I thought I'd contribute a bit to the betamax side of the world. Machine model numbers, and a section of "reviews" on each one -- how about posting a short something on the machines you have/have used? Things of interest might be BI speed recording, how reliable, features that set it apart from other models . . . etc. This page concerns mainly North American (NTSC) models.

Anyone know the introduction dates of each machine, or dealer list-prices?

Models Produced (SONY) . . . r e g u l a r b e t a . . . SL-20 - programmable, w/remote SL-25 - Circa 1984 - Approx. price $399.99 SL-2000 - Circa 1980 SL-2300 - bare-bones mono unit SL-2400 - Circa 1983 - Approx. price $561.79 (incl 6% tx) SL-2401 SL-2406 SL-2410 - Talking Betamax SL-2500 - Circa 1981 SL-2550 - Equivalent versions are SLO-420 (Industrial) & SL-F11 (Japan) SL-2700 - Circa 1983 - Approx. price $1200. SL-2710 - Circa 1980 - Approx. price $1100 CND. SL-2710B SL-5000 - Circa 1982/3 SL-5010 - Circa early 1980's no output jacks SL-5100 SL-5101 SL-5200 - First front loader but as large as the top-loaders, + Beta HiFi unit. SLHF-5200 SL-5400 - Circa 1979 - Approx. price $1000.00 - 1,100.00 SL-5600 - Circa 1980 SL-5800 - Circa 1980 - Approx. price $1196.25 SL-7200 - Circa 1975/76 - Approx. price $1,260.00, plus $40.00 for the timer SL-7200A - built-in audio and video inputs, plus a mic input - $1,300.00 US in April 1977 SL-8200 - Circa 1977 - Approx. price $907.95 SL-8600 - Circa 1978/79 - $864 LV-1901 Betamax console LV-1901A console included a SL6200 (which is a 7200 without a tuner) . . . s u p e r b e t a . . . SL-100 (Super Beta) - Circa 1986 SL-250 (Super Beta) SL-300 - Circa introduced in 1987 SL-330 (Super Beta) SL-340 (Super Beta) SL-360 - Circa 1991-1993 SL-390 (Super Beta) - Circa 1989 SL-600 (yes not HiFi but still Super Beta) SL-700 (Super Beta) - Circa 1987 SL-HFR30 (mono NOT a super Beta and it is HiFi ready) SL-HFR50 (mono NOT a super Beta and it is HiFi ready), perhaps a three head machine. SL-HFR60 (mono SuperBeta) SL-HFR70 (mono SuperBeta) - Circa 1986 SL-HFR90 (mono NOT a super Beta and it is HiFi ready) - Circa 1984 SL-HF150 SL-HF200 ? SL-HF300 - Circa mid 80s SL-HF350 (Super Beta) SL-HF360 (Super Beta) - Circa 1989 SL-HF400 (Super Beta) SL-HF450 (Super Beta) - Circa 1986. Approx. price $425 in 1987 / $581.94 (incl 6% tx) SL-HF500 (Regular Beta) SL-HF550 (Super Beta) - circa 1985/86 - 1985 for around $550 SL-HF600 (Super Beta) SL-HF650 SL-HF660 SL-HF700 SL-HF750 (Super Beta) - circa 1986 SL-HF810D (Super Beta) SL-HF840D (Super Beta) SL-HF860D (Super Beta) - Circa 1989 SL-HF870D (Super Beta) - Circa 1991 - around $900 SL-HF900 (Super Beta) SL-HF950 (Super Beta) SL-HF1000 (Super Beta) - Circa 1987 - $1250 or so SL-HF2000 (Super Beta) - The last N.American production model to be produced. SL-HF2100 SL-HF3000 (Japanese SL-HF1000 or SL-HF2000) SL-HF3510 SL-HFT7 (Super Beta HiFi Theater) - circa 1987 $695 . . . I n d u s t r i a l . . . SLO-260 - only records and plays back beta 1 SLO-320 - sans tuners SLO-323 - sans tuners SLO-383 (standard BI industrial edit decks) SLO-420 - Circa 1981 - BI/II/II Playback/Record SLO-1400 SLO-1800 (duplication machine Super Beta) SLP-305 - Player GCS-50 - Circa mid-80's . . . E D b e t a . . . EDV-5000 - Circa 1989 - a middle-of-the-road Japanese ED Beta with digital effects. EDV-7300 / EDV-7500 (Canadian / US) EDV-9000 EDV-9300 / EDV-9500 (Canadian / US) EDC-10 (camcorder) EDC-55 (camcorder) EVW-3000 (industrial version) [not sure of prefix] EVW-10F - 1 chip camera industrial (7700 US new) [not sure of prefix] EDV-30F EDW-30F . . . B e t a M o v i e . . . BMC-110 / BMC-100P (PAL colour system) (new $1075) BMC-220 BMC-330 BMC-440 BMC-550 BMC-600 BMC-660 (SuperBetamovie) - circa 1986 BMC-1000 BMC-1000-K - circa 1986-87 - Betamovie-PRO Camcorder that recorded in B1s and B1s-SHB and is an excellent camcorder BMC-3000 (Japanese BMC-3000 was the US's BMC-1000) Sanyo BetaMovie camcorder VRC 100 Sanyo BetaMovie camcorder VRC 200 Sanyo BetaMovie camcorder VRC-500 (clone of the Sony BMC-550) Toshiba BM-T33 Betamovie camcorder - - - *Sony Does still have New NP-11 Batteries for the Sony Betamovie's (110,220,550,650) but you may have to talk to several different agents. I spoke to one and she said "sold out" another said they had 5 left, another said they had 44 left. The batteries have to be ordered from Sony's service center's. Grab them up fellow betafiles before THEY ARE GONE FOREVER!!!! (PG)* - - - . . . P o r t a b l e . . . SLO-340 Sony SL-2000/TT2000 (two sections, tuner/recorder) circa 1983 Sony SL-2001 Portable Betamax recorder Sony VL-2000 (camera/tuner/recorder) approx. 2000+ Sony SL-3000 & TT3000 - The tuner had presets, the recorder is BII record and BI & BII playback. It was quite an armful, too. (MF) Sony SLP-300 Portable Video Player NR - BNC video out, mini-jack (?) mono-audio-out + RF. Sony SLP-305 Portable Video Player Sanyo VPR4800/VTT481 (two sections) circa 1983 Sears Betavision 562 - which is the recorder/player for my SEARS Model 934 Video Camera. I also have the external tuner the 562 needs. Zeinth VR9500/VRT9550 - Circa 1983 Zeinth VR9800/VRT9850 - Circa 1983 . . . A d d - o n s . . . AG-300 Betastack (tape changer for all the "top loader" series: SL-5800 SL-5600, and SL-5400) AG-400 (Cassette auto changer for the SL-2500) AG-500 (Tape changer for SL-2700 and SL-2710) AG-7 / AGC-7 Betastack (for the SL-C7) circa 1981 AG-90 Betastack BE-V50 (Sony rewinder. It ran off of batteries or an A.C. adaptor) (Note: Solidex + Kinyo also make rewinders) DT-20 (external clock/timer that went with the SL 7200) DT-30 digital timer HFP-100 (BetaHiFi processor matches the SL-HFR30) HFP-200 (BetaHiFi processor matches the SL-HFR70) PCM-10 (PCM digital audio processor) PCM 501 (PCM F1 converter) PCM-601ESD (Has a S/PDIF output which DAT recognizes.) PCM 701 (PCM F1 converter) RM-E50 (edit controller for GCS-50) SLP-100 Japan B9 - top loading, all of the buttons are in japanese. SL-F11 - Circa 1982 (almost idenical to the North American SL-2500, except the switch panel on the right drops down with the door instead of being mounted on the back-panel.) SL-F205 - Circa 1997 SL-J1 - Circa 1982 SL-J7 (same as 5800) - Japanese domestic machine. It was HiFi, had a MTS tuner, and looked nothing like the 5800 (MF). SL-J9 SL-HF200D - Circa 1997? SL-200D EDV-5000 - Circa 1989 - a middle-of-the-road model ED Beta with digital effects. EDV-8000 EDV-9000

