RCA VR681HF, User Manual

Page 1: ...USER S GUIDE VR681HF VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER ...

Page 2: ..._____________________________________________________________________ Serial No _____________________________________________________________________ Purchase Date ________________________________________________________________ Dealer Address Phone ________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _____________...

Page 3: ..._________________ 19 Tape Length______________________ 20 Repeat Function __________________ 20 Audio Playback___________________ 20 Closed Captioning ________________ 21 On Screen Status Displays__________ 21 Recording Features Recording Speeds _____________________ 22 Pause________________________________ 22 Recording Options ______________ 22 Basic Recording_______________________ 23 Watching a...

Page 4: ... the questions 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 cable box Turn to page 3 B Cable box to unscramble all the channels Tu...

Page 5: ...ccessories not provided 3 Plug in power cords of VCR and TV 4 B Advanced hookup Use this hookup for slightly improved picture quality Hi Fi stereo playback and more convenient operation use of TV VCR button not required 1 Connect as shown This connection requires additional accessories not provided If your TV is not stereo you may need a Y adapter to hear sound from both channels 2 Plug in power c...

Page 6: ... this hookup for slightly improved picture quality Hi Fi stereo playback and more convenient operation use of TV VCR button not required 1 Connect as shown This connection requires additional accessories not provided If your TV is not stereo you may need a Y adapter to hear sound from both channels 2 Plug in power cords of VCR TV and cable box 3 You will tune the TV to its video input to watch the...

Page 7: ...ghtly improved picture quality Hi Fi stereo playback and more convenient operation use of TV VCR button not required 1 Connect as shown This connection requires additional accessories not provided If your TV is not stereo you may need a Y adapter to hear sound from both channels 2 Plug in power cords of VCR TV and cable box 3 You will tune the TV to its video input to watch the VCR All pay channel...

Page 8: ... requires fewer accessories 1 Select a hookup from pages 2 through 5 and then modify with this connection 2 Set the CH 35 56 64 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...

Page 9: ...n the VCR A Press VCR POWER on the remote The ANTENNA CABLE SET menu appears prompting you to set the type of connection you are using for the VCR Remote Stock No 221403 RECORD EXIT VCR POWER TV POWER VCR EJECT MENU MUTE SELECT TV CHAN VOL PROG GUIDE INFO LIST THEME ENTER PLAY STOP SLOW DISP REW PAUSE FWD DAY CLEAR SHUTTLE JOG REPEAT SKIP JOG PAGE TRACKING RF Coaxial Cable Stock No 207417 2 AAA Ba...

Page 10: ...y the signal type ANTENNA CABLE or CABLE BOX must be selected If the ANTENNA CABLE SET menu did not appear when you first turned on your VCR follow these directions A Press MENU to display the MAIN MENU If this menu does not appear Make sure TV is tuned to same channel as CH 35 64 switch on the back of the VCR or the TV s video input refer to TV s manual Press SELECT VCR then press MENU again If y...

Page 11: ... Press PROG to begin adding channels to memory Your VCR begins scanning through the channels and displays only those channels programmed into the VCR s memory with a green background Startup MAIN MENU Press ENTER to SELECT 1 Timer recording list 2 Clock set adjust 3 Antenna Cable set 4 Channel memory set 5 VCR function setup 6 StarSight setup OR MAIN MENU Press ENTER to SELECT 1 Timer recording li...

Page 12: ...ou switch between the picture coming from the VCR or the picture from the TV channel This button lets you record a program on the VCR while watching another channel on the TV Details are on page 23 A Press SELECT VCR to set the remote to control the VCR B Press TV VCR to see the picture from the VCR The VCR indicator lights in the display panel C Press CHANNEL up or down on the VCR or CHAN on VCR ...

Page 13: ...brandt 52 Samsung 40 41 42 43 45 Scientific Atlanta 30 31 32 33 Sheritech 73 74 75 SL Mark 40 41 42 43 Sprucer 35 36 37 38 Stargate 40 41 42 43 44 Sylvania 88 Teknika 97 Telecaption 98 Teleview 40 41 42 43 Texcan 87 88 TOCOM 56 57 58 59 60 Toshiba 96 Unika 46 47 48 49 50 Universal 68 69 70 71 Videoway 25 26 27 28 Viewstar 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Warner Amex 35 Zenith 25 26 27 28 Cable Box Codes for ...

