Philips VRA631AT manual

Owner’s Manual Important! Return your Warranty Registration Card within 10 days. See why inside. Video Cassette Recorder VRA631AT TM[...]

Once your PHILIPS MAGNAVOX purchase is registered, you’re eligible to receive all the privileges of owning a PHILIPS MAGNAVOX product. So complete and return the Warranty Registration Card enclosed with your purchase at once. And take advantage of these important benefits. Return your Warranty Registration card today to ensure you receive all the[...]

Introduction 3 Features • Automatic Channel Setup • Automatic Clock Setting with Time Zone • Automatic Head Cleaner • Automatic Operation Features • Automatic Tracking Adjustment • Blue Background • Child Lock • Daylight-Savings Time • Display Panel • Hi-Fi Stereo Sound System • High Quality (HQ) System • MTS (Multi-Channel [...]

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

● Use only tapes with the mark. ● Remove any light adhesive stick-on notes from the video cas- sette tape before putting the tape in the VCR. Removable labels can jam the VCR. ● Periodic maintenance is required to maintain your VCR’s excel- lent performance. This VCR has an Automatic Head Cleaner. However, the video heads will require repla[...]

CH3 CH4 OUT IN ANT OR CH3 CH4 OUT IN ANT AUDIO R L VIDEO OUT IN IN OUT R L VIDEO IN OUT IN OUT AUDIO 75 V ANT / CABLE OR 75 V ANT / CABLE 6 Hookups without a Cable Box/Direct Broadcast System 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 see pages eight-ni[...]

CH3 CH4 OUT IN ANT CH 4 or CH 3 CH3 CH4 OUT IN ANT CH3 / CH4 Switch CH3 CH4 AUDIO R L VIDEO OUT IN IN OUT R L VIDEO IN OUT IN OUT AUDIO CH3 CH4 OUT IN ANT 75 V ANT / CABLE 75 V ANT / CABLE CH3 CH4 OUT IN ANT AUDIO R L VIDEO OUT IN IN OUT R L VIDEO IN OUT IN OUT AUDIO RF coaxial cable Antenna or Cable 3 Connect the RF coaxial cable (supplied) to the[...]

8 Hookups with a Cable Box/Direct Broadcast System There are two ways to connect your Cable Box/DBS to the VCR. With this connection: ● You may view any channel. ● You must select channels at the Cable Box/DBS. Channels cannot be changed at the VCR. ● You may not view a channel other than the one you are recording. ● You may not program cha[...]

Hookups with a Cable Box/Direct Broadcast System (cont’d) 9 R L VIDEO IN OUT IN OUT AUDIO CH3 CH4 OUT IN ANT IN OUT 75 V ANT / CABLE With this connection: ● You may watch one channel while recording another. ● You may not record scrambled channels. Recording One Channel/Watching Another 1 Put the Cable Box/DBS on the same channel as the VCR?[...]

10 Hookups with a Stereo TV ● Audio and Video cables are not supplied. 1 Connect the antenna or cable to the ANT(enna) IN Jack on the back of the VCR. 2 Connect a video cable to the yellow VIDEO OUT Jack on the back of the VCR. Then, connect the other end of the video cable to the VIDEO IN Jack on your TV. 3 Connect a stereo audio cable to the re[...]

1 Press the VCR button, then press the POWER button. The VCR light and the PWR. (power) light will appear on the dis- play panel. 2 Turn on the TV. Set it to the same channel as the CH3/CH4 switch on the back of the VCR. The display shown below will appear. (If the display does not appear, check your hookups, then follow the steps on page 12 to set[...]

12 Automatic Channel Setup 2 Press the MENU button . SELECT op CHOOSE B → PROGRAM VCR SET UP TUNER SET UP SET CLOCK TO END PUSH EXIT • You can not enter the TUNER SET UP menu when you are in Line Input mode (channel 001 or 002). When you select channel 001 or 002, AV REAR or AV FRONT will appear on the screen briefly. • You can not program ch[...]

