JVC VR-609U DVR -- A disappointment thus far

[FELTONCONSULTING 0]

Well, I just bought a JVC VR-609U nine channel DVR from the JVC outlet (b-stock). Has anyone used this or similar units from JVC?

 

It is built solid, but it fails to meet my initial expectations. My first problem was getting the rubber feet screwed in. The screws just wouldn't

go in straight and, believe me, I know how to screw . Fine then, I plan to rack mount this unit anyway. It even came with a nice rack mount kit.

I hope I can finish screwing this time!

 

Once I had the unit plugged and running, I connected it to my old school, first generation, Gateway labeled (yuck), 15" LCD. The boot screen was appeared clear and crisp and then -- nothing (amber light). So I connected the output to my TV and got a decent picture from the unit.

 

Next, I setup the unit for VGA output. After connecting the cable, I got an image of nothing but fuzzy blue noise. Ok, maybe I should refer to the manual and this is what was printed:

 

1. Select the Spot Out channel.

 

2. Select VGA output.( If you check the VGA output, monitor screen quality

is worse than before.)

...

 

What the hell does that mean and who proof reads this nonsense? Does that poorly structured sentence mean that the VGA output is supposed to suck? I'm sorry, but there is no excuse for a unit that sells for over $2700.00 (price from Gemini Computers) to have such a crappy manual and if my understanding is correct there is also no excuse for a bad image

coming through the 15-pin VGA port.

 

After screwing around with the settings for about an hour I magically got an faint image to appear. The image was so faded that I could not read the menu choices. At least there were screen captures in the manual that I could use to count the number of times I needed to press the down arrow and enter.

 

The next day I brought the DVR into my office and tested it on several LCD

displays. The image on my NEC medical imaging display looked great, except that the lines dividing the quad display were shuddering slightly. I tried connecting to both a ViewSonic and Dell display and obtained similar results. So the old LCD may be the problem.

 

Unfortunately, I do not have an LCD display with composite inputs because there is no way I am spending $700.00 for such a display. Anyway, I am wondering if the issue is with the refurbished unit rather than the design; however I am suspicious of that poorly written note in the manual.

 

Let me translate it on a fifth-grade reading level for the good folks at JVC who I am sure are not reading this:

 

Original:

If you check the VGA output, monitor screen quality is worse than before.

 

Translation:

The picture will look like sh*t, if you plug your monitor into the VGA connector.

 

The latter, while crude, would have been far more useful to the reader

don't you think?

 

I am still testing this unit and I plan to share more of my experiences as they develop.

 

By the way, this experience makes me appreciate the Pelco DX4000 I a currently using even more. It is damn stable with no downtime since I installed it, VGA and BNC output work simultaneously, no poor English (except for error messages in the remote interface), and it is well supported. In fact, I would have stuck with Pelco, but an equivalent model to the JVC would have exceeded my budget.

 

As always, your comments, suggestions, and criticism are appreciated.