Another great Toshiba VCR!
Pros:
Light weight, compact, easy setup, and reasonably priced.
Cons:
Short startup noise when inserting and ejecting video cassette.
The Bottom Line:
Overall the pros definitely outweigh the cons. Even though the unit has a small irritable startup noise when inserting or ejecting a video cassette, the neat features make that insignificant.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
When my 12-year-old Toshiba M-651C VCR finally decided not to turn on one day, and after figuring it would probably cost more to repair the unit than to replace it, I began to search for a new one. My search ended when I noticed that my local Zellers retail store was advertising the Toshiba W522CF for less than $100 Canadian. Feeling that my old Toshiba VCR had been reliable in the past and the fact that I heavily used it to record and playback not only TV programs/movies off the air, but also video camera monitoring sessions and music playback. When I first picked up the box I immediately noticed how light and smaller it was. In comparison, my old one is longer, wider, and weighs like a boat anchor.
Anyway when I returned home, I opened the box and quickly read through the owner's manual to see if there were any special instructions in installing the unit. And as expected it was a straight-forward procedure. After placing the unit where the old one formerly resided, I inserted the polarized plug into the power bar receptacle. I noticed immediately that the VCR front panel display had a flashing "AUTO." The manual explained that the VCR was attempting to find a TV station signal that can synchronize and set the VCR clock. What a nice feature!
After powering up the unit, I began to review the TV stations and noted that some provided information for the VCR to pick up such as the station identification and the current program currently broadcasting. I was impressed.
When I inserted a prerecorded video cassette into the unit I noticed that, similarly with my old unit, the machine would produce these mechanical sounds as the video cassette is settling into place. My old unit would make these very distinct sounds for a few moments but with this new model, it would make fewer sounds but would end with a startup "grind." I found that surprising.
Upon pressing play, the video cassette would start almost instantly and soon followed an on-display automatic tracking bar that indicates to you that the cassette is attempting to be played at its optimal video tracking position. Definitely a plus compared to my old one where it would be guess work as I would determine the optimal position by manually pressing the tracking buttons (on either the remote control or on the unit itself). For the new unit, if manual tracking is required, only buttons are available on the remote control.
Recording TV programs works just as expected by doing so manually or by using the timer feature. Manual recording can be initiated from either the remote control or from the unit itself.
The Toshiba W522CF VCR has two line input ports (one set at the back and one at the front next to the display panel) instead of the one I have with the old VCR. That is really handy if you would rather plug the RCA cables in the back for a permanent unit such as another VCR (for tape-to-tape dubbing) and the port set at the front is perfect for temporarily connecting camcorders or other portable recording units to the VCR. For the port set at the front I would prefer to have a closing panel (as my old VCR has) to hide the ports and it would give the VCR an overall complete look. The front display is a great improvement (larger green LED characters) over my old one where I would sometimes be squinting to read the numbers.
