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Other Information

38

Chapter 5

Troubleshooting

Most problems with your VCR are addressed in this Troubleshooting section. If you ever have any problems
with the VCR’s general, playback, or recording abilities, refer to this section first.

General Problems

No power

Check to make sure the VCR is plugged into a working outlet.

Check to make sure connections between devices are correct and snug.

The VCR does not respond to the remote control

To put the remote control in VCR-operating mode, press the VCR button first. The remote control
should then operate the VCR.

Make sure there are no objects between the VCR and the remote control.

The remote control’s batteries may need changing.

Remove the remote control’s batteries for at least one minute, then replace. This resets the factory
default settings, which may require reprogramming to operate other components.

The remote control no longer operates an RCA, GE, or Proscan TV

Press the TV button to put remote control in TV-controlling mode. The remote control should then
operate the TV.

There’s poor quality or no picture for normal TV viewing

If using RF coaxial cables to connect the VCR to the TV, make sure the VCR indicator is not displayed
on the VCR’s front panel (press the remote control’s TV•VCR button to toggle between VCR and TV-
viewing modes).

If using A/V jacks and cables to connect the VCR to the TV, press the remote control’s INPUT button
when in TV-controlling mode to access the TV’s Video Line Input).

Tune the TV to an active channel.

All cables should be securely inserted and connected to the proper jacks.

Cannot select channels over 69

Cable channels over 69 can only be selected if Signal Type: CABLE/ANTENNA feature is set to CABLE
in the 

CHANNELS 

menu.

TIMER 

flashes on the VCR front panel

The clock is not set.

Check to make sure there is a tape in the VCR when a timer recording is set.

Rewind does not operate

Check the tape to insure it is not already rewound.

Check the tape to insure it is not damaged or broken.

Summary of Contents for VR355

Page 1: ...VCR User s Guide Changing Entertainment Again VR355 VR545 ...

Page 2: ... to call your attention to Article 820 40 of the National Electrical Code Section 54 of the Canadian Electrical Code Part 1 which provides guidelines for proper grounding and in particular specifies that the cable ground shall be connected to the grounding system of the building as close to the point of cable entry as practical Product Registration Please fill out the product registration card and...

Page 3: ...Description XPR quickly records the remaining portion of a program in progress XPR is a great way to capture the end of a sporting event that has run into overtime or a live broadcast that runs long Requirements The Record button on the VCR front panel or remote control Timer Recordings Description Your VCR allows you to program up to eight different future broadcasts to be recorded You can catch ...

Page 4: ...control for six seconds until SAFE appears on the front panel display Unlock the VCR by pressing and holding the ON OFF button on the remote control again for six seconds SAFE disappears from the front panel display when the lock on the system has been released SQPB S VHS Quasi Playback Description Your VCR will be able to play back tapes recorded in S VHS or S VHS ET mode in VHS quality Requireme...

Page 5: ...e QuickSet Guide 12 Accessing Menus 12 VCR Basics 13 Playing a Tape 13 Automatic Rewind 13 Tape Eject 13 Recording 13 Check the Safety Tab 13 Using the VCR s Menu System 15 Using On Screen Menus to Set Up Features 16 Language 16 Cable Box Setup 16 VCR Channels List 17 Auto Channel Searching 17 Changing the Signal Type 18 Adding or Removing Channels 18 Time and Date 19 Auto Clock Set Feature 19 To ...

Page 6: ...Tapes Using Two VCRs 32 Picture Search Options 32 Forward and Reverse Search 32 Slow Motion 33 Frame Advance 33 Index Search 33 Zero Search 34 Pro Tect Plus Locking Feature 34 Tracking 35 Time Counter 35 On Screen Displays 36 Other Information 37 Troubleshooting 38 General Problems 38 Playback Problems 39 Recording Problems 41 Front Panel 42 Display Panel 43 Back Panel 44 Cleaning the VCR 45 Speci...