Models Produced (SONY) continued. . . UK SL-200 Super Beta only no Hi-fi SL-800ME - 8 system Multi standard SL-8000UB Piano key SL-8080UB improved 8000 SL-3000UB first portable SL-C5UB SL-T7 multistandard version of SL-C5 SL-C6UB SL-C6UB Mark II SL-C7UB SL-C9AS - Australian market SL-C9ES - a non-Hifi Stereo VCR (linear stereo) with a built-in Stereo-Modulator SL-T9 multi standard version of SL-C7 SL-C9UB SL-C20UB SL-C24EC SL-C30PS SL-C30UB SL-C40 SL-F1 (mates w/HVC4000P camera?) (DB) SL-F25 - Circa 1986 SL-F30 ST-F25 last production model SL-HF100UB Hi-fi SL-HF950E, SL-HF950EC and SL-HF950ES Super-Beta Hi-fi SL-F1 Portable SL-TTF1 Tuner for F1 SL-T50UB/ME multi system SLO-1700 industrial duplicator SL-HF100P industrial duplicator Note: All UK models are suffixed UB. EC is used for Swiss/Austrian models. E for European. Multiformat SL-T50ME (from Saudi) SL-700 ME MKII Notes All the machines produced (SONY) after 1985 were superbeta machines. - - - Aiwa AV70M (hi-fi) (circa 1984) Marantz VR200 (circa 1982) NEC NEC VC-N40EU - wasn't a SuperBeta - BII and BIII playback only NEC VC-N65EU - super hi-fi records B1, 2, 3 NEC V-70EU NEC 734E NEC 739-E NEC BM55EU (camcorder) Pioneer VX-50 VX-90 (same as the SONY SL-HF900) - Circa mid 80's Radio Shack Radio Shack SuperBeta HiFi #22 - listed as $499.95 in the 1986 catalog. (same as the Sanyo VCR 7250 visually) Sanyo VCR 3900 - tape chewing bug VCR 3900II VCR 4000 VCR-4010 VCR 4020 - Circa 1983 VCR 4200 4258 VCR 4400 - Mono VCR 4500 VCR-4650 (Sanyo Betacord) - a very very basic machine, but it is a tough one. VCR-4670 (Sanyo Betacord / Mono) VCR-6100 (crappy non-hifi non-stereo) VCR 6300 - Circa 1983 VCR 6400 - 4 head, wired remote. Bought new in Jan., 1984 for $485 VCR-7150 (Hi-Fi/SuperBeta) VCR 7200 (Hi-Fi) - non-slim chassis - Circa '87 VCR-7250 (Hi-Fi/SuperBeta) - same as Realistic model 22 VCR-7251 VCR-7300 (Hi-Fi) VCR-7500 (Hi-Fi) VCR-6800 (mono) - Circa '83 VPR-5800 Hand held! VTC-NX10 Front loading VTC-NX15 Front loading VTC-NX100 VTC-5000 VTC-5150 as 500 but with reverse play VTC-5300 VTC-5350 VTC-5400 VTC-5600 Top loader. Not piano key. VTC-6300 front loader VTC-6500 VTC-9100 Top loader. Piano key VTC 9100A - only record and plays back in beta 2 VTC-9300 VTC-9300PN VTC-M10 Similar to VTC-NX100 VTC-M20 VTC-M40 (hi-fi) VTC-M50 (hi-fi) - much the same specs as the VTC-M40, but does unthread the tape as per the VTC-5000 Sears Betavision 30211 Betavision 562.53221250 Betavision 562.53560050 - Portable with separate tuner unit. Betavision 562.53580150 - Special Effects Betavision 564.53170450 - front loader Toshiba V-31 V-32 Front loader V-33B V-M30 - Nothing special, regular Beta, mono, non slim chassis. V-M32 V-M403 V-M411 V-M412 V-M415 VM-422 V-M501 V-M521 VS-36 hi-fi Beta VS-44 V-S44 VS-443 HI-FI - circa 1984 (approx 400) V-S46 V-S54 V-5470 V-8600 V-8600B - Top-loading with perfect stills, thanks to the 4 chip head. V9200 - Circa 1983 V9200T - Circa 1980 or '81 - front load mono machine, frame by frame and slow motion in Beta III. Wired remote for pause only. 9300 V9500 - Circa 1983 VS-9500 V-9600 Toshiba phone: 1-800-631-3811 (United States) web: www.toshiba.com. Tip: The first # is the year while the second designates the actual model line. So look for S34, 44, 54 etc. Sometimes they will have a trailing 1 or 3 (i.e. 441) I think this just designates the case color (black or silver) (GL) Zenith VR-4000 VR8510 - Circa 1983 (a.k.a. Sony SL-2400) VR8910PT - Circa 1983 VR-9000 - Called "Video Director", piano key type, top loader. VR9000 - circa 1980/81 for over $700.00 VR9700J (Sony SL-5600) JR9000W (Sony SL-8200) - Circa 1977. VT-9775PT/VR9775PT - Circa 1983 (is the same as the Sony SL-2500, except the buttons are different.)

