RCA VR538 User Manual Download Page 31

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Recording a Program

Recording While You’re Away (VCR Plus+* Recording)

*VCR Plus+ and PlusCode are trademarks of Gemstar Development Corporation.

VCR Plus+ Setup for Antenna System, Cable System Requiring No
Cable Box, or Cable Box That VCR Can Control

A VCR Plus+ channel number is assigned for each broadcast or cable channel. These
numbers are listed in most publications that list PlusCode numbers.

Prepare a worksheet for the VCR Plus+ channels that are different than the channels
you receive them on. Refer to the chart below for standardized VCR Plus+ channel
numbers.

Press

MENU•PROG

on the remote to display the

VCR MAIN MENU

on the TV screen.

Press

to select

SETUP OPTIONS

menu.

Press

to select

VCR PLUS+ CHANNEL LIST

menu.

Using your worksheet, press two numbers to enter
each channel number you receive on a different
channel than the assigned VCR Plus+ channel
number.

If a channel in your area has been assigned more
than one VCR Plus+ channel number, enter that
same channel number next to each VCR Plus+
channel number.

Press

CHAN

up or down to move the

VCR+ CH

numbers up or down on the menu.

Press

CLEAR

on the remote to erase a number.

Press

MENU•PROG

to exit when you are finished.

Press

to exit the menu system.

continued on next page

Broadcast or Cable-TV

VCR Plus+

Channel Number You

Station Name Channel Number Receive This Station On

HBO

See Note 1

ESPN

See Note 1

ABC

See Note 2

See Note 1

FOX

See Note 2

See Note 1

Note 1: Check your local or cable listing for the channel number you receive this station on.

Note 2: Check your local listing for the broadcast or VCR Plus+ channel number assigned to this station.

SAMPLE

Standardized VCR Plus+ Channel Numbers for Cable-TV

U.S.A. List

American Movie Classics

Arts & Entertainment

Black Entertainment

Bravo

42 Cable News Network
45

Cinemax

98 Cinemax 2
37

The Discovery Channel

The Disney Channel

Entertainment Television

ESPN Sports Network

The Family Channel

Home Box Office

95 Home Box Office 2
96

Home Box Office 3

The Learning Channel

Lifetime

The Movie Channel

Music Television

The Nashville Network

Nickelodeon

Nostalgia Television

99 Quality Value Cable
41

Showtime

Showtime 2

Sports Channel

Turner Network Television

USA Network

Video Hits 1

93 Viewer’s Choice 1
94

Viewer’s Choice 2

WGN Chicago

WTBS Atlanta

WWOR New York

Canadian List

67 Allarcom Pay Television/Superchannel
44

Arts & Entertainment

72 Cable News Network-Headline News
61 Cable News Network
70

Canadian Home Shopping Network

56  Canal Famille
69  Cathay International Television Inc
68  Chinavision Canada Corp
60

Country Music Television

Family Channel

First Choice

First Choice Two

First Choice Three

First Choice Four

House of Commons

La Chaine Francaise

The Learning Channel

MeteoMedia/The Weather Network

MuchMusic Network

MusiquePlus

Nashville Network

Newsworld/CBC

Le Reseau des Sports

The Sports Network

Super Ecran

Super Ecran B

Super Ecran C

Telatino Network

TV5 Montreal

Viewer's Choice 1

Viewer's Choice 2

Viewer's Choice 3

Viewer's Choice 4

Vision TV: Canada’s Faith Network

Youth TV, Canada Inc

VCR MAIN MENU

1 VCR Plus+ Programming
2 Timer Programming
3 Review Programs
4 Channel Setup
5 VCR Setup Options

1 VCR Plus+ Programming

SETUP OPTIONS

1 Interactive Guide
2 VCR Plus+ Setup

1 Interactive Guide

VCR PLUS+ CHANNEL LIST

VCR+ CH CABLE CH

•••••••••••••••

01 --
02

Press Ch UP/DN to select
Press MENU to exit

(or ANT.CH)

Summary of Contents for VR538

Page 1: ...IDE VR538 Important Information i Table of Contents 1 Hooking Up the VCR 2 Setting Up the VCR 7 Using the Remote Control 12 Playing a Tape 18 Recording a Program 25 References 35 Index 42 VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER ...

Page 2: ...CC Regulations state that unauthorized changes or modifications to this equipment may void the user s authority to operate it This reminder is provided 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 gr...