Page 7: ...tions Setup Chapter Overview Things to Consider Before Connecting Choosing Your Connection Making Connections Why You Should Connect with Audio Video Jacks Navigating On Screen Menus Completing the QuickSet Guide Basic Recording Chapter 1 ...

Page 8: ...unit for detailed information Protect Components From Overheating Never block ventilation slots in any component Arrange the components so that air can circulate freely Do not stack components Allow adequate ventilation when placing components in a stand Place an amplifier or satellite receiver on the top shelf of a stand so heated air rising from it will not flow around other components Cable Con...

Page 9: ...bout using this advanced setup see the instructions on page 47 Using A V jacks to connect the VCR to the TV requires tuning to the TV s Video Line Input to see the VCR s picture For more information about finding your TV s Video Line Input see page 46 Choose Your Connection There are several ways to hook up your VCR depending on the components connected Please use the following chart to determine ...

Page 10: ...na IN jack 2 Connect the antenna cable feed to the VCR Connect the cable or antenna RF coaxial cable to the ANT IN jack on your VCR Note Flip the CH 3 4 switch on the back of the VCR to the channel that is not used in your area This will be the channel that the TV must be tuned to in order to see the VCR s picture Go To Page 11 VCR TV CH ANT IN OUT IN AUDIO VIDEO 3 4 RF OUT VCR TV back panel CABLE...

Page 11: ...ENNA input jack on the TV 3 Connect the antenna to your satellite receiver If necessary connect an antenna or cable box RF coaxial cable not included to the antenna input jack on the satellite receiver 4 Connect the satellite feed to the satellite receiver Connect the satellite receiver s RF coaxial cable feed not included to the satellite input jack on the satellite receiver Go To Page 11 VCR TV ...

Page 12: ...2 Connect the cable box to the VCR Connect one end of a second RF coaxial cable not included to the cable box s TV output jack and the other end to the ANT IN jack on the VCR 3 Connect the cable feed to your cable box Connect the RF coaxial cable feed not included to the antenna input jack on the cable box Go To Page 11 CABLE ANTENNA VCR TV VIDEO R L MONO S VIDEO AUDIO L IN OUT CH3 CH4 CABLE BOX L...

Page 13: ...ompletely Put Batteries in the Remote Control 1 Remove the battery compartment cover on the remote control 2 Insert new batteries matching the polarities and on the batteries with the diagram in the battery compartment 3 Put the battery compartment cover back on the remote Turn on the TV and VCR Turn on the TV and press the VCR button on the remote control to turn it on Note If you have an RCA GE ...

Page 14: ...e language menu press 1 for English 2 for Español Spanish or 3 for Français French The remaining menus throughout the setup will appear in the language chosen Just follow the step by step procedures until the QuickSet Guide is complete Accessing Menus The series of preferences that are set in the QuickSet Guide can also be handled individually using the VCR s on screen menu system There are other ...

Page 15: ... picture if necessary Press STOP to stop playback Automatic Rewind The VCR automatically rewinds the tape if it reaches the end of the tape during playback If the tape has the safety tab removed you can press the ON OFF button to turn off the VCR once finished Tape Eject Press the EJECT button on the VCR when stopped to eject the tape You can also press and hold the remote control s STOP button fo...

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Page 17: ...5 Changing Entertainment Again Using the VCR s Menu System Chapter Overview Setting Up the VCR s Preferences Using On Screen Menus Cable Box Setup Setting Time and Date Setting VCR Preferences Chapter 2 ...

Page 18: ... select LANGUAGE 3 Select English Spanish Español or French Français Cable Box Setup This set up applies only when all channels are received through a cable box In this case the VCR will automatically enter the channel used to view cable box programming Your VCR will use this channel for all future timer recordings 1 Press MENU to display the VCR MAIN MENU 2 Press 3 to display the CHANNELS menu 3 ...

Page 19: ... Press 1 to select Auto Channel Search 4 Select one of the three options Cable TV searches for cable stations Antenna searches for local broadcast stations Detect Automatically decides which input to use for you Notes With Detect Automatically a strong cable or antenna signal in your area may cause channels to be detected inaccurately If this should happen manually select the input signal for the ...

