VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER ENGLISH CONTENTS HR-J251MS 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 ...
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.
INSTALLING YOUR NEW RECORDER 1 2 Aerial terminal RF Cable (provided) Back of TV TV Aerial Cable AV Cable (not provided) 3 Mains Power Cord Rear View Mains outlet AUDIO OUT/ VIDEO OUT Connect the power plug to an AC outlet before installing the lithium battery. Z pg. 5 3 It's essential that your video recorder be properly connected. Follow these steps carefully. THESE STEPS MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE ANY VIDEO OPERATION CAN BE PERFORMED.
EN INITIAL SETTINGS Video Channel Set 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. 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.
EN 3 With AV Connection SET VIDEO CHANNEL Set your TV to UHF channel 36. ● If the two vertical white bars appear clearly on the 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.
EN INITIAL SETTINGS (cont.) Auto Set Up Auto Channel Set 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.
EN TV System Kuwait, U.A.E, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Iraq B/G China, Mongolia, Russia D/K Hong Kong 6 I 7 8 9 0 4 7 2 SELECT TV SYSTEM Press PUSH JOG %fi to place the pointer next to the appropriate TV system (refer to the table on the left). START AUTO CHANNEL SET Press OK or PUSH JOG . fi Major Countries ● The Auto Set Up function scans all the channels that are receivable by your recorder.
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. 1 Turn on the TV and select the VIDEO channel (or AV mode). 2 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 4 3 4 2 MENU Press . ACCESS MAIN MENU SCREEN Press MENU. ACCESS FUNCTION SET SCREEN Place the pointer next to "FUNCTION SET" by pressing PUSH JOG %fi, then press OK or PUSH JOG .
EN 9 Select Language Turn on the TV and select the VIDEO channel (or AV mode). ACCESS MAIN MENU SCREEN Press MENU. ACCESS INITIAL SET SCREEN Press PUSH JOG %fi to place the pointer next to "INITIAL SET", then press OK or PUSH JOG . MAIN MENU FUNCTION SET TUNER SET INITIAL SET 4 5 6 ACCESS LANGUAGE SELECT SCREEN Press PUSH JOG %fi to place the pointer next to "LANGUAGE", then press OK or PUSH JOG . fi .
EN 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. Basic Playback Turn on the TV and select the VIDEO channel (or AV mode).
EN 11 Variable-Speed Search PL FF During playback, press PUSH JOG or % 1 ACTIVATE VARIABLE-SPEED SEARCH . % Playback Features AY ● The more times you press, the faster the playback picture moves. ● To decrease speed, press the button for the opposite direction. To resume normal playback, press PLAY. Still Picture/Frame-By-Frame Playback TV PAUSE PR O G REW 1 1 Press PAUSE. If there is vertical jitter, use the TV PROG buttons to correct the picture.
EN 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 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 4 SP/LP/EP C.RESET 1 Press (SP/LP/EP) on the remote to engage manual tracking. 2 Press TV PROG + or – to adjust tracking.
EN Index Search 13 Next Function Memory Your recorder automatically marks index codes at the beginning of each recording. This function gives you quick access to any one of 9 index codes in either direction. £ 2 You can set your recorder's power to go off automatically after the tape is fully rewound. Before starting, make sure the recorder is in the Stop mode. For Automatic Power Off After Tape Rewind . . . . . . press REW, then press within 2 seconds.
EN RECORDING TV signals being received by the recorder’s built-in tuner can be recorded onto a video tape. You can “capture” a TV programme using your video recorder. Basic Recording 1 PLAY COLOUR SYSTEM Turn on the TV and select the VIDEO channel (or AV mode). STOP/EJECT RE CO SP RD /L P/ EP TV PROG 2 3 4 1 SP/LP/EP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 4 NUMBER 2 TV PROG PLAY PAUSE 3 STOP RECORD 5 6 LOAD A CASSETTE Insert a cassette with the record safety tab intact.