Automatic Channel Setup (cont’d) 13 Adding/Deleting Channels 2 Press the MENU button . SELECT op ADD/DELETE B 124 DELETED 125 DELETED 1 → DELETED 2 ADDED 3 ADDED TO END PUSH EXIT 3 Press the PLAY/ o button or the STOP/ p button to select TUNER SET UP, then press the F.FWD/ B button. 4 Press the PLAY/ o button or the STOP/ p button to select ADD[...]

14 Automatic Channel Setup (cont’d) Reviewing Memorized Channels 4 Press the PLAY/ o button or the STOP/ p button to select CH MEMORY REVIEW, then press the F.FWD/ B button. A list of programmed channels will appear on the screen. ● If all the programmed channels don’t fit on the screen, press the F.FWD/ B button to see the remaining channels[...]

Setting the Clock 15 2 Press the MENU button . There are two ways to set the clock. With manual clock setting, you tell the VCR the current time. With automatic clock setting, the VCR gets the current time from your local PBS station. It keeps track of the time by constantly referring to the time broad- casted by your PBS station. If you are using [...]

TIME 02 :15 PM MONTH – – / – – /– – TO CORRECT PUSH CLEAR TO END PUSH EXIT TIME 02 :15 PM DATE 07/ 01 / 99 THU. TO CORRECT PUSH CLEAR TO END PUSH EXIT 5 Press two Number buttons for the hour(s) and two Number buttons for the minute(s). Then press 1 for AM or 2 for PM. For example, for 2:15 PM, press 02, 15, 2. ● Enter a 0 before a sin[...]

Setting the Clock (cont’d) 17 4 ● If you want the VCR to locate a local PBS station from which to take the time, press the PLAY/ o button or the STOP/ p button to select SET PBS CH. AUTO. Then press the F.FWD/ B button. When the current time appears on the screen, you’re finished. Press the STATUS/EXIT button. Or, you may be prompted to turn [...]

18 Setting the Clock (cont’d) Time Zone When using the AUTO CLOCK function, you can specify your time zone. That way, the VCR will update the clock according to your time zone. 1 Press the VCR button, then press the MENU button . 2 Press the PLAY/ o button or the STOP/ p button to select SET CLOCK, then press the F.FWD/ B button. SET CLOCK → AU[...]

2 Press the MENU button. 3 Press the PLAY/ o button or the STOP/ p button to select SET CLOCK, then press the F.FWD/ B button. 5 Press the STATUS/EXIT button. SET CLOCK → AUTO CLOCK [ON] SET MANUAL CLOCK DAYLIGHT SVG TIME [ON] SET TIME ZONE (AUTO) TO CONTINUE PUSH MENU SELECT op CHOOSE B TO END PUSH EXIT SELECT op CHOOSE B → PROGRAM VCR SET UP [...]

20 Language Selection 2 Press the MENU button . Follow the steps below to change the language of the on-screen displays and menus. 3 Press the PLAY/ o button or the STOP/ p button to select VCR SET UP, then press the F.FWD/ B button. 4 Press the PLAY/ o button or the STOP/ p button to select LANGUAGE, then press the F.FWD/ B button. 5 Press the PLA[...]

2 Press and hold the POWER button on the remote con- trol until PL appears on the display panel. The VCR will turn off. When Child Lock is activated: ● The time will appear on the display panel. PL will appear on the display panel for two seconds every minute. ● You may insert a tape. However, the VCR power will remain off and tape playback wil[...]

22 Setting the Remote to Operate a TV • The remote control may only operate some features of your TV. For exam- ple, the remote control may turn on the TV power, but it may not change channels at the TV. • If you can not change the channels at the TV using the Number but- tons, press the VCR PLUS+/ENTER button after you press the Number buttons[...]

