Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic NV HS830BS S-VHS Video Recorder

Faced with the need to replace my ageing, old-style, black plastic Panasonic nicam VCR I wasn't too impressed by the current half-mirrored, shiny silver range, (themes which seem to have been adopted sheep-like by designers everywhere!). However, the style grows on you, and the mirror half-flap hides less frequently used controls and the front AV inputs. Less positively it also obscures the otherwise very good display in all but blackout conditions, and I usually lower the flap whilst in use. On screen displays are, thankfully, very clear and easy to use, and the timer/videoplus functions an absolute doddle.

In use it performs impeccably. Pictures are crisp with rich and accurate colour whether recorded on standard tapes in the S-VHS ET mode, (which I use as default), or using S-VHS on bespoke tapes. As a bonus both modes can record text subtitles, something which I don't think the brochure tells you.

The "normal" mode is more than adequate in standard play or LP, although it is unfair to expect tapes recorded in EP (i.e. x3, giving 12 hours from a 4 hour tape) to reflect the same quality. If it's the difference between recording something or not at least this machine gives the choice!

Audio is similarly good - no frills, just good, and certainly not embarassed by being played through a quality audio system.

So overall, not perfect - the mirror can obscure, the remote could be better laid out, and it is fairly basic. It still gets five stars from me for the ease of use and quality of the results: and just remember, only a very short time ago a VCR of this calibre would have cost more than three times the price.

This VCR is superb! The design is first class. The fantastic mirrored metalic front flap is really smart and the video is rather large and heavier than many on the market making it much more solid and handsome than most. The picture quality when using decent s-vhs tapes is excellent. With the front flap up, the display is darker but still very clear. The menu settings are easy and clear and for added peace of mind, you can input your personal details incase of theft. The remote control also comes with a handy clip for ataching to coffee tables etc. Front and and rear s-video point are also a positive point. If you but this vcr you will love it. Oh and a final point, some of the electronics inside are the very same used on professional equipment costing £5000+

I've been using this machine for a couple of weeks now as part of a HiFi surround sound system..

It has all the features you need, and some you may not have had before, such as high speed re-wind (a 180 tape re-winds completely in about a minute), and extended play. If you want to get twenty-four episodes of Eastenders onto one tape now you can.

Picture quality and sound are of primary importance and this machine delivers both at a quality that is hard to fault. Play back is steady as a rock both on new recordings and old tapes. Favourite old films relegated to the back of the cupboard by the arrival of DVD have been given a new lease of life. Colour and detail, sharpness and contrast are close to off-air quality, sound likewise. It looks good, runs nearly silent, and is easy to set up and operate.

It isn't perfect. The remote is not quite as good as it could have been, and when you try to fast-forward through the adverts it is difficult to cue exactly to the right spot. But that really is nit-picking. I would have no hesitation in recommending this machine...

I love anything Panasonic. Good looking, reliable, sounds great ~ just like me! But this is a review about something far better, the NV-HS830B.
I actually ordered a different machine but the sellers, Hyperfi, very kindly provided me with a much cheaper model, which they rate to be better. Not having used the other one, I can have no opinion on the matter, but this VHS is much sharper than the one of mine it's replacing - the NV-HD640.
This Panasonic VCR actually offers 720 minutes recording time which is quite a bonus. I can't see why people are swapping over to DVD recorders where 360 minutes of recording is the maximum. Since I don't experiment with all that this VCR has to offer, not yet anyway, I can go no further in the praise of this model.
Suffice it to say, long live Panasonic video cassette recorders and a resounding THANK YOU.