Page 14: ...tem FWD Fast Forward Fast forwards the tape when the VCR is stopped Searches the picture in forward motion during playback INDEX Displays INDEX SEARCH SCAN and PLAY and Go to 0 00 00 and STOP search menus INPUT Changes the line input on or off L1 or L2 appears in the display panel and LINE1 or LINE2 appears on the TV screen Line input refers to the signal coming from the component connected to the...

Page 15: ...h as record playback rewind fast forward and pause of the VCR TRACKING Up and Down Use PAGE s t Lets you manually reduce the streaks that may appear on the picture during play or pause Reduces picture jitter during stop action playback TV VCR Switches the picture signal so that it either comes from the VCR or the TV channel See page 10 VCR POWER Turns VCR on or off 100 Select a cable channel over ...

Page 16: ... of single recordings and series recordings MENU Accesses RCA on screen menu and StarSight Setup menu Numbers 0 through 9 Select channels and enter number selections in StarSight Setup PAGE s t Up or Down Displays the previous or next page Hold to repeat RECORD Starts recording or schedules a program for recording SELECT VCR Sets the remote to control your VCR SP SLP Tape Speed Selects the recordi...

Page 17: ... at the TV 3 Press and hold the SELECT TV button then enter the two number buttons for your TV code If the TV changes channels when the CHAN up or down button is pressed setup is complete 4 Release the buttons 5 Repeat steps 2 4 with two other buttons if the first ones do not work The remote may not be able to control every TV model of the brands listed Helpful Hint Notice the difference between t...

Page 18: ...has been removed and the Auto Play feature is turned on 3 Press PLAY if necessary The VCR automatically tracks TRACKING display appears the tape for a few seconds then the sound begins If you need to adjust tracking manually use the TRACKING buttons on the remote 4 Press STOP 5 Press REW The VCR will automatically rewind the tape if it reaches the end of the tape during playback While rewinding yo...

Page 19: ... or slow motion to allow you to examine the details of the scene Stop action works best for tapes recorded in the SP and SLP speed 1 Press PAUSE during playback to stop the action 2 Press TRACKING UP or DOWN to reduce any jittering of the picture 3 Press PAUSE or PLAY to return to playback The VCR will automatically switch from stop action playback to stop after a few minutes Slow Motion You can v...

Page 20: ...off during picture search and frame advance Tapes recorded in SP or SLP speed give the best picture Variable Speed Picture Search Press the SHUTTLE RIGHT ARROW to advance forward or SHUTTLE LEFT ARROW to reverse playback from a pause still picture Each press changes the speed Press PLAY to return to normal playback Frame Advance Press JOG to advance or reverse the picture frame by frame for viewin...

Page 21: ...e minutes or less The first index mark on the tape when you start at the beginning of the tape Scan and Play This Index feature is used when you do not know exactly where a program is located on the tape 1 Press INDEX while playing a tape A display appears 2 Press FWD to search forward or REW to search in reverse When an index mark is found the VCR plays for about five seconds You can press PLAY t...

Page 22: ...he audio video jacks The AUDIO has no effect for those tapes that are not stereo To Select Playback Sound Press AUDIO to switch among HI FI LEFT RIGHT or MONO Select HI FI to play back stereo sound recorded on the Hi Fi track Hi Fi indicator lights in the VCR s display Select LEFT to play back sound on the linear track for the left channel only Select RIGHT to play back the sound recorded on both ...

Page 23: ...ng mode The function such as STOP RECORD PLAY PAUSE appears in the upper left corner The tape histogram graphically represents the amount of tape that has elapsed from the beginning of the tape The counter appears in the lower left corner with the tape speed and your VCR calculates the amount of play or record time that has elapsed since the counter was last reset 1 Press DISP during tape playback...

Page 24: ... can be recorded on the tape SLP Super Long Play gives three times the recording time of tapes recorded in SP Pause This feature allows you to prevent recording short passages of unwanted material Press PAUSE during recording to stop and start recording PAUSE and Dappear in the VCR s display panel The VCR will automatically switch from pause to stop after a few minutes Recording Options This secti...

Page 25: ... display panel and on the TV screen 6 Press RECORD to begin recording The D appears in the VCR s display panel while the VCR is recording Watching a TV Channel While VCR is Recording a Another Channel While your VCR is recording one channel you can watch another program However your VCR must be connected to your antenna cable system When using a cable box use an A B switch that allows you to watch...