• The remote control may only operate some features of your Cable Box/DBS. For example, the remote control may turn off the Cable Box/DBS power, but it may not change channels at the Cable Box/DBS. • If you can not change the channels at the Cable Box by using the Number buttons, press the VCR PLUS+/ENTER button after you press the Number butto[...]

24 Remote Control Buttons VOL CH 3 2 1 6 5 4 9 8 7 0 POWER STATUS/EXIT MEMORY SLOW REC/OTR SPEED TIME SEARCH VCR PLUS+/ENTER ALT. CH PAUSE/STILL MUTE TV CBL/DBS VCR F.FWD REW PLAY STOP VCR/TV EJECT MENU CLEAR SPEED Button Press to select the recording speed (SP or SLP). Details are on pages 36 and 54. REC(ord)/OTR Button Press once to start a recor[...]

Remote Control Buttons (cont’d) 25 VCR PLUS+/ENTER Button Press to set a timer recording with the VCR Plus+ programming system. Details are on pages 38-41. Or, press after pressing the Number buttons to select a channel at the TV or the Cable Box. Details are on pages 22-23. CLEAR Button Press to erase incorrect data when programming VCR function[...]

SELECT op CHOOSE B → STATUS [ON] COUNTER ONLY [OFF] TO END PUSH EXIT 26 On-Screen Status Displays • You may not access a status display when viewing a still picture, during slow motion playback, or when the F.FWD/ B or REW(ind)/ s button is pressed during playback. • A status display may not be avail- able when you are watching TV if Blue Bac[...]

VCR Display Panel 27 Cassette Compartment Insert a tape here. VCR Light This light appears when the VCR is in VCR position. This light does not appear when the VCR is in TV position. REC(ord) Light This light appears during a record- ing. It flashes when a recording is paused. Cassette-Inside Light This light appears when there is a tape in the VCR[...]

28 Front Panel PAUSE Button While recording, press to pause the recording. Press again to resume recording. Details are on page 31. You can not pause a One-Touch Recording. During tape playback, press to freeze the picture. Press again to resume playback. Details are on page 46. POWER Button Press to turn the VCR power on and off. VCR/TV Button Pre[...]

Rear Panel 29 AUDIO IN Jacks Connect audio cables coming from the AUDIO OUT Jacks of a cam- corder, another VCR, or an audio source here. Details are on page 42. VIDEO IN Jack Connect a cable coming from the VIDEO OUT Jack of a cam- corder, another VCR, or an audio-visual source (laser disc player, video disc player, etc.) here. Details are on page[...]

30 Playing • If the tape you want to play is already in the VCR, make sure the VCR power is on and the VCR is in VCR position. (The VCR light will appear on the display panel. If it does not, press the VCR/TV button.) Press the VCR button, then press the PLAY/ o button. • Other playback options and fea- tures are on pages 43-51. Helpful Hints R[...]

Read and follow the steps below to record a television program. 1 Turn on the TV and set it to channel 3 or 4 , whichever channel the CH3/CH4 switch on the back of the VCR is set to. Recording 31 2 Insert a tape with its record tab intact in the VCR. 4 If the VCR light appears on the display panel, go to step 5. If the VCR light does not appear, pr[...]

2 Press the REC(ord)/OTR button to start a recording of the current channel. (See page 31.) 32 Recording One Channel/Watching Another • If your VCR remote control does not operate your TV, see page 22 for details. • If you use a Cable Box or Direct Broadcast System hookup, you may not be able to watch one channel while recording another. See pa[...]

One-Touch Recording 33 1 Press the VCR button, then press the CH(annel) o / p but- ton or the Number buttons to select the channel you want to record. OTR (0:30) CH12 2 Press the REC(ord)/OTR button repeatedly until the desired recording length (30 minutes to eight hours) appears on the screen. Recording will begin immediately. The REC(ord) light a[...]

