The PV-9450 impressed us with its simplicity; we took it out of the box, connected an antenna and TV, and plugged it in. We then followed the initial on-screen setup instructions and, by itself, the unit found the active broadcast channels and even set its clock. We played a prerecorded tape and found the picture to be crisp and sharp. The PV-9450's audio was rich and full, characteristic of hi-fi stereo.

Another interesting feature of the PV-9450 is a time stamp, which, at the beginning of a videotape, displays the time and date of your recording and the channel from which it was recorded. A tape-position display shows how close you are to the beginning or end of a tape.

The remote control, unlike the VCR, is a bit bulky, and its many buttons get in the way of the few you'll use most of the time. Of course, it is a universal remote, and, as such, must sacrifice some design elegance.

If the most important features to you are 4-head picture quality and hi-fi stereo sound, then Panasonic PV-9450 is a sensible choice.

Pros:

• Universal remote works with most TVs and cable boxes
• 4 heads for a clear picture
• Hi-fi stereo for great sound

Cons:

• Limited feature set

Panasonic offers a number of resources to keep the picture clean and clear. The digital autopicture and digital autotracking features adjust the picture quality to reduce static, shaky pictures, and other onscreen distractions. You also get manual tracking controls on the remote and the front of the unit. The V-lock control adjusts the picture when you are using the freeze-frame mode.

Getting started with the PV-V4022 is simple. The VCR will automatically program all available TV channels into memory, and set the clock the first time you plug it in. The onscreen menu allows you to refine the setup by setting recording preferences and preferred channels. The multilingual menu lets you control the PV-V4022 in your choice of English, French, and Spanish.

The PV-V4022 allows you to review your videotapes in a number of ways. In addition to variable speed fast-forward and reverse options, the index and program-end search functions allow you automatically jump ahead or back to selected points on the tape. A one-touch commercial skip option allows you to quickly jump ahead up to three minutes on the tape.

You'll find a number of automated features on the PV-V4022. Inserting a cassette in the VCR will trigger an autoplay function, and once the end of the tape is reached, the PV-V4022 will rewind and eject the tape for you. An autorecord function lets you tape programs with one-touch, and a timer feature lets you schedule recording in advance.

For households with small children, the VCR lock feature can shut down almost all operations, except for timer recording and tape eject. A universal remote is also included to operate your PV-V4022 VCR as well as your TV.

Front-panel A/V input jacks make it easy to hook up camcorders or other components. The PV-V4022 also features a rear-panel composite-video input.

This model's four-head design ensures smooth slow-motion play (forward and reverse) and clear still-frame images, and with hi-fi sound the unit records and plays back stereo audio tracks. If you route the stereo output to an AV receiver, you can even enjoy four-channel (left, center, right, and monaural surround) Dolby Pro Logic mixes from TV and Dolby-encoded cassettes. The SLV-N700's dual-azimuth construction uses two pairs of recording heads rather than one, each optimized for a specific mode (one for SP recording, the other for EP), while 19-micron heads deliver the clearest possible picture when recording or viewing in EP (extended-play) mode.

For setup, a single button calls up an onscreen menu to guide you through VCR setup, including parameters for features like menu language select, satellite receiver or cable-box control setup, and auto tuner presets. The VCR automatically marks the tape with an index signal at the point where each recording begins so you can easily scan back to the start of a recording using these signals as a reference.

VCR Plus+ simplifies programming, as it lets you set the VCR to record programs based on common PlusCode numbers found in the TV listings of over 600 newspapers andTV Guide--no more worrying about start and end times for your most frequently recorded shows. ChildLoc circuitry keeps small hands from going where only tapes belong. With the handy one-hour timer back-up, the VCR saves timer data for up to one hour in the event of a power loss. The unit comes with a multi-brand TV/VCR remote control.

The HR-A591U's 4-head design gives you crystal-clear pause and slow-motion effects, and its dual-azimuth construction uses 2 pairs of recording heads rather than 1, each optimized for a specific mode (one for SP recording, the other for EP). Pro-Cision 19-micron heads deliver the clearest possible picture when recording or viewing in EP (extended-play) mode.

Front-panel audio/video jacks grant easy access when connecting a camcorder, a video game console, or an extra VCR. One-month, 8-event programming, 1-touch recording, and a full-function remote make scheduling and operation a breeze.

Thanks to Panasonic's "Dynamorphous" recording heads, pictures held up well even when blown up on a big-screen projection TV and when recording on the slowest (SLP) speed. Hi-fi soundtracks (of action flicks and new concert video compilations) came across full bodied and clean.

The onscreen operating menu is another big help in getting the show up and running. It works smoothly with Panasonic's Light Tower remote, which hosts big buttons that glow in the dark when you hit the Light Bulb button.

Trick play features are decent on this economically priced VCR. We loved the 1 Minute button, which skips through a 60-second commercial in just eight seconds while offering video scanning onscreen. The PV-9451 has only one fast-forward/reverse speed and one slow-motion speed. In addition, this VCR offers index searching and scanning that pauses at the start of each recording segment on a tape. You can also call up an onscreen program index that shows the time, date, channel, and type (optional) of every timed recording made on a tape, as long as the cassette is in the machine. You can record brief index notes at the opening of tape segments.

We have one minor complaint about this VCR: Panasonic's fine-edged recording/playback heads for the SLP mode are excellent if you are watching a slow-speed recording, but they sometimes mistrack when you are watching super long play (SLP) recordings made on older decks. However, standard play tapes--including prerecorded rental tapes--were excellent.

Pros:

• Excellent video and sound quality
• Easy-to-use remote, onscreen menu, and VCR Plus+ features
• 1-button commercial skip

Cons:

• Tracking problems with some tapes made on other machines
• Cabinet is smaller than "standard" 17-inch-wide components