JVC HR-J251MS User Manual

VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER

HR-J251MS

Press and hold TV button while pressing
, TV PROG +/–, TV/VCR

PROG.

TV

1

PROG.

CHECK

12 3

5

4

6

TV/VCR

78

9

/DAILY

/WEEKLY

CANCEL

4

0

/AUX

TIMER

C.RESET

EXPRESS PROGRAMMING

2

START

STOP DATE TV PROG

PLAY

REW FF

STOP

PAUSE

REC

TV PROG +

MENU

OK

3

TV VOL

TV VOL

TV PROG –

PUSH JOG

POWER

VIDEO AUDIO

SP/LP/EP

B.E.S.T. PICTURE

REVIEW

SP

TV PROG

INSTRUCTIONS

COLOUR
SYSTEM

PAL NTSC

ENGLISH

CONTENTS

SAFETY FIRST 2

Safety Precautions ...................... 2

INSTALLING YOUR NEW RECORDER 3

Basic Connections ..................... 3

INITIAL SETTINGS 4

Video Channel Set ..................... 4

Auto Set Up ............................... 6

On-Screen Displays ................... 8

Select Language ......................... 9

Clock Set ................................... 9

PLAYBACK 10

Basic Playback ......................... 10

Playback Features ..................... 11

RECORDING 14

Basic Recording ....................... 14

Recording Features .................. 15

B.E.S.T. Picture System ............. 16

TIMER RECORDING 18

Express Timer Programming ..... 18

EDITING 22

Edit To Another Video

Recorder .................................. 22

Edit From A Camcorder Or

Another Video Recorder........... 23

INFORMATION ON MULTI-SYSTEM
COMPATIBILITY 24

TUNER SET 26
TROUBLESHOOTING 30
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 33
INDEX 34
SPECIFICATIONS 37

LPT0139-001B

EN

2 EN

SAFETY FIRST

Safety Precautions

The rating plate and the safety caution are on the rear of the unit.

WARNING: DANGEROUS VOLTAGE INSIDE
WARNING: TO PREVENT FIRE OR SHOCK HAZARD, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS UNIT TO RAIN OR

MOISTURE.

CAUTION

n When you are not using the recorder for a long period of

time, it is recommended that you disconnect the power
cord from the mains outlet.

n Dangerous voltage inside. Refer internal servicing to

qualified service personnel. To prevent electric shock or
fire hazard, remove the power cord from the mains
outlet prior to connecting or disconnecting any signal
lead or aerial.

ATTENTION

1.This recorder can also receive SECAM colour television
signals for recording and playback.

2.Recordings made of SECAM television signals produce
monochrome pictures if played back on another video
recorder of SECAM standard, or do not produce normal
colour pictures if played back on another video recorder
of PAL standard.

3.SECAM prerecorded cassettes or recordings made with a
SECAM video recorder produce monochrome pictures
when played back with this recorder.

POWER SYSTEM

This set operates on voltage of AC110 – 240 V` (Rating),
AC90 – 260 V` (Operating), 50/60 Hz with automatic
switching.

Warning on lithium battery

The battery used in this device may present a fire or
chemical burn hazard if mistreated. Do not recharge,
disassemble, heat above 100°C or incinerate.
Replace battery with Panasonic (Matsushita Electric),
Sanyo, Sony or Maxell CR2025; use of another battery may
present a risk of fire or explosion.

n Dispose of used battery promptly.
n Keep away from children.
n Do not disassemble and do not dispose of in fire.

PAL NTSC

n Only cassettes marked "VHS" can be used with this

videorecorder.

n HQ VHS is compatible with existing VHS equipment.

IMPORTANT

n Please read the various precautions on this page before

installing or operating the recorder.

n It should be noted that it may be unlawful to re-record

pre-recorded tapes, records, or discs without the consent
of the owner of copyright in the sound or video record­ing, broadcast or cable programme and in any literary,
dramatic, musical, or artistic work embodied therein.

The POWER button does not completely shut off
mains power from the unit, but switches operating current

on and off. "
shows ON.

