Posted by thanatoid on 04/16/06 01:59

"Deke" <no spam@today.com> wrote in
news:1f3fe$43e833cb$943f8239$27144@STARBAND.NET:

> "William A. T. Clark" <clark.31@nospamosu.edu> wrote in
> message
> news:clark.31-C47994.14313906022006@charm.magnus.acs.ohio-st
> ate.edu...
>> I happened to be unlucky enough to be given a JVC DR-MV1S
>> DVD/VCR recorder as a Christmas present a little over a
>> year ago.

Well put.

> So give JVC some slack. Go look at one of the JVC D-ILA
> HD televisions, compare it with anything else on the
> market, and you'll see that JVC still makes some incredible
> products. Just my two cents.
>
> Peace
> Deke

Sorry to join in so late, but this is my first time here. (I am
posting a tiny yet very annoying problem ASAIGATI. I thought I'd
read a few posts first. While I'm at it, I apologize if I am
about to mention things everyone already knows. See first
sentence.)

Here goes...

I hate to oversimplify things, but does anyone know what JVC
stands for?

Japanese Victor Company (as in RCA Victor).

The last time RCA made anything decent was when they were making
300 lb. television cameras in the 50's. (I don't know WHERE
these new Chinese portable CD players etc. etc. with the RCA
logo on them come from.)

If you ever used older (80's and 90's) VCR's, camcorders, or
semi-pro monitors, you would know they were often identical from
both brands. They may still be, I don't know.

JVC has a tradition of being the first with some very feature-
rich product, which is given rave reviews UNTIL someone actually
uses it. I remember...

(this was in the 70's when 20-minute �" mini "U-Matic" video
cassettes appeared, a Sony invention, I believe - just like VHS,
BTW. VHS was invented by Sony and discarded as >>>not good
enough<<<. Then they developed Betamax, SO MUCH BETTER - but
more expensive - so it died, of course - well, it came back to
life in possibly the last great Sony invention - the Betacam pro
video recorder - even Sony is no longer what it used to be, by
far. Anyway, JVC *bought* the VHS technology from Sony, and
admittedly, improved it very considerably (it DID take them like
a decade, though), but it's still crap. Of course, almost dead
now, but still crap.)

....when JVC came out with the first portable �" "U-Matic" video
cassette recorder ("portapak") that offered what Sonys (yet) did
not, an almost glitch-free "pause-then resume recording" feature
(and some other impressive *specs*). I think this was in 1976 or
so.

After using it for a few months and having it in the repair shop
� of the time, as well as after comparing the image and sound
quality, we all decided never to touch the thing again.

Since then, I have always been suspicious of JVC, although
almost anyone will make a great product once in a while. Ages
ago I had a little >>LLOYD'S<< stereo clock radio which worked
like a charm. And some repair technicians I know are fond of
saying "Nakamichi (and B&O, etc. etc.) products are fantastic.
As long as you don't try to actually USE them."

I have been pretty lucky with most of my purchases, but I never
buy anything when it first comes out. (WHY do they pick "car of
the year" before anyone actually drives one for more than 3
blocks?)

I had a Sony Walkman WM-F10 (the FM radio version of the "Super
Walkman") from 1982, I think, and I used it EVERY DAY for
several hours (almost never the radio, even though it was VERY
good). It ran like a dream for over EIGHT years!!! It was the
first with the in-ear bud phones!!! I have copied music *from
it* onto a component cassette deck and they sounded pretty
great, considering the size of the thing (for the young'uns, it
was a � inch taller than a cassette box, other dimensions being
virtually identical)!!! It had an (undocumented) head azimuth
adjustment screw so EVERY cassette sounded fantastic!!! (I
always had a tiny screwdriver with me along with some spare
NiCad AA's...)

Those were the days... Sigh...

Anyway... anytime I ever had anything "repaired", it ended up in
the trash sooner or later. "Service" is a myth. And "extended
service" is a total ripoff. A salesman once told me he ONLY made
commissions from the "extended warranty" sales he made. I wonder
why???

If you're lucky, it will work almost forever. If it has to be
repaired, you might as well save yourself the hassle, bite the
bullet, and buy another one.

Just my experience.

(BTW, VERY interesting "surge-protector" change in the thread.
Informative, and the giraffe comment was hilarious.)

[Back to original message]