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Reviews

LV-1901 The Sony LV-1901 was the FIRST Sony BETAMAX to be sold in late 1974. It was a HUGE console made of TEAK wood and beautifully designed. It contained the 19" Sony Trinitron Color Monitor in the front, and under an elegant smoked dark plexiglass lid on top was the FIRST BETAMAX home VCR, the SL-6200 VCR. The VCR was connected to the 19" Monitor directly within the large console and had a mechanical flip over digital reading clock /timer on the front panel built in to set for recording TV shows. It had TWO sets of separate rotary click stop UHF and VHF tuners in the front, one set under a smoked plexiglass panel also. The TV set could be tuned to a TV show on one tuner and the VCR could be set to a station tuned on the second set of UHF/VHF tuners at the same time, so you could for the first time, watch one TV show and record the other one on the VCR on a different channel. It had inputs on the side for Video in, camera and audio inputs for external sources and the rear of the HUGE console some 45 inches wide, had two sets of RF type "F" connectors for Antenna inputs to both Tuners separately. The VCR itself ran at the original BI speed (not the same as B1s or B1sSHB of today) but the 4 cm / sec speed was the same. It was built like an industrial 3/4" U-Matic or like a TANK and was very well made. The interior even has a Whisper Fan to ventilate the inside of the TV and VCR quietly when ever either or both were on. The TV has Horizontal resolution of 400 lines measured, and the SL-6200 was rated at 280 lines of resolution which it did well as its' heads were perfectly matched to the track width and gap needed for BI speed giving superior S/N ratios to both picture and sound over later multispeed Betas that had compromise heads that "bridged" all the other Beta speeds to follow in time for BETAMAX. I have owned a couple of these machines and use one regularly in my livingroom to this day, and it runs as if it were still brand new after 24 years of use. Now that's saying something for any commercially sold TV and VCR of any brand. It was extremely well made and it's stylish looks and elegant cabinet look NEW in design to this day. It was the FIRST BETAMAX ever sold in stores to the public and one of the CLASSICS of BETAMAX history as well as Home VCR History too. It is simply a beautiful performer to this day, beautiful to look at and stunning quality picture on both the TV and BETAMAX VCR. It's tapes play perfectly on ANY BETA VCR built since (with one exception. the SL8600 which was a BII only machine), but every other BETA to the latest SLHF-2000 will play its tape well. It has NEVER been serviced nor does it need any, as it works flawlessly, performing as it did the day it was made, even to the TV in it. Another CLASSIC BETAMAX STORY. (BBK)
THE LOWER BETAS - Brian B. Kerfoot The lower model number Sony SuperBeta HiFi Stereo VCRs, may not have all the "Bells and Whistles" of the BIG Super Beta's and Super Hi-Band, and ED's but they do produce equally excellent picture quality that makes Super Beta so much better than any other video format, as we all agree. My favorites of this genere include the SLHF-450 and SLHF-650 Sony Super Betas, as they have truely exceptional picture quality even at BIII speed, and have MTS Stereo TV-tuners, and Beta HiFi Stereo sound, and make superior copies of all your favorite TV shows and Movies that are televised, which BII and BIII in Super Beta make excellent copies of; vastly superior to VHS or standard Beta copies. And retain all the Stereo HiFi sound and even record any Dolby Surround encoding that the movie or TV show is processed or encoded with too. They are easy to program for the timer function, and read out their Hours, Minutes, and Seconds on their front panel to keep track of the amount of tape time used so as to plan your taping speed and number of TV shows or Movies that can fit on the tape. These fine Sony Betamaxs use the technology for pause editing, called by Sony, "Microfine Edit". This backs up the tape such a slight amount when the pause button is pressed, that no visable Moire or "Rainbow Glitch" is seen on screen as with typical VHS VCRs that back space edit several frames, and leave unstable "Rainbows" at each edit-pause point, such as in the removal of commercials from TV shows to gain space on a video tape. All VCRs without Flying Erase Heads will leave a rainbow effect at pause edits, but Sony's "Microfine Edit" system backs up the tape at a Pause Edit such a small amount, it does not appear on screen on playback, as it passes by so fast and is recorded on such a small fraction of the tape, that it is undetected in normal playback on these fine Sony Betamaxes mentioned. Other favorite, slightly higher priced but still not Top End Priced Sony Super Beta HiFi VCRs I love, include the; SLHF-840-D, SLHF-860-D, and SLHF-870-D models that have the advantage of Digital Effects onboard the VCR, so as to make perfect freeze frames, strobe effects, mosaics, art, and multi-image effects plus Digital Scan at high speed possible as an added feature. And the SL-HFT-7 SUPER BETA THEATER VCR even has it's own 20 watt Stereo HiFi Amplifier onboard and comes with it's own set of Sony Speakers, and a Digital Sound Effects system that mimics a Concert Hall or Theater or makes a Mono tape sound like Stereo at the push of one of it's lighted buttons. It also features a lighted control board on the VCR's front panel, and it comes in the elegant colors of Mauve, or Sand or Black as you prefer. These models are never mentioned much and yet represent a very nice lower cost model of the Sony Super Beta VCR line that produces excellent picture quality, and sound quality, costs less, performs flawlessly, and will even properly play back BOTH the original BI (X-1) speed or SHB-B1s recordings made on the exotic Beta's such as the SLHF-1000, SLHF-2100, SLHF-750, or BMC-1000-K perfectly. They represent the real Work Horses of the Super Beta HiFi Stereo VCRs and have MTS Stereo TV tuners as well, plus offer slow motion, clear freeze frame, and BetaScan modes as well, and make excellent "slave" player units in an editing setup with the exotic Betamax Editors like the SLHF-2100, as the lower Sony Super Beta VCRs mentioned above all have the Edit or Synchro-Edit button which when pressed during dubbing from VCR to VCR, optimizes the playback circuitry for improved dubbing quality with minimal loss in the transfer, as extra processing circuitry is removed from the playback circuit to allow the tapes most uniform signal to go through to the recording SuperBeta VCR without any visable loss of detail as would happen if VCR to VCR dubbing was done without the use of this Special Circuit Sony gives us on these fine Betamax VCRs. (by Brian B. Kerfoot)
SL-25 a barebones model (JV)
SL-700 I consider it the best non-HiFi machine Sony ever produced. It's built on the same chasis as the SLHF-450. It has the best video features to make up the short coming of lacking HiFi capability. It's a 3 head unit. And has one very rare feature, variable slow speed that ranges from 1/5, 1/7, 1/10, 1/15, 1/20, 1/30. It is also capable of producing crystal clear freeze frame. For a person who is willing to sacrfice or does not need the HiFi feature, the SL-700 is simply the best machine period. I paid $525 Cdn for it new in 1987. The machine has some weak spots though, the average life for the lower video drum is only about 5000 hrs. The pinch roller also needs frequent replacement. The audio head gets dirty very easily and the front loading mechanism can fail pre-maturely as well. (MY)
SL-2401 This is a slimline unit, analog programmable tuner, analog counter, no slo-mo effects, non stereo non hifi. It also does not have an indicator to tell you which tape speed it is running in! (very annoying when watching something that was taped on another beta.) (NG)
SL-2406 This model is regular Beta, with the slim chassis, wireless remote, it doesn't talk like the 2401, has front inputs, the audio jack is a mini headphone type jack and the video jack is an RCA jack (kina funny that way), and it also has a front mic input. It has a cool door where the timer controls are, it's under the clock, when it's closed it looks like a small door, but when it's pulled down it suprises you and the all the controls pop out (if you've ever seen it you know how cool it is), and it even has it's original "It's a SONY" sticker! I found this one at a garage sale in Idaho, the guy wanted $10, and I talked him down to $5. It's a cool brown color, that looks purple sometimes. Does anyone know what the 5.0Mhz-6.0Mhz switch is for? (MY)
SL-2410 (I think that was the designation) that was programed either by pushing the tiny buttons or by swiping a barcode pen across a supplied card of days, times, & channels. After each 'swipe', the pen beeped (to tell you it saw). You then pointed the pen at the machine and pushed a button, and the machine beeped as it got the info and displayed it on its display. There was even a 'check' function, where the machine would 'speak' with a voice synthesizer through a tiny built-in speaker and tell you what the program was! (MF)
SL-2500 a great mono-machine for the time. Very stable freeze frame (just a tad shaky) with front-back stepping in 2x, 1x, 1/5x, 1/10x. Camera in jack 14-pin K-type connector. Minijack (not RCA) for audio IN/OUT (video is the normal RCA). Tuner limited in channel range. v.quiet & quick tape transport, and betascan picture is v.good (3.5 minute FF/REW spec for an L-500 tape). Won't display BI image in shuttle mode (normal?!? -- only had one tape to test with). One of the first front-loading (slim-line) machines I think, but heavy 9.4 Kg (20 lb 12 oz). Audio dub capable (minijack). 10 minute battery backup. Companion camera -- HVC-2000 or HVC-2200 (no tape - just a camera). PCM recording with the PCM-10. Could use the AG-400 (cassette auto changer) Regular Beta - Circa 1981. Approx. price $1500 CND. (KF)
SL-2700 They are the best non-SuperBeta vcrs made. They were replaced by the 900 as Sony's top of the line Betas. They have forward and reverse slow motion and various speed effects, camera plug built into the front (behind the flipdown door), secondary rf inputs/outputs for a Closed Caption decoder (I use it for running a second converter in through so that I can access high band TV channels normally unattainable, using the AUX channel as the tuning point) plus a multitude of other nice additions.
--The one bad thing about them is their original loading mechanisms have problems and with normal use, they usually need replacing as they start to jam frequently. I've had 2 of my 3 units' mechanisms replaced so far and the third is showing signs of bucking when trying to insert a tape. Price $2000
part2 HiFi, stereo, white noise filter (important for taping shows with flashes of light and explosions as these lights tend to make the sound track buzz - the 2700 has very little buzzing), slow-motion, still, variable speed scan - all forward and reverse, anti-jitter picture control, picture sharpness dial, 14 pin direct camera input, second audio program channel, second cable input for running closed caption/cable tv decoder - selectable from the front panel), audio dub, light dimmer for front panel readings, stereo microphone inputs, built-in heat sink, input for MTS decoder/filter, linear time counter (h/m/s), fast scan response forward and reverse with servo motors, simulcasting option switch, records BII/III, playback of BI/II/III and an all-round classic machine. (TC)
part3 has 2X play with normal pitch sound, and while the sound is not perfect, the picture is crystal clear and it allows viewing many programs, such as news, in half the time. (DD)
part4 had tracking troubles - any tapes made in BIII would not track on any other of my vcr's. Sony service tried to fix the problem - they got the tracking better, but then all my special effects tracking was no good. So I asked for my money back on it since while it was at Sony service I bought another SL-2700 and it had the same problem (I immediately returned it to the store for a refund). (FM)
SL-2710 the 2700's little bro. Basically it has a like chasis, but no slo mo effects, (it does have anti-jitter pause though), a better tuner than the 2700, a better timer setup: 3 week 8 event timer with a back button!, beta skipscan (which the 2700 doesn't have), no index function, and a problem free, common style loading mechanism, like that of 2400 series, SL-(HF)300, SL-HF600, SL-HFR30,60,70,90 and many other ones. (NG)