Page 3: ... 19 Picture Search ____________________ 19 DISPLAY Button __________________ 20 Frame Advance ___________________ 20 Automatic Tracking _______________ 20 Manual Tracking__________________ 20 Time Counter_____________________ 21 Index Search _____________________ 21 Time Search ______________________ 22 Go To Search _____________________ 22 Blank Search ______________________23 Commercial Scan ___...

Page 4: ... to choose the hookup for your VCR 1 How do you receive your TV signals Choose one answer from below A Outside antenna Turn to page 3 B Rabbit ears set top and or bow tie antenna Turn to page 3 C Cable System Go to question 2 2 What type of Cable TV system do you have Choose one answer from below A Cable without a box Turn to page 3 B Cable box to unscramble all the channels Turn to page 4 C Cable...

Page 5: ...t as shown This connection may require additional accessories not provided 3 Plug in power cords of VCR and TV 4 B Advanced hookup Use this hookup for slightly improved picture quality and more convenient operation use of TV VCR button not required 1 Connect as shown This connection requires additional accessories not provided 2 Plug in power cords of VCR and TV 3 You will tune the TV to its video...

Page 6: ... Be sure not to block any of the VCR s ventilation holes A Basic hookup Use this hookup for a simple connection which requires fewer accessories 1 Set the CH3 CH4 switch on back of VCR to either channel 3 or 4 You will tune the TV to this channel and use the TV VCR button to watch the VCR 2 Connect as shown This connection may require additional accessories not provided 3 Plug in power cords of VC...

Page 7: ...n Be sure not to block any of the VCR s ventilation holes A Basic hookup Use this hookup for a simple connection which requires fewer accessories 1 Set the CH3 CH4 switch on back of VCR to either channel 3 or 4 You will tune the TV to this channel and use the TV VCR button to watch the VCR 2 Connect as shown This connection may require additional accessories not provided 3 Plug in power cords of V...

Page 8: ...equires fewer accessories 1 Select a hookup from pages 2 through 5 and then modify with this connection 2 Set the CH3 CH4 switch on the playback VCR to either channel 3 or 4 You will tune the recording VCR to this channel to receive the signal from the playback VCR 3 Connect as shown This connection may require additional accessories not provided 4 Plug in power cords of VCRs and TV 5 Option B hoo...

Page 9: ...on and answer procedure that helps you select the feature options to set up the VCR quickly B Select 1 to Begin setup and answer the on screen questions or select 2 to Cancel If you choose not to use the Interactive Guide feature then follow the remaining steps in this section to set up the VCR to work properly Remote Stock No 221318 EDIT F ADV SEARCH SLOW TRACKING MUTE PREV CH DISPLAY INPUT CLEAR...

Page 10: ...ttons move the highlight bar up and down to point to a menu item and the MENU PROG button selects the item They are also used to enter data and change settings of selected features The left and right arrows move from one location to another with the right arrow moving forward and the left arrow moving backward An example of setting the time using the arrow buttons follows A Press MENU PROG or MENU...

Page 11: ...nel found Pressing CHANNEL up or down will select only the active channels The VCR automatically selects ANTENNA or CABLE of the Tuning Mode feature in the CHANNEL SETUP menu If you need to change the setting manually press 3 7 Add or remove channels from the VCR s memory You may want to add or remove channels if some of the channels are not active have weak signals or you do not want to watch the...

Page 12: ...picture from the VCR 9 Set Auto TV VCR feature Skip this step if you used one of the basic hookups If you have connected your VCR using the video input of your TV you can prevent the VCR indicator from turning on automatically A Press MENU PROG on remote to see VCR MAIN MENU B Press 5 to display SETUP OPTIONS C Press 3 to display CUSTOM SETUP D Press 2 to select Auto TV VCR E Press 2 to switch bet...

Page 13: ... then 0 then 7 for a time of 5 07 Press 1 for AM or 2 for PM Press CLEAR on the remote to change incorrect entries D Press MENU PROG on remote to remove SET VCR CLOCK from the TV screen and start the clock E Press 0 to exit the menu system The time will appear in the VCR s display panel and the time and date will appear on the TV screen whenever you press DISPLAY VCR SLP VCR MAIN MENU 1 VCR Plus P...

Page 14: ... a VCR Plus or a timer recording DISPLAY Shows the status displays on the TV screen See pages 20 and 36 Edits timer programs EDIT Signals two properly connected VCRs to begin copying a tape See page 34 F ADV Frame Advance Lets you view one frame with each press of the button when tape is in stop action pause FF Fast Forward Fast forwards the tape when the VCR is stopped Searches the picture in for...

