JVC HR-S2901 S-VHS VCR

I decided to try out an S-VHS unit,and this JVC was the cheapest. My JVC HR-VP680U has served me well for 3 years,and I expected the same from this one. My first shock was the weight of the unit,approx. half as much as the VP-680U! You might want to secure it so you don`t push it off the table inserting a tape! Installation and setup was straightforward,and will be familiar to former/current JVC users. The plug and play,as usual,may,or may not work,depending on signal source. You`ll be better off setting it up manually. The orange display was a welcomed change from the traditional blue. Another unwelcomed change was the removal of the tape counter from the clock display. In order to view tape position you must keep the superimpose feature turned on,and view it via the on screen display. You can leave it permanently displayed on the screen,or you can constantly press "display" when you want to view it,an annoyance either way. The tuner picture is crisper if you use the S-Video hookup. I tried a new Maxell professional HI-FI 160 tape to test the S-VHS ET feature. The unit promptly "ate" the tape and shut down on the first try! After obtaining a replacement unit,the picture,and sound quality is indeed superior. There is a 7 second delay while the unit adjusts itself for the best picture,and it works great. As with most low end VCR`s today,the build quality is suspect. Be very gentle with it.