EN Record One Programme While Watching Another Recording Features RECORD TV PR O G 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 4 ● The programme selected with the TV’s channel controls appears on the TV screen while the one selected with the TV PROG buttons is recorded on the tape. You can check the exact time of a recording. RESET COUNTER Press C. RESET before starting recording or playback. ● The counter is reset to “0:00:00” and shows the exact elapsed time as the tape runs.
EN RECORDING (cont.) B.E.S.T. Picture System PLAY Turn on the TV and select the VIDEO channel (or AV mode). The B.E.S.T. (Biconditional Equalised Signal Tracking) system checks the condition of the tape in use during recording and playback, and compensates to provide the highest-possible recording and playback pictures. The default setting for both recording and playback is “ON”. Preparation 1 TU RE 2 RECORD 3 Insert a cassette with the record safety tab intact.
EN Recording 1 START RECORDING Press and hold RECORD and press PLAY on the remote, or press RECORD on the recorder. DURING B.E.S.T. B.E.S.T. COMPLETE Playback The recorder assesses the quality of the tape once you initiate playback. 1 START PLAYBACK Press PLAY. ● The recorder adjusts the playback picture quality based on the quality of the tape in use. ● B.E.S.T. is active during Auto Tracking. “BEST” appears blinking on the recorder’s display panel.
EN TIMER RECORDING Express Timer Programming 1 ACCESS TIMER PROGRAMMING SCREEN Press PROG.. (If you’re just starting out, “P1” appears.) ST EM 2 CO LO U R SY 3 G O PR . 4 1 SP/LP/EP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 4 2 TV PROG+/– 5 ENTER PROGRAMME START TIME Press START +/– to enter the time you want recording to start. ● Press and hold START +/– to move in 30minute increments, or press and release repeatedly to move 1 minute at a time. = STOP –:– – SP DATE – –.
EN PR 7 19 RETURN TO NORMAL SCREEN O . G After confirming all information is correct, press PROG. or OK. "PROGRAM COMPLETED" appears on the screen for about 5 seconds, then normal screen appears. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 4 D AI 2 LY ● Repeat steps 1 – 7 for each additional programme. 1 WEEKLY TIMER 8 ENGAGE RECORDER’S TIMER MODE Press TIMER. The recorder turns off automatically and ‰ appears on the display panel. ● To disengage the timer, press TIMER again.
EN TIMER RECORDING (cont.) G .C H EC K Check, Cancel And Replace Programmes PR O 1 1 SP/LP/EP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 4 TIMER CANCEL 2 2 DISENGAGE TIMER MODE Press TIMER, then press . ACCESS PROGRAM CHECK SCREEN Press PROG. CHECK. TV PROG+/– START+/– PR START STOP CH 1 8:00 10:00 3 2 10:00 10:45 2 3 11:30 13:00 1 4 5 6 7 8 [PROG CHECK] : NEXT DATE 24.12 25.12 25.12 P+ O ST /– E+ AT /– D MENU 3 OK PUSH JOG 3 ACCESS PROGRAM SCREEN Press PROG.
EN 21 Auto SP→LP Timer Auto Timer If, when timer-recording in SP mode, there is not enough tape to record the entire programme, the recorder automatically switches to LP mode (with PAL broadcasts) or EP mode (with NTSC broadcasts) to allow complete recording. For Example . . .
EN EDITING You can use your video recorder as the source player and another video recorder as the recording deck. PLAY COLOUR SYSTEM Edit To Another Video 1 Recorder 2 3 4 MAKE CONNECTIONS Connect the player’s AUDIO/VIDEO OUT connectors to the recorder’s AUDIO/VIDEO IN connectors. SET RECORDING DECK’S INPUT MODE Set the recording deck's external input mode. START SOURCE PLAYER Press PLAY on the source player. START RECORDING DECK Engage its Record mode.
EN 23 You can use a camcorder or another video recorder as the source player and your video recorder as the recording deck. Edit From A Camcorder Or 1 Another Video Recorder 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 4 3 4 NUMBER "0" 2 MAKE CONNECTIONS Connect the AUDIO/VIDEO OUT connectors on the camcorder or another video recorder to the front panel AUDIO/VIDEO input connectors on the recording deck. SET RECORDER’S INPUT MODE Press NUMBER key "0" so that "F-1" appears on the display panel.