Page 15: ...AUSE Pauses action for viewing during playback Pauses recording to prevent recording of unwanted scenes PLAY Plays a tape POWER Turns off VCR when remote is set to control the VCR PREV CH Previous Channel Switches between two channels Select one channel and then select another Press PREV CH to switch between the two channels REC Starts VCR recording Used for express recording XPR See page 27 REW R...

Page 16: ...ss MENU PROG to display the VCR MAIN MENU 2 Press 5 to display the SETUP OPTIONS menu 3 Press 3 to display the CUSTOM SETUP menu 4 Press 1 to activate the Remote Control feature 5 Press VCR1 or VCR2 LD to change the setting and program this VCR to respond to the VCR1 or VCR2 LD button whichever you select Important Reminder Remember you must press VCR1 or VCR2 LD on the remote whichever you select...

Page 17: ...our TV 1 Point the remote at the TV and press TV 2 If TV does not turn on in step 1 press TV and then POWER 3 Use the TV Function Buttons as described on page 13 Code Brand Number s Akai 03 AOC 06 Candle 06 Citizen 06 Colortyme 06 Concerto 06 Curtis Mathes 01 06 Daewoo 06 Daytron 06 Electrohome 06 12 Emerson 06 Envision 05 06 Fisher 05 08 GE 00 01 06 11 Goldstar 06 12 Hallmark 06 Hitachi 06 Infini...

Page 18: ...RCA DSS satellite receiver 1 Point the remote at the cable box or satellite receiver and press CABLE 2 If the cable box or satellite receiver does not turn on in step 1 press CABLE and then POWER 3 Use the Cable Box Function Buttons for the cable box or satellite receiver or test the other remote buttons for the satellite receiver box Code Brand Number s ABC 53 54 Anvision 07 08 Cablestar 07 08 Ea...

Page 19: ...the VCR remote at the component 3 Hold the AUX button and press two number buttons to enter the code for the component 4 Release the buttons 5 Press POWER on the remote If the component turns off setup is complete Operate the auxiliary component After you have set up your remote to control your component test the buttons to see which ones operate the component 1 Point the remote at the component a...

Page 20: ...ned on 3 Press PLAY if necessary PLAY appears in the VCR s display panel 4 Press TRACKING up or down on the remote or CHANNEL TRACKING up or down on the VCR to remove any streaks from the picture if necessary Details are on page 20 5 Press STOP on the VCR or remote 6 Press REW The VCR automatically rewinds the tape if it reaches the end of the tape during playback While rewinding you can press POW...

Page 21: ... is turned off during slow motion playback Slow motion works best in the SP and SLP speeds 1 Press SLOW to increase the speed or to decrease the speed 2 Use TRACKING up or down on the remote or CHANNEL TRACKING on the VCR to remove any streaks from the picture 3 Press PLAY to return to playback The VCR switches automatically from slow motion playback to stop after a few minutes Picture Search You ...

Page 22: ...iew the next frame of the scene 3 Press PAUSE or PLAY to resume normal playback Automatic Tracking The VCR has automatic tracking which adjusts the picture when playing back a tape recorded on another VCR Automatic tracking is turned on whenever a tape is inserted or the VCR s power is turned on Manual Tracking Occasionally you may need to manually adjust tracking on a tape recorded on a different...

Page 23: ...back you can locate the program you want to play by the number of index marks The VCR will automatically locate the index number you select The VCR will search forward or reverse from the location you are on the tape 1 Insert the prerecorded tape and press STOP 2 Press SEARCH on the remote to display the INDEX SEARCH menu on the TV screen 3 Press two number buttons to enter the number of index mar...

Page 24: ...he tape 1 Insert the prerecorded tape and press STOP 2 Press SEARCH on the remote three times to display the GO TO SEARCH menu on the TV screen 3 Press number buttons to enter the hour s and minute s of the time counter reading you want the VCR to search Press CLEAR on the remote to correct an entry 4 Press F FWD on the VCR or FF on the remote or REW to go to the time counter reading you entered 5...

Page 25: ...nce the tape approximately 120 seconds Pro Tect Plus Locking Feature To protect your timer recordings from any unwanted changes lock the VCR The buttons on the VCR or remote will not work Just follow the directions below to lock the VCR 1 Set up your VCR for a timer recording 2 Insert a cassette with safety tab intact 3 Place VCR in stop mode 4 Press and hold POWER on the remote for 10 seconds LOC...

