Although connecting the PV-V4520 was very routine, we found the coaxial cable TV inputs and outputs to be difficult to access with our fingers, making it hard to tighten down the cable company's painstaking CATV terminals. There are no front-panel audio-video inputs on this VCR. Since it's a hi-fi model, however, the PV-V4520 does provide a pair of standard audio input and output jacks on the rear, along with a composite-video in and out. Once you connect the VCR to your TV, you simply turn it on and automatically enter the setup mode. If you need to reset the VCR, the owner's manual gives clear instructions on how to proceed using the onscreen guide and remote control. In less than five minutes, you can manually reset the clock and the language for the onscreen text, as well as the TV output channel (3 or 4), antenna, and automatic channel tuning.

The remote control is intelligently designed to stand up on a tabletop or shelf. It has a backlight button that enables you to see the most important keys (Play, Stop, Rewind, and Fast-Forward) in the dark. Since the remote accepts codes from multibrand TVs, cable set-top boxes, and satellite receivers, you'll definitely want to program it to operate the channel and volume control functions. The remote's buttons are intuitively laid out and simple to use, with the exception of the channel and volume keys, which are rather small.

Most of the PV-V4520's features are geared toward recording, beginning with the VCR Plus+ guide, which, if set up properly, makes it relatively simple to command the VCR to tape programs while you're gone. After configuring the VCR setup for TV only, satellite receiver, or cable set-top box, you must look up the VCR Plus+ two-digit codes in your local TV listings and assign them to their respective channels using the remote control and onscreen menu. This is a rather cumbersome process when compared with today's hard drive TV recorders; however, Panasonic's PV-V4520 VCR is considerably less expensive and you don't have to worry about memory management.

The PV-V4520 has a number of advanced recording features that used to be found only in more expensive S-VHS models. Program End Search places an invisible index mark at the end of each recording on a tape, making it easier to find multiple shows you've recorded. This VCR also has a Zero Search tape counter locator, which enables you to find the location of a specific segment on a tape.

We did not care for the Commercial Skip feature. Contrary to its name, Commercial Skip does not automatically sense the beginning and end of advertisements. It's basically an automatic fast-forwarding device that works in 1-, 2-, and 3-minute increments. We found that 30-second increments would be more useful, since commercial breaks often run shorter or longer than one or two minutes.

We did like the auto start, rewind, tape eject, and power off features, which are great for lazy, late-night movie sessions because they make it easy to crawl off to bed without rewinding the tape and shutting off the VCR.

If you're primarily interested in a hi-fi VCR that simply plays back VHS cassettes, the PV-V4520 probably isn't for you. If you're hooked on VHS "time shifting," however, this is an ideal deck for recording new tapes and watching old ones. The PV-V4520 is a solid performer from a reliable VCR manufacturer with one of the best customer satisfaction ratings in the business. --Eric Gill

Pros:

• Easy to program
• Great remote
• Good build quality
• Lots of useful features

Cons:

• No front-panel audio-video inputs

A notable feature made standard in Panasonic's latest line of VCRs is the VCR Plus+ feature, which lets users program the VCR by entering the PlusCode numerical codes that are found in many newspapers' television listings and TV Guide.

Other features include Auto Clock Set with 24-hour backup and a trilingual onscreen display (French, English, and Spanish). Auto Clock Set, featured on every Panasonic VCR, takes advantage of the Extended Data Service signal from the user's local PBS channel to automatically set and update the time and date. In the event of a power outage, the time and date will automatically be reset within 24 hours. This model also features index search and a tape position display.