A respectable Sony VCR
Written: Nov 22 '01
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
|
|
| Picture Quality: |
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Excellent picture quality, commercial pass, VCR plus gold
Cons: No clock during playback.
The Bottom Line: A top of the line Sony VCR, with excellent quality picture and sound. A good buy
|
|
|
| psimon's Full Review: Sony SLV-N81 VHS VCR |
Within the last few weeks, my RCA VCR which was purchased in 1987, was finally dying. It would play back pre-recorded tapes, but it had problems making and playing tapes that it made. I was using it for time shifting, and it just wasn't working well. I knew it was finally time for a replacement.
I went looking for a new VCR. Being that I have a high end Sony Wega TV, I started looking in the Sony line. I found the N81, which is Sony's top of the line VCR. It is silver, which matches the TV. This isn't a big thing, but having it match wasn't a bad thing either.
The N81 is feature loaded. It has VCR plus Gold, which simplifies programming. Since I don't get TV Guide, the only way to get the VCR Plus codes is on line at the TV Guide site. This isn't a major hassle, just one more thing I have to do. The unit can be programmed manually as well. There is a knob/button on the front panel referred to in the manual as the Dial Timer. This allows you to program the VCR without turning on the TV. Using it is simple... you just rotate it to select the date, and press. Rotate it and press it again and again to select the start time, stop time and channel. All in all, a very easy operation.
The remote that comes with it glows in the dark, a handy feature if you like watching your tapes in the dark. It is full featured, and turns on the many menus available within the VCR.
Set up was a snap. There is an EASY SETUP button on the front of the VCR. You can tell it to acquire the correct time from any one of many channels that broadcast a time code within there regular signals. If that is not available to you, you can always manually program the clock yourself.
One of the interesting functions on the remote is the Commercial Pass control. When pressed, this puts the tape in double time moving along. You blaze through commercials until you see they have ended and your program restarts. You then press the Commercial Pass button again. The tape stops, backs up a few seconds (to account for your "slow" response time when you saw your program restart) and then resumes play. I have learned to cut a 60 minute program to about 48 minutes by eliminating the commercials. Very handy features.
If you have a cable box or satellite controller, you can get what is essentially a remote infra-red controller to put in front of your cable / satellite controller box. Your VCR will then change the channels on your controller for you, allowing you to program your VCR for different cable / satellite channels. I have not found a need for this since the only channel that I require a cable box for descrambling is Disney. Consequently, I don't require this extra.
Other features include a parental lockout, so you can keep your kids from watching certain channels. You can decide for yourself if you think this is a valuable feature.
This VCR has an automatic tracking feature and will adjust by itself. If you really need adjust it yourself, you can.
It also has what is referred to as Reality Regenerator. These circuits analyze the picture and attempt to clarify it. I am very pleased with the quality of the pictures coming from this VCR. They are much clearer than from my old one.
Items available for display on the screen include the channel being watched (you give it your zip code, and it figures out each channels name), the program being watched (boy was that a surprise!), how many minutes remaining on the tape, and how many minutes your program has lasted. Is that enough?
My biggest complaint is that, when playing a tape, the display on the VCR shows how far into your program you are in minutes. It does not show the current time. I miss that. Guess I need to look at my watch more.
Would I buy it again... yes. I thought for what I paid ($139) it was a very good value. It does everything I need, has an excellent picture quality, and looks good on the equipment. What more could I ask for?
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 139
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
psimon
|
|
Location: NJ
Reviews written: 155
Trusted by: 23 members
About Me:
Engineer that loves Disney, computers, photography and anything that merges those hobbies!
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.