Video tapes recorded with this video recorder in the LP (Long
Play) or EP (Extended Play) mode cannot be played back on a
single-speed video recorder.

Failure to heed the following precautions may result in
damage to the recorder, remote control or video
cassette.

1. DO NOT place the recorder . . .

... in an environment prone to extreme temperatures or

humidity.
... in direct sunlight.
... in a dusty environment.
... in an environment where strong magnetic fields are

generated.
... on a surface that is unstable or subject to vibration.

2. DO NOT block the recorder’s ventilation openings.

3. DO NOT place heavy objects on the recorder or remote
control.

4. DO NOT place anything which might spill on top of the
recorder or remote control.

5. AVOID violent shocks to the recorder during transport.

MOISTURE CONDENSATION

Moisture in the air will condense on the recorder when you
move it from a cold place to a warm place, or under extremely
humid conditions—just as water droplets form in the surface of
a glass filled with cold liquid. Moisture condensation on the
head drum will cause damage to the tape. In conditions where
condensation may occur, keep the recorder turned on for a few
hours to let the moisture dry.

ABOUT HEAD CLEANING

Accumulation of dirt and other particles on the video heads
may cause the playback picture to become blurred or inter­rupted. Be sure to contact your nearest JVC dealer if such
troubles occur.

Auto Head Cleaner

A built-in head cleaner automatically cleans the video heads
and head drum whenever a tape is loaded or unloaded to
reduce head clogging.

" shows electrical power standby and " "

INSTALLING YOUR NEW RECORDER

It's essential that your video recorder be properly connected.
Follow these steps carefully. THESE STEPS MUST BE COM-

Basic

PLETED BEFORE ANY VIDEO OPERATION CAN BE PER­FORMED.

EN 3

Connections

Aerial terminal

RF Cable (provided)

Back of TV

AV-IN terminals

AV Cable
(not provided)

Mains Power
Cord

TV
Aerial
Cable

CHECK CONTENTS

Make sure the package contains all of the accessories
listed in “Specifications” (Z pg. 37).

1

SITUATE RECORDER

Place the recorder on a stable, horizontal surface.

2

CONNECT RECORDER TO
TV

The connection method you use depends on the type
of TV you have.

3

RF CONNECTION

●

To Connect To A TV With NO AV Input Terminals . . .

a– Disconnect the TV aerial cable from the TV.
b– Connect the TV aerial cable to the ANT. IN jack

on the rear panel of the recorder.

c– Connect the provided RF cable between the RF

OUT jack on the rear panel of the recorder and
the TV’s aerial terminal.

AV CONNECTION

●

To Connect To A TV With AV Input Terminals . . .

a– Connect the aerial, recorder and TV as per “RF

CONNECTION”.

b– Connect an optional AV cable between the

AUDIO OUT and VIDEO OUT connectors on the
rear panel of the recorder and the TV’s AV-IN
terminals .

Mains outlet

AUDIO OUT/
VIDEO OUT

Connect the power plug to an AC
outlet before installing the lithium
battery. Z pg. 5

Rear View

CONNECT RECORDER TO
MAINS

Plug the end of the mains power cord into a mains
outlet.

4

ATTENTION

If you have finished all the necessary connections, go to
"Video Channel Set" on page 4, then perform Auto Set Up on
page 6; do NOT press the button on the recorder/remote
control to turn on the recorder's power before you start Auto
Set Up.

4 EN

STOP/EJECT

TV PROG+/–

Video
Channel Set

INITIAL SETTINGS

If you have connected the video recorder to your TV
via the provided RF cable only (RF connection) – Go to
"With RF Connection" below.

If you have connected the video recorder to your TV
via both the provided RF cable and an AV cable (AV
connection) – Go to "With AV Connection" on next
page.

Video Channel (RF Output Channel) is the channel on
which your TV receives picture and sound signals from the
video recorder through the RF cable.

1

12 3
4

7859

2

0

6

4

TV PROG+/–

With RF Connection

IMPORTANT:

Before performing the following steps, make sure the
recorder's power is off and there is no cassette inserted in
the recorder.

