes . Enjoy getting to know all about your Hitachi VCR. Let's get s tarted.  Simple Hookups 1 [...]

Getting Star ted 12 Getting Starte d (Hookups cont.) pg. 9  Any other devices you want to include in the sy stem (ster eo, second VCR, etc. ) W e will guide y ou through this proc ess. But f irst, turn the T V and the VCR around s o y ou are look ing at their back s. Note the various input and output receptacles , their shapes , and how they are[...]

Getting Star ted 13 Getting Starte d (Hookups cont.) pg. 10  Connect the yellow VIDEO OUT jack on the VCR to the VIDEO IN j ack on the TV. This direct video input will give you the best picture. It will also let you play videos in a "picture in pictur e" feature, if your TV has it.  Then connec t the AUDIO OUT jac ks (red and white)[...]

Getting Star ted 14 Getting Starte d (Hookups cont.) pg. 11 If you have been watching the TV in y our hom e befor e getting the VCR, you w ill already have a round wire attached to y our T V. Otherwise, look for a c able connection c om ing in through the wall from outside. (If you find this connec tion, rem em ber to call your local cable c om pan[...]

Getting Star ted 15 Getting Starte d (Hookups cont.) pg. 12 External or Intern al 300 Ohm Antenna If you have either an external or internal (r abbit ears) antenna rather than cable, you may have 300 ohm connectors lik e these. In this case, you will need special adapters to m ak e the 75 ohm round wire connec tion shown below. (You may already hav[...]

Getting Star ted 16 Getting Starte d (Hookups cont.) pg. 13 If you have "rabbit ears" (an antenna on top of your TV), you will need an additional adapter and 75 ohm extension to m ak e your leads reach fr om the antenna to the VCR. This connection will work only if y ou have a strong, clear picture on the T V, indicating a str ong signal.[...]

Getting Star ted 17 Getting Starte d (Hookups cont.) pg. 14 6 Install Batteries in the Remote Control The rem ote c ontrol requir es two fres h "AA" batteries. On the bac k of the rem ote, a plas tic cover s lides of f in the direction shown by the arrow. Remove this cover and inst all the batteries, m atching the plus end of each battery[...]

Getting Starte d (Controls) 18 Getting Starte d (Controls)  Quick Tour of the Controls Study these pictur es caref ully to learn about the buttons and controls that you'll need for everyday operation. Various c ontrols are ex plained throughout this m anual as they are needed, but now is a good time to get f am iliar with their locations . [...]

Getting Starte d (Controls) 19[...]

Getting Starte d (Controls) 20 Getting Starte d (Controls cont.) pg. 16 Remote Control Buttons Remote Control Illus tration POW ER Tur ns the VCR on and off . VCR1, TV, CAT V, VCR2 Device buttons let you set the rem ote to control one of four devic es. MUTE (T O CO NTRO L TV) T urns off the audio until y ou press Mute again. VOLUME/SLOW Inc rease o[...]

Getting Starte d (Controls) 21 Getting Starte d (Controls cont.) pg. 17 When th e Remote Doesn't Work Right Check out these poss ibilities: Low Battery If the rem ote is not working even at c lose range, try putting in two fresh AA batteries. Objects in t he Way There m ay be objects between the rem ote and the VCR - f or instanc e, a stack of[...]

Getting Starte d (Controls) 22 Getting Starte d (Controls cont.) pg. 18 VCR Controls POW ER Turns VCR power on and off . STOP/EJ ECT Cancels any videotape action, and when pressed a s econd tim e, ejec ts tape. PLAY Play the loaded videotape. DISPLAY Shows time, c hannel, and status indic ators. CHANNEL Up and down arrows for s electing channels . [...]

Getting Starte d (Controls) 23 Getting Starte d (Controls cont.) pg. 19 Meet Your O n-Screen Gu ide Your Hitachi VCR has as a s pecial featur e called the Easy Guide Sy stem . T his f eature guides you through sim ple setup and progr am m ing tasks right on the T V screen. W ith the TV and VCR turned on, pr ess GU IDE on the rem ote control. You wi[...]