Page 26: ...7 to turn the Auto Repeat feature off and then exit the menu system VCR MAIN MENU 1 VCR Plus Programming 2 Timer Programming 3 Review Programs 4 Channel Setup 5 VCR Setup Options 1 VCR Plus Programming SETUP OPTIONS 1 Interactive Guide 2 VCR Plus Setup 3 Custom Setup 1 Interactive Guide CUSTOM SETUP 1 Remote Control VCR1 2 Auto TV VCR ON 3 Auto Play ON 4 Auto Repeat OFF 1 Remote Control VCR1 CUSTO...

Page 27: ...el If not press TV VCR to turn it on 4 Select recording speed using SPEED on the VCR or remote The tape speed indicator appears in the VCR s display panel and on the TV screen 5 Select the channel to be recorded The channel number appears in the VCR s display panel and on the TV screen 6 Press REC on the remote or REC XPR on the VCR to begin recording REC appears in the VCR s display panel while t...

Page 28: ...P Long Play gives twice the recording time of tapes recorded in SP Special effects in playback are not recommended in LP SLP Super Long Play gives three times the recording time of tapes recorded in SP Special effects such as pause slow motion picture search and frame advance work well in this speed Recording Pause This feature allows you to prevent recording short passages of unwanted material Pr...

Page 29: ...screen Each press of REC increases the time 30 minutes up to 4 hours The amount of time the VCR will record and the X REC indicator appear in the VCR s display panel Pressing REC displays the time remaining on the TV screen Pressing REC again increases the amount of time Stopping a Recording in Progress With the VCR Press POWER and then STOP within a few seconds With the Remote Press VCR1 VCR2 LD ...

Page 30: ...Exit the menu system by following the directions on the screen Important If your cable box or satellite receiver is controlled by the VCR turn it on before the recording is to begin If your cable box or satellite receiver is not controlled by the VCR turn on the cable box or satellite receiver and tune it to the channel you want to record before the recording is to begin Setting Up the Cable Box o...

Page 31: ...tandardized VCR Plus Channel Numbers for Cable TV U S A List 35 American Movie Classics 39 Arts Entertainment 57 Black Entertainment 54 Bravo 42 Cable News Network 45 Cinemax 98 Cinemax 2 37 The Discovery Channel 53 The Disney Channel 63 Entertainment Television 34 ESPN Sports Network 47 The Family Channel 33 Home Box Office 95 Home Box Office 2 96 Home Box Office 3 51 The Learning Channel 46 Life...

Page 32: ...eck the number and enter it again 5 Press 1 2 3 or 4 to select type of program 1 One time single program recorded once 2 Daily program recorded at same time every day 3 Weekdays program recorded at same time Monday through Friday 4 Weekly program recorded at same time once a week 6 Select recording speed using the SPEED button on the remote or VCR 7 Press CLEAR repeatedly to change the program End...

Page 33: ...ing Just follow the on screen prompts Press CLEAR to correct an entry If you receive all channels from a cable box or satellite receiver and have completed cable box setup on page 28 the VCR enters the output channel as the channel to be recording in the VCR Plus and Timer Programming menus 5 Select recording speed using SPEED 6 Press MENU PROG to enter your program A reminder appears which times ...

Page 34: ...s The black highlights the area for review 3 Follow the on screen prompts for checking or clearing programs Editing a VCR Plus or Timer Recordings 1 Press MENU PROG on remote to display VCR MAIN MENU on TV screen 2 Press 3 for Review Programs The black highlights the area for review 3 Press DISPLAY when a program you want to edit appears 4 Use the right or left arrow buttons to move to the locatio...

Page 35: ...input is convenient if you have a satellite receiver or similar component attached to these jacks To timer record from the component connected to the VCR s line input Press INPUT to enter VIDEO 1 back jacks or VIDEO 2 front jacks instead of the channel number on the TV screen during timer programming PROGRAM 1 ONE TIME Channel VIDEO1 Start Time End Time Start Date Tape Speed SLP Press CLEAR to cor...

Page 36: ...g the tape 8 Edit out segments that you do not want to copy by pressing PAUSE on recording VCR to stop copying the tape Then locate the next segment you want to copy on playback VCR by using F FWD REW and PLAY Press PAUSE on the playback VCR Press PAUSE at the same time on both VCRs to resume copying 9 Press STOP on both VCRs when you are finished You may turn off the TV after the recording has st...

Page 37: ...ed Searches the picture forward during playback MENU Displays the VCR MAIN MENU on the TV screen Selects features in the menu PAUSE Pauses action for viewing during playback Pauses recording to prevent recording of unwanted scenes PLAY Plays a tape PROGRAM XPR Used to set a timer recording with the TV off POWER Turns the VCR on or off REC XPR Starts VCR recording Used for express recording XPR Rem...