Page 20: ...oose Add Remove Channels To go to the channel you want to add or remove use the remote control s CHANNEL or buttons or enter a specific channel number using the number buttons Once the desired channel is displayed the on screen menu will tell you if the channel is currently in the VCR s viewing list Press the CLEAR button to remove a channel from the available channels list or press the INFO butto...

Page 21: ...arrying time data If the time does not automatically set after trying for ten minutes manually set the time and date information using the TIME menu see the next page for information on manually setting time and date information To Turn Auto Clock Set ON Note make sure that available channels time zone and Daylight Saving features are set before turning on Auto Clock Set 1 Press MENU to display th...

Page 22: ...numbers and follow the on screen directions to exit the menus Additional Set Up Features in the Preferences Menu Note The features described on the following pages are all accessed through the PREFERENCES menu To Access the PREFERENCES menu 1 Press MENU to display the VCR MAIN MENU 2 Press 5 to select Preferences You are now ready to select an item from the PREFERENCES menu to set up SET TIME AND ...

Page 23: ...nsert a tape with its safety tab removed To Access Auto Play 1 In the PREFERENCES menu press 2 repeatedly to switch between Auto Play ON and OFF Select ON if you want a tape with its safety tab removed to start playing automatically when inserted Select OFF if you do not want a tape with its safety tab removed to start playing automatically Auto TV VCR To control whether the VCR s TV VCR setting c...

Page 24: ...isplay bright whether the VCR is on or off DIM keeps the display at a low brightness level whether the VCR is on or off Tape Speed You can choose a preferred tape speed for recording either Standard Play SP or Super Long Play SLP The speed selected appears in the VCR s display panel and in timer recording menus To Select a Preferred Tape Speed In the PREFERENCES menu press the 6 button repeatedly ...

Page 25: ... into the end time Auto Repeat is set back to by resetting the dialog box ejecting a tape powering off the VCR power interruption or by recording start When a duration time has been set The VCR will automatically switch to rewind if the counter meets or goes past the set Auto Repeat duration The VCR will automatically switch to playback during rewind if the counter equals or is less than 0 00 The ...

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Page 27: ...nging Entertainment Again Using the Remote Control Chapter Overview Buttons on the Remote Control Programming the Remote to Operate Other Components How To Use the Remote After You ve Programmed It Chapter 3 ...

Page 28: ... first digit for two seconds until two dashes appear to the right of the number then add the second two Example to tune to channel 123 press and hold 1 for two seconds then when the dashes appear press 2 then press 3 CHAN up and down buttons Scan up or down through the VCR s stored channels Press once to change the channel up or down press and hold to continue changing channels CLEAR Removes any m...

Page 29: ... either SP or SLP STOP If you re operating a VCR this button stops playback and recording operations TRACKING up and down Allows the manual reduction of streaks which may appear on the picture during regular or slow motion playback Reduces picture jitter during stop action paused playback TV Puts the remote control in TV mode This button will automatically turn on most RCA GE and Proscan TVs TV VC...

Page 30: ...n operate most RCA GE and Proscan TVs without any additional steps To see if the VCR s remote control can operate your RCA GE or Proscan TV point it at the unit and press the TV button to put the remote control into TV operating mode Then press the ON OFF button If the TV responds to the command it can be operated using the VCR s remote control ...

Page 31: ...29 Changing Entertainment Again Using the VCR s Features Chapter Overview Recording Express Recording XPR Timer Recordings Copying and Editing Tapes Chapter 4 ...

Page 32: ... on tape length up to four hours total To Activate XPR 1 If necessary turn on the VCR and tune it to the channel with the desired programming 2 If necessary insert a tape with its safety tab in place into the VCR Make sure it is cued to record at the proper starting point Note To override the preferred tape speed setting press the SPEED button on the remote control repeatedly to toggle between SP ...

