RCA VG2051 Owner’s Manual

WARNING

To reduce risk of fire or shock hazard, do not

expose this product to rain or moisture.

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK). NO USER SERVICEABLE

RISKOFELECTRICSHOCK PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE

DO NOT OPEN PERSONNEL.

This symbol indicates _ voltage" inside the product that

important instructions _ presents a risk of electric shock or

accompanying the product, personal injury.

This symbol indicates "dangerous

Cautions

Caution: To reduce the risk of electric shock, match the wide blade of plug to wide slot, and fully insert.

Attention: Pour eviter les chocs electriques, introduire la lame la plus large de la fiche dans la borne correspondante de la prise et pousser jusqQ au fond.

Refer to the identification/rating label located on the back panel of your product

for its proper operating voltage.

FCCRegulations state that unauthorized changes or modifications to this

equipment may void the user's authority to operate it.

Cable TV Installer: This reminder is provided to call your attention to Article 820-40 of the National Electrical Code (Section 54 of the Canadian Electrical Code,

Part 1) which provides guidelines for proper grounding and, in particular, specifies that the cable ground shall be connected to the grounding system of the building as close to the point of cable entry as practical.

Care and Cleaning: Use a soft cloth or the dusting attachment of your vacuum cleaner to dust

yourVCR. Remove dust from the ventilation holes.

Plastic surfaces are easily scratched and can be marred by alcohol and

various solvents. Avoid excessive use of oil-based furniture polishes since the materials used in the cabinet will accumulate more dust. A

nonabrasive, antistatic cleaner/polisher is recommended.

Product Registration

Please fill out the product registration card and return it immediately. Returning the 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 product.

ModemNo. VG2051

Serial No.

Purchase Date:

Dealer/Address/Phone:

First Things First ................................................................ S

Setting Up the VCR ........................................................... 7

Using Menus to Set Up Features ..................................... 8

Language Selection ....................................................... 8

Cable Box Setup ............................................................. 9

VCR Channels List ........................................................ 10

Auto Channel Search ............................................. 10

To Change the Signal Type ................................... 11

Adding or Removing Channels ............................. 12

Time and Date ................................................................. 12

Auto Clock Set Feature ................................................ 12

Setting the Time Zone ............................................ 13

Setting Daylight-Saving Time ............................... 14

Set the Time and Date Manually ........................... 14

Additional Set-Up Features in the

PREFERENCES Menu ................................................... 15

Remote VCR1/VCR2 Option ......................................... 16

Auto Play ....................................................................... 16

EnergySaver ................................................................. 17

Front Panel Brightness (VCR Display) ........................ 17

Preferred Tape Speed .................................................. 17

VCR Basics ......................................................................... 19

Remote Buttons .............................................................. 20

Playing a Tape ................................................................. 21

Automatic Rewind .......................................................... 22

Tape Eject ......................................................................... 22

Recording ........................................................................ 22

Check the Safety Tab .................................................... 22

Recording ........................................................................... 23

Recording Features ......................................................... 24

Express Recording (XPR) ............................................. 24

Timer Recording ........................................................... 25

Stopping a Timer Recording ....................................... 26

Reviewing and Clearing Programs ............................. 26

Using Two VCRs For Copying and

Editing Tapes ....................................................... 27

Other Features .................................................................. 29

Picture Search Options ................................................... 30

Forward and Reverse Search ...................................... 30

Slow Motion ................................................................. 30

Frame Advance ............................................................ 30

Index Search ................................................................. 31

Go-To Search ................................................................ 32

Commercial Scan (SEARCH Button) ........................... 32

Tracking ............................................................................ 32

Pro-Tect Plus Locking Feature ........................................ 33

Time Counter ................................................................... 33

On-Screen Displays ........................................................ 34

Connections ...................................................................... 35