Page 26: ...n is 12 00 PM and midnight is 12 00 AM 4 Select recording speed using SP SLP on the remote The tape speed may be changed at any time during the process of setting the timer recording When AUTO is selected the VCR will use the best tape speed for the length of the timer recording 5 Press ENTER to enter the program Check the tape for enough time remaining to record the program Press the DISP button ...

Page 27: ...CR Recording from the line 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 LINE1 back jacks or LINE 2 front jacks instead of the channel number on the TV screen during timer programming RECORDINGS 13 MON FRI 10 00A 11 00 AUTO 7 FRI Aug 24 10 00A 11 00 SLP 107 ...

Page 28: ...speed 4 Select the channel or line input to be recorded 5 Press the AUDIO button when the SAP indicator lights on the front panel to set audio to MAIN SAP or MONO When MAIN is selected stereo is automatically selected MAIN Records primary audio on the Hi Fi and linear tracks SAP Records the second audio on the HI Fi and linear tracks MONO Records mono sound on the Hi Fi and linear tracks OR Press ...

Page 29: ...ote until LINE1 or LINE2 appears in the VCR s display panel and VIDEO1 or VIDEO2 appears on the TV screen The VCR will record audio from the audio equipment connected to the AUDIO IN jacks 2 Use SP SLP on the remote to select the recording speed 3 Start audio source playing and press RECORD to begin recording The VCR automatically adjusts sound levels as it records 4 Press STOP when you are finish...

Page 30: ...play back the edited tape 1 Press LINE button to return to normal mode 2 Press MENU for the Main Menu 3 Press DOWN ARROW to select VCR function Setup and press ENTER 4 Press LEFT or RIGHT ARROW until Tape dubbing mode is OFF then press ENTER The picture quality may be poor when playing a tape after editing if the tape dubbing mode is set to ON Caution The unauthorized recording of television progr...

Page 31: ...e Tune the cable box to the PBS channel if using a cable box or if there is no cable box tune your VCR to the PBS channel Refer to the Reference section for the PBS station in your area on pages 43 45 Your RCA VCR that is equipped with the StarSight system is not designed to operate with or control a satellite dish For information on StarSight products specifically designed for satellite systems s...

Page 32: ...pany s channel lineup or your local newspaper s TV listing to see if the PBS station in your area has a different channel number from the one you wrote down above If so enter your PBS station s cable channel number here ________ You will tune to this channel number during the setup process Cable Box Code Numbers From the Cable Box Code section on page 46 find the code numbers that apply to your br...

Page 33: ... your area call 1 800 628 STAR for further information Make sure the Cable Box Adapter is positioned according to the instructions on pages 4 or 5 To maintain StarSight program information always leave your VCR power cord plugged in and your cable box turned on if you have one It normally takes three to five seconds for cable box channels to change This is the time it takes for the Cable Box Adapt...

Page 34: ...on time or anytime your VCR is tuned to your PBS station Initially it will take between 4 and 12 hours to collect program information If you want your VCR to collect program information during a different time period please see the Scheduling Data Reception on page 42 S T A R S I G H T 37 MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN 8 00P 8 30P News1 U S Senate Primenews Mathnet Despair in Monter City Slickers Bin...

Page 35: ... will see the program title and time remaining on the Pop up for five seconds 2 Press INFO again The Pop up changes to provide a description about your program It remains on the screen for approximately 30 seconds Or 3 Press INFO again to remove the Pop up Grazing This feature is another method of finding out what s on when you change channels 1 Press CHANNEL UP or DOWN to change channels The Pop ...

Page 36: ...n the other channels You will continue to see the presently tuned channel but will get a Pop up for a program on a different channel 3 Press INFO while the Pop up is displayed to get even more information about the program 4 Press INFO again to remove the Pop up You should also know Pressing ENTER takes you directly to the program for which you see the Pop up In order to see information while brow...

Page 37: ...hted show 4 Press INFO or CLEAR to remove the Pop up or press EXIT to resume watching TV You should also know Press ENTER to tune to any currently highlighted show Press RECORD at any time to record any highlighted show Press PAGE UP DOWN to see additional channel listings Press DAY to see programs on different days for the same time Tuning by Title 1 Press GUIDE to see the Grid Guide 2 Press UP o...

Page 38: ...Channel Guide for the channel you highlighted Then press PAGE DOWN to see more programs on the same channel You should also know Press INFO to learn more about a program Press ENTER to tune to a current program Press RECORD to start or schedule a recording Press CHANNEL UP DOWN to see the Channel Guide for other channels Press DAY to see program listings for other days Press GUIDE to go back and f...