Getting Starte d (Initial Setup) 24 Getting Starte d (Initial Setup)  Setup for Fir st-Time Operation Before you use y our VCR to watch or recor d from your TV, you need to "tell" the VCR whether y our TV uses cable or antenna input and let it program itself to rec eive y our T V's channels. It's also a good idea to set the c[...]

Getting Starte d (Initial Setup) 25 Getting Starte d (Initial Setup cont.) pg. 21 Here is what the options m ean: 1 ANTENNA/CABLE Press 1 to s elect the type of receiving setup you have: <ANT.> Internal or external antenna <CATV1> O rdinary cable <CATV2> Alternate c able (if CAT V1 doesn't give you the channels you expect) 2 [...]

Getting Starte d (Initial Setup) 26 Getting Starte d (Initial Setup cont.) pg. 22 Setting the Clock This is easy to do and important f or your later tim ed recordings . You'll need to set the clock when f irst hook ing up your VCR, and any time the power goes out m ore than 5 seconds. W hen you first plug in the VCR or after a power outage, th[...]

Getting Starte d (Initial Setup) 27 Getting Starte d (Initial Setup cont.) pg. 23 More About Cha nnel Selections Your VCR is capable of r eceiving 68 broadcas t TV c hannels (VHF 2- 13, UHF 14-69) and 125 c able channels (C ATV 1- 125). W hen you press 2 on the Initial Setup screen, the tuner autom atically cy cles through all available channels in[...]

Getting Starte d (Initial Setup) 28 Getting Starte d (Initial Setup cont.) pg. 24 Caution A fter a Power Failure If a power failur e lasting f or m ore than 5 sec onds occur s, res et the clock and perf orm the "AUTO CHANNEL SETT ING" f ound in the "INIT IAL SET- UP" m enu. Choosing a Mode for Audio Play back Choose between hi-f[...]

Getting Star te d (Videotapes ) 29 Getting Star ted (Videotapes )  A bout Videocassette Tapes Types The bes t thing y ou can do for your VCR is use the best quality tapes available. This VCR uses VHS tapes only , which are the m ost com m on type. Look f or the VHS m ark on new or prerecor ded tapes you buy . Tapes are m ark ed either T -120 or [...]

Getting Star te d (Videotapes ) 30 Getting Starte d (Videotapes cont.) pg. 26 Loading and Eje c ting W hen you load a videocassette into the VCR, there is only one right way ! Most tapes s how y ou the way with a little arrow on the top side which should go in firs t. Push the videocass ette gently into the slot on the front of the VCR. You will fe[...]

Basic Operation s 31 Basic Operation s Practice s tarting and stopping a v ideo you've rented - play it through, s ee how it automatically r ewinds. Get a blank tape and try recording a T V show. Then you'll k now how to use the VCR when you need to - or where in the manual to find the instr uctions y ou forgot. Let's go!  Viewing[...]

Basic Operation s 32 Basic Operation s (Playback cont.) pg. 28 Man ual Trackin g Scratched tapes or poorly recorded tapes m ay require additional picture adj ustm ent. You can do this with the rem ote control. Pres s VCR1 or VCR2 on r espective m ode, then pres s either of the TRACKING buttons (down or up arrows) until picture c lears up. After ope[...]

Basic Operation s 33 Basic Operation s (Playback cont.) pg. 29 Frame A dvance W hile in PAUSE m ode during playback, pres s 9 button to view the video one fram e at a tim e. Pr ess PAUSE to resum e play. Skip Playback W hile playing back your tape y ou can skip f orward by pressing the FRAME ADVANCE button. T he tape will search ahead f or about a [...]

Basic Operation s 34 Basic Operation s (Playback cont.) pg. 30 Searc hing with the Time Counter During play back (and rec ording), a counter keeps track of how m any hours, minutes , and seconds the tape has run. W hen you first star t play back , the counter s hows briefly in the TV screen's upper right corner. W hen you w ant to check the co[...]

Basic Operation s 35 Basic Operation s (Playback cont.) pg. 31  Press DISPLAY again and an "M" will display below the counter on the T V sc reen: Th is indicates that the counter's m em ory function is engaged. Now when y ou rewind the tape, it w ill automatic ally stop at the spot where y ou cleared the counter. (Notice it m oves[...]

