The unit looks nice. Controls and remote are acceptable.

Picture quality.

I can't imagine that those who wrote positive reviews of this pile are watching the same VCR as the rest of us. The picture quality is truly terrible. 12 year old Hitachi, 4 head, hi-fi, never professionally cleaned, is far superior. A dud at any price.

Similar Products Used:

Hitachi, Magnavox, Phillips, Zenith

matches wega series--and thats all!

buy one--lolol youll see

terrible! the honest reviewers here are on the mark--never seen a more horrible picture!! pic down and out stinks at sp--tolerable at the ep mode--just barely--was thinking about getting the 36 in wega model but balked at seeing the companion vcr--lol not me --im not being taken in--screw sony--ill buy panasonic tv and vcr--it seems to me panasonic has risen in quality while sony has tried to cut corners-and no longer can claim they are the ultimate in quality-we aint stupid out here sony--wise up!

Similar Products Used:

samsung--returned sony--put the good old samsung back in place--poops on the sony--they dropped in quality--and THATS a shame--they thought we are stupid out here

* Good button layout, as usual per Sony * Lots of features * Works, somewhat

* Lossy recording quality even at SP * Can''t use 2 units together * Sluggish motor, takes a while to start up * No S-video plug

I bought one of these from Best Buy, and after using it primarily for audio, I bought another one and tried to do some AV recording. The first thing I noticed was that the remotes are compatible, meaning that *one* remote controls *both* vcr''s simultaneously, which is obviously only a problem if you own two, but still seems like a MAJOR design oversight. The next thing I noticed is that the picture quality is horrible. At SP using hi-fi tapes, it is no better than EP using daily-use tapes. I recorded a subtitled movie - the subtitles were wiggling around - and some news programming - the small text of the news overlays was unreadable. I feel like I have been incredibly shafted. Oh, I should also mention that when I bought the 2nd unit at Sears, Best Buy had raised the price on this useless piece of equipment to $150. This is the top-of-the-line unit at my local mall, and as discussed, it can''t even record a hi-fi signal without significant and immediately noticeable picture degradation.

Similar Products Used:

Many vcr''s over the past 20 years

I run cable through VCR. Excellent picture/sound quality. VCR+ Gold auto configures channels. Playback on rentals is excellent. Complaints: sp/ep speed settings but no lp setting. Instruction book refers to tracking button, but I can't find it.

Complaints: sp/ep speed settings but no lp setting. Instruction book refers to tracking button, but I can't find it.

I'd buy it again; no real complaints.

Color

Video quality very bad

I purchased this unit feeling that Sony would improve; I was wrong. The picture quality on this unit is horrible. When the vcr is on the picture actually gets worse! It become grainy like a cheap video recorded on the SLP speed. I connect to DSS Box so I know there is high quality video fed in. Sony rants about the "Reality Generator" circuits but they do not improve things. While recording the color begins to shift. The reds become slightly pinkish. All color adjustments were tried but nothing improved the picture quality. The quality of Sony Products has gone down steadly in the last few years. Do yourself a favor, buy a Panasonic PV-V4621 or if you can still find one a PV-9664 you will be much happier. This unit will be returned!

Similar Products Used:

Sharp, Panasonic, JVC

Picture Quality, Features

None significant

I have been quite impressed with my Sony SLV-N81 for the time that I've owned it. The picture quality, although nowhere near DVD, is the best I've seen for VHS. Sound is excellent, as it is on all Hi-Fi units. The features are nice, too. I especially like the cable mouse control and the jog dial for timer recording.

This is by far the best VHS VCR I've owned or used in terms of just about everything. It also looks nice sitting next to my Wega. And at only $130, it really can't be beat for features at that price, and you get Sony quality as an added bonus.

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Toshiba M-675, RCA VR601HF

Picture quality

none I can see so far

Purchased the Mit SVHS but could not view the tapes on my other VCR's. I even used the ET FUNCTION but didnt make the picture much better playing on other brands of VCRs. I returned it for this SLV N81 model and I'm glad I did. Sony does a pretty good job when it comes to video. The picture quality is excellent in SP mode and very good in EP mode. The sound is exceptional. I am coming off digital cable box directly into the VCR then to my TV so I don't get to use some of the features with this unit. Overall for the purposes of recording programs and playing pre-recorded tapes and rentals the picture and sound quality are EXCELLENT...with all the new digital technology out there today this VCR is up to the task to record the medium quite well. For the money this VCR is one of the best for the purpose of recording and playback. The one little thing and beleive me it's very little is the rewind may be a tad slower than other like models. Other than that I would recommend this model to anyone. I never rate anything a 5 because I feel no product is perfect for all situations and tastes.

Similar Products Used:

Mitsubishi S VHS, Panasonic