Connecting Your VCR ..................................................... 36

Jacks and Cables .......................................................... 36

RF Jacks and Coaxial Cables (F-type) ................... 36

Audio/Video Jacks and Cables (RCA-type) ........... 36

Choosing a VCR Connection ...................................... 37

Advantages of Audio/Video Cable Connections ........ 37

TVwith RF Jack Only ............................................. 38

TV with Audio/Video Jacks .................................... 39

TV with Audio/Video Jacks and Cable Box to

Unscramble Pay Channels Only ................... 40

Reference ........................................................................... 41

Front Panel ...................................................................... 42

Display Panel ................................................................... 43

Back Panel ....................................................................... 44

How to Find Your TV's Video Input Channel ................. 45

Troubleshooting Tips ...................................................... 46

Specifications .................................................................. 49

Cleaning the VCR ............................................................ 49

Limited Warranty ............................................................ 50

Index .................................................................................... 51

Welcome to your new VCR...

To help you get started using your VCR with as little reading as possible, we've put all the basic

information needed in the first three sections.

To help you along, there's even a QuickSet Guide the first time you turn on your VCR, which walks you

through several set-up steps at once.

Getting Started

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Before this first step, though, learning about the time and date, your remote control's features, working with channels, and basic video tape operations are essential to get all you can out of the VCR. Once you are comfortable with these

features, feel free to refer to other sections because they cover the more detailed information.

What Remains?

The final sections of this manual contain

playback and recording information, a detailed connections section, and a reference section including troubleshooting tips, warranty information, and an

index.

These note boxes give you tips for READ ME! ]

your new video cassette recorder.

Step 1: What's In the Box?

The following items come packed in the box:

• VCR

• Remote control

• RF coaxial cable

Step 2: Install Batteries In the

Remote Control

Follow these steps whenever you need to install or change the batteries in your VCR's remote.

1. Remove the cover of the battery compartment.

2. Place the batteries into the remote's back panel. Match the positive (+) and negative (-) ends of each battery to the

diagram inside the battery compartment.

3. Replace the cover.

Step 3: Connect Your VCR

If you connect your VCR to your home antenna or cable system and then to your TV, use the VCR's ANT. IN and RF OUT jacks for a good signal as shown to the right.

If you have a TV with AUDIONIDEO jacks, use the jacks for a

better connection. Refer to the section, Connections, toward the back of the manual, for additional connection options.

Step 4: Plug In the VCR

Your VCR's power cord has a plastic band strung through the

blades. Remove plastic band before plugging the cord into the power outlet. To remove band, cut with a pair of scissors and pull it free of the blades. Once the plastic is removed, match

the wide blade of the power cord to the wide slot in the AC outlet. Be sure to insert the plug completely.

CABLE, CABLE BOX, OR ANTENNA_'_ _'_

VCR

Step 5: Tune the TV

Tune the TV to the VCR viewing channel. The VCR viewing channel

is channel 3 or 4 or the TV's video input.

• If you connect your VCR using the ANT. IN and RF OUT connectors with RF coaxial cable, set the 3 CH. 4 switch to

3 or 4--the channel you want to use on your TV.

If you connect your VCR using the AUDIO/VIDEO jacks with audio/video cables, select the TV's video input with the TV's remote to see the signal. See page 45 for more

information about your TV's Input Channel.

Step 6: Turn On the VCR

Press POWER on the VCR's front panel or VCR on the remote to turn on the VCR. The first time you turn the VCR on, a menu screen appears. This is the start of a QuickSet Guide which helps you pick different options for your VCR.

Step 7: Using the QuickSet Guide

The QuickSet Guide is an automated procedure that helps you set

up your VCR. The first time you turn on your VCR, the first screen of the Guide appears.

Select a language. Seleccione un idioma.

Choisissez une langue.

1 English 2 Espafiol

3 Francais

1. Press 1 for English, 2 for Espafiol(Spanish), or 3 for Frangais (French).

The remaining menus throughout the set up will appear in the chosen language. Just follow the step-by-step procedures until setup is complete.

