RCA VR501, User Manual

Page 1: ...USER S GUIDE VR501B VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER ...

Page 2: ...l Please fill out the product registration card and return it immediately Returning this card allows us to contact you if needed Keep your sales receipt to obtain warranty parts and service and for proof of purchase Attach it here and record the serial and model numbers in case you need them The numbers are located on the back of the VCR Model No ___________________________________________________...

Page 3: ..._ 15 Slow Motion __________________________________________________ 15 Pause for Stop Action __________________________________________ 16 Frame Advance _______________________________________________ 16 Automatic and Manual Tracking ________________________________ 16 Recording a Program Types of Recordings ________________________________________________ 17 Recording Speeds _____________________...

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: ...provided 2 Plug in power cords of VCR and TV 3 Tune the TV to its video input to watch the VCR Continue to page 7 Continue to page 7 3 Hooking Up the VCR OUT TO TV IN FROM ANT VHF UHF 3 CH 4 IN AUDIO1 VIDEO1 IN OUT OUT Back of VCR Back of TV 300 75 Ohm Adapter OR From Antenna or Cable Cable Antenna OR VHF UHF RF Coaxial Cable supplied 75 to 75 300 Ohm Separator Antenna or Cable System Without a Ca...

Page 6: ...deo Cables Back of VCR A Basic hookup Use this hookup for a simple connection which requires fewer accessories 1 Set the 3CH 4 switch on back of VCR to either channel 3 or 4 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 VCR TV and cable box 4 B Advanced hookup Use th...

Page 7: ...provided 2 Plug in power cords of VCR TV and cable box 3 Tune the TV to its video input to watch the VCR View all pay channels through the VCR Continue to page 7 Continue to page 7 5 Hooking Up the VCR Cable System With Cable Box to Unscramble Only Pay Channels such as HBO Showtime Pay Per View etc OUT TO TV IN FROM ANT VHF UHF 3 CH 4 IN AUDIO1 VIDEO1 IN OUT OUT OUT IN Cable Box From Cable RF Coax...

Page 8: ...h requires fewer accessories 1 Select a hookup from pages 2 through 5 and then modify with this connection 2 Set the 3CH 4 switch on the playback VCR to either channel 3 or 4 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 hookup Use ...

Page 9: ...kups tune the TV to the TV s video input See TV owner s manual for details 4 Turn on the VCR A Press POWER on the remote The POWER and VCR indicators light in the VCR s display panel The TIMER indicator flashes until the time is set 7 Setting Up the VCR Remote Stock No 221347 CLEAR MENU SPEED INPUT F ADV TRACKING STOP PLAY 1 2 3 5 4 6 7 9 8 0 PAUSE SLOW SEARCH REC FF REW CHAN POWER DISPLAY TV VCR ...

Page 10: ... AUTO SEARCH CHANNELS The VCR automatically selects CABLE cable TV or ANTENNA If you need to change the setting manually press 3 6 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 them You must place channels in memory using the AUTO SEARCH CHANNELS feature described above before...

Page 11: ...nge channels using the TV s remote D Return the TV to the VCR viewing channel CH3 or CH4 E Press TV VCR to switch back to the picture from the VCR 9 Set the time and date A Press MENU on remote to display the VCR MAIN MENU B Press 5 to display SET VCR CLOCK The TIMER indicator in the VCR s display panel flashes if the clock is not set C Enter the time and date with the number buttons on the remote...

Page 12: ...time or VCR for a timer recording DISPLAY Shows VCR operating displays on the TV screen Displays the time counter FF Fast Forward Fast forwards the tape when the VCR is stopped Searches the picture in forward motion during playback F ADV Frame Advance Lets you view one frame with each press of the button when tape is in stop action pause INPUT Turns the line input on or off Line input refers to th...

Page 13: ...tween the two channels REC Record Starts VCR recording Used for Express recording See page 18 REW Rewind Rewinds the tape when the VCR is stopped Searches the picture in reverse motion during playback SEARCH Displays ZERO SEARCH menu on TV Advances the tape 60 seconds during playback SLOW Used for slow motion playback SPEED Tape Speed Selects a recording speed SP LP SLP STOP Stops the normal VCR f...

Page 14: ...y 4 Press TRACKING up or down on the remote or the VCR to remove any streaks from the picture if necessary Details are on page 16 5 Press STOP EJECT on the VCR or STOP on the remote 6 Press REW on the VCR or the remote The VCR automatically rewinds the tape if it reaches the end of the tape during playback Also if you press POWER while a tape is rewinding the VCR turns off automatically when the t...

Page 15: ...ape location during playback by fast forwarding or rewinding the tape Sound is turned off during picture search Picture search works best for tapes recorded in the SP or SLP speed No displays appear on the TV screen during search Fast Forward Search 1 Press FF to search forward at a faster than normal speed 2 Press FF or PLAY to return to playback Rewind Search 1 Press REW to search backward at a ...

Page 16: ...is ejected from the VCR For example if you recorded a 30 minute program at the beginning of the tape you would 1 Insert the prerecorded tape 2 Press DISPLAY twice to display only the time counter on the TV screen 3 Press FF to fast forward the tape until 0 30 00 appears in the time counter Press STOP This is the end of the program You can begin recording a new program 4 Press CLEAR to reset the ti...