part2 If the 2700 was the best non super beta machine ever made, as for special effect, this one is the best in terms of ease of use. It's got the best tuner I've ever seen on a VCR of this era. Quartz locked tuning (no need for fine tuning), cable ready, has an extra pair of RF jacks for easy hook up of a pay TV or captions decoder (which the set can record), not limited to 13 channel selection. Programming is a easy as it can be, with its convenient BACK button, and you can set up as much as 9 progs. at a time. Also has noise free pause and 2X play, PCM switch, audio dub, and Hi-Fi sound. It's only lack is the absence of an MTS decoder.
But the big thing about this one is its toughness. It's all built-up with solid-state components. I've seen one of these decks being operated for fifteen years without ever being serviced. (CJ)
SL-2710B Note, this beta may be able to record and playback hi-fi, but it does not have an MTS tuner. But, it does have, in my view, THE best tuner/timer unit on any beta produced (Due to the ease of use and the "Back" and "Check" buttons on the timer section. It also has a "jitter-free" freeze frame. (NG)
The SL-5200 Story : The Sony SL-5200 was not only the first Beta Hifi VCR it was also the very first HiFi FM recording Stereo VCR on any format. It came out in 1983 in the Sony Beta 5000 series. Beta HiFi unlike VHS HiFi, does not need an extra pair of Flying Audio Heads to record HiFi FM audio. Sony records the HiFi audio with the video heads in a notch between the Chrominance and Luminance signals so it can use its Video Heads to lay down the HiFi audio and stay in perfect alignment with the video at all times as a result. The sound quality is as good as Compact Discs with virtually uniform audio from 20 to 20,000 hz and with a 85 to 95 db signal to noise ratio and infinite separation of stereo channels as on a Compact Disc. The SL-5200 Beta HiFi VCR is one of Sony's and Video's Milestone VCRs in History. (A)
SL-5800 Part of Sony's 5xxx series which included the SL-5400, SL-5600 and the top of Sony's line, The SL-5800. The machine featured: BI/II/III play back, BII/III record . MPX recording . Audio dubbing . Fast play . Variable Slow motion (on remote) . Jog/Shuttle wheel on the corded remote (FF/REW) . Camera inputs on front . Frame by Frame advance . 4 event/2 week advance timer. It was and still is a excellent machine. (SEV)
SL-8600 Big old top loader with knob tuner and auto start timer, but no auto stop. Funny (TM). -- A relic from 1978 (or early '79). We old Betaphiles never liked it because it was one of the few Betamaxes that never played back X-1, it only handled X-2 in record and play. But, it WAS the first Beta to have a digital clock! (RDG)
SL-100 Super Beta, offered 7 day/6 event programming, wasn't Hi-Fi, and had a linear time counter and wireless remote control. It is worth about $100 on the used market. Circa 1986. (RDG)
SL-HFR30 Nothing special at all. 14 channel programmable analog tuner. (RK)
part2 It is NOT a super Beta and it is HiFi ready. I have the HFP-100 processor for my machine. It allows the machine to play back prerecorded stereo tapes correctly. It does not have a stereo tuner but the mono signal is recorded on the HiFi tracks. It can record in stereo if fed a line level stereo signal. (RS)
SL-HFR60 Frame advance! 14 channel programmable analog tuner. (RK)
SL-HFR70 a SuperBeta linear track audio machine with a jack on the back to add the HiFi unit to make it Beta HiFi. -- The "R" stood for 'ready', so this model was HiFi Ready. It became HiFi when you bought the HFP-200 HiFi adaptor, hence the model designation. (MF)
part2 a c. 1986 - 87 mono SuperBeta, with a few special effects. These are Frame advance, 1/5 speed, 1/10 speed, channel programmable, digital tuner, and a good frame advance that doesn't skip too far ahead in the tape. Unfortunately, the video effects work only in the forward direction, unlike the SL-HF2700 which has many video effects in both directions. The Sl-HFR70 can be upgraded to Beta HiFi, by purchasing an external HiFi module, like the HFP100 or HFP200. The HFP100 and HFP200 are essentially the same, except that the HFP200 decodes MTS, which includes SAP programming. The external HiFi modules plug into a socket on the back of the SL-HFR## VCR into a special plug labelled Beta HiFi. (RK)
part3 Mono superbeta. much resembling the E-Z beta machines. But it was one of the first vcrs to bring noiseless pause and slow motion to the mass, since it was built around a 2-head technology. But such performance of 2 heads required quite an elaborate mechanism, which was weak in return. It is not a tough machine... This one was among some other HFRxx vcrs... (which stands for Hi-Fi Ready) If you wanted you could buy the optional HFP-100 or HFP-200 BetaHi-Fi processor which lets you enjoy Hi-Fi sound. (CJ)
SL-HFR90 The SL-HFR90 is a very solid machine with the brightest fluorescent display I have seen on any Betamax. It weighs a bit over 23 lbs, compared to 17 lbs for the SL-HFR70
It has the ability to freeze frame, but it cannot do 1/5 or 1/10 slow motion like the SL-HFR70 (which is a SuperBeta) - does NOT have frame advance.
It was made in 1984, and the original remote is the RMT-319.
As expected from the model number, it is HiFi Ready and can be used with the HFP-100 or HFP-200 (which did not come out until after the SL-HFR90).
Mine is silver (I don't know if it came in black), and I really love it! (AS)
SL-HF300 is a great second machine. It is standard Hi-Fi beta and delievers excellent picture quality. It is nice and simple and after 12 years of service, it still works perfectly. It is very similar to the SL-HF 400, minus the super beta and stereo tuner. These are very popular and easy to find for $30-40. Simple, yet effective. (PW)
part2 I am very happy with mine although the door on it broke off a few years, after I bought it. I paid retail I believe, and it was $700 @ Tokyo Elec. in San Jose CA on 8/10/84. And yes I am bummed that it does not have an MTS stereo decoder,and isn't Super Beta format. But I have to say I can't complain about the picture quality. It's still as good or better as my Toshiba FX SVHS deck. Not to mention I haven't needed any work done to the deck, and it still works flawlessly, and it's been through it's share of work. I find that the freeze frame works best in BII speed than the faster BIII. (A)
SL-HF360 Unfortunately, I found out too late that the 360 could only hold 12 (or is it 13) different TV channels. This made it virtually useless to them since who watches only 12 channels.
The moral here is: Sony would charge you $400 for a Beta deck that has fewer features than a $150 VHS deck. (KCC)
SL-HF400 it has never been in the shop and has been continuously used since it was bought. The only thing I have had to do is clean the heads. An engineer at my station opened it up once and said it had the same aluminum platter that the professional decks had. He said they don't make VCR's like this anymore. (C)
part2 It has been in the shop only once, the cassette carriage mechanism got out of 'sync' and was trying to cock the cassette as it was ejected. It was repaired at a Sony facility; it still acts a little hinky everyonce in a while when ejecting tapes. Quality video and audio from the Super Beta/Hi-Fi format! (JB)
SL-HF450 Nice machine. Super Beta - Circa 1986. Approx. price $425 in 1987 (JV)
SL-HF500 very similar to the SL-HF300. It comes in two colors, Black or Gray. It is Hi-Fi stereo, but not SuperBeta. I think it might be a rare machine. (EK)
SL-HF550 black face. SuperBetaHiFi, stereo tuner with SAP, 4 head... lots of goodies. If your looking for something better and you come across one of these, buy it. A couple of drawbacks, the tuner only goes up to CH 37, and it only has a 15 CH memory. (MY)
SL-HF600 This is a very nice VCR with direct channel entering both from the remote and the deck itself. Probably the only special feature that it contains is a single frame advance (which I've never used). The 600 was introduced as the middle machine of a family that included the SLHF400, the SLHF600 and the SLHF900. All were supposed to have a similar chassis and differ primarily in their special features. (BS)
part2 SuperBeta Hi-Fi. 69 channel direct access tuner with cable channels 1-125. Real time counter. 1 week, 6 event timer. Crystal clear freeze frame. Frame by frame advance. This is also a dual-voltage machine. (JA)
SL-HF750 is a Beta Hi-Fi Stereo, SuperBeta machine with X1, X2, X3 record. You can turn SuperBeta and hifi on and off (which is good if taping for a friend who has a older model machine. SuperBeta produces lines if played back on a non-super machine). It is a front loader, with a drawer that comes out quite a distance to load tapes.
--Strangely I have had little problem with the drawer itself (which people always thought would have a tendency to break). I've had a couple of machines that eventually showed problems with holding a bit of tape when you ejected (you could remove the tape but might get a wrinkled bit of tape).
--The playback is excellent, on all 3 speeds. Stereo sound is also excellent - definitely as good or better than VHS hi-fi stereo. There is a MTS decoder which includes a light so you can tell which channels are in stereo. There are many deluxe features including a jog shuttle wheel on the machie and the remote. Since the remote is quite elaborate, a new one now costs about $150 from Sony. (If your price of $150 for a machine includes the remote that is a great price.)
--There is also a left/right stereo meter, earphone jacks, 2 sets of audio/video outputs, 1 set input, cable-ready tuner, control S input, control L input/output, sharpness control, slow/normal tracking, audio monitor switch (for SAP recordng, quick timer, index, MPX filter switch, edit switch.
--Features include Betascan, Beta skipscan, freeze, variable speed play (from 1/10 slow motion to x1, to X2 double speed. Timer is 3 week/8 event. X1 record is Superbeta, and it will play back older nonsuper beta X1 (as well as other non-super tapes at any speed).
--This machine was the 2nd in line to the 1000 machine, lacking a few of the 1000's features, but still is definitely a deluxe machine with most of the options you could want. (L)
part2 $140.00 is a great price for this deck. I own 7 of them (and wouldn't think of parting with any). It is one of the few Sony machines which record and playback B1s. It is a 4-head hifi machine. It has a lot of editing features, although without a flying erase head. The latter isn't too important though because edits are totally glitch-free.
--The remote is almost identical to the SLHF1000's, with a jog shuttle but minus a few keys. The thing that sets the 750 apart, though, is its loading mechanism: there is no tape door, but rather a powered drawer which covers half the front of the deck and slides out and up to receive the tape. The drawer can even be opened during record/playback to check how much tape remains. (H)
SL-HF810D I recently bought a rare Sony SL-810-D SuperBeta VCR for my Beta Collection and was pleasantly surprised to discover the excellent quality it provided in both it's Digital Effects Processor and it's Linear Mono Sound Track. I'm used to the high end Sony Beta VCRs such as the SLHF-1000, SLHF-900, SLHF-870-D, EDV-9500 and SLHF-2100, with all their "Bells & Whistles" from AFM Stereo HiFi Rotary Sound Tracks and advanced Digital Processors and Effects. Much to my pleasure, the Sony SL-810-D was a real performer, with stunning picture quality, perfect B1s and SHB-B1s playback, a digital effects processor that worked as well as my SLHF-870-D , EDV-7500, and EDV-9500, and to my amazement, at B1s in playback I could not distinguish the slightest loss of audio high frequency response on it's linear mono audio track, nor was their any annoying "hiss" associated with such analog linear (non Dolby NR) audio tracks. In every respect, the Sony SL-810-D SuperBetamax is an excellent performer, on par with the best that Sony has to offer. It is a welcome addition to my vast collection of Beta VCRs, and with an unusually beautiful cabinet design as well, with colorfull internally lighted, rainbow of hues, rectangular buttons on the front for it's Digital Effects, reminiscent of the SLHF-T7 Sony Super Beta Theater's buttons, and black cabinet with Gold Trim. All in all the SL-810-D is one of Sony's handsomest designs ever, and a truely super performer. (BBK)
SL-HF870D it is one of the best consumer-level Beta machines out there. In addition to the tape stabilization feature that Steve mentioned it has high-speed digital scan where you can still view the picture (in black and white) at the normal fast forward/reverse speed. Very handy for finding a certain program or section on a long tape.
-The image quality on record is also very good (I can't tell the difference between the 870D and the 750 on Beta II) and the freeze-frame is rock-solid. Most of the other digital features are pretty useless most of the time although I have used them a few times to make tapes for presentations.