ACCESS VIDEO CHANNEL
SET MODE

Hold down STOP/EJECT on the recorder until the
display panel shows the following.

1

SELECT TV SYSTEM

Press TV PROG + or – to set appropriate TV system that
matches the system of TV being used (refer to the table

2

below).

1 : B/G 2 : D/K 3 : I

Major Countries TV System

Kuwait, U.A.E., Indonesia,
Singapore,Thailand, Malaysia,
Iran, Saudi Arabia,
Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Iraq

B/G

3

OK

TEST SIGNAL

The channel on which the screen to
the left appear clearly in step 3 is
your Video Channel.

To view picture signals from the video recorder, set
your TV to the Video Channel.

China, Mongolia, Russia D/K

Hong Kong I

EN 5

SET VIDEO CHANNEL

Set your TV to UHF channel 36.

● If the two vertical white bars appear clearly on the

3

screen as shown in the illustration (Z "TEST SIGNAL"
on page 4), press OK and then go to step 4.

● If the two vertical white bars do not appear clearly,
press OK and then TV PROG + or – to set the video
recorder to a vacant channel between 28 and 60
which is not occupied by any local station in your
area.

(Ex.) If channel 50 is available in your area

Then set your TV to UHF channel 50 and check if the
two vertical white bars appear clearly on the screen; if
so, go to step 4. If not, re-set the video recorder to
another vacant channel and try again.

NOTES:

●

If you set the video recorder to a channel which is
occupied by a local station or has neighbouring
channels that are occupied by local stations, the
picture reception quality will be affected and some
interference noise will appear on the TV screen. Be
sure to select a vacant channel which has no
broadcast on neighbouring channels.

●

If you cannot obtain the two vertical white bars
clearly with any channel between 28 and 60, consult
your JVC dealer.

With AV Connection

IMPORTANT:

Before performing the following steps, make sure the
recorder's power is off and there is no cassette inserted in
the recorder.

ACCESS VIDEO CHANNEL
SET MODE

Hold down STOP/EJECT on the recorder until the
display panel shows the following.

1

SET VIDEO CHANNEL

Press OK, then press TV PROG – until the display panel
shows the following.

2

Now the video channel is set to off (– –).

EXIT VIDEO CHANNEL SET
MODE

Press to finish the setting.

EXIT VIDEO CHANNEL SET
MODE

Press to finish the setting.

3

To view picture signals from the video recorder, set
your TV to its AV mode.

4

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○

Be sure to connect the power plug to an AC outlet first
before installing the lithium battery; otherwise, the
battery's service life will be drastically shortened.

A

Installing/Removing the lithium battery

1 Make sure that the power plug is connected to an AC outlet

and turn off the VCR power.

2 Open the battery cover while pressing the release tab as

illustrated.

3 Insert a lithium battery with the plus (+) side up and push it in.

● To remove the lithium battery, press the latch A down-

ward using a pointed non-metallic object, then pull out
the lithium battery.

4 Close the battery cover until it clicks in place.

6 EN

Auto Set Up

Auto Channel Set

Before starting, make sure of the following:

● The TV aerial cable should be connected to the recorder.

● The recorder's mains power cord should be connected to

a mains outlet. Z pg. 3

● The "Video Channel Set" procedure should be done first
and the TV should be set to its AV mode (with AV
connection Z pg. 5) or video channel (with RF
connection Z pg. 4).

INITIAL SETTINGS (cont.)

The Auto Set Up function simplifies installation by guiding you
through the procedures of setting the language, clock and tuner
channels — simply follow the on-screen menus that appear
when the button is first pressed to power on the recorder
after you plug the mains power cord into a mains outlet.

IMPORTANT

● Don't press any buttons on the recorder or remote that
are not directly related to the step you are performing
while Auto Set Up is in progress.