If the menu does not appear:

VCR Viewing Channel

ANZ IN

0VIDEO AUDIO

f 2N o

/ I

AUDIO/VIDEO OUT Jacks 3 CH, 4 5witch

When using the ANT. IN and RF OUT jacks to connect your VCR, tune your

TV to channel 3 or 4. The 3 CH 4 switch on the back of the VCR

determines which TV channel is used to see the VCR's output.

When using the AUDIO/VIDEO jacks to connect your VCR, tune your TV to the TV's Video Input Channel with

the TV's remote control. For more information about selecting your

TV's Input Channel, see page 45.

• Make sure the TV is tuned to the same channel as the 3 CH. 4 switch or its video input (see page 45 for more information).

• Make sure the VCR indicator is on in the VCR display if you connected your VCR using the ANT. IN and RF OUT jacks.

• Check your connections.

If you choose to set up your VCR options individually, then go to

the next section.

Step 8: Access the Menus

The MENU and number buttons on the remote let you access, select, and change your VCR's preferences. For example, to select

a different preferred on-screen language than the one you selected during the initial set up, do the following:

1. Press MENU to display the VCR MAIN MENU.

VCR MAIN MENU

1 Timer Recordings 2 Time

3 Channels 4 Preferences

5 Language

0 Exit

2. Press 5 to display the LANGUAGE menu.

LANGUAGE

Select a language.

1>English 2 Espanol

3 FranFais

Press MENU to continue

Press 1 for English, 2 for Espafiol(Spanish), or 3 for Frangais (French).

All other on-screen menus are worked within similar ways

using the remote control to follow on-screen instructions.

See Additional Set-Up Features in the next section for detailed information about accessing menus.

Next Section: Learn VCR's Menus

Once you understand how to move around through menus, go to the next section to set up the individual features of your VCR.

Additional Set-up Features

Below is a list of features that need to be set up before using your VCR for the first time. Many

of these menus are covered during the initial set

up, but if you ever want to change a menu, refer

to this section.

SETTING UP THE VCR

• Language

• Cable Box Set Up

• VCR Channels List

(Auto Channel Search)

• Auto Clock (Set Time Zone and

Daylight-Saving Time)

• Manual Clock Set

• Remote VCR1/VCR2

• Auto Play

• EnergySaver

• Front Panel Brightness

• Preferred Tape Speed

Using Menus to Set Up Features

You can set up your VCR's features by using the remote control's buttons to enter your choices from on-screen

instructions. Each menu item is explained in this section. For each numbered selection on the menus, use the same

numbered button on the remote control to select it.

Language Selection

If you did not complete this step in the previous section using

the QuickSet Guide, it is time to select your preferred

language. Once this step is complete, all on-screen displays

will appear in that language.

1. On your remote control, press the MENU button to display the VCR MAIN MENU.

VCR MAIN MENU

1 Timer Recordings 2 Time

3 Channels 4 Preferences

5 Language

0 Exit

2. Press 5 to select the LANGUAGE menu.

LANGUAGE

Select a language.

1>English 2 Espanol 3 FranFais

Press MENU to continue

Press 1 for English, 2 for Espafiol (Spanish), or 3 for Frangais (French). An arrow indicates the selection you've made. Once you have made your choice, press MENU on

the remote to continue back to the VCR MAIN MENU.

Cable Box Setup

This set up applies only when all channels are received through a cable box. In this case, the VCR will automatically enter the channel used to view cable box programming. Your VCR will

use this channel for all future timer recordings.

1. Press MENU to display the VCR MAIN MENU.

VCR MAIN MENU

1 Timer Recordings 2 Time

3 Channels 4 Preferences

5 Language

0 Exit

2. Press 3 to display the CHANNELS menu.

CHANNELS

1 Auto Channel Search 2 Add/Remove Channels

3 Signal Type: CABLE 4 Cable Box Setup

0 Exit

3. Press 4 to display the CABLE BOX SETUP screen. Then select one of the three choices.

CABLE BOX SETUP

Do you use your cable box to receive ALL

channels or only SOME channels?