-About the only bad thing about it I can think of is it won't tune cable channels above channel 36 (if I am wrong here I would appreciate someone telling me how to do so) unlike the 750 which can tune up to channel 99.
-You should also be happy to know that it is a very reliable machine. I have used mine extensively for 7 years and have never had a problem with it.
-My favorite feature and one I wish that my 750 had is the "digital scan". This produces a B&W scan at full 30x fast-forward speed! It appears that it does this by buffering up short sections and then playing them back slower. This gives a semi-jerky look to the scan but allows you to at least see what's going on which would be difficult to see at 30x. (AD)
part2 I was actually able to tune in Channel 37 on my 860D even though it only is supposed to do through 36. It's a tricky maneuver but I've been able to do on the few occasions where I have had to reset my channels. (DC)
SL-HF900 The SLHF 900 Sony Betamax is a unique machine from Sony. It was their 10th anniversary BETAMAX (1985). But it came in two distinct versions, unfortunately. The Japanese version of the SLHF-900 had SuperBeta Record and Playback at all three speeds including B1s whereas the version sold in the U.S.A had only SuperBeta Record and Playback on BII and BIII speeds and just playedback of the old "X-1" version of BI ( 4 cm/sec.) speed which is incompatible with B1s recorded tapes. However, the good news here is that the U.S.A. versions of the SLHF-900 can be converted to B1s Record and Playback with a few simple added parts to existing circuit boards inside of it. This was first done in the late 1980's and featured in articles in the now defunct "BETAPHILE RECORDER" the official color and mailed out NEWSLETTER of the former "BETAPHILE CLUB" that was expertly run from 1988-1991. The articles such as "I Want my B1s" and on the subject of the modification by the "BTH Labs" of California who so expertly did this modification, called by them "TURBO B1s Modification", were featured. This modification as done by the BTH Labs back then, included a complete check and performance adjustment to perfection of your Sony SL-HF900 Betamax along with the B1s modification to it for about $160.00 in 1988. While this is no longer available from them at this date and time, Andy Sanchez of Modesto California is doing that Special B1s modification to the SLHF-900 Sonys NOW in 1998, and welcomes your business in doing such to your's. He is one of us, and a longtime Betaphile, so he knows what he is doing and does it expertly as Beta is his specialty. He does it for a reasonable cost, far lower than Sony's or other repair facilities charge, and you can ship your Betamax of any kind to him for service and he will perform the work needed with great expertise. I know as I have been his customer and am most satisfied. Call Andy for an estimate on your specific BETA problem at (209) 527-3493 in California. This modification allows your SLHF-900 Sony 10th Anniversary SuperBetamax to both RECORD and PLAYBACK in SuperBeta B1s just like the SLHF-750 does, and to also playback ALL recordings made by the other B1s Recording Betamax VCRs such as the; Sony SLHF-2100, SLHF-1000, BMC-1000-K, NEC-N65EU, Pioneer VX-90, & Sony SLHF-750. The SLHF-900 has insert Video and Audio controls and a unique two sided Jog Shuttle on it's front panel for precise editing, similar to the SLHF-1000. It also has a SPECIAL "Detail Enhancement" Switch to "increase performance" on Sony High Grade Beta Tapes noticeably, right on it's front panel behind its opening door, a feature found ONLY on the SLHF-900, that makes a considerable performance improvement to tape sharpness. The Sony SLHF-900 is a remarkable machine and a beautiful one as well, with performance on par with even today's best VCRs. It edits beautifully and is a wonderful addition to any Betaphile's collection of TOP END Beta's with highly advanced features. (BBK)
SL-HF1000 Beta I Super-High Band recording (RDG)
SL-HF2000 is considered as one of the worst machine in terms of perforance per $ ratio. Simply put, it's not known as a performer, but since that's the only new machine that Sony is offering, we are stuck with it. I can say all of this because I own one. Mine is one of the very early ones #257, but what a disappointment it has been. Beta Scan, is acceptable in the BIII mode, but not in BII. Basically due to the lack of the extra effect head, here are the things you won't get: You can forget variable slow motion, crystal clear freeze, crystal clear slow motion, Beta skip scan (let's you go from fast foward to play without hitting stop). Although you will get Video Index, but make sure you keep your video head clean. I don't know if my video head has worn off or it's simply dirty, I lost the index function in BIII mode now. Also be forwarned that the head is not very durable. My video head failed after 10 months (about 500 hrs of service). Sorry if I have really dampened your sprits, but unfortunately this is my experience. Hopefully your machine will be better than mine. Perhaps mine was like this because it's an early production model. (MY)
part2 Rumored to have stopped being produced in 1996, but various reports indicate that "is still being produced but is just in short supply right now. Believe it or not they can't keep up with the orders. They plan to keep producing the 2000 into 1998." (TM).
part3 The 2000 certainly records poorly, no better than VHS, but it seems to playback tapes with the same sharpness as the machine they were recorded on. The special effects are useless. (RMcG)
part4 The reason the SLHF2000 has poor special effects is that Sony leaves out the digital special effects board on exported units. If you open up the machine, you will see where the missing circuit board should be. The Japanese version is SL-200D (if I remember correctly, got rid of mine a few years ago). There is a model without the D suffix also maybe, which is what the SLHF2000 is. (FY)
part5 I do have to defend the SL-HF2000 a little bit since it does get beaten up a lot by all of us (myself included). I have to agree that it is over priced and does not measure up to the 750, 900, 870D or 1000 in terms of features, however in terms of an everyday work horse machine for time shifting and play back of my archive I have been very happy with it. I disagree with some of the comments that the recording quality is really poor on the 2000. As with any machine, the quality of the source has a lot to do with the quality of your final recording. When I tape off of my RCA DSS dish at Beta 2, I get quality from my 2000 that rivals prerecorded tapes. Even at Beta 3 the quality I get from the dish is very good. I don't think Sony intended people to use the 2000 for the things the above mentioned machines were used for. It is my firm belief (my opinion only) that Sony makes the 2000 simply for people to play back their old Beta collection, and for time shifting and collecting people are using VHS and DVD. (TM)
SL-HF2100 Beta I Super-High Band recording (RDG)
part2 the little mentioned OPT-4 Heads that unlike the SLHF-1000's Pro-4 Heads, the OPT-4 head of the SLHF-2100 was designed with seperate heads "optimized" specifically in Gap design for Record and sepeartely for Playback, thus the OPT-4 name. The SLHF-2100 also has a 5 stage digital signal processor, and records in SHB-B1s as well as SuperBeta and Standard Beta on the BII and BIII speeds. It's picture quality is stunning as was raved about in video publications and by its lucky owners, of which I am one who owns 2 of these fine Betamaxs. The SLHF-2100 was the 15th Anniversary Betamax with Dual Flying Erase Heads. (BBK)
part3 A MODERN CLASSIC BETA - the 15th Anniversary BETAMAX, one of the limited number of truly exceptional and fine editing Prosumer BETAMAX VCRs ever made. It was delivered to avid BETA fans who gave input into it's design at the time of it's U.S.A. Introduction in June 1991. I got two of the first SLHF-2100's to come off the line and they were beautiful just to look at with their sleek smooth cabinets of black, curved ends, gold trim, and smoked plexiglass see through front electric tilt down panel that exposed its "buttonless" lighted "tough sensor" controls. It had the most unique remote of all Beta VCR remotes, that was also buttonless, and had a very large if not to be said HUGE LCD panel with simulated buttons on the screen that were large and easy to touch to actuate, because there were 8 pages of them you could call up at the touch of a sensor. It featured even a system where you could "type" in the name of your favorite weekly programs on the LCD screen, and then to program the timer to record them each week you merely needed to touch the NAME of the show on your LCD remote screen, and the programming held in memory was immediately programmed into the timer record mode on the VCR. The remote was two way interactive in that it not only sent infrared remote signals to the VCR but would receive information back from the VCR via the two way interactive infrared send back transmitter in the VCR. The SLHF-2100 had Super Hi-Band 6.0 Mhz B1s recording, like the BMC-1000-K did and also had the advanced features of a 5 stage active Digital Signal Processor (NOT to be confused with a Digital "Effects" Unit that does; strobe, art, mosaics, etc). The 5 stage Digital Processor worked to clean up and optimize the signal BOTH before recording it onto the tape AND after it was played back so it even benefitted older Beta tapes played on the SLHF-2100, and this REALLY made a BIG difference. Plus it is the ONLY VCR of it's type to ever have separate heads for Recording and Playback each OPTIMIZED in gap size for it's specific purpose, like on a three head audio recorder tape deck, so no "compromise" head gap set somewhere between Record and Play optimization was used as in all other VCRs that is not right for either Record or Play but is a COMPROMISE between the two. The SLHF-2100's SEPERATE heads for Record and Playback were exactly optimized for their purpose and work well at that. The addition of the S-Video input and output jacks and 3 separate sets of jacks, also were an advance over other VCRs. All in all it is a STUNNING BETAMAX and records and plays Standard Beta, Super Beta, and SHB-B1s Super Hi-Band 6 Mhz with perfection. It is indeed one of the FINEST VCRs EVER built of ANY format and one of Sony's FINEST editing, twin flying erase heads (that remove BOTH video fields, not just one), and every bell and whistle of Betamax VCR's of all time. It's front smoked plexiglass "see through" panel says in large GOLD letters on the outside simply, "6.0 Mhz SUPER HI-BAND", emblazoned Proudly and BOLDLY proclaiming it's Superiority. It's model number of SLHF-2100 makes a statement too, that it is made to be a VCR of the 21st Century, which INDEED it IS !!! (BBK)
part4 six trips to Bristol since January & still isn't right, world's worst remote (FM)
part5 The much-awaited 15th Anniversary Betamax, also known as the Buttonless Betamax; had huge front-panel swing-down door that ran the width of the machine, with unique touch-pad with all the machine functions; unique LED readout with scrolling messages; the first Sony Beta to ever have automatic tracking (which was defeatable); recorded B-I Super High Band like the SL-HF1000; had video and audio insert editing; 4 heads; S-video inputs and outputs; 1-month, 8-event programming. Had the most high-tech remote control ever conceived, again with no buttons, just a long touch-pad with 13 different menu screens and two-way communication with the unit. Heavily sought after on the used Beta market bringing at times $2000, my reserve is less than half that and, to date, the last high-end, full-featured Beta produced (sigh!). This unit is very heavy (MQ)
SL-HFT7 was basically an SL-HF 400 with a more upscale chasis and a leaner remote. The thing that distingushed it from all the other VCRs released that year ('86) was the fact that it had a 30 watt, 4 channel Dolby Surround amplifier built in. You could hook speakers to this machine and have it play the surround information that is encoded into all hi-fi tapes. Of course, this feature went over the heads of most consumers. Most of the people that were looking for a VCR were looking for something "less gimmicky" (these were the exact words of a couple I tried to sell the machine to when I worked at Circuit City). One of the other key selling points was that the machine came in three or four different colors to match Sony's new line of designer XBR monitors. My favorite was raspberry. (SS)
part2 can play any tape regardless of how messed up the original recording quality. (VN)