● If you perform Auto Set Up successfully during installa­tion, there's no need to separately perform the Language
Select, Clock Set or Channel Set procedures, but if
adjustments become necessary they can be performed as
follows:
– To change the selected language Z pg. 9
– To reset or adjust the time Z pg. 9
– To add/delete channels manually Z pg. 27
– To reset the tuner after moving to a different location

Z pg. 26

PERFORM AUTO SET UP

Press .

● The Language Select screen appears.

1

MENU

OK

1

12 3
4

7859

2

3

0

6

4

PUSH JOG

SELECT LANGUAGE

Press PUSH JOG %fi to place the pointer next to your
desired language (English or Russian), then press OK or

2

PUSH JOG .

● The Clock Set screen appears.

fi

SET TIME

Press PUSH JOG %fi to
set the time, then press OK

3

or PUSH JOG .

● Press and hold either
button to delay or
advance the time by 30
minutes.

fi

TIME DATE YEAR
0:00 01.01 98

[5/∞] =
[MENU] : EXIT

SET DATE

Press PUSH JOG %fi to set the date, then press OK or
PUSH JOG .

4

● Press and hold either button to change the date by 15
days.

fi

SET YEAR

Press PUSH JOG %fi to set the year, then press MENU.

5

CLOCK SET

EN 7

Major Countries TV System

Kuwait, U.A.E, Indonesia, Singapore,
Thailand, Malaysia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, B/G
Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Iraq

China, Mongolia, Russia D/K

Hong Kong I

789

4

0

2

3

OK

PUSH JOG

SELECT TV SYSTEM

Press PUSH JOG %fi to place the pointer next to the
appropriate TV system (refer to the table on the left).

6

START AUTO CHANNEL
SET

Press OK or PUSH JOG .

● The Auto Set Up function scans all the channels that

7

are receivable by your recorder. It then automatically
assigns each receivable channels to the TV PROG
buttons. It skips non-receivable channels.

● As Auto Set Up progresses, the "
screen moves from left to right. (See below.)

fi

" mark on the

DO NOT press any button on the recorder or remote control while Auto Set Up is in progress.

AUTO CH SET

PLEASE WAIT

START FINISH

During Auto Set Up

"PLEASE WAIT" blinks on the screen and "Auto"
blinks on the front display panel.

When Auto Set Up is completed, the lowest position
number will appear on the front display panel.

TV Screen

NOTES:

●

If you perform Auto Set Up when the aerial cable is not connected properly, "SCAN COMPLETED -NO SIGNAL-" appears on
the screen. When this happens, make sure of the aerial connection and press OK; Auto Set Up will take place again.

●

If there is a power cut, or if you press or
turn off the recorder power once and try again.

●

If you want to set the tuner manually such as to add or skip channels, to swap channel positions, or to fine-tune channels,

Z

pg. 27–29.

●

If no sound accompanies the picture on some channels that have been stored by Auto Set Up, the TV system setting for those
channels may be incorrect. Select the appropriate TV system for those channels. Z "TV System Selection – When you see the
picture but hear no audio" on page 29.

MENU

while Auto Set Up is in progress, Auto Set Up will be interrupted; be sure to

8 EN

INITIAL SETTINGS (cont.)

You can choose whether or not to have various operational
indicators appear on screen, by setting this function ON or OFF.

On-Screen
Displays

Turn on the TV and select the VIDEO channel (or AV mode).

1

12 3
406

7859

4

2

MENU

OK

3

PUSH JOG

TURN ON THE RECORDER

Press .

1

ACCESS MAIN MENU
SCREEN

Press MENU.

2

ACCESS FUNCTION SET
SCREEN

Place the pointer next to "FUNCTION SET" by pressing

PUSH JOG %fi, then press OK or PUSH JOG .

3

ENABLE/DISABLE
ON-SCREEN DISPLAY

The default setting is
“ON”, so if you want on-

4

screen displays, leave the
setting as it is and go to
step 5. If you don’t want
the displays to appear,
press PUSH JOG %fi to
place the pointer next to
"O.S.D." and press OK or
PUSH JOG to set to "OFF".

fi

RETURN TO NORMAL

Press MENU.