Page 39: ...ategories for that Theme 4 Press UP or DOWN ARROW to highlight a category 5 Press ENTER to see the shows for that category Press PAGE DOWN to see additional shows for that category You should also know Press INFO to learn more about a program Press ENTER to tune to a current program Press RECORD to start or schedule a recording Press DAY to see program listings for other days Press GUIDE to go dir...

Page 40: ...ess GUIDE to see the Grid Guide Position the highlight bar on the program that is red Press CLEAR and then press ENTER to confirm You should also know If you simply press RECORD without a StarSight screen displayed your VCR will begin recording Since StarSight has no way of knowing that a recording is taking place a recording conflict may result Your VCR may be turned either on or off to record wi...

Page 41: ...CLEAR and then press ENTER to confirm You should also know Selecting ONCE records only the selected program Selecting DAILY records a program every day M F Selecting WEEKLY records a program once every week You can adjust the tape speed by pressing the SP SLP button If you select the AUTO option the highest quality tape speed possible will be automatically set based on the amount of tape remaining...

Page 42: ...section If you see a question mark symbol on a scheduled recording it indicates you are asking StarSight to record a program that is not available To locate the conflict place the highlight bar on that program and press GUIDE The right hand column on the display screen normally shows the duration of each program Press the SP SLP button to change the right hand column to display the tape speed that...

Page 43: ...change your mind just highlight the channel again and press ENTER The background returns to its original color and the channel is selected 4 Press EXIT to resume watching TV Changing the Channel Order You can list your channels on the Grid Guide in any order you want Your channels will also be in this order as you change channels 1 Press MENU Use UP or DOWN ARROW to highlight StarSight setup and p...

Page 44: ...to highlight StarSight setup and press ENTER 2 Press DOWN ARROW to highlight Schedule Data Reception and press ENTER to display your list of choices 3 Press UP or DOWN ARROW to move the highlight bar on the time period you have chosen and press ENTER to select 4 Press EXIT to resume watching TV What You Should Do when You Move 1 Press MENU Use UP or DOWN ARROW to highlight StarSight setup and pres...

Page 45: ...cable box Look on page for the Cable Box Codes for your new cable box Write the codes here _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ 1 Press MENU Use UP or DOWN ARROW to highlight StarSight setup and press ENTER 2 Press DOWN ARROW to highlight Change Cable Box Service and press ENTER 3 Follow the on screen instructions For the StarSight Help Desk call 1 800 628 STAR ...

Page 46: ...kiki KMEB 10 IDAHO Boise KAID 4 Idaho Falls KISU 10 Twin Falls KITT 13 ILLINOIS Carbondale WSIU 8 Champaign WILL 12 Chicago WTTW 11 Moline WQPT 24 Peoria WTVP 47 Quincy WQEC 27 Rock Island WQPT 24 Springfield WILL 12 INDIANA Elkhart WNIT 34 Evansville WNIN 9 Fort Wayne WFWA 39 Indianapolis WFYI 20 Lafayette WFYI 20 South Bend WNIT 34 Vincennes WVUT 22 IOWA Ames KDIN 11 Cedar Rapids KIIN 12 Council...

Page 47: ... WCET 48 Columbus WOSU 34 Dayton WPTD 16 Lima WBGU 27 Portsmouth WPBO 42 Steubenville WOUC 44 Toledo WGTE 30 Youngstown WNEO 45 OKLAHOMA Cheyenne KWET 12 Eufaula KOET 3 Oklahoma City KETA 13 Tulsa KOED 11 OREGON Bend KOAB 3 Corvallis KOAC 7 Eugene KEPB 28 Klamath Falls KFTS 22 Medford KSYS 8 Portland KOPB 10 PENNSYLVANIA Altoona WPSX 3 Erie WQLN 54 Harrisburg WITF 33 Johnstown WPSX 3 Lancaster WIT...

Page 48: ...306 Runco 000 Samsung 040 144 Scientific Atlanta 008 017 006 277 Signal 015 040 Signature 011 SL Marx 040 Spectrovision 058 Sprucer 021 307 Standard Components 096 155 Starcom 015 003 047 098 Stargate 040 015 STS 156 Sylvania 001 Tandy 258 Tatung 097 Teknika 146 Telecaption 221 Texscan 001 096 TFC 310 Tocom 013 012 059 Toshiba 000 TV86 063 Uniden 225 Unika 207 153 022 United Artists 007 United Cab...

