Summary:
This review is for PV-8670K. I had this machine just over 2 years. It is now "eating" the tapes. New tapes or rental tapes doesn't matter. Also, the alignment has problem too. Like my Panasonic DVD,(check the DVD in the DVD section) the quality of this company had gone down hill since 3 years' ago. The front of the machine has"Made in Japan" sticker. Now. it reminds me of the the Japanese products about 30 years age. Will not buy Panasonic anymore. The service guy at Panasonic Depot told me it will take about over $100+ to fix the problem. I am going for another brand now.

Strengths:
Price

Weaknesses:
quality is poor.
Macrovision made the picture look fuzzy.

Price Paid:  $275.00 from Crutchfield

Summary:
The picture quality and detail of SVHS tapes is very good to great.
Tapes recorded on other machines look even better and brighter on the Panasonic. And the picture detail appears fine. Where this machine falls short is in the quality of its own recordings made in regular VHS mode at the SP speed. Picture detail seems a lot less and somewhat blurry as compared to regular VHS recordings made on the JVC and Toshiba machines (at the SP speed.) However, the JVC and Toshiba recordings and rental tapes look great when played on the Panasonic.

LP and EP speeds are mediocre.

Hi-fi sound is great.

I like the Panasonic's remote best of any VCR remote I have used. The menus are easy to access and manuver through. Timer programing is a snap. The remote has enough buttons for functions that do not require going through menus.

This unit is extremely lightweight as most VCR's seem to be today.

I prefer using this VCR whenever I need to use a VCR, except to record at the regular VHS SP speed.

Strengths:
Very good SVHS picture. Very easy to use. Bright and colorful picture.

Weaknesses:
Mediocre picture detail for vhs as compared to JVC and Toshiba.

Similar Products Used:
JVC SVHS-5600U
Toshiba M784 - regular vhs

Summary:
i bought this vcr cause of the s cable capability on it it also has spatalizer sound but you cant use it unless you are using it with a stereo tv i hope i can use the spatalizer sound as soon as i hook up my receiver and i hope i dont hear the humming noise that comes from this vcr

Strengths:
nice picture

Weaknesses:
humming noise

Similar Products Used:
none

Summary:
If the Price of any S-VHS is similar to VCR, buy S-VHS....
because there is a difference my friends.

Don't buy any VCR or S-VHS made in Mexico. Many bad experience from my friends....espcially TV.

Keep stimulate the economy....buy more toys!

Strengths:
I have the older generation of this S-VHS for about 5 yrs now, and it works well, reliable, and pictures quality for a machine that has been running for 5 years is "superb" - Super mode, of course. Five years ago, the S-VHS was still
expensive in Canada, prices were in range of $ 700-1500 CAD.
But this S-VHS was approx. $600, which was good compare to a regular VHS which was about that price range. The S-VHS, I was lucky to get them from Japan....dirt cheap... 4 for $ 10.

Weaknesses:
The only weakness I see in today's VCR or S-VHS is that the physical construction of the machine is "ALL PLASTIC" AND "LOOSE BUTTONS". Panasonic Engineers should have their heads fix with these loose buttons and unbalanceness of the machines.

Similar Products Used:
JVC hi-fi vcr from 1990....and still working. Japanese product that's not made in Mexico....will liking still going and going...and going.

Summary:
A shame that this is in the Hall of Shame...I use this machine constantly, and it not failed once. I might also add that it isn't really that noisy. Maybe someone will listen when I say to IGNORE posts from people who reviewed a mail-order piece, of any kind. A good experience means they got lucky; a bad one is par for the course.

Strengths:
Reliability.

Weaknesses:
Same as most VCRs; focus is not on manufacturing like it is w/DVD nowdays.