AUTO TIMER OFF
O.S.D. ON
B.E.S.T. ON
AUTO SP=LP TIMER OFF

[5/∞] =
[MENU] : EXIT

fi

FUNCTION SET

5

NOTES:

●

When you use this recorder as the player for editing, be sure
to set "O.S.D." to "OFF" before starting.

●

During playback, the operation mode indicators may be
disturbed depending on the type of tape being used.

The superimposed indication on the TV screen tells you what the recorder is doing.

1– Operation mode indicators
2– Channel position number/Aux. indicator (F-1)
3– Cassette loaded mark
4– Clock display
5– Current day/month/year
6– Tape direction
7– Tape position indicator (Z pg. 13)
8– Counter display
9– Colour system indicator (Z pg. 24)
10– Tape speed SP/LP/EP

2
4

5

7

3

1

PR. 12 ]SP
21 : 00 MESECAM

24. 12. 98

++

0

q6

+

–1 : 23 : 45

+

10
9

6

8

Select Language

Turn on the TV and select the VIDEO channel (or AV mode).

EN 9

TURN ON THE RECORDER

Press .

1

ACCESS MAIN MENU SCREEN

Press MENU.

2

ACCESS INITIAL SET SCREEN

Press PUSH JOG %fi to
place the pointer next to

3

"INITIAL SET", then press
OK or PUSH JOG .

fi

FUNCTION SET
TUNER SET
INITIAL SET

[5/∞] =
[MENU] : EXIT

MAIN MENU

Clock Set

Turn on the TV and select the VIDEO channel (or AV mode).

TURN THE RECORDER ON

Press .

1

ACCESS MAIN MENU SCREEN

Press MENU.

2

ACCESS INITIAL SET SCREEN

Press PUSH JOG %fi to place the pointer next to
"INITIAL SET", then press OK or PUSH JOG .

3

ACCESS CLOCK SET SCREEN

Press PUSH JOG %fi to place the pointer next to
"CLOCK SET", then press OK or PUSH JOG . The

4

Clock Set screen appears.

INITIAL SET

CLOCK SET
LANGUAGE

[5/∞] =
[MENU] : EXIT

TIME DATE YEAR
0: 00 01 . 01 98

[5/∞] =
[MENU] : EXIT

fi

CLOCK SET

ACCESS LANGUAGE SELECT
SCREEN

Press PUSH JOG %fi to place the pointer next to
"LANGUAGE", then press OK or PUSH JOG .

fi

4

SELECT LANGUAGE

Place the pointer next to the language of your choice
(English or Russian) by pressing PUSH JOG %fi, then

5

press OK or PUSH JOG .

RETURN TO NORMAL SCREEN

Press MENU.

fi

6

SET TIME

Press PUSH JOG %fi to set the time, then press OK or
PUSH JOG .

5

● Press and hold either button to delay or advance the
time by 30 minutes.

SET DATE

Press PUSH JOG %fi to set the date, then press OK or
PUSH JOG .

6

● Press and hold either button to change the date by 15
days.

fi

SET YEAR

Press PUSH JOG %fi to set the year.

fi

fi

7

START CLOCK OPERATION

Press MENU.

8

NOTE:

If the year digits are automatically cleared, it is possible that you
have input 29th February for a non-leap year. Input the correct data.

10 EN

PLAY

STOP

STOP/EJECT

FF

PLAY

REW

COLOUR SYSTEM

Basic

PLAYBACK

The easiest, most basic operation possible with your video
recorder is tape playback. Already-recorded signals on a video
tape are read by your video recorder and displayed on your TV
just like a TV programme.

Playback

Turn on the TV and select the VIDEO channel (or AV mode).

1

12 3
4

7859

0

6

4

LOAD A CASSETTE

Make sure the window side is up, the rear label side is
facing you and the arrow on the front of the cassette is

1

point toward the recorder. Don’t apply too much
pressure when inserting.

● The recorder power comes on automatically and the
counter is reset to 0:00:00.