SL-T50ME (from Saudi) which supports the majority of the formats, NTSC 3.58, NTSC 4.43, PAL, and two versions of SECAM (MESECAM and SECAM). It is used for foreign format playback of my tapes (prerecorded) bought from my travels aboard. (KH)
SL-700 ME MKII a multi-format machine, with NTSC, PAL, and Secam formats. It says "7 System" on the face plate. (KJB)

SL-C9AS a professionally designed deck which was supplied to the consumer market. The "AS" version of this Sony model was specifically designed for the Australian markets' power and television standards and some Australian television stations used them for off-air recording of programs for many years. It has direct drive DC motors for very accurate tape control and has other advanced features not available on many earlier model machines such as an automatic channel programing. / The SLC9AS has AV editing, slow motion control, automatic picture search (APS) and linear time display of tape/program position to name just a few features. / Features include:- :: Slow motion control in both directions. Frame by frame, 1/10th speed, 1/5th speed, normal and 9 times speed. :: Automatic Picture Search and Mark/Erase editing features. (which do not affect the recording) :: Insert editing features available for picture and/or sound :: Instant mode change and Skip/scan Preview and Review modes :: Audio / Visual line in/out connections including the option of PCM input :: Automatic or manual tuning of a total of 30 VHF or UHF channels :: TV output n UHF adjustable from Channel 31 to 36 :: Programmable timer recording for multiple events :: A camera and autotape loading option could also be added to this machine. (BH)

Japan SL-F205 records hi-band, it appears to be a cheap machine, probably no stereo. (RMcG)
part2 The low end SL-F205 which is not a hi-fi model with just basic features was anywhere from 42,600 Yen to 55,000 Yen ($305 to $400). This is a Japanese NTSC standard model with Japanese labeled controls and instructions. (KS)
SL-200D It looks almost exactly like the American SL-HF2000, except with a hell of alot better remote (with jog/shuttle, LCD clock/date, timer-remote programming) and high-band recording. It probably has 4 heads too. (SV)
part2 The high end SL-200D with hi-fi, etc, was anywhere from 71,400 Yen to 90,000 Yen ($510 to $635). This is a Japanese NTSC standard model with Japanese labeled controls and instructions.
ED-9000 Extended Definition model was only on display in a few stores. The prices were 192,700 Yen to 239,000 Yen ($1375 to $1700). Interestingly, the only models I saw were with English language labeled controls, remotes, instructions, etc. I wonder if these were originally going to be exported and than Sony changed their minds? There were no Japanese language control models that I saw. (KS)

Industrial / ED Beta GCS-50 Produced in the mid-80's, this industrial editing machine featured standard Beta and Beta Hi-Band (essentially SuperBeta), hi-fi sound, assemble & insert editing in all speeds. It's controlable through a Control L port. It has a jog shuttle wheel on the right with linear time readout. The manual says it defaults to SuperBeta II speed on a blank tape for recording but one of mine defaults to SB I speed (no problems here!). (KJB)
part 2 records by default in BII but will play all speeds. It is SuperBeta and is an editing deck with shuttle wheel and all of the editing goodies. To really work the way it is intended you need 2 of them and an editing control. It doesn't have a remote, tuner or timer so it is only good for recording when you are there to turn it on and off but it is a super quality VCR. (HH/K)
part 3 industrial model of the SLHF-900. It had multipin and BNC connectors and Stereo Linear Track Recording in addition to Beta HiFi Stereo Audio tracks (BBK)
part 4 (along with audio and video insert edit) but it cannot record in SHB-Is (?!?) (CH)
part 5 the model of the controller is: RM-550 as well, I recently found out, below the shuttle wheel, on the underside panel, there is a small sticker which covers a switch (rubber tab holds the switch in place and should be removed) that allows toggling between Beta I and II recording. WHAT a revelation!! (JA)
part 6 I have the manual and it does not record in Super High Band. (DH)
part 7 The units I own were part of a military video editing set up. The government contract with Sony, was for a B-II video system. But lucky for us, the unit that Sony used was designed to record in B-Is & (B-II or B-IIs). The reason the manuals do not mention this, is that B-Is was not part of the bidded system and the manuals were written to operate the specified system. This is also why the rocker switch was disabled and covered, to avoid any problems later. My understanding is that it was cheaper to use the already built and designed unit than to make a unit just for the military. (DY)