Page 49: ... mm 12 5 inches deep 318 5 mm Weight 8 8 pounds 4 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 easily ...

Page 50: ...o the signal coming from the component connected to the audio video in jacks on the back LINE1 or front of the VCR LINE2 PAUSE Pauses action for viewing during playback Pauses recording to prevent recording of unwanted scenes PLAY Plays a tape POWER Turns the VCR on or off and stops tape during playback or recording RECORD Starts VCR recording Remote Sensor Receives signals from the remote control...

Page 51: ... PLAY Rotates clockwise RECORD Rotates clockwise D RECORD Pause D Blinks REW Rotates counter clockwise at fast speed SLOW Blinks and rotates clockwise at slow speed STOP ST STEREO Indicator Lights when the station you are tuned to is broadcasting stereo Tape Histogram Indicator Shows the amount of tape used during recording or playback Tape Speed Indicators SP or SLP Show the tape speed Time or Ti...

Page 52: ...ched to this connector OUT TO TV Connector Passes signal to TV using the cable supplied OUT TO CABLE BOX Connector Sends infrared remote signal to the cable box through the cable box adapter supplied for those cable boxes that are remote controlled VIDEO and AUDIO R Right and L Left IN Jacks Receive signals from another component like a VCR or camcorder when it is connected to these jacks Use INPU...

Page 53: ...l 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 into other products or is used for institutional or other commercial purposes A VCR purchas...

Page 54: ...3 or 4 to make sure it matches the channel selected with CH3564 switch on back of VCR Check TV s fine tuning Check video cable connections between VCR and TV monitor Set TV monitor to video input channel Try another tape Some snow streaks are normal during search frame advance slow motion or stop action playback Make sure there is a recording on the tape The time counter does not advance during un...

Page 55: ...top mode Check antenna connections Check Signal Type ANTENNA CABLE CABLE BOX feature See page 8 Channels must be placed in memory using Auto Search Channels feature before channels can be added or removed from channel memory See page 10 Cable channels over 69 can only be selected if Signal Type ANTENNA CABLE CABLE BOX feature is set to CABLE See page 8 Set Auto Play ON OFF feature to ON See page 1...

Page 56: ...er the front edge of the cable box Make sure you have tried all codes for your brand of cable box See page 46 Make sure your TV or VCR is not plugged into the back of the cable box or into a power outlet that is controlled by a light switch Leave your cable box on at all times Check the connections between your TV VCR and or cable box Make sure your TV is set to the channel that allows you to watc...

Page 57: ...annel 3 or 4 whichever number matches the switch on the back of your VCR If you have connected your VCR to your TV using audio video cables use your TV remote control to select the VIDEO input source Make sure that your VCR s channel 3 4 switch matches your Cable box s output channel if you have one Make sure you have a videotape with tape remaining and the safety tab is intact Check the placement...

Page 58: ...pying Tapes Connections 2 6 Counter Time 21 Counter Zero Repeat 20 D Date and Time 9 Date Set 9 DAY Button 14 demo Button 48 Delete Channels from Memory 10 Display Panel 49 Displays 23 Dubbing Tapes 28 Dubbing Tapes Connections 2 6 E Editing Tapes 28 EJECT Button 12 48 EXIT Button 12 14 ENTER Button 12 14 Eject a Tape 16 Erase Channels from Memory 10 F Fast Forward Search 18 Features StarSight 33 ...

Page 59: ... 00 00 18 Index 19 Picture 18 Rewind 18 Skip 19 Second Audio Program 26 Segment Repeat 20 SELECT TV 12 SELECT VCR 12 Selecting De selecting Channels 41 Selection Playback Sound 20 Set Date 9 Set Time 9 Set the time and date 9 Setting Up StarSight 31 SHUTTLE Button 13 Signal Type 8 SKIP Button 13 Skip Search 19 SLP Speed 17 18 SLOW Button 13 Slow Motion 17 SP Speed 17 18 SP SLP Button 13 Specificat...

Page 60: ... any products to the Indianapolis address listed in this manual or on the carton This will only add delays in service for your product For your nearest RCA Dealer or Authorized Servicenter call 1 800 336 1900 Canadian Consumers Your toll free numbers are English 1 800 522 0338 French 1 800 522 0445 To activate StarSight call 1 800 643 STAR For the StarSight Help Desk call 1 800 628 STAR ...