Page 17: ...g search Commercial Scan SEARCH Button This is useful for scanning commercials or short program segments 1 Press SEARCH once during playback to advance the tape approximately 60 seconds Slow Motion You can view a tape in slow motion during play or play pause Sound is turned off during slow motion playback Slow motion works best in the SP or SLP speed 1 Press SLOW to begin slow motion playback 2 Us...

Page 18: ... view a 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 you view a tape recorded on another VCR Automatic tracking is turned on when 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 VCR or camco...

Page 19: ... in Progress Press STOP on the remote or STOP EJECT on the VCR Basic Recording Operating Instructions To Make a Recording Turn on the TV and tune it to the VCR viewing channel either 3 4 or the TV s video input channel 1 Insert a tape with its safety tab in place 2 If you are using one of the basic hookups make sure the VCR indicator appears in the VCR s display panel If not press TV VCR to turn i...

Page 20: ...eases the time 30 minutes up to 4 hours PLAY STOP EJECT FWD REW RECORD PAUSE POWER TV VCR CHANNEL POWER VCR TIMER RECORD TRACKING RECORD PLAY RECORD LENGTH 0 00 CH 04 Express Recording Display on TV Screen Press Recording RECORD Time 0 30 30 Min 1 00 1 Hr 1 30 1 Hr 30 Min 2 00 2 Hrs 3 00 3 Hrs 4 00 4 Hrs 0 00 Turns Off The RECORD and TIMER indicators appear in the VCR s display panel During record...

Page 21: ...the CABLE BOX SETUP menu 4 Press 1 when the CABLE BOX SETUP menu appears on the screen 5 Press two numbers on the remote to enter the output channel of your cable box Press 0 before a single digit number Valid numbers are 01 13 Press CLEAR on the remote to correct an entry If you connected your cable box to the VCR using the cable box s audio video out jacks press INPUT on the remote to select the...

Page 22: ...Follow the on screen prompts Press CLEAR on the remote to correct an entry If you receive all channels from a cable box and have completed CABLE BOX SETUP the output channel of your cable box and CABLE automatically appears on the menu See page 19 5 Use SPEED on the remote to select a recording speed 6 Press MENU to enter your program A reminder appears You can wait for the message to time out or ...

Page 23: ... or similar component attached to these jacks To timer record from the component connected to the VCR s line input press INPUT on the remote to enter VIDEO IN instead of the channel number on the TV screen during timer programming Stopping a Timer Recording With the VCR Press POWER and then STOP EJECT within a few seconds With the Remote Press POWER and then STOP within a few seconds Recording Whi...

Page 24: ... next segment you want to copy on the playback VCR by using FWD REW and PLAY Press PAUSE on the playback VCR Press PAUSE on both VCRs at the same time to resume copying 9 Press STOP EJECT on both VCRs when you are finished You may turn off the TV after the recording has started as it does not have to be on to copy a tape Caution The unauthorized recording of television programs and other materials...

Page 25: ... 11 2 inches deep 285 mm Weight 8 2 pounds 3 7 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 scr...

Page 26: ...lays a tape Press RECORD and PLAY to start the VCR recording POWER Turns the VCR on or off RECORD Press RECORD and PLAY at the same time to start VCR recording Remote Sensor Receives signals from the remote control Aim the remote at this sensor with no objects between them REW Rewind Rewinds the tape when the VCR is stopped Searches the picture in reverse during playback STOP EJECT Stops the norma...

Page 27: ... OUT and AUDIO1 OUT Jacks Sends signals from VCR to another component like a VCR or camcorder when it is connected to these jacks OUT TO TV IN FROM ANT VHF UHF 3 CH 4 IN AUDIO1 VIDEO1 IN OUT OUT POWER Indicator Lights when the VCR is turned on RECORD Indicator Lights when the VCR is recording TIMER Indicator Shows VCR is set for timer recording when VCR is turned off Flashes when the clock is not ...

Page 28: ...r on Check TV channel selected 3 or 4 to make sure it matches the channel selected with 3CH 4 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 stop action frame advance and slow motion playback Press the TRACKING button on the remote or the VCR to m...

Page 29: ...e was not rewound beforehand VCR was not turned off at the time recording was to start No tape in VCR or cassette s safety tab broken off Clock was not set accurately check AM PM and date See page 9 VCR is removing tape from heads This is normal The head cylinder inside the VCR continues to rotate for a few minutes after you put the VCR in the stop mode Check antenna connections Check Tuning Mode ...

Page 30: ... 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 into other products or is used for institutional or ...

Page 31: ... 16 17 22 24 Pause for Stop Action 16 Pause Recording 17 PLAY Button 10 11 12 13 15 16 17 22 24 Playback Features 13 16 Playing a Tape 12 16 POWER Button 10 11 12 18 21 24 POWER Indicator 7 12 25 PREV CH Previous Channel Button 10 11 Problems Solving 26 27 Product Registration i REC Button 10 11 17 18 22 RECORD Indicator 17 18 25 Recording 17 22 Basic 17 From Another VCR 22 One Program While Watch...

Page 32: ...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 contact your dealer ...