SLO-260 the first industrial Beta, it played and recorded the old "X-1" speed only, and I think had a VU meter for the audio, with a manual audio adjustment. It was released about 1976 or 77. It will not play SuperBeta tapes or hi-fi tapes without some sort of distortion in the picture. (unfortunately, it's only worth about $20 on the market!! -- sorry!) (RDG).
SLO-323 Beta I only. It has a built in carrying handle, VU meters, mic inputs and audio dub, bnc video jacks, and the whole thing looks and feels professional. (SB)
SLO-1800 This unit is an industrial duplication machine. All controls are manual and you can buy a tape changer unit that attaches and moves from tape to tape with about a 15 second delay between tapes. (JY)
part 2 a huge VCR thats built like a tank. If you picked up one of these without a manual, you may not realize that the default recording mode is standard Beta, not SuperBeta. These machines, although SuperBeta machines, were designed as duplicators for the rental industry. Being so, they recorded in a modified form of standard Beta in order to be compatible with all Beta machines (the modified signal is suppose to give SuperBeta quality at standard Beta carrier frequencies). The SuperBeta switch (called Carrier Shift) is inside the unit on the back of the front panel PCB. The factory setting for this switch is OFF, so if you want SuperBeta recordings, take the top off. (GN)

EDV-7500 ED Beta. Records BII and BIII, plays back X-1, B-1S, BII and BIII. 8-event, 3-week timer, cable compatible, hifi stereo, SuperBeta (switchable on or off). Has digital FX (strobe, still, and digital scan) on the remote only. (RDG)
EDV-30F which is an industrial ED Beta machine. It is unique in that is has NO RF converter built-in (I had to buy one from Radio Shack). It also has BNC connectors in the back for video in and out, plus an S-video in/out. Also, it records only in BII, but does play back all speeds. It also records in hi-fi all the time, but the SuperBeta can be turned on and off. Has a great jog and shuttle wheel, and the nicest feather-touch buttons I've ever used! (RG)
ED Beta tapes They are still listed on the SONY Japan site - haven't looked around to see if any are around in N.America in a long time - the decks were still produced [to my knowledge at least a few years ago] - the high-end ED-Beta stuff in Japan, and of course the professional BETACAM stuff is still being used daily around the world. I used pro metal BETACAM tapes in my ED-Beta's for a number of years - work great, cost less, and have longer tape lengths - i.e., a 30min tape is a 3hr BII tape played in the ED-Beta. Also, much easier to get ahold of - you can usually get one-off tapes from broadcast places for cheap too. Recently I've moved to recording directly to my hard drive - quality is not up to par with ED-Beta, but ease of editing, time-shifting, and burning/sending files for the moment out-weigh the quality loss for me :: 27.04.2007. (KF).

Non SONY machines NEC VC-N65EU feature-wise, WHAT A LETDOWN!! A quick review:
This is the only Super Beta Hi-Fi that NEC made, and was their last Beta, released in mid-1985. The picture quality is slightly below that of Sony Betas, but the lack of features REALLY puts it in the dumper, to wit:
FEATURES IT DOESN'T HAVE: Get this: NO cassette-in indicator in the display; NO RECORD OR PLAYBACK SPEED INDICATOR in the display (it does have a 3-position record switch, labeled B-Is/BII/BIII, but that's it!); NO LINEAR TIMER COUNTER, only a stupid 4-digit counter w/memory and zero reset; Clock OR counter position, you can't have both; NO STEREO TUNER, it's completely monaural, and I doubt if it's cable-ready; NO SHARPNESS control; 2 heads, not 4, so you get fairly wide noise bars in the scan mode; NO SUPERBETA ON/OFF switch (so you supposedly ONLY record in SuperBeta!), NO BETA HI-FI/LINEAR TRACK MIX position; NO FRONT-PANEL VIDEO/AUDIO INPUT jacks; no random-access tuning, only 14 pre-sets!
NEAT FEATURES IT DOES HAVE: a switch that changes the VU meters to a TRACKING meter: the longer the line is, the better you are tracking the tape (optimum tracking shows 2 red LED's); a mirror inside the cassette compartment, with a light, that reflects the left side of the cassette so you can see the tape moving and how much tape is left; a headphone jack w/volume control; locking scan (only); a Simulcast input position; segment recording in 30-minute intervals (same as OTR on the Sony machines). It also has (surprisingly) an EDIT switch, hidden under a cover on top of the machine by the internal tuning controls; 3-event, 7-day programming. The timer controls are the old, old style: 3 buttons that say HOUR/10 MIN./MINUTE.
The unit didn't come with the remote control, so I can't comment on that. Performance-wise, it was OK; picture quality at B-Is was about the same as B-Is on the SL-HF750, maybe a tad grainier; the quality at BII was excellent; haven't checked out BIII yet (a speed I never use). Interesting point: I made a recording at B-IS and BII on this NEC, played it back on 3 Sony Betas, and the tape bounced on all 3! It barely tracked, and this happened at both playback speeds! Go figure. (RG)
NEC V-70EU Is a front loader with 34 buttons, 3 switches, 2 audio record level slides, and a headphone level knob on the front. Digital display, 3 week programming. HiFi, BII, BIII. On the back are 11 RCA jacks, 2 screw type coax connectors, 4 UHF terminals, a mic jack, and a timer control/unswitched AC outlet! The RCA jacks are as follows: Normal Audio in, out, mic (1/8" minijack); B HiFi audio L/R in, L/R out; MPX adaptor L/R in, composite out; Video PCM in, out. There is also an IR remote. (GE)
NEC 739-E was a top-of-the-line machine from NEC back in 1984 when I bought it. It's a Hi-Fi model with plenty of bells and whistles including double speed (2x) with sound, three slow-mo., speeds, segment recording, superb hi-fi sound, etc which are all supported on the remote. I remember having the salesman demo the 2x with sound feature using Saturday Night Fever and John Travolta was even more comedic than at normal speed. (MS)

Pioneer QX-949 had *two* four-channel tape inputs. And it weighed in quite a heavy object as well. (SS)
Pioneer VX-90 Contrary to what I read in an old Beta Digest it does not record in B1S. It records only in B2 and B3. I see only two differences in it. The remote control is styled like a Pioneer remote of the period and it has two command modes that Pioneer calls A and B. These remote codes are different than Sony's codes. The Pioneer remote won't operate a Sony vcr and a Sony remote won't operate the Pioneer. There are two pairs of control jacks on the rear panel, Control 1 is for Pioneer's SR remote link system and Control 2 is a normal control S. There are minor differences in the manual, references to Sony and Sony equipment are changed to Pioneer. (RMcR)

Sanyo VCR-4670 Betacord vcr, no remote. Has slow motion, perfect freeze frame, tri-scan special. 4-heads I believe (or three hence the tri-scan special). Best sanyo picture I've ever seen, unfortunatly its mono. (PW)
VCR-6800 MFSL $700 - Upscale unit featuring 14-day, 8-event timer, 4 heads, front loading, color, monophonic, introduced in 1983, being the last entry for that year. (RG)
VCR-7150 BETA HI FI stereo sound, freq range 20-20kHz. Black shiny, Beta II, Beta III, IC logic control. (E)

*For what it's worth, here's a small list of (mainly British) Sanyo models and my opinion:
GOOD: VTC-9300 (Old-fashioned, but solidly built); VTC-M40 (hi-fi machine, two people on the 'net have highly commended it. There is a picture of one on Colin McCormick's Beta Video Info page. The URL appears at the end of every BetaClub Digest).
NOT TOO GOOD: VTC-5000 series (US equivalent of VTC-5000 = VCR-3900), VTC-6500, VTC-NX100. The latter is a modern-style black cased front loader which looks good but performs poorly. All these machines suffer from the dreaded tape-chewing bug. They also unthread the tape between rewind/fast forward and play. This means slower operation but longer head life. I've rarely found worn video heads a problem with these machines, unlike the Sony / Toshiba Betamaxes. Models VTC-5300 and VTC-5400 leave the tape threaded all the time and do not break tapes like the others. The tape-chewing bug is also fixed in the VTC-5150. These models may be a better buy secondhand. (HK)


VTC-M50 (Australia) have owned this machine for many years since it was first released here (I believe it has the same model number in England). It performs extremely well (from what I have read, it has much the same specs as the VTC-M40, but does unthread the tape as per the VTC-5000 (which doesn't bother me all that much, but it never chewed tapes until the idler assembly packed up a couple of years ago). It looks much nicer than pictures of the VTC-M40 I have seen on the net :) When I was looking for a video recorder all those years ago, I fell in love with it straight away (both on looks, and the quality of the videos played in it) (BS)

