Operating Guide and Warranty for your new Zenith Entertainment Machine Models VRA211 VRA411 VRA421 thanks for choosing zenith
RECORD YOUR MODEL NUMBER (Now, while you can see it) The model and serial number of your new VCR are located on the back of the VCR cabinet. For your future convenience, we suggest that you record these numbers here: SAFETY TIPS: Refer to the “Safety Tips” leaflet that came with your product for Important Safety Instructions. MODEL NO.____________________________________ SERIAL NO.
I N S TA L L AT I O N VCR Features Chart FEATURES VRA211 VRA411 VRA421 SpeakEZ Function X X X 2-Heads X N/A N/A N/A X X Full Load/Quick Start X X X Auto Head Cleaner X X X Audio System Monaural Monaural MTS Hi-Fi Stereo Audio/Video (A/V) Jacks Monaural Monaural Stereo Remote Control SC411 X X X Auto/Manual Band Select X X X Auto/Manual Channel Search X X X 181 181 181 Record Speeds SP/EP X X X Playback Speeds SP/LP/EP X X X Auto Playback System X X X
PAGE 4 Required connections for your VCR I N S TA L L AT I O N Connections for your VCR Connections Without a Cable Box Antenna Flat Wire (300 ohm) Back Panel of Stereo VCR R-AUDIO-L OUT CH3 CH4 IN VIDEO OUT IN 300/75 ohm Adaptor (Not provided) OR ANT IN VHF/UHF/CATV OR Cable TV Wall Jack OUT TO TV Back Panel of Typical TV IN IN OUT OUT VHF/UHF/CATV R AUDIO L ANT IN VIDEO This cable is provided with your VCR. Turn off power or unplug VCR before making any connections.
I N S TA L L AT I O N Connections for your VCR Optional connections for your VCR Audio/Video (A/V) Connections to TV Use A/V connections for a better picture. Back Panel of Typical TV Back Panel of Stereo VCR R-AUDIO-L CH3 CH4 ANT IN VIDEO OUT OUT IN IN VHF/UHF/CATV OUT IN R-AUDIO-L OUT VHF/UHF/CATV IN VIDEO ANT IN OUT TO TV Turn off power or unplug VCR before making any connections. A/V cable is not provided with VCR.
PAGE 6 Things you must do before you can operate your VCR I N S TA L L AT I O N Before you operate your VCR CLOCK MENU AUTO DAYLIGHT SAVING:ON 1 ON 2 OFF MANUAL CLOCK SET: 3 Press number keys QUIT = exit PROGRAM 1 MONTH : DAY : START : STOP : CHANNEL : SPEED : REPEAT : ( 1 - 8 ) to select program ENTER to adjust program CLOCK SETUP MENU AUDIO MENU AUTO PROGRAM: CH.
I N S TA L L AT I O N Before you operate your VCR Things you must do before you can operate your VCR Point remote toward VCR How to Access Menus 1. Press MENU to see Main Menu. power eject 2. Press NUMBER (1, 2, 3, or 4) to see desired sub menu to be used. quit menu ch enter quit menu memory enter 3. Press NUMBER to choose desired option to be changed. pause rew 4. Press QUIT to exit menu, or wait a few minutes and the VCR returns to normal operation.
PAGE 8 Some things you must do and others you may want to do before you can operate your VCR I N S TA L L AT I O N Before you operate your VCR 5 Set Date and Time for Clock (Required) Set the clock in the VCR to the current date and time. See CLOCK Menu for details. You must set the clock before you can use any timer-controlled VCR features, for example, TIMER recordings.
I N S TA L L AT I O N Before you operate your VCR 9 Select Other Menu Options You may not want to have the clock in your VCR adjusted automatically for Daylight Saving Time. Refer to Clock Menu for details. Press 1. SpeakEZ CLOCK TIMER SETUP AUDIO : : : : 1 2 3 4 Press number keys QUIT = exit Press number keys QUIT = exit MAIN MENU Show or hide the VCR status on your screen by using the ON-SCREEN DISPLAY option on the SETUP menu. We recommend keeping this option ON. See the SETUP menu for details.
