CompuServe Thread

#New Mid-Range VCR

4 messages in this thread
#2108From: Bill ForcadeOct 28, 1990 11:40 PM
Hi All: It looks like my old VCR is giving up the ghost and I want to get a new one. I want a S-VHS home unit, (I already have a S-VHS camcorder). I doubt that I will want to spend the money for a professional unit that has single frame recording or that has a built in TBC. I do however want to get the unit that has the best features in my price range, say up to $1000 max (hopefully more like $600-800). One thing that seems nice would be a great digital freeze frame thingie. I mostly use my A2000 with an encoder to transfer screens and title pages to tape for home use only; I am thinking of getting a Framegrabber for even more versatility. What types of functions should I be looking for on VCRs as it would integrate with the Amiga and are there any particular models that are really great. Oh by the way, my biggest complaint with our existing VCRs is the difficulty setting it to record a future program using those little tiny buttons and knobs. So I would be favorably impressed with a unit that had on-screen programming or some other device for those of us with poor eyesight. Any recommendations are appreciated. Thanks.
#2170From: Charles BlaquiereOct 31, 1990 3:45 PM
Warning: I have neither an Amiga nor a VCR at this point, but I've been looking carefully since I'll be buying both in December. The VCR I've chosen is the Sony SLV-767. Its main drawback is, it's not S-VHS. Apa rt from that, it's a gorgeous creature! On-screen menus for most everything, including programming; a shuttle ring on both the VCR and remote; (you know, that thingy that video editors use to cue the tape forward and back? It doesn't have the "jog" center control though, just the shuttle) You can record indexing blips on the tape, and later FF/REW to the next blip; really useful. It does PIP (picture-in-picture), and uses the PIP to set up what Sony calls the Edit Monitor: it shows you two pictures in the top left and right corner. One picture shows the incoming (Source) signal, the other shows a freeze-frame of your current position (Destination) on the tape. This means you can edit tapes without needing two monitors. Of course, it has an MTS Stereo decoder, Hi-Fi sound, audio or video dubbing, and on and on and on. Call Sony and ask for their VCR catalog; not only does it list all the features available on their models, but it explains each one of them — a great boost for someone like you who hasn't kept up with VCR developments. Blaq! P.S. In Canada it's around $800 street price, so you guys should pay about $650-700.
#2208From: G. KlughNov 2, 1990 7:33 PM
Charles, Sorry for butting in, but that sounds like a GREAT vcr!! maybe its time for a new one for me!<G> Do it has LIVE-PAUSE??? you know, where you can freeze real tv? Can't touch this!………………… Greg
#2284From: Charles BlaquiereNov 5, 1990 10:11 AM
Greg, I'm not sure if it can freeze a TV picture on the fly. By the way, my prices were wrong: the SLV-676 is $800 CDN, the SLV- 757 is $1000 CDN. The only difference between the two is, the 757 has PiP (picture-in-picture) and the handy edit monitor screen that shows you source & destination. It's up to you to decide is you want to pay $200 extra for that. Blaq!