DAILY PROGRAM (MON-FRI) PROGRAM -1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8- SELECT PROGRAM NUMBER TO END PUSH EXIT 34 Timer Recording Follow the steps below to program your VCR to record TV pro- grams while you’re away from home. The VCR will turn itself on, record, and turn itself off automatically. Before you begin: ● Set up the channels at the VCR. ● Set the clock.[...]

ONE TIME PROGRAM PROGRAM 1 CHANNEL 10 TIME ON – – : – – TO CORRECT PUSH CLEAR TO END PUSH EXIT 6 Press two Number buttons for the hour you want the recording to begin. Press two Number buttons for the minute you want the recording to begin. Press 1 for AM or 2 for PM. For example, for 9:30 PM, press 09, 30, 2. ONE TIME PROGRAM PROGRAM 1 CHA[...]

ONE TIME PROGRAM PROGRAM 1 CHANNEL 10 TIME ON 09:30 PM TIME OFF 11:00 PM REC SPEED SLP SP=1 SLP=2 TO CORRECT PUSH CLEAR TO END PUSH EXIT 36 Timer Recording (cont’d) 8 Press the Number 1 button to record in SP speed or the Number 2 button to record in SLP speed. (See the chart below.) You cannot use the SPEED button at this time. 9 Press two Numbe[...]

Timer Recording (cont’d) 37 6 Repeat steps 1 - 4 to make sure you have cleared the cor- rect timer recording. • CLASH may flash on the screen when you finish setting a timer recording. This means that the timer recording you just programmed and another timer record- ing overlap. The current timer recording will not take place. You may choose to[...]

38 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) 39 2 Now, compare the channel numbers you have written in the VCR PLUS+ CH. and CABLE/TV CH. columns. For stations whose VCR Plus+ and Cable/TV channels do not match, you must tell the VCR the VCR Plus+ and Cable/TV channel numbers by following steps 3-7. Make each entry within 60 seconds of th[...]

VCR PLUS+ PROG. PLUS CODE : – – – – – – – – TO END PUSH EXIT 40 Timer Recording with the VCR Plus+ Programming System Follow these steps to set a timer recording with the PlusCode programming numbers in your TV guide. Before you begin: ● Set up the channels at the VCR (page 12). ● Set up the VCR Plus+ and Cable/TV channel number[...]

Timer Recording with the VCR Plus+ Programming System (cont’d) 41 • If the preset time for a timer record- ing comes up during an OTR, the OTR has priority. A message will remind you when the timer recording was scheduled to begin. You may let the OTR continue; the timer recording will not take place. Or, stop the OTR and turn off the VCR immed[...]

1 Make the connections shown above. 42 Rerecording (Tape Duplication) 3 VCR 2 will record your tape. Insert a blank tape in VCR 2. The VCR must be in VCR position. (The VCR light will appear on the display panel. If it does not, press the VCR/TV button once.) 4 Turn on the TV and set it to channel 03 or 04, whichever channel the CH3/CH4 switch on V[...]

Repeat Play 43 Follow the steps below to make the VCR play a tape over and over. 2 Press the MENU button. 3 Press the PLAY/ o button or the STOP/ p button to select VCR SET UP, then press the F.FWD/ B button. 5 Press the F.FWD/ B button so that ON appears beside REPEAT PLAY. 6 Press the STATUS/EXIT button. Now, when a tape has fin- ished playing, t[...]

• The MEMORY button does not function if REPEAT PLAY is set to ON. Details are on page 43. • To erase a real-time counter memo- ry, press the MEMORY button until the M disappears from the screen. • You may only set the real-time counter to zero at one location at a time. If you set the real-time counter to zero at a second loca- tion, the pre[...]

Time Search 45 Follow the steps below to program the VCR to search forward or backward on a tape a specific length of time. There must be a tape in the VCR. 2 Press the TIME SEARCH button. 3 Within 10 seconds, use the Number buttons to enter the desired length of time you want to skip forward or back- ward. For example, for 1 hour, 25 minutes, pres[...]