EN INFORMATION ON MULTI-SYSTEM COMPATIBILITY Setting Of The Colour System Select Buttons Use the COLOUR SYSTEM button on the recorder's front panel to select the colour system. Pressing this button changes the mode as illustrated on the left. The On-Screen display will show which mode is selected. Mode Display AUTO COLOUR SYSTEM NTSC 3.58 Mode Description AUTO (Colour Signal) Usually set to this mode.
EN 25 Playback This recorder can play back all 3 types of recorded tape. Recorded tape PAL HR-J251MS Playback circuit Multi-system receiver PAL MESECAM MESECAM Built-in RFconverter K, I, G NTSC[PAL NTSC PAL (B/G, D/K, I) RF OUT NTSC 3.58 MHz Multi-system monitor Manual switching Manual switching NTSC 4.43 MHz VIDEO OUT AUDIO OUT PAL SECAM NTSC 3.58 NTSC 4.
EN TUNER SET 3 ACCESS TUNER SET SCREEN Press PUSH JOG %fi to place the pointer next to "TUNER SET", then press OK or PUSH JOG . fi Turn on the TV and select the VIDEO channel (or AV mode). MAIN MENU FUNCTION SET TUNER SET INITIAL SET 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 4 [5/∞ ] = [MENU] : EXIT 2 TV PROG 4 SELECT AUTO CH SET MODE Press PUSH JOG %fi to place the pointer next to "AUTO CH SET", then press OK or PUSH JOG .
EN 27 Manual Channel Set Store channels that were not stored during Auto Set Up (Z pg. 6) or Auto Channel Set (Z pg. 26). 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 4 2 MENU 3 OK PUSH JOG 1 2 3 4 Perform steps 1 – 3 of "Auto Channel Set" on page 26. ACCESS CHANNEL LIST Press PUSH JOG %fi to place the pointer next to "CH EDIT", then press OK or PUSH JOG . SELECT POSITION Press PUSH JOG %fi to place the pointer next to an open channel position, then press OK or PUSH JOG .
EN TUNER SET (cont.) Delete A Channel fi Press PUSH JOG %fi to place the pointer next to "CH EDIT", then press OK or PUSH JOG . SELECT CHANNEL CH FRQ SYS CH FRQ 01 150 BG 07 229 02 165 BG 08 237 03 195 BG 09 355 04 205 BG 10 365 05 213 BG 11 374 06 221 BG 12 384 [ 5/∞] = [CANCEL] : DELETE [ 5/∞] = : EDIT [MENU] : EXIT SYS BG BG BG BG BG BG ● To re-store it, simply press . ● Repeat steps 3 – 4 as necessary.
EN 3 Perform steps 1 – 3 of "Auto Channel Set" on page 26. ACCESS CHANNEL LIST Press PUSH JOG %fi to place the pointer next to "CH EDIT", then press OK or PUSH JOG . SELECT CHANNEL TO FINE-TUNE Press PUSH JOG %fi until the channel you want to tune begins blinking, then press OK twice. ● The "FRQ" number for that channel starts blinking. 5 FRQ 229 237 355 365 374 384 SYS BG BG BG BG BG BG Press PUSH JOG %fi until the picture becomes clearer, then press OK or PUSH JOG .
EN TROUBLESHOOTING Before requesting service for a problem, use this chart and see if you can repair the trouble yourself. Small problems are often easily corrected, and this can save you the trouble of sending your video recorder off for repair. POWER SYMPTOM POSSIBLE CAUSE CORRECTIVE ACTION 1. No power is applied to the recorder. ● The mains power cord is disconnected. Connect the mains power cord. 2. The clock is functioning properly, but the recorder cannot be powered.
