For AP Newsfeatures
Make a list of the world's least read books and owner's manuals will be near the top.
Most people will read just enough to allow them to perform only the most basic of functions. With VCRs, this means only being able to play a tape and rewind it. What most people don't take advantage of is the machine's programming capacity.According to the current issue of Video Magazine, manufacturers are now making VCRs easier to program.
Onscreen menus, remotes with liquid crystal displays and bar coding are three means by which companies are taking the hassles out of programming decks.
An example of a simple, intuitive onscreen system is featured on JVC's JX-S900. Activating the Program button calls up the first menu. A cursor flashes under the number to be entered next. The user can scroll up and down through numbers for start and stop times and channel selection. A Select button moves the cursor from one timer function to the next.
Consumers can judge any programming system now on the market according to this criterion: Will I need to read a manual to learn to program my deck? If so, you may want to keep looking. VCRs are now being designed so you can press a button and begin programming without much, if any, prior knowledge.
One obvious disadvantage of onscreen programming is that the TV set must be turned on. A number of manufacturers - among them Hitachi, JVC, Goldstar and Sharp's Optonica line - are tackling the problem by eliminating the need for onscreen displays altogether.
By using a remote that has an LCD, all programming can be entered into the hand unit. Because you can see what you're doing on the tiny screen, these remotes can be programmed anywhere - at the kitchen table, in the bedroom, etc. Once the programming's finished, a Transmit button is pressed and the data is sent to the VCR.