46 Special Effects Playback Forward and Reverse Searching (SP/LP/SLP) 1 During tape playback, press and release the F.FWD/ B button or the REW(ind)/ { button. A fast forward or reverse picture search will begin. 2 To return to playback, press the PLAY/ o button. Super High Speed Searching (LP/SLP) 1 During tape playback, press the F.FWD/ B button o[...]

Automatic Operation Features 47 The following playback features will always operate. Automatic Playback When you put a tape in the VCR, the power will come on auto- matically. If the tape’s record tab is missing, playback will begin. If a timer recording is set, the power will not come on automati- cally when you insert a tape with the record tab[...]

48 Multi-Channel Television Sound System To record and play back programs broadcast in stereo, even if you have a Single Speaker TV, just use one of the connections shown, then follow the steps on pages 49-51. STOP 12:00 AM TV STEREO CH 02 STEREO 2ND AUD SLP 1:23:45 HIFI Your VCR can play recordings broadcast in Hi-Fi (high fidelity) stereo, which [...]

6 Multi-Channel Television Sound System (cont’d) 49 1 Press the VCR button, then press the MENU button. 2 Press the PLAY/ o button or the STOP/ p button to select TUNER SET UP, then press the F.FWD/ B button . 3 Press the PLAY/ o button or the STOP/ p button to select TV STEREO or 2ND AUDIO. Then, press the F.FWD/ B button . ON will appear to the[...]

50 Hi-Fi Stereo Sound System 1 Press the VCR button, then press the MENU button. 2 Press the PLAY/ o button or the STOP/ p button to select VCR SET UP, then press the F.FWD/ B button . 3 Press the PLAY/ o button or the STOP/ p button to select AUDIO OUT, then press the F.FWD/ B button . Multi-Channel Television Sound system broadcasts are automati-[...]

Hi-Fi Stereo Sound System (cont’d) 51 4 5 VOL CH 3 2 1 6 5 4 9 8 7 0 POWER STATUS/EXIT MEMORY SLOW REC/OTR SPEED TIME SEARCH VCR PLUS+/ENTER ALT. CH PAUSE/STILL MUTE TV CBL/DBS VCR F.FWD REW PLAY STOP VCR/TV EJECT MENU CLEAR 4 Press the PLAY/ o button or the STOP/ p button to select HIFI. ON will appear to the right of HIFI on the screen. 5 Press[...]

If you are having problems with your product, check this 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 displayed on the back of[...]

The Number buttons won’t work for channels above 69. • Enter channel numbers as a two-digit number. If you want to select channels 100 and above, enter chan- nel numbers as a three-digit number. (See page 24 for details.) TV programs cannot be watched normally. • Put the VCR in TV position. (Press the VCR/TV button so that the VCR light disap[...]

54 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 Setup: process in which the VCR memo- rizes all available channels. Then, when you press the CH(annel) o / p button, you only scan through channels you rec[...]

Specifications 55 Video Heads Four heads – Hi-Fi Video Signal EIA standards; NTSC color Antenna VHF/UHF – 75 ohm external antenna terminal VHF Output Signal Channel 03 or 04 (switchable) 75 ohms unbalanced Power Requirement 120V AC; 60Hz Power Consumption 16W Operating Temperature 41°F (5°C) to 104°F (40°C) Relative Humidity 10% to 80% Weig[...]

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 warran- ty service. A sales receipt or other document show- ing that you purchased the product is considered proof of purchase. WHAT IS COVERED? Warranty coverage begins the day y[...]

ac power cord .................................29 accessories .......................................60 alt.ch button .....................................25 ant(enna) in jack ...................6-10, 29 audio in/out jacks 10, 28, 29, 42, 54 automatic playback .......................................47 rewind, eject, off........................47 ba[...]

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IB8108E004 Printed In China 0VMN02338 / H3921UD * * * * * 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 accessor[...]