Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 37

Saturday, September 11, 1993 The Arizona Republic C3 New VCR helpmates get with the program Tuning in the price picture HOW TO BUY A SMART REMOTE The VCR Plus ($49.95) and the Panasonic Program Director ($49) remote controls are available at retail outlets. To order the, VCR Voice Programmer remote, call 1-800-788-0800. The cost is $149.95, plus $9.95 shipping and handling. To order the book House-Training Your VCR, call 1-800-338-4331. The cost is $9.95, plus $2.50 for shipping and handling.

such as VCR Plus-K Ask about the VCR's power-storage capability. Virtually all VCRs now can run for at least a few minutes with the power out so that you don't lose programming commands (and the clock doesn't start flashing But storage capacity ranges widely among manufacturers from five minutes to four hours. Visit your local library and look up the March 1992 issue of Consumer Reports and the October 1991 issue of Video magazine. Both have evaluations of VCRs, although they may not include information on the latest models. Sources: Dave Murray, author of House-Training Your VCR, and Jay Bruno, audio-video specialist at Sound Advice in Orlando, Fla.

i By Harry Wessel The Orlando Sentinel Pop quiz: Name the three most frequently seen numbers in American living rooms. 12:00, 12:00 and 12:00. The videocassette recorder continues to intimidate, in if not in reality. According to one survey, 80 percent of VCR owners don't know how to program their machines to record TV shows, even though that was the main reason the machines were bought in the first place. Those who sell VCRs report that customers are complaining less about programming woes these days, but by all accounts there are still a lot of programming-impaired among the estimated 76 million VCR owners in the United States.

Whether the result of unwillingness to read the owner's manual or incurable technophobia, the knowledge chasm has spawned a growing side industry of products designed to make programming idiot-proof. The most notable success story is VCR Plus, introduced in November 1990. More than 600 publications, including The Arizona Republic and TV Guide, now include VCR Plus codes with their TV listings. The $50 VCR Plus remote control will automatically program your VCR when you punch in the code for the show you want to record and that's all it does. One tenth of all VCRs now sold incorporate the feature into their units, though you wind up paying an extra $50 for the option.

Having it built in means not having to deal with two remotes. Just tell it what to do v. VCR Plus -I- is not the only separately sold remote-control device designed solely to make VCR programming easy. The $49 Panasonic Program Director, which works only with Panasonic VCRs, impressed editors at Consumer Reports and Video Review magazines. Video Review said it nearly succeeded in breaking the "idiot-proof barrier: "The remote offers a series of six separate LCD readouts, one each for day, start time (hours and minutes), stop time (hours and minutes) and channel selection.

The information is product, and "the return rate has not been above expectations." i The Voice Programmer also has won over VCR giant Philips Consumer Electronics. The maker of Philips and Magnavox VCRs will include it in several of its models beginning in July and will sell a separate $150 universal remote voice programmer through retail outlets. Philips spokesman Jim Newbrough acknowledged there were some glitches with early models of the Voice Programmer, but said the bugs have been worked out. While such "after-market" products talk about easier programming, VCRs themselves have made considerable progress in user-friendliness. Dave Murray, a Syracuse, N.Y., VCR salesman for the past nine years and author of House-Training Your VCR, said he used to get "billions of calls" from his customers with questions.

Now, "nobody calls." One reason, Murray said, is that all VCRs now use some form of onscreen "menu" programming. The menu appears on your TV screen and leads you through the steps needed to set the VCR timer, letting you know what you've done and if you've made a mistake. Commands by phone Then again, Murray thinks VCR instruction manuals are still pretty awful, and no matter how simple the system, you'll have to spend some time with the manual to get it started. Even VCR Plus can cause setup headaches. Using a 20-page manual, you have to go through a six-step process to give the VCR Plus remote the instructions it needs.

But help is on the way. Later this year, VCR Plus is introducing remotes that hurdle the setup problem. You call an 800 number, give your ZIP code and VCR model, and put your remote up to the telephone. A set of tones tells the remote everything it needs to know. The cost: $59.95 for a regular version, $69.95 for a "universal" model that will control your TV and one other "auxiliary component," such as a second TV or cable box.

advantages of the four-head systems plus hi-fi stereo, which is what you need if you're setting up a home theater with surround sound. No matter what price range you're looking at, keep these suggestions in mind: Talk to the salesperson about how you'll be using your VCR. Spending more money may get you features you don't need, such as complex editing functions that you may never use. Try out some of the VCRs on display to see which ones you're most comfortable with. If your main concern is user-friendliness, be sure to check out how the on-screen programming menu works.

If you're still confused, you can then consider other options, easily changed with rotary knobs (remember those?) stationed next to each readout." You can't get much simpler than that, short of being able to just tell your remote what you want. Guess what? Introduced last November on an infomercial and still available only by mail order, the VCR Voice Programmer boasts that it's the simplest programmer of all. You tell it which channel to record, and when to start and stop recording, and the remote does the rest. It is designed to work with any VCR. A steal at $160.