● Select the appropriate colour system by pressing the
COLOUR SYSTEM button. (Z pg. 24)

● If the record safety tab has been removed, playback
begins automatically. (Z pg. 14)

FIND PROGRAMME START
POINT

If the tape is advanced past the start point, press REW.
To go forward, press FF.

2

START PLAYBACK

Press PLAY. “BEST” appears blinking in the recorder's
display panel during automatic tracking. (Z pg. 16)

3

STOP PLAYBACK

Press STOP on the remote or STOP/EJECT on the
recorder’s front panel. Then press STOP/EJECT to

4

remove the cassette.

Usable cassettes

2

FF

REW

3

● Compact VHS camcorder recordings can be played on
this video recorder. Simply place the recorded cassette
into a VHS Cassette Adapter and it can be used just like
any full-sized VHS cassette.

● This video recorder can record on regular VHS and
Super VHS cassettes. However, it will record and play
back regular VHS signals only. It is not possible to play
back a recorded Super VHS tape.

Variable-Speed Search

FF

PLAY

PAUSE

TV PROG

PLAY

EN 11

Playback
Features

REW

1

12 3
4

7859

2

0

6

4

ACTIVATE VARIABLE-SPEED
SEARCH

During playback, press PUSH JOG or .

● The more times you press, the faster the playback

1

To resume normal playback, press PLAY.

Still Picture/Frame-By-Frame
Playback

picture moves.

● To decrease speed, press the button for the opposite
direction.

%

%

PAUSE DURING PLAYBACK

Press PAUSE. If there is vertical jitter, use the TV PROG
buttons to correct the picture.

1

ACTIVATE FRAME-BY-FRAME
PLAYBACK

Press PAUSE.

OR

2

Press PUSH JOG or .

To resume normal playback, press PLAY.

Slow Motion

%

%

REW

3

FF

PAUSE

PUSH JOG

ATTENTION

In the search, still, slow-motion or frame-by-frame
playback mode,

● the picture will be distorted.

● the noise bars will appear.

● there will be a loss of colour with an LP-recorded tape.

ACTIVATE SLOW-MOTION
PLAYBACK

During still picture, press and hold PAUSE for 2
seconds, then release. Press and release again to return

1

to still picture.

OR

During still picture, press and hold PUSH JOG or .
Release to return to still picture.

To resume normal playback, press PLAY.

%

%

High-Speed Search

ACTIVATE HIGH-SPEED
SEARCH

During playback or still, press FF for forward high­speed search, or REW for reverse high-speed search.

1

To resume normal playback, press PLAY.

NOTE:

For short searches, press and hold FF or REW for over 2 seconds
during playback or still picture. When released, normal
playback resumes.

12 EN

PLAY

STOP

PLAYBACK (cont.)

Manual Tracking

Your video recorder is equipped with automatic tracking
control. During playback, you can override this and adjust the
tracking manually by pressing the TV PROG buttons.

1

REVIEW

SP/LP/EP

C.RESET

REW

12 3
4

7859

2

3

0

6

4

TV PROG

FF

PAUSE

PUSH JOG

OVERRIDE AUTOMATIC
TRACKING

Press (SP/LP/EP) on the remote to engage manual
tracking.

1

ADJUST TRACKING
MANUALLY

Press TV PROG + or – to adjust tracking.

2

RETURN TO AUTOMATIC
TRACKING

Press (SP/LP/EP) on the remote to re-engage
automatic tracking.

3

NOTE:

When a new tape is inserted, the recorder enters the automatic
tracking mode automatically.

Repeat Playback

Your video recorder can automatically play back the whole tape
50 times repeatedly.

START PLAYBACK

Press PLAY.

1

ACTIVATE REPEAT
PLAYBACK

Press PLAY and hold for over 5 seconds, then release.

● The Play indicator ( ) on the display panel blinks

2

slowly.

● The tape plays 50 times automatically, and then
stops.

STOP PLAYBACK

Press STOP at any time to stop playback.

3

NOTE:

Pressing PLAY, REW, FF or PAUSE also stops Repeat Playback.