Basic Operation s 36 Basic Operation s (Playback cont.) pg. 32 Jump to an Index M ark w ith INDEX A quick way to access specif ic progr am segm ents is with the index search f eature. T his lets y ou m ove through a tape that has sever al recor dings on it by searching for the INDEX "m ark ." T his f unction only works with rec ordings th[...]

Basic Operation s (Recordin g) 37 Basic Operation s (Recordin g)  Recording a Pro gram Before you Record  The VCR m ust be hook ed up proper ly for recording. See the Sim ple Hook ups at the beginning of this manual.  Make s ure you are familiar with the Easy Guide System f or on-sc reen program m ing ( page 19) and the basics about videoc[...]

Basic Operation s (Recordin g) 38 Basic Operation s (Recordin g cont.) pg. 34 Recording Tips To W atch the Same Program While Recording To view what y ou are rec ording, pres s VCR/T V so that the VCR is select ed - the VCR indicator will light up on the VCR's display. Y ou'll want to do this the firs t few tim es anyw ay to be sure y ou&[...]

Basic Operation s (Recordin g) 39 Basic Operation s (Recordin g cont.) pg. 35 To L eave Ind ex Marks o n the T ape This feature is usef ul when y ou are recording s everal progr am s on the sam e tape. It helps y ou quick ly find the beginnings of the shows during playback ( page 32). You create the index "m ark " every time you begin rec[...]

Basic Operation s (Recordin g) 40 Basic Operation s (Recordin g cont.) pg. 36 Setting the VCR to Re cord Later W ith the delay ed recording f eature, you can set this VCR so that it autom atic ally comes on and rec ords program s whenever you like - without y our being around! You can recor d a program one tim e only, or y ou can autom atically rec[...]

Basic Operation s (Recordin g) 41 Basic Operation s (Recordin g cont.) pg. 37 Delayed Recording Step s You set up the delay ed recording us ing the on-scr een Easy Guide Sy stem .  Press G UIDE twice, then press num ber buttons 3, 4, or 5 f or ONE T IME, DAILY, or W EEKLY RECORDING. Follow the flas hing instruct ions on scr een to com plete the [...]

Basic Operation s (Recordin g) 42 Basic Operation s (Recordin g cont.) pg. 38 PROGRAM 1 <ONE T IME> CH -- START T IME --:-- END TIME --:-- START DATE --/--/-- TAPE SPEED EP  FILL IN BLINKING SPACE  PRESS CLEAR TO CO RRECT *TO END PRESS GUIDE Now fill in the blank s:  Select channel 8 by pressing 0 and 8 on the rem ote control.  En[...]

Basic Operation s (Recordin g) 43 Basic Operation s (Recordin g cont.) p g. 39 Programming P riorities W hen you have set up several timed r ecordings , it m ay occur that som e of their tim es overlap. For exam ple, this can happen if you are set up to record s hows on a daily or w eekly basis, and a spec ial show com es on that you try to record [...]

A dvanced O peration s (Remote Con trol of TV) 44 A dvanced O peration s (Remote Con trol of TV) This sec tion explains how to us e the VCR's remote contr ol to operate your T V. It also shows y ou how to hook up a cable box and how to c onnect a ster eo or a second VCR for a complete home entertainment system.  Controlling Your TV with the[...]

A dvanced O peration s (Remote Con trol of TV) 45 A dvanced Operations (Re mote Control of TV cont.) pg. 41  If that button com bination does not c hange the TV c hannel, go through the whole list of button com binations one by one until y ou find one that does change your TV channel. Also, if your brand of T V is not lis ted in the chart, try a[...]

A dvanced O perations ( Cable Box Hoo kups) 46 A dvanced O perations ( Cable Box Hoo kups)  Hooking Up to a Cable Box The c able box brings all the advantages of pay cable, but finding a satis factor y hookup can be challenging. T o sort out what to do, we suggest a step- by -step appr oach to installation. You will need RF TV splitters, c oaxia[...]

A dvanced O perations ( Cable Box Hoo kups) 47 A dvanced Operations (Ca ble Box Hookups cont.) pg. 43 Option 1 - A ll Channels Scrambled 1. Remove the c able com pany's cable line from the back of your TV. Connect it to the IN FROM ANT lower jack on the back of the VCR. 2. Using the 75 ohm coaxial c able supplied with y our VCR, connect either[...]