However, not everybody is convinced the VCR Voice Programmer lives up to its billing. Consumer Reports all but dismissed it in its May issue, saying it is difficult to set up initially, doesn't always respond to voice commands, and requires more steps than traditional button remotes. David Lachenbruch, editorial director at Television Digest, a Washington, D.C.-based industry newsletter, gave the voice programmer credit for trying but said that "currently, it's more in the nature of a gimmick. There are lower-priced products that perform very well for people afraid to use a programmer." Glitches worked out Howard Geltzer, a spokesman for the company that makes the voice programmer, Voice Powered Technology, responded that most users found the remote very easy to use. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee on the and, in some communities, economic impacts as well.

In addition, water is more susceptible to contamination when there is a low flow. By using less water, we also discharge less used water, thereby further reducing the potential for pollution. Most water-saving advice is pretty simple. Avoid letting the water run when you are not using it, and use less water in the form of briefer showers and baths, and less-frequent car washings. Some of our wasteful ways are less obvious.

Everyday things, such as flushing the toilet, washing our hands or taking a shower, can be done with less water. But it may require installation of new products. You probably already have heard of water-saving shower heads and faucet aerators. They have become quite common, and are sold in most hardware stores and even some supermarkets. And there's a good chance you've put off purchasing one of these products because you simply didn't want to spend the money.

Earn' up to $55 The fact is, by not buying and installing these products, you waste money as well as water. Most low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators pay for themselves in less Saving water is like money in bank to aite (smsr The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel There are three general price ranges for VCRs: $150 to $250 gets you a basic tape player with two video heads. These machines give you on-screen programming but don't give you features like slow-motion playback, and the taping quality isn't as sharp as higher-priced models. $250 to $350 gets you into tape players with four video heads. The recording quality is better, especially on the extended-play speeds, which are popular because you can record more shows on a single tape.

And you get features like slow motion and freeze frame that you don't get on two-headed models. $350 and up gets you the XT TOO Wed. Thurs. School City ill1" WWjjj MM There's millions Tonight, breed Now Teacher's School a deadly problem in of American households. a unique television newsmagazine premieres and a new of TV journalists take action.

By Joel Makower Universal Press Syndicate The fact is, we waste a lot of water. Most is wasted at home. A steady faucet drip can waste 20 gallons of water a day. A leaking toilet can waste 200 gallons a day. At the water pressure found in most household plumbing systems, a leak of Vn inch in a faucet can waste up to 6,000 gallons a month.

-All of that wasted water i costs money. If it is hot water, you also waste the money and energy it took to heat it and keep it warm. I This needn't be the case. You can save a great deal of water without making major sacrifices, and save money in the process in the form of lower sewer, water and energy bills. If you have a septic tank 30 percent of the U.S.

population does conserving water will reduce the wear and tear on your system and will require less energy from pumping well water. Then there are the tax dollars saved by not having to expand existing water-treatment plants or to build more. Besides ensuring an adequate water supply, conserving water helps protect fish and wildlife habitats and wetlands. These environments may be irreparably damaged if there is not enough water to sustain them, with serious environmental consequences than a year, then begin producing savings in the form of lower water and water-heating bills. How much can you save? If you were to invest $20 in a savings or NOW account, you'd earn about $1.20 interest in a year.

If you invested that same $20 in a low-flow shower head, you could "earn" about $20 a year in reduced energy costs if your home has gas water heating; if you have electric heating, your "earnings" could be as much as $55. How do you know whether you can take advantage of these devices? One easy test is to turn on your shower at its normal volume, then hold a bucket under the shower for 20 seconds. If more than 1 gallon accumulates, you need a low-flow device. Shower heads and faucet aerators are easy to install. In most cases, installation takes only a few minutes.

If you can use a simple wrench, you can install the devices. Other water-saving devices low-flush toilets, for example may require a plumber. If you'd like a list of companies selling water-saving devices, along with a description of their products and additional water-saving information, send a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope with 52 cents postage to Water, co The Green Consumer, 1526 Connecticut Washington, DC 20036. IW jjjj ''''k 3 BW there's someone on your side. Series Premiere! IS) Tonight 9 PM KNXV If the little learners in your classroom are thinking big as in seven ton tyrannosaurus rex here's a ground-pounding offer to capture their attention.

Order a minimum classroom subscription of The Arizona Republic or The Phoenix Gazette (10 newspapers for 10 deliveries) and receive a special dinosaur packet. Your packet covers the basics of math, language arts. social studies, and science for grades 1 through 7. It includes six FREE 16" by 27" laminated dinosaur posters, a board game taking students through archeological finds using the newspaper, and more than two dozen newspaper activities. Offer good through 1993 or while supplies last.

Use the form to order your subscription and FREE dinosaur packet today. Mail to: Newspapers In Education, P.O. Box 1950, Phoenix, AZ 85001 NIE DINOSAUR OFFER Please begin my subscription as indicated and send the dinosaur packet. The Arizona Republic (Delivered between 6 am. and 8 am) The Phoenix Gazette (Delivered between 9 am.

and noon) name YUkf fl I I I I I I I 1 School street address State Grade Days of delivery: M-F Mon. Tu.es. Cost: Multiply of copies per day times total deliveries times .15 Subject District School phone OMlS Newspapers Education Last delivery date First delivery date Hold dates (holidays, etc.) The Arizona Republic Thft PhOeniX CiaZette 271-8846 FAX 271-8241.