Page 33: ...r press INPUT to select the Video Line Input if using A V jacks to connect the VCR to the TV and start and end times including AM or PM The start date is automatically entered based on the VCR clock Both the recording date and speed can be changed 6 Review the information to make sure it is correct 7 Press the MENU button to save Stopping a Timer Recording To stop or cancel a timer recording in pr...

Page 34: ...To edit segments that you do not want to copy Press PAUSE on recording VCR to pause copying Locate the next segment you want to copy on the playback VCR by using FWD REV and PLAY and then press PAUSE Press PAUSE on both VCRs at the same time to resume copying 9 Press STOP on both VCRs when finished Picture Search Options The basic way to search during playback is using the remote control s FORWARD...

Page 35: ...ton on the remote control each time you want to view the next frame of the recording 3 Press the PAUSE or PLAY button on the remote control PLAY PAUSE on the VCR to return to normal playback Index Search The VCR has a VHS Index Search System that automatically records index marks on the tape every time you start a recording During playback you can locate the program you want to play by the number ...

Page 36: ... wish to return to 2 Press the CLEAR button twice to reset the counter to 0 00 00 3 Continue playing the tape 4 Press the STOP button 5 Press the SEARCH button repeatedly until the ZERO SEARCH menu appears on screen 6 Press the REVERSE button REV on the VCR to return to 0 00 00 on the tape 7 Repeat as necessary Pro Tect Plus Locking Feature To disable VCR usage or to protect set timer recordings t...

Page 37: ...is a 2 head VCR 0 30 00 Hours Minutes Seconds Time Counter The time counter shows the actual time used when recording or playing back a tape The time counter helps locate the beginning or end of recorded events It resets to 0 00 00 whenever a tape is ejected from the VCR For example if you record a 30 minute program at the beginning of a tape rewind it and then want to go to the end of the first p...

Page 38: ...NFO again to have only the time counter remain on the screen The time counter is also displayed in the VCR s front panel 3 Press INFO again to have no displays appear on the TV screen The time counter remains in the VCR s display panel This is useful for dubbing tapes 4 Press the INFO button again to return to the normal display The current time is displayed in the VCR s display panel Note Turning...

Page 39: ...ertainment Again Other Information Chapter Overview Troubleshooting Front Rear and Display Panel Diagram Specifications Care and Cleaning Warranty Information Finding the TV s Video Line Input Glossary Index Chapter 5 ...

Page 40: ...ates an RCA GE or Proscan TV Press the TV button to put remote control in TV controlling mode The remote control should then operate the TV There s poor quality or no picture for normal TV viewing If using RF coaxial cables to connect the VCR to the TV make sure the VCR indicator is not displayed on the VCR s front panel press the remote control s TV VCR button to toggle between VCR and TV viewing...

Page 41: ...orrect Make sure that Signal Type CABLE ANTENNA is set correctly in the CHANNELS menu If Detect Automatically was selected for the Signal Type in the AUTO CHANNEL SEARCH menu try using either CABLE TV or ANTENNA instead Auto Channel Search may not be necessary if using a cable box to view all channels Contact your local cable company for more information On screen menus appear in a foreign languag...

Page 42: ...ncountered the time counter will hold its count until recorded material is detected again A minus sign appears in front of the displayed time if you rewind a tape back further than a counter reading of 0 00 00 The VCR will not play Make sure there is a tape in the VCR Try ejecting then reinserting the tape Check to make sure the tape is not damaged or broken Make sure the VCR is not in Pause mode ...

Page 43: ...e the safety tab on the tape is in place A timer recording didn t record or the wrong program recorded Make sure any connected cable box or satellite receiver was turned on when the recording time began Make sure the program information was entered correctly i e channel number and start stop times A power interruption may have occurred Reset the time and date and try again Time including AM or PM ...