1 ALL channels 2 Only SOME channels

3 Cancel setup

If you selected ALL Channels, enter the output channel

of your cable box (usually 03 or 04), or press the INPUT

button on the VCR's remote to select the VCR's video input

channel if you used the AUDIO/VIDEO jacks.

Choosing the Right Setup for Your Cable Box

If you use your cable box to receive: ALL channels- enter two numbers for

the output channel of your cable box

or press INPUT if you connect your cable box with AUDIO/VIDEO jacks.

Only SOME channels- choose this option if you only use the cable box

to unscramble premium channels.

Cancel setup will take you to a screen stating your VCR will not control the cable box channel during timer recordings.

CABLE BOX SETUP

On what channel does the VCR receive signals

from the cable box? (usually 3, 4, or Video)

Enter 01-13 or INPUT Press MENU to cancel

CABLE BOX SETUP

On what channel does the VCR receive signals

from the cable box? (usually 3, 4 or video)

Press CLEAR to correct Press MENU to continue

5. Once you complete the setup, the VCR confirms that the VCR will now receive all signals on the designated channel.

CABLE BOX SETUP

The VCR will now receive all signals

from the cable box on channel 04.

Press MENU to continue

VCR Channels List

If you use a cable box for all channels, this step is not necessary.

Your VCR may come with a channel list preset at the factory,

but you may want to add or delete some channels depending

on whether they are active.

Auto Channel Search

1. Press MENU to display the VCR MAIN MENU.

VCR MAIN MENU

1 Timer Recordings 2 Time

3 Channels 4 Preferences

5 Language

0 Exit

2. Press 3 to display the CHANNELS menu.

CHANNELS

1 Auto Channel Search 2 Add/Remove Channels

3 Signal Type: CABLE 4 Cable Box Setup

0 Exit

3. Press 1 to display the AUTO CHANNEL SEARCH menu.

AUTO CHANNEL SEARCH

What type of signal are you using?

1 Cable TV 2 Antenna

3>Detect Automatically

0 Cancel

4. Select one of the three AUTO CHANNEL SEARCH options, your choice will be marked with an arrow symbol at the left:

• Cable TVsearches for cable stations from a single channel

• Antenna searches for local broadcast stations on all channels

• Detect Automatically will make this decision for you

AUTO CHANNEL SEARCH

Now scanning channel 14

Press any key to cancel

The VCR begins scanning for the available channels--this takes about one to two minutes. When the scan is complete,

the VCR tunes to the lowest channel number available. At this point, pressing CHAN up or down should only select the

active channels.

To Change the Signal Type

1. Press MENU to display the VCR MAIN MENU.

2. Press 3 to display the CHANNELS menu.

3. Press 3 to change the Signal Type between CABLE and ANTENNA.

Adding or Removing Channels

You may want to add or remove channels after you Auto Channel Search, especially if some of the channels have weak signals or you don't want to watch them.

Press MENU to display the VCR MAIN MENU.

Press 3 to display the CHANNELS menu.

Press 2 to display the ADD/REMOVE CHANNELS screen. Use CHAN up or down or number buttons to go to the channels you want to remove or add.

ADD/REMOVE CHANNELS

Channel 115

is presently ADDED

Press CLEAR to remove Press MENU to exit

ADD/REMOVE CHANNELS

Channel 115 is presently REMOVED

Press INFO to add Press MENU to exit

4. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish this set up.

Time and Date

The VCR gives you two ways to set the time and date: the Auto Clock Feature or manually. The Auto Clock Feature enables the VCR to update the clock each time the VCR is turned off. The Auto Clock is advantageous because it updates the time for you automatically.

Before you set the time and date, set the Auto DST (Daylight-

Saving Time) feature to ON or OFF for your area.

Auto Clock Set Feature

The Auto Clock Set feature is set to ON at the factory. In the ON setting, the VCR looks for a channel carrying XDS (Extended

Data Services) information. XDS updates the clock using the

Selecting Channels

The Channel up and down buttons access those channels active in your

VCR channel list. You can still access channels not in

the channel list by using the

number buttons on the remote.