PAGE 10 Descriptions of items you need to know to operate your VCR. C O N T R O L S A N D D I S P L AY S Front Panel Diagram Front Panel Controls These controls perform basic VCR operations. The Remote performs basic as well as advanced VCR operations. POWER On/Off Button Cassette Compartment Channel Up/Down Selector Stop/Eject Selector zenith stop/eject play ch rew f fwd power power cst.
C O N T R O L S A N D D I S P L AY S VCR Status Displays Current mode of operation (STOP, PAUSE, RECORD, PLAY, etc.
A quick list of all the buttons on your remote control and what they do. O P E R AT I O N The Buttons on Your Remote CH (▼/▲) — Changes favorite channel list. Also selects AUX A/V input channel. CM SKIP — Fast forwards picture search through 30 seconds of recording. EJECT — Ejects the tape in the VCR. Turns VCR On/Off power eject Chooses Tape Recording Speed ENTER — Programs menu options and shows VCR display. Enters a Menu F FWD (Fast Forward)—Advances tape rapidly.
O P E R AT I O N Main Menu CLOCK MENU AUTO DAYLIGHT SAVING:ON 1 ON 2 OFF MANUAL CLOCK SET: 3 Press number keys QUIT = exit PAGE 13 Introducing you to the Main Menu selections PROGRAM 1 MONTH : DAY : START : STOP : CHANNEL : SPEED : REPEAT : ( 1 - 8 ) to select program ENTER to adjust program CLOCK SETUP MENU AUDIO MENU AUTO PROGRAM: CH.
PAGE 14 The Clock Menu sets the clock in VCR to the current time. O P E R AT I O N Clock Menu How to Access Auto Daylight Saving This VCR can adjust the clock automatically for Daylight Saving Time. 1. Press MENU to see Main Menu. 2. Press 1 to see Clock Menu on the Main Menu. 3. Press 1 to choose ON on the Clock Menu. Note: We recommend that you set the clock using the MANUAL method the first time you use your VCR. See MANUAL option for details.
O P E R AT I O N Timer Menu The TIMER Menu tells the VCR when to record a program on a day and at a time you specify You can specify eight different events to be recorded in a one-year period.
PAGE 16 The SETUP Menu customizes the VCR’s operation for your particular needs. O P E R AT I O N Setup Menu SETUP MENU Choose SETUP Menu as described in “How to Access Menus.” AUTO PROGRAM: CH. ADD/DEL: SOURCE: ON-SCREEN DISPLAY: LANGUAGE SELECT: 1 2 3 4 5 Press number keys QUIT = exit AUTO PROGRAM Finds all active channels and stores them in the VCR’s memory for access by Channel Up/Down. Press 1 to begin search. CH. ADD/DEL Edits the channels found by AUTO PROGRAM.
O P E R AT I O N Audio Menu The AUDIO Menu indicates the audio format used when recording or playing a tape. Choose AUDIO Menu as described in “How to Access Menus.” Press ENTER (and repeat) to choose items in the menu (some models). AUDIO MENU SpeakEZ: ON 1 ON 2 OFF PLAYBACK: RECORD: Press number keys then ENTER QUIT = exit SpeakEZ Turns SpeakEZ ON or OFF. A voice tells you how to use the features you select in the menus if SpeakEZ is ON. (ON is recommended.
PAGE 18 This page shows a typical video system and explains how to select channels.
O P E R AT I O N Camcorder Connected to VCR This page describes how to connect a camcorder to your VCR. Back Panel of Stereo VCR R-AUDIO-L CH3 CH4 VIDEO OUT OUT IN IN ANT IN VHF/UHF/CATV OUT TO TV Turn off power or unplug VCR before making any connections. A/V cable is not provided with VCR. Select AUX for Viewing an Audio/Video source like a Camcorder 1.
PAGE 20 This page explains the basics of playing tapes in your VCR. O P E R AT I O N Playing Tapes Automatic Playback (No Safety Tab) 1. Tape playback begins automatically, if the safety tab is removed from the cassette case. For example, most rental movies have no safety tab. Simply insert the prerecorded VHS cassette into the VCR. Power turns on and playback begins. play power stop/eject VCR’s Controls 2. Select the channel 3 or 4 at the TV.