Page 44: ... playback Pauses recording to prevent recording of unwanted scenes POWER Turns the VCR on or off RECORD Starts VCR recording Used for express recording REV Rewinds the tape when the VCR is stopped Searches the picture in reverse during playback Starts slow motion during play pause and decreases slow motion speed STOP EJECT A single press of this button stops normal VCR functions such as record pla...

Page 45: ...rching forward SRCH The VCR is searching in reverse SLOW A tape is playing back in slow motion STOP A tape is in stop mode 0 00 0 30 1 00 etc An Express Recording is in progress Tape In indicator Displays when the VCR has a tape inserted TIMER Displayed when an Express Recording XPR or timer recording is under way or when the VCR is set for a timer recording and the power is turned OFF TIMER flash...

Page 46: ...the remote control to select the Video Line Input when recording from these jacks AUDIO and VIDEO OUT jacks Sends signals from the VCR to another component like a TV or VCR when connected to these jacks CH 3 4 switch Determines the channel which the TV must be tuned to in order to see the VCR s picture Not used when connecting the VCR to the TV using Audio Video cables RF OUT jack Passes the VCR s...

Page 47: ...ation holes on the top back sides and bottom of the VCR and all connected components Plastic surfaces are easily scratched and can be marred by alcohol and various solvents Avoid excessive use of oil based furniture polishes since the materials used in the cabinet will accumulate more dust We recommend using a nonabrasive antistatic cleaner and polisher Specifications VR545 Format VHS Record Playb...

Page 48: ...eas You might access the video line input by Pressing a button on the TV s remote control see table below Selecting a specific channel from the TV s on screen menu system see table below Tuning directly to the video line input by selecting a specific channel number see table below Going through all available channels by pressing the channel up or down buttons on the TV or its remote control Common...

Page 49: ...VCR s ANT IN jack Connect the other end to the satellite receiver s antenna output jack B Connect the A V cables Connect an audio cable to the VCR s Audio IN jack and the other end to the satellite receiver s audio output jack if your satellite receiver has more than one audio out jack use the L channel jack to make the connection Connect one end of the video cable to the VCR s VIDEO IN jack and t...

Page 50: ...early describes how to install adjust and operate your VCR Any additional information should be obtained from your dealer Installation and related adjustments Signal reception problems not caused by your VCR Damage from misuse or neglect Cleaning of video audio heads Batteries A VCR that has been modified or incorporated into other products or is used for institutional or other commercial purposes...

Page 51: ... recording which tapes for a set period of time using 30 minute increments Pro Tect Plus Allows the VCR to be disabled so that the front panel and remote control buttons don t work Useful for protecting timer recordings QuickSet Guide An first time use interactive menu based system that walks you through several setup steps in a series of questions The QuickSet Guide is also available in the VCR s...

Page 52: ... EnergySaver feature 22 Express Recording XPR 1 30 F F ADV button 33 FF display 43 FORWARD button 13 26 32 Frame advance 33 Front panel controls 42 FWD button 32 35 42 G GO BACK button 26 H HI display 43 I Index search 33 Indicators display panel 43 INFO button 35 INPUT button 31 32 46 L LANGUAGE menu 16 Locking feature 34 M MENU button 16 31 MUTE button 27 N Number buttons 20 26 O ON OFF button 3...

Page 53: ...ecifications 45 Speed SLP 22 SP 22 SPEED button 13 22 30 Speeds recording 22 SRCH displays 43 STOP button 13 27 30 34 42 STOP display 43 T Tab safety 13 Tape eject 13 Tape speeds 22 Time and date 19 Time counter 35 Time counter display 36 Time display on TV 36 Timer programs clearing 31 reviewing 31 Timer recording 31 stopping 31 Tracking 35 TRACKING buttons 13 27 33 35 42 Troubleshooting 38 TV bu...

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Page 56: ... 46290 2001 Thomson multimedia Inc Trademark s Registered Marca s Registrada s Printed in Indonesia TOCOM 1570808A Please do not send any products to the Indianapolis address listed in this manual or on the carton This will only add delays in service for your product ...

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