Coordinated Universal Time. There are certain steps that are

required, such as Auto Channel Search, setting the Time Zone,

and Daylight Saving feature before the Auto Clock feature works.

Setting the Time Zone

1. Press MENU on the remote to display the VCR MAIN MENU.

VCR MAIN MENU

1 Timer Recordings 2 Time

3 Channels 4 Preferences 5 Language

0 Exit

2. Press 2 to display TIME menu.

1 Set Time and Date 2 Auto Clock Set: ON 3 Set Time Zone

4 Set Daylight Savings

XDS Time Data was found on channel 20.

0 Exit

TIME

3. Press 3 again to display the SET TIME ZONE menu.

SET TIME ZONE

What is your Time Zone?

I Eastern

2 Central 3 Mountain

4 Pacific

5 Alaska

6 Hawaii 7>Automatic

Press MENU to continue

4. Select your time zone. If you select Automatic for your time zone, the VCR sets the

clock using the first Coordinated Universal Time information

it finds. If the time is not correct, select another time zone or

set the time and date through the menu system.

Auto Clock Information

With a cable box, the VCR will not

reset the clock after a power outage unless the cable box is turned on to

the channel carrying the XDS signal.

If Auto Clock Set is unsuccessful, try tuning the VCR (or cable box) to a channel carrying the broadcast

information (usually PBS), then turn the VCR off. If the time does not set

within ten minutes, set the time and

date manually through the menu. Check your local cable system or TV

stations for availability of channels with XDS.

Setting Daylight-Saving Time

1. Press MENU to display the VCR MAIN MENU.

2. Press 2 to display the TIME menu.

3. Press 4 to display the SET DAYLIGHT SAVINGS menu.

SET DAYLIGHT SAVINGS

Does your area observe Daylight Savings Time

from April to October?

1 Yes. DST is observed 2 No

3>Automatic Press MENU to continue

4. Select one of the options.

• DST is the acronym for Daylight Saving Time.

• If you chose AUTOMATIC, the VCR sets the clock using the DST information broadcast in the signal (channel).

Set the Time and Date Manually

If the Auto Clock Set was unsuccessful, set the clock through the menu option. The Auto Clock Set feature is set to OFF

automatically when you set the clock this way.

1. Press MENU to display the VCR MAIN MENU.

VCR MAIN MENU

1 Timer Recordings 2 Time

3 Channels 4 Preferences 5 Language

0 Exit

2. Press 2 to display the TIME menu.

1 Set Time and Date 2 Auto Clock Set: ON 3 Set Time Zone

4 Set Daylight Savings

XDS Time Data was not found

0 Exit

TIME

Spring Forward; Fall Backward

In the Spring, daylight-saving time begins on the first Sunday in April.

Because the clock automatically changes from 2:00 AM to 3:00 AM

(forward one hour), remember to include the extra hour for timer

recording falling within this time frame.

In the Autumn, daylight-saving time ends on the last Sunday in October. The VCR clock automatically changes from 2:00 AM to 1:00 AM

(back one hour). Therefore, it can affect your recording length.

3. Press 1 to display the SET TIME AND DATE menu.

SET TIME AND DATE

Time --:--

(hh:mm)

Date --/--/--

Press MENU to cancel

4. Enter the data using the number buttons. Press 0 before single-digit numbers and follow the on-screen directions.

SET TIME AND DATE

Time 12:34 PM

Date 11/18/99 Thursday

Press CLEAR to correct Press MENU to set

Additional Set-Up Features in the

PREFERENCES Menu

The features in this section are all accessed through the

PREFERENCES menu.

1. Press MENU to display the VCR MAIN MENU.

VCR MAIN MENU

I Timer Recordings

2 Time 3 Channels 4 Preferences

5 Language

0 Exit

2. Press 4to display the PREFERENCES menu.

Pressing INFO on the remote displays the time and date on the

_me/Date Display ] screen.

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