Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic PV-V4611 4-Head Hi-Fi Stereo VCR

First of all, I wish there was an option to not give a star. A product ought to meet minimum performance requirements. This unit doesn't.

I purchased this VCR very excited about its features. I experienced a problem with it putting a yellowish cast along the top of the video. I thought it might be the tape so I put the tape in an older Panasonic VCR and a Sony VCR. The color was not present. I then played the VCR through my RF input thinking perhaps that my new Panasonic TV had faulty video inputs. The same problem happened. I returned the unit and bought another just like it. It too had an identical problem. I dismissed it as a QC problem since the VCRs were made in Malaysia.

I then located a new Panasonic 4620 VCR. It was made in Japan (like the good old days.) The yellow band was gone --- to be replaced by distortion. Vertical lines at the top of the pictures were all slanted almost 90 degrees to the right. The trees in the battle scene from Gladiator looked like someone had taken an axe to them. I exchanged it for another of the same model. Same problem. I went through all of the previous diagnostic routines using the tape in other VCRs and had no problem. I also plugged the unit into my Sony TV. The image was improved but still unacceptable. All images had a slight tilt to the left.

Tracking adjustments did not help me in any of the cases. I gave up and decided to stick with my old 4-head hi-fi Panasonic VCR from 1987 (now only usable in mono). I also ended up taking the new Panasonic CT27D20 television back and exchanged it for a Toshiba 32A50 suspecting that the Panasonic TV shared part of the problem. The Toshiba is great! I also purchased a Panasonic DVD-R65 DVD unit. The Panasonic DVD is a fantastic unit.

I've been a long time Panasonic and Sony fan. But I lost faith in Sony TV quality -- they just don't last long. I'm now wondering about Panasonic. What's puzzling is that their VCRs are rated highest in quality by Consumer Reports. I was very thorough in my analysis. Perhaps I had the 1 in 1,000,000 statistically bad ones. The units were not characteristic of my Panasonic experiences. Nor do my experiences match up with other reviews. The tapes I test were all good ones too.

The Toshiba is a first for me -- so far it, the old Panasonic VCR and the new Panasonic DVD work great together.

I seriously do not know why the people who have reviewed this product have had so many problems with this VCR. I've had mine since last January and have had no problems with it at all. While there's no denying the fact that it is loud, and that the unit is pretty light, this VCR, in my opinion, is pretty close to top of the line. It has good sound and the picture quality is great. The VCRplus+ is also really easy to use too. Just punch in a few numbers and it's ready to go. I also like the remote too. Even though the light feature only illuminates the play, stop, rew., and f.f. buttons, it's just the right size, and it has a very strong sensor (I can hold the remote about 1/2 inch away from a wall, facing the opposite direction, and it still gets a full signal. It's that good.). There's also some other nice features, but I won't get into that. Overall, if you want a nice VCR at a low price, you shouldn't have to look much further than the V4611.

I bought this when the PV-V4521 I wanted wasn't available. Took the unit home, set it up. Then the fun began.

I was able to get it to work with my dish fine. My child wanted to watch a video, so I put one in, then hit rewind. Seconds later it was done, and began to play. It played for 15 seconds, rewound, then stopped. Hrmm. I ejected the tape, the VCR ate it. Oh great. I tried another tape...a new, blank one, the same thing.

I looked online for something about this, and another review site had several folks this happened to. I boxed it up and return it, this time trying my luck with a Samsung VR8160 instead.

The instructions were good, I liked the lighted remote. Installation was easy. Couldn't tell you on how the VCR played, since it was too hungry to play and insisted on eating tapes.

I gave it a 2 because it at least powered up. The menus are easy to navigate, but this tape eating feature...well...I bought this unit to PLAY tapes, and it serves me no purpose if it's going to not do that.

I'd be leery to recommend this one to someone else.

I traditionally buy Panasonic for their great reputation. With this VCR, they lost a loyal customer. It is loud...when playing, recording, or fast-forwarding/rewinding. It feels cheap..light, plastic-y. Remote has a horrible layout - for example, the pause button is in the bottom right corner (about the size of an appleseed), whereas all of the other functions are on the top, middle. Has very few features other than VCRPlus. Picture quality is good on Hi-Fi videos, but only the SP or LP modes are good with recording TV shows. Sound is so-so, although it does do SAP for alternate languages. Overall, I just was really disappointed with this one. If I had to do it again, I'd recommend a JVC in the 100-125 dollar range...very happy with mine.

My old generic brand VCR recently bit the dust just after the 1-year warranty expired. I decided to invest a little more money into a name brand unit this time and I've always heard that Panasonic makes pretty good VCRs.

I have not had any trouble with this unit after 3 weeks of heavy usage. The picture and sound are of good quality on recorded material.

I was not able to set up the auto-clock feature, perhaps because my local PBS station is junk anyway. In any case, what's so hard about setting the clock yourself anyway?

The only complaints I have is the fact that the front of the unit seems a little weak as the plastic feels somewhat cheap, especially the buttons, although I hardly use them as I use the remote more often.

Another complaint is the remote. There are far too many small buttons and I often have a hard time to figure out which one to press at night, even if it is lighted, this can be remedied with a good third-party universal remote.

Overall I am so far satisfied with my purchase, assuming it lasts more than the 13 months that my last generic VCR lasted.