Home > Consumer Reviews > JVC HRJ692U 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR , Black

I too purchased this VCR thinking that I was getting a good bargain. I guess the lousy 90 day warranty from JVC should have raised red flags right away, because from day 1, I had problems with this machine. The setup went OK, but every time I went to eject the tape, the machine would suck it back in and start the playback again. No major problem, I just had to hurry up and grab the tape as soon as it came out so it wouldn't get sucked back in... Obviously a design flaw somewhere in the cage mechanism. Anyway, jump ahead two months... With just one month to go until the warranty expires, the problems start. The On-Off button started to work sporadically. Sometimes the unit just wouldn't power on, other times it wouldn't stay shut off. I also noticed that the Hi-Fi sound started acting up. Thought it might be dirty heads, so I ran a cleaner through the machine which seemed to help somewhat, however that's when the unit started to eat my tapes! Then one day out of the blue, the unit just suddenly stopped in the middle of a movie, shut down and refused to power up again! (and my tape is still inside). This lemon of a machine couldn't even keep the right time on the clock! It's in the junk pile as I write this. I should also mention that this thing was a nightmare to program and the hard-to-follow remote control was ridiculously designed with a LITHIUM battery(?). I've totally given up on VCR's since they're all mostly junk now. I'm slowly phasing out my videotape collection anyway as the VHS format enters its twilight.

It doesn't really matter what make or model you buy anymore, it's all pretty much junk nowadays. whether it's made by Sony/Panasonic/Toshiba/JVC/Zenith/RCA, etc, almost all of these companies are designing substandard products with a short lifespan now. Just watch these items literally self-destruct once the warranty period is up. Call it planned obsolescence. The quality of most consumer electronics really went downhill after manufacturers started outsourcing to Mexico, China, Malaysia, etc... It's pure garbage. Basically, whoever can supply the parts for the cheapest, or build it for the cheapest gets the contract! Back when Panasonic still built their machines in Japan, they would last you over 10+ years, if not longer. Not anymore. Sony, JVC and Panasonic (among others) have lost the trust of many former customers. (just read the reviews on Panasonic DVD players-a whole other story) I've been through 3 VCR's in the past 5 years, and I've had it. We've become such a "throw-away" society. Getting the item fixed makes little sense because it will cost you more to repair than it would to just go out and buy a new one. (which is exactly what the manufacturer wants you to do). It's high time that these companies are held responsible for their actions by knowingly selling defective, shoddy merchandise to the unsuspecting public. Until we, as consumers, demand better quality products, we're just gonna keep on being a victim of this "throw-away" society that only we ourselves helped to create! I'm fed-up, disgusted and downright sick and tired of buying junk every 3-6 months from EVERYONE. I might as well stick with the Wal*Mart stuff!

This thing is such a peice of junk and now I read all these reviews and realize they are all that way. I bought it because I needed a second VCR and my RCA that I had for about 5 years stopped working. Plus I am sick of all the ugly silver electronics so this being black and having the clock also, was a perfect choice. Ok JVC seems like a good brand name and I paid about $80 for this from walmart.com
The first one was scrambling the picture on recordings so I exchanged it for another one. Now this one here , the clock wont keep the right darn time, and the power button sometimes wont work so you have to unplug the thing to get it to work, and then you have to go through resetting all your timer record programs because it didnt save anything.Never mind how complicated it is to set up your timer record. I consider myself to be pretty electronically literate but this thing is ridiculous.Your finger is just about numb by the time you are done punching all those buttons and then if you forget to hit timer- you have to start all over again!!!!
By the way I have had this for about 34 days and and I will scream like hell if they dont let me return this thing.
DONT BUY THIS VCR-I have had $40 cheap brands that work better!
So if you see some crazy perosn in Walmart, screaming at the clerk, trying to return this VCR , let me know you read my review!!!!LOL.

If some one had told us that a company like JVC would produce a piece of junk like their VCR-HR J692/U, I wouldn't have believed it. This unit is to electronics what the Yugo was to automobiles.
I didn't expect a lot for $80.00 and the unit met those expectations 100%. We are on our second replacement as the clock mechanisim won't keep time, making programming a recording session impossible. The clock can be off anywhere between 10 minutes to several hours. This second replacement works no better. If JVC had any class, they would recall this unit. It will be the last JVC product our humble home will ever accept. (even at no cost)

I bought the JVC HR-J692 VCR in March 2004 to replace an older model that had died after six years of faithful service. Four months later...my new VCR is dead. I just got off the phone with the warranty service center and learned that the labor cost to fix the VCR will be roughly $200. Now I know why JVC only offers a 90 day warranty on labor. I asked the service center to return the dead VCR to me so that I can use it for target practice. Based on the other ratings that I have read on this model, I would think carefully before buying this product.

This is the second JVC VCR I have purchased in the last two years. I am extremely satisfied with the picture quality on playback for this particular model, even in EP mode. The only reaon I gave four stars instead of five is because there is some background noise that can be distracting. If you use the simple tracking method though, I found it could be corrrected in most cases. I have two DVD players which of course are wonderful, but I still have those VHS tapes & of course I like to be able to record programs. I can't quite afford a DVD recorder yet & if you can't either, for the price, I think this VCR is a good bargain--easy setup, remote easy to use, programmed recording easy to learn. It's a good deal. Whatever you do, stay away from Panasonic VCR's. They were great years ago but definitely not the same quality they once were. I had to return one after one week because it ate a brand new tape. Good Luck & happy shopping.