|
Review 2 of 9
Price Paid:
$130.00 Summary:
I'd done some product comparisons when my RCA VCR (about 9 yrs old) was on its last legs, and was rather disappointed. All the models I saw had lots of nice bells and whistles, but they didn't have the one thing I *really* wanted that my old one had -- a way to program directly from the front of the VCR. Apparently, with the ease of the new programming features (i.e. VCR+), that went the way of the do-do bird. Well, that's fine if you live somewhere that you can use it, but in Saskatchewan it's not an option. (Nor is auto time-set, or a host of other fancy TV features.)
When the RCA crapped out, I took one more look, and stumbled across the Sony SLV N50/60/70 series. Wow! Just what I was looking for! Not only that, but the reviews here were fairly positive. Based on that, I did some price shopping and found that I was able to get it for about US$130 at Sears -- which meant it had the Sears no-hassle return policy if I didn't like it. I bought it on the spot.
Needless to say, I have not returned it. It's been about 6 months now, and I'm more than satisfied with my purchase. The picture quality is excellent, especially considering that I'm pulling signal from the air and not from cable or dish. The auto-start feature for pre-recorded tapes is a big plus; my just-turned-three son has no problem putting in his favourite pre-recorded tapes and watching them if he's in a mood.
Lastly, and most importatly, it's got the programming wheel -- a small dial on the front panel of the unit that allows you to set up your programming almost instantly. (Push) spin dial to set date, (push) spin dial to set ontime, (push) spin set offtime (15-minute increments), (push) set channel, (push) to finish. Viola! You can set up a record-from-tv in about 5 seconds... or more than one, if you're so inclined.
Having said all that, there's a couple of things that would make this VCR just *perfect*. Firstly, the clock display goes off when you've got a tape inserted and the machine powered on. This is frustrating, as the VCR is the most visible time-keeper in our rec-room. A little "clock/counter" button (as I find prevalent on many VCRs) would have been a simple and much-welcome addition. Secondly, a way of saying "stop rewinding when you get to 0:00:00" would have been nice. There is a feature that allows you to FF/Rew to a specific point on the tape, but it's difficult to get to and not at all intuitive.
One of the reasons I went with the N60 was because it had the Commercial Pass feature. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this; FF when pressed, Stop/REW 5-10 seconds of screen time (because because it assumes you've missed getting it perfect)/Play when pressed again. I can do at least that well on my own (mostly due to the excellent and very intuitive design of the remote control), so this feature goes mostly unused.
Despite those minor shortcomings, I'm VERY pleased with my purchase, and would buy another in an instant.
Final note: I'd recommend *against* buying the N70; a comparison of features (from the SONY site, no less) showed that the only difference was auto head-cleaner... something that several video-enthusiast friends of mine said was not only a waste of money, but actively bad for the VCR. The little pads wear out in about a year, and if improperly affixed can fall off inside and gum up the works. It certainly wasn't worth an extra $40; go boy a $6 head-cleaner tape and remember to use it from time to time.
Strengths:
Quick-dial record setting, allowing you to set it without having to turn on the TV or find the remote: excellent picture quality: auto-start for pre-recorded tapes. Weaknesses:
Clock not shown when tape inserted: 'memory' function (to rewind to where you started) confusing and difficult to use.
| 
5 of 5
5 of 5
4 of 5
1 of 5
