NEC VCRs
Les Eastman
VCRs:
Model # DX-5000U - Digital Hi-Fi VHS VCR - has Hi-Fi stereo and linear Dolby
stereo. Suggested retail price $1349.00; their price $499.
Model # DX3500 - Hi-Fi HQ VCR. Suggested retail price $1149.00; their price
$449.
Model # N968U - Hi-Fi VCR. Suggested retail price $899.00; their price $399.
All are described as "Factory serviced, but like new." I interpret this to
mean that there was something wrong when purchased and the original
purchaser exchanged them for another one and these were repaired so they
have never been used.
All come with a warranty of 90 days labor, 1 year for heads and 2 years
other parts.
Does anyone have any comments, pro or con, on the merits of these machines
and are these good prices?
Jeff White
I almost bought a 5000U from another discount firm, Damark (for same $499
price). It ended up being out of stock, and a sale at a local store a month
later I got the 8000U (plus S-VHS, minus linear stereo).
I haven't looked too closely at other decks currently available, but looking
bad, I should have. The 5000 has some impressive features, but unfortunately,
it's video performance leaves a lot to be desired. It has BY FAR the most
video noise of any deck I've ever seen, even $200 bottom of the line decks.
Use of their digital noise reduction is necessary to achieve even an acceptable
picture.
Jeff White
je...@eniac.seas.upenn.edu
Joel Broude
> The NEC 5000 has some impressive features, but unfortunately,
> it's video performance leaves a lot to be desired. It has BY FAR the most
> video noise of any deck I've ever seen, even $200 bottom of the line decks.
> Use of their digital noise reduction is necessary to achieve even
> an acceptable picture.
How many NEC 5000's did you look at before you deduced they
are all bad? I did A/B comparisons between the NEC 5000 and two
Mitsubishi U51's. The NEC was as good as or better than
the Mitsu's in all respects, without using the video filters,
and they had many more features, such as linear stereo (in addition
to HiFi), three-stage video noise reduction, Dolby, variable
HiFi record levels, VU meters, ...
Quality control at NEC isn't very good, and I had to bring my
unit in to get the heads properly adjusted. But, then, Mitsu's
reputation for quality control is not at its peak, either.
It may be, as Jeff suggests, that the NEC's now for sale are ones that
were returned because they were off-spec, but they are now fine.
Lawrence Fan
In article <900406140...@crdec7.apgea.army.mil>, lrea...@CRDEC7.APGEA.ARMY.MIL (Les
I do have a lot of trouble with it:
1) power supply gone in a few months, fixed under warranty but took over 1
month.
2) tuner not in top shape; I got noise when using the VCR's tuner vs when
using my TV's tuner the picture is very clear.
3) lots of noise on show taped from TV (partially because I have a bad tuner
, I guess). Now the picture starts to roll and when I called NEC, I was
immediately quoted over $100 for new tape guides. :-(
Does anybody have similar experience?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lawrence Fan Bell Communications Research
la...@cellar.bae.bellcore.com Phone: (201)-699-5026
Room 4D-506 444 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08873
Marshall Rose
I've had a DS8000U (S-VHS, video noise reduction, etc.) for about two years now.
Never a bit of trouble and excellent in terms of playback (particualrly
for freeze and slow motion). But, nothing compares to LDs, so these days,
the deck is used only for playing friend's tapes...
/mtr