EN 31 RECORDING SYMPTOM POSSIBLE CAUSE CORRECTIVE ACTION 1. Recording cannot be started. ● There is no cassette loaded, or the cassette loaded has had its Record Safety tab removed. Insert a cassette, or using adhesive tape, reseal the slot where the tab was removed. 2. TV broadcasts cannot be recorded. ● “F-1” has been selected as the input mode. Set to the desired channel. 3. Tape-to-tape editing is not possible. ● The source (another video recorder, camcorder) has not been properly connected.
EN TROUBLESHOOTING (cont.) OTHER PROBLEMS SYMPTOM POSSIBLE CAUSE CORRECTIVE ACTION 1. Whistling or howling is heard from the TV during camcorder recording. ● The camcorder’s microphone is too close to the TV. ● The TV’s volume is too high. Position the camcorder so its microphone is away from the TV. Turn the TV’s volume down. 2. When scanning channels, some of them are skipped over. ● Those channels have been designated to be skipped. If you need the skipped channels, restore them ( Z pg. 27).
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS EN 33 PLAYBACK RECORDING Q. What happens if the end of the tape is reached during playback or search? A. The tape is automatically rewound to the beginning. Q. When I pause and then resume a recording, the end of the recording before the pause is overlapped by the beginning of the continuation of recording. Why does this happen? A. This is normal. It reduces distortion at the pause and resume points.
EN INDEX FRONT VIEW 1 2 3 45 6 POWER COLOUR SYSTEM SP/LP/EP VIDEO AUDIO B.E.S.T. PICTURE 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 9 0 POWER Button Z pg. 5 Cassette Loading Slot COLOUR SYSTEM Button Z pg. 24 Rewind [REW] Button Z pg. 10, 11 PLAY Button Z pg. 10 Fast Forward Button Z pg. 10, 11 VIDEO/AUDIO Input Connectors Z pg. 23 SP/LP/EP Button Z pg. 14 REVIEW TV PROG SP @ ! 9 0 ! @ # $ % ^ # $ % B.E.S.T. PICTURE Button Z pg. 16 B.E.S.T. PICTURE Indicator Z pg. 16 Display Panel Z pg.
EN DISPLAY PANEL 1 2 3 4 5 6 REVIEW SP 7 1 B.E.S.T. Picture System Display Z pg. 17 2 Symbolic Mode Indicators PLAY: VARIABLE SHUTTLE SEARCH: STILL: SLOW: RECORD: RECORD PAUSE: 8 9 3 Tape Speed Indicators Z pg. 14 4 "Timer" Indicator Z pg. 19 5 Channel Display Clock Display 6 Instant REVIEW Indicator Z pg.
EN INDEX (cont.) REMOTE CONTROL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Press and hold TV button while pressing , TV PROG +/–, TV/VCR TV 1 PROG. TV/VCR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8/DAILY 9/WEEKLY 0/AUX CANCEL EXPRESS PROGRAMMING START STOP DATE PLAY REW 9 0 ! @ # $ 4 TIMER C.RESET 2 8 PROG. CHECK TV PROG FF STOP REC PAUSE TV PROG + MENU 3 OK TV VOL TV VOL % ^ & * ( ) q w e r t y u TV PROG – PUSH JOG i 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) q w e r t y u % fi i PROG. Button (Z pg.
SPECIFICATIONS GENERAL Power requirement Rating : Operating : Power consumption : Temperature Operating : Storage : Operating position : Dimensions (WxHxD) : Weight : Format : Maximum recording time (SP) : (LP) (EP) VIDEO/AUDIO Signal system Recording system Signal-to-noise ratio Horizontal resolution Frequency range Input/Output AC 110 – 240 V`, 50/60 Hz AC 090 – 260 V`, 50/60 Hz 18 W 5°C to 40°C –20°C to 60°C Horizontal only 400 x 94 x 277 mm 3.4 kg VHS standard 240 min.
EN HR-J251MS VICTOR COMPANY OF JAPAN, LIMITED COPYRIGHT © 1998 VICTOR COMPANY OF JAPAN, LTD.