Toshiba V-S443 Beta hi-fi recording system. Audio dubbing. Auto find. One touch timer recording function. Quick search. Slow and still picture. 117 channels cable capability. Auto rewind facility. Electronic Counter. Electronic Tuner. Memory Function. In addition, I find the following features very useful: Headphone jack with separate volume control. Separate left and right microphone inputs. "Input Select" switch with 3 positions, "TV", "Line", and "A/V Mix". (allows me to record stereo simulcasts, and to dub to and from without ever moving cables, among other benefits.) (DC)
Toshiba V-M415 Generally similar in appearance to the V-S443, only many fewer controls / features. (One noticable difference - mine has standard remote, this one has a small jack labeled "remote" on the front) - Time Frame - happened to notice part on inside dated "14-May-84". Same part on my V-S443 was dated "21-Jul-84". Otherwise would have guessed this one a little older. (DC)

Zenith VR8510 (a.k.a. Sony SL-2400) This Betamax is Zenith's version of the Sony SL-2400, built by Sony but labeled as a Zenith product. Major differences are color (medium charcoal case, silver and black front panel), dual cassette door flaps (an upper and lower) instead of single, and no record speed selector (in their wisdom, Zenith had the record speed fixed at BIII, but it will playback all speeds). Original remote #VAC1 (also Sony clone, uses Command mode 1 (MF)

Camcorders BMC-110 A good camcorder from 1983, but lacking a CCD pickup tube (Trinicon picture tube) and no autofocus. Recording only, playback requires a Beta VCR. Records in BII only giving a maximum of 3 hrs 20 min record time on a L-830 cassette tape. (SEV)
part2 the "K" designation of the BMC-110K means "Kit". The BMC-110K is a kit that includes the BMC-110 Betamovie as well as the AC-M110 AC adapter/Chanrger, and an NP-11 battery. (AS)
BMC-220 A step up from the 110, with autofocus the only feature added. Virtually the same camera as the 110 but being dark grey instead of silver. (SEV)
BMC-550 I love it. It has a "Super Beta" on/off switch tucked away under an access panel which suprised me a little. It only seems to record in BII and I would prefer a proper electronic viewfinder instead of the optical "through the lens" one that it has. It has zoom and autofocus. I was very pleased overall, but i would really have loved to have the ability to play the tapes back. Or at least a video out for a monitor, or perhaps just the ability to rewind. (RD)
BMC-660 It takes very sharp video, especially outside in natural light. Indoors it needs a little help after twilight. (GW) / records only in Superbeta II or regularbeta (switchable). (GS)
BMC-1000 I believe the BMC-1000 had a CCD pickup and thru the lens video viewfinder with playback capability. This camcorder was the companion to the SL-HF 1000 and could record in BIs/6.0 Mhz on Pro-X tapes for editing purposes. (RDG)
BMC-1000-K The most under rated and most incredible performing Cam-Corder of the BETAMOVIE series by SONY is the 1987 Sony BMC-1000-K "BETAMOVIE-PRO" Super Hi-Band Camcorder. It records in B1s and B1s-SHB switchable, and in the B1s-SHB mode is records with it's CCD chip onto Standard Beta tape, the most stunningly sharp and amazingly clean video of ANY BETAMOVIE camcorder and is comparable to Hi-8 in picture quality or S-VHS, yet has a much higher S/N ratio and virtually no dropouts. It is a fairly light weight and compact camcorder, has the GOLD "Super Hi-Band" Logo on both sides and "PRO" in LARGE white letters on the sides, plus a padded shoulder mount. It uses the Betamovie standard NP-11 Battery as all Betamovie Camcorders do, and is fully manual for the finest production quality and effects, has an Electronic View Finder, so you see what is going into the CCD chip, which is an advance over other Optical BETAmovie Camcorders of lower model numbers. It was rated by VIDEO REVIEW MAGAZINE in 1987 as "having the sharpest video image on tape of any camcorder". I own other Betamovie Camcorders of the lower model numbers as well as the fantastic BMC-1000-K BETAMOVIE-PRO, and also have Hi-8, and S-VHS, Camcorders and Sony U-Matic 3/4" SP Portables with Cam (V0-8800), and the Sony BMC-1000-K BETAMOVIE-PRO Camcorder is equal to any of them in picture performance and noticably better than the next model down in Sony's Betamovie Camcorders, the BMC-660-K in performance. The BMC-1000-K is also a stunning audio performer, especially with external microphone plugged into it's external mic jack, as it's high tape speed gives High Fidelity and High S/N ratio as well at 4cm/sec speed. Yet unlike Hi-8 or S-VHS or ED-Beta, the BMC-1000-K uses standard Beta video tape and is inexpensive to operate. It's all manual design doesn't overload the battery with electric motor operated auto focus which ad noise as well as suck away valuable battery time in other camcorders. And the SHB-B1s tapes will play on any 1987 or newer Sony Super Beta VCRs perfectly as ALL models have the B1s playback speed even if they record only at BII and BIII speeds. It has a 52 mm lens thread on the lens barrel which means you can use inexpensive 35mm camera filters that screw on easily, for special effects like multi-image filters, polarizers for ultra dark blue skys and reflection removal from glass and water surfaces, color effects filters, mist or fog filters, and much more. This is a REAL PRO camcorder with settings of GAIN on it from 0 db to +6db and +9 db for added low light gain, and two locked in settings for 3200K or 6000K white balance or full manual white balance with a white card as PRO cameras use in Network TV. It weighs in at about 6 lb which is far lighter than the 18 lbs of a Professional Betacam-SP Camcorder the TV studios use, yet it is very steady in hand holding due to it's special padded shoulder mount that other lower models of the Betamovie Camcorders don't have. So it moves with you as if your body was a tripod, rather than a shakey hand hold of some small camcorders. All in all this is one of Sony's real "sleepers" in terms of one of the FINEST camcorders EVER made to this day. It has the Video performance that the famed SLHF-1000 and SLHF-2100 Super Hi-Band 6 Mhz B1s-SHB VCRs are famous for, and yet is light and uses standard Beta Video Tape, available at any Radio Shack store coast to coast today. If you can find one and the owner is willing to part with it, by all means GET ONE !!! You will NEVER be disatisfied with it, and your family and friends seeing your "Home Family Videos" on your TV set will ask you, "What is that incredible camcorder you used for these videos as it is so intensely sharp and so clean and with such accurate vivid colors?". You can smile with pride and surprise them when you tell them that it is a 1987 Sony Betamovie PRO BMC-1000-K Super Hi-Band Camcorder that records in the special SHB-B1s system of BETAMAX. And the BMC-1000-K Betamovie PRO camcorder also features the OPT-1 head, that is record only, thus is is precisely matched to the RECORD function and is NOT a COMPROMISE between Record and Play head as used in most camcorders today. It is OPTIMIZED in BOTH the RECORD TRACK WIDTH for the B1s speed of 4 cm /sec. and it is OPTIMIZED for the exact head gap needed for precisely accurate SHB-B1s recording, plus the recording bias is set for exact level for SHB-B1s high performance video, as too is the audio record bias and the record sound head also OPTIMIZED for the B1s tape speed of 4 cm/sec giving brilliant high frequency performance missing from other Betamovie and VHS Camcorders. So the performance of this stellar Camcorder, the Crowning Jewel in Sony's Crown of BETAMAX is the ULTIMATE PRO-SUMER Camcorder in the Beta format that you can own. Seek one out today and experience the thrill of one of the finest Prosumer Camcorders ever made, and remember, it will playback on ANY Sony Super Beta VCR made since 1987 as they ALL have B1s playback capability and even in SHB with precise tracking adjustment. (BBK)

GCS-1 The way I understand it, the GCS-1 is the industrial version of the BMC-550, 660, or 1000 consumer camcorder, I'm not sure which. It's the "mate" to the GCS-50 VCR, which is the industrial version of the SL-HF1000.
The two I saw looked just like consumer camcorders and I don't know what makes them "industrial". I remember a switch to enable BI Super HiBand recording. They were smaller and swoopier looking than the BMC-110 and -220, which are almost big and boxy enough to masquerade as a professional ENG camera. The asking prices were $140 and $150, which struck me as a fair price, as opposed to a steal or a rip-off. (RWG)
NEC BM55EU Looks almost exactly like the Sony GCS-1, except for different color and maybe different viewfinder. Hard to tell on the small picture of GCS-1 on a Japanese "Flea Market" web site. It is a BII record only camera, has a high band switch hidden under the cover for the 3v lithium battery that powers the Date/Time, counter LCD display. Uses Sony NP-11 9.6v NiCad battery. Viewfinder changeable for left shoulder use. Auto focus, power zoom. Auto/manual white balance. Takes any 52mm screw on filters/lenses. (GE)

Beta links:
BetaPhile Club | Beta Lore | Beta Video Info | Betamax PALsite
Beta vs VHS (Urban Legends Site) | Absolute Beta | Ray Glasser's Beta Info Guide
Ray's great BetaHelp Resource! | WhyBeta | Wikipedia