A dvanced O perations ( Cable Box Hoo kups) 48 A dvanced Operations (Ca ble Box Hookups cont.) pg. 44 Check all the TV and VCR f unctions. If you don't get all the functions you w ant, precede with Option 3. Option 3--Some Channels Scrambled This hookup r equires three c oaxial jum per s with connectors , a 1-into-2 sp litter, and an A-or- B s[...]

A dvanced O perations ( Cable Box Hoo kups) 49 A dvanced Operations (Ca ble Box Hookups cont.) pg. 45 Option 4 If none of the preceding hook ups work , check with your cable company. You may need to purchase a video switching system from your local electr onics or video retailer. T his will easily handle mos t hookup problem s. Remote Control of th[...]

A dvanced Operation s (Stereo System) 50 A dvanced Operation s (Stereo System)  Integratin g You r Stereo System There ar e several reas ons to cons ider hook ing up your stereo system with y our T V and VCR.  If your TV does not have stereo, you can get stereo quality from your VCR by hooking it to your stereo receiv er.  Even if your TV [...]

A dvanced Opera tions (Second VCR) 51 A dvanced Operations (Second VCR)  Integrating a S econd VCR W ith another VCR hooked up, you can copy videotapes as needed, and y ou can get fanc y w ith multim edia pr ogram m ing. For this discus sion, we refer to the m odel VT -F 370A Hitachi as VCR2 and the other unit as VCR1. Hookup To hook up a sec on[...]

A dvanced Opera tions (Second VCR) 52  Press REC on VCR1, and pr ess PLAY on VCR2. To m onitor the pic ture as you record, VCR1 m ust be c onnected to your TV (follow instr uctions in the other VCR's m anual). Pres s the VCR/T V button on the rem ote. T he VCR indicator will light on VCR1's dis play and y ou can view the picture being [...]

A dvanced Opera tions (Second VCR) 53 A dvanced Operations (Second VCR cont.) pg. 50 Copying Tapes From A Camcorder If you would like to copy a video tape shot in y our camc order onto your VCR here's how to do it.  Connect the cam corder 's AV output cable to your VCR. (see diagram below) Camc order Hook up Illustr ation  Press the[...]

VCR Care and S ervicing 54 V C R C a r e a n d S e r v i c i n g The VCR is fairly self-ser vicing, but you'll want to k eep an eye on a few things as you go. In addition, you may sometimes hav e troubles with y our VCR. W e offer some sugges tions for c are to prevent pr oblems, ways to troubles hoot, and places to c ontact when you c annot s[...]

VCR Care and S ervicing 55 Care and Servicing (cont.) pg. 52  If the VCR Doesn't Work Right Many operational problem s ar e easily remedied by reviewing the instructions in this m anual and trying out som e diff erent contr ols and settings . The char t on the fac ing page covers the m ore c om m on problem s that new VCR owners encounter. [...]

Care and Se rvicing (Problems) 56 Care and Servicing (Problems) OFTEN ENCOUNT ERED PROBLEMS PR OB LE M THI NG S TO C HE C K SO LU TIO N No Power Power cord plugged in? Connect the power cord to A C outlet. Delaye d recording does not work. Program set to the correct chann el? Reset the delayed recording. Program time and date set correctly? Reset t[...]

Care and Se rvicing (Problems) 57[...]

Care and Se rvicing (Problems) 58 Care and Servicing (Problems cont.) pg. 54 Hitachi Service Ho tline Authorized Hitachi service f acilities ar e available throughout the US and Canada. For the location nearest y ou, call the Hitachi Ser vice Hotline at one of thes e num bers: In the continental U.S.A . DIAL TO LL FREE 7 day s a week, 24 hour s a d[...]

SPECIFICA TIO NS 59 SPECIFICA TIO NS  Techn ical Specificatio ns Recording: Rotary tw o-head helical sc an azimuth rec ording Video: NTSC c olor EIA standard Cassette: VHS ty pe Heads: 4 video heads 2 for SP, 2 for EP 2 hi-fi audio heads 1 full trac k audio/video er ase head 1 com bination head for control trac k , audio erase and record/play (3[...]

SPECIFICA TIO NS 60 Design and spec ifications subjec t to c hange without notice.[...]