O P E R AT I O N Playing Tapes This page explains how to use the remote to play tapes on your VCR. Auto/Manual Tracking Adjustment Your VCR adjusts tracking automatically when you play a tape. If the tape was recorded on a different VCR, streaks (video noise) may appear. While the tape is playing, press TRACKING (▼/▲) to adjust the tracking manually. Real-Time Tape Counter Press ENTER twice to keep the tape counter on the TV screen. Press ENTER repeatedly to remove all displays.
PAGE 22 Recording what you are watching on TV. O P E R AT I O N Instant Recording Options You Can Use While Recording Instant recording lets you record until you reach the end of tape or you press STOP to stop recording. power sp/ep sto p rec/itr 1. Turn TV and VCR on. 2. Place VCR in VCR mode by pressing TV/VCR on the remote repeatedly until the VCR indicator appears in the VCR front panel. tv/vcr Remote's Controls power sp/ep 3. Select channel 3 or 4 at the TV.
O P E R AT I O N Instant Recording Recording using preset time periods. Preset Time Periods for ITR Recording. Note: Preset recording time counts down until the recording time is over. power sp/ep Turn TV and VCR on. 2 Place VCR in VCR mode by pressing TV/VCR on the remote repeatedly until the VCR indicator appears in the VCR front panel. 3 Select channel 3 or 4 at the TV. If you have connected your VCR to the TV’s A/V input jacks, select the A/V source at the TV for a better picture.
PAGE 24 Recording one show while watching another. O P E R AT I O N Instant Recording Note: If you have a cable box connected to your VCR, you cannot record one show and watch another. power sp/ep tv/vcr sto p rec/itr Choose the show you wish to record using the VCR’s channel selector. Choose the show you wish to watch using the TV’s channel selector. 1 Turn TV and VCR on. 2 Place VCR in VCR mode by pressing TV/VCR on the remote repeatedly until the VCR indicator appears in the VCR front panel.
O P E R AT I O N Recording While You’re Away SpeakEZ CLOCK TIMER SETUP AUDIO : : : : 1 2 3 4 Press 2 Press number keys QUIT = exit PROGRAM 1 MONTH : DAY : START : STOP : CHANNEL : SPEED : REPEAT : ( 1 - 8 ) to select program ENTER to adjust program MAIN MENU PROGRAM 8 MONTH : DAY : START : STOP : CHANNEL : SPEED : REPEAT : ( 1 - 8 ) to select program ENTER to adjust program TIMER MENU for Program 1 Timer-controlled recording lets you record shows unattended.
PAGE 26 Some quick and easy tips to fixing problems yourself. T R O U B L E S H O OT I N G Troubleshooting Before Calling for Service Please refer to this chart before calling for service. First, turn on the TV and VCR. Select appropriate input for the TV to receive the video signal from the VCR. You will probably use the Antenna In connection to the TV. Select channel 3 or 4 at the TV.
T R O U B L E S H O OT I N G Troubleshooting Some quick and easy tips to fixing problems yourself. Channel Tuning Problems Observed Condition Possible Cause Probable Solution Some channels are skipped over when using Channel Up/Down. Those channels were deleted with the CH. ADD/DEL option. Use CH. ADD/DEL to restore channels. See SETUP Menu for details. Picture and sound are weak or missing. Antenna or cables are loose. Tighten connections or replace cable. Wrong SOURCE option is being used.
PAGE 28 Some quick and easy tips to fixing problems yourself. T R O U B L E S H O OT I N G Troubleshooting Moisture Condensation Moisture condensation can occur: In locations where moisture condensation may occur: • When the video recorder is moved from a cold place to a warm place. • Keep the power cord plugged into an AC outlet and POWER On. This will help prevent condensation. • Under extremely humid conditions • When condensation has occurred, wait a few hours for the VCR to dry before using it.
INDEX Index FEATURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE Audio Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Auto Channel Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 16 Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5, 19 Ch. Add/Del. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 16 Clock Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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N OT E S Notes PAGE 31 Use this page to makes notes.
Your Zenith Limited Warranty VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER OR PLAYER Welcome into the Zenith family! We believe that you will be pleased with your new Zenith Entertainment Machine. Please read this warranty carefully, it is a “LIMITED WARRANTY” as defined under Federal Law. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights that vary from state to state within the U.S.A.