Page 38: ...R is turned off VCR Indicator Applies Only to Basic Hookups Press TV VCR to turn on or off VCR indicator on Picture from VCR VCR indicator off Picture from TV channel Display Panel This VCR has a feature where you can change the brightness level of the fluorescent display panel 1 Press MENU PROG on the remote to see the VCR MAIN MENU on the TV screen 2 Press 5 to display the SETUP OPTIONS menu 3 P...

Page 39: ...e system when attached OUT TO TV Connector Passes signal to TV using the cable supplied VIDEO and AUDIO INPUT Jacks Receives signals from another component like a VCR or camcorder when it is connected to these jacks Use INPUT to select L1 for these jacks VIDEO and AUDIO OUTPUT Jacks Sends signals from VCR to another component like a VCR or camcorder when it is connected to these jacks IN FROM ANTE...

Page 40: ...teries Check setting of Remote Control VCR1 VCR2 feature See page 14 Press TV VCR to turn VCR indicator off Switch TV to an active channel Check antenna connections Press TV VCR to turn VCR indicator on Check TV channel selected 3 or 4 to make sure it matches the channel selected with CH3 CH4 switch on back of VCR Check TV s fine tuning Check video cable connections between VCR and TV monitor Set ...

Page 41: ...e end of the tape is reached during a timer recording Cable box or satellite receiver setup not completed See page 28 VCR Plus setup not completed correctly See page 29 Power interruption Clock on the front panel will show Clock was not set accurately check AM PM and date Time counter display appears in VCR s display panel Press DISPLAY on remote VCR is removing tape from heads This is normal The ...

Page 42: ...ty does not cover Customer instruction Your Owner s Manual clearly 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 Remote control batteries A VCR that has been modified or incorporated i...

Page 43: ...mm 12 1 inches deep 307 5 mm Weight 9 46 pounds 4 3 kg Storage Temperature Range 22 F to 149 F Operating Temperature Range 41 F to 104 F Check your cable company s compatibility requirements Cleaning the VCR Use a soft cloth or dusting attachment of your vacuum cleaner to dust your VCR Remove dust from the ventilation holes on the top back sides and bottom of the cabinet Plastic surfaces are easil...

Page 44: ...ation i CH3 CH4 Switch 3 6 7 18 25 37 CHAN Channel Up or Down 9 12 13 CHANNEL SETUP Menu 9 28 CHANNEL TRACKING 18 20 35 Checks Trouble 38 39 Choosing a Hookup 2 Cleaning the VCR 41 CLEAR Button 11 13 22 28 32 35 Clearing VCR Plus and Timer Recordings 32 Clock Setting 11 Code Lists Auxiliary Equipment 17 Cable Box 16 TV 15 Commercial Scan 23 Connections Antenna 2 3 Audio Video Jacks 2 3 6 Cable TV ...

Page 45: ...4 19 24 28 32 Menu System 8 MUTE Button 12 13 Index N Number Buttons 9 12 13 O On Screen Displays 20 Operating Instructions Copying Tapes 34 Express Recording 27 Playing a Tape 18 Recording a Program 25 Timer Recording 31 33 VCR Plus Recording 29 30 OUT TO TV Connector 3 6 37 P PAUSE Button 12 13 19 20 26 35 Pause for Stop Action 19 Pause Recording 26 Picture Search 19 PLAY Button 12 13 18 20 35 3...

Page 46: ...ing 6 VOLUME Up or Down Button 12 13 W Warranty Limited 41 X XPR Recording 27 One Program While Watching Another 25 Pause 26 Speeds 26 Timer 31 33 Types Of 25 VCR Plus 29 30 REC Button 12 13 25 27 34 REC XPR Button 25 27 34 35 Registration Card i Remote Control 12 17 Remote Control VCR1 VCR2 Feature 14 Remote Sensor 35 REW Rewind Button 12 13 19 23 34 35 S Safety Precautions i Safety Tab 18 Satell...

Page 47: ...45 Notes ...

Page 48: ...ou would like a copy of this manual in French please follow the instructions below Si un livret d instructions en français n est pas inclus avec votre appareil vous pouvez en obtenir un indiquer le numéro de modèle votre nom et votre adresse en vous adressant à Thomson Consumer Electronics Attention Canadian Operations P O Box 0944 Indianapolis IN 46206 0944 If your VCR needs service please contac...

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