Recorder Operating Instructions For customers in the USA If you have any questions about this product, you may call: Sony Customer Information Services Center 1-800-222-SONY (7669) or write to: Sony Customer Information Services Center 6900-29 Daniels Parkway, PMB 330, Fort Myers, FL 33912...
Page 2
• One blade of the plug is wider than the other for the purpose of safety and will fit into the power outlet only one way. If you are unable to insert the plug fully into the outlet, contact your Sony dealer. Installing •...
Important Safeguards For your protection, please read these safety instructions completely before operating the appliance, and keep this manual for future reference. Carefully observe all warnings, precautions and instructions on the appliance, or the one described in the operating instructions and adhere to them. Power sources This set should be operated only from the type of power source...
Page 4
• Never place the set in a confined space, such as a bookcase, or built-in cabinet, unless proper ventilation is provided. • Do not place the set near or over a radiator or heat register, or where it is exposed to direct sunlight.
Getting Started Step 1 : Unpacking Check that you have received the following items with the VCR: • Remote commander • Size AA (R6) batteries • 75-ohm coaxial cable with F-type connectors Unpacking...
Using the remote commander You can use this remote commander to operate this VCR and a Sony TV. Buttons on the remote commander marked with a dot (•) can be used to operate your Sony TV. To operate Set •TV / VIDEO to...
Now you can use the ?/1, VOL +/–, CH +/–, and TV/VIDEO buttons to control your TV. You can also use the buttons marked with a dot (•) to control a Sony TV. To control the VCR, reset •TV / VIDEO to VIDEO.
Plug and Play function. • Be sure you make connections firmly. Loose connections may cause picture distortion. • If your TV doesn’t match any of the examples provided, see your nearest Sony dealer or qualified technician. Hookup 1 (Plug and Play)
Audio/video (A/V) hookup If your TV has audio/video (A/V) input jacks, you will get a better picture and sound if you hook up your VCR using these connections. For a true “home theater” experience, you should connect the audio outputs of your VCR or TV to your stereo system.
Page 11
Caution Connections between the VCR’s VHF/UHF connector and the antenna terminals of the TV receiver should be made only as shown in the following instructions. Failure to do so may result in operation that violates the regulations of the Federal Communications Commission regarding the use and operation of RF devices.
Page 12
Hookup 1 (Plug and Play) Antenna hookup Make the following connections if you’re using an antenna (if you don’t have cable TV). A Use this hookup if you’re using: • VHF/UHF antenna (you get channels 2–13 and channels 14 and higher) •...
Page 13
Hookup 1 : VCR setup Plug the VCR into the AC outlet. The VCR automatically presets the VCR’s clock and TV channels when the VCR is plugged into the AC outlet. AC power cord to AC outlet The VCR starts presetting the clock and channels.
Page 14
Hookup 2 (Plug and Play) You have no cable box, or a cable box with only a few scrambled channels Recommended use Use this hookup if you do not have a cable box. Also use this hookup if your cable system scrambles only a few channels.
Page 15
Hookup 2 : VCR setup Plug the VCR into the AC outlet. The VCR automatically presets the VCR’s clock and TV channels when the VCR is plugged into the AC outlet. AC power cord to AC outlet The VCR starts presetting the clock and channels.
Hookup 3 Connecting a cable box with many scrambled channels Recommended use Use this hookup if your cable system scrambles all or most channels. What you can do with this hookup • Record any channel by selecting the channel on the cable box What you can’t do •...
Step 4 : Selecting a language You can change the on-screen display language. Before you start… • Turn on the VCR and the TV. • Set the CH switch on the rear of the VCR to 3 of 4, whichever channel is not used in your area.
Step 5 : Setting the clock Using the Auto Clock Set feature Some TV and cable channels transmit time signals with their broadcasts. Your VCR can pick up this time signal to automatically set the clock. The Auto Clock Set feature works only if a channel in your area is broadcasting a time signal.
Page 19
Press M/m to select AUTO, then press OK. PLAY Press M/m to select the item you want. Then press < PLAY • For “Clock set CH” Leave the setting to AUTO to have the VCR automatically search for a channel that carries a time signal.
Page 20
Notes • The clock cannot be set automatically if you don’t receive a channel that carries a time signal in your area. If so, set the clock manually (see page 21). • If there are only a few channels in your area that carry time signals, setting the clock automatically may take up to about 20 minutes.
Using Manual Clock Set Before you start… • Turn on the VCR and the TV. • Set the CH switch on the rear of the VCR to 3 of 4, whichever channel is not used in your area. If both are used, set the switch to either channel.
Page 22
Press M/m to set the month. PLAY Press , to flash the day and press M/m to set the day. PLAY Set the year, hour, and minutes in the same way as the day. The day of the week is set automatically. Press OK or MENU to start the clock.
Step 6 : Presetting channels This VCR is capable of receiving VHF channels 2 to 13, UHF channels 14 to 69 and unscrambled CATV channels 1 to 125. First, we recommend that you preset the receivable channels in your area using automatic presetting methods.
Page 24
Press M/m to select “Ant/Cable.” PLAY • To preset cable TV channels: Press PLAY • To preset VHF and UHF channels: Press PLAY Press M/m to select “Auto preset,” then press PLAY All receivable channels are preset in numerical sequence. When no more receivable channels can be found, presetting stops and the picture from the lowest numbered channel is displayed on the TV screen.
Presetting/disabling channels manually Before you start… • Turn on the VCR and the TV. When using a cable box, turn it on. • Set the CH switch on the rear of the VCR to 3 of 4, whichever channel is not used in your area.
Page 26
• To preset a channel: Press the number buttons to enter the channel number, then press ENTER. Press PLAY MENU • CH • To disable a channel: Press CH +/– to select the channel number. Press PLAY MENU Presetting channels , then press OK or MENU.
Basic Operations Playing a tape Turn on your TV and set it to the video channel. Insert a tape. The VCR turns on and starts playing automatically if you insert a tape with its safety tab removed. Z EJECT CLEAR DISPLAY REPLAY X PAUSE...
Page 28
Press H PLAY. When the tape reaches the end, it will rewind automatically. PLAY Additional tasks Stop play Pause play Resume play after pause Fast-forward the tape Rewind the tape Eject the tape To play a recently watched scene You can immediately rewind and playback the scene you want to watch again. During playback, press REPLAY.
Page 29
To use the time counter Press CLEAR at the point on the tape that you want to find later. The counter in the display window resets to “00:00.” To search for the counter 0:00:00 point automatically, see “To search for the counter 0:00:00 point” on page 45. To display the counter on the TV screen, press DISPLAY.
Recording TV programs Turn on your TV and set it to the video channel. To record from a cable box, turn it on. Insert a tape with its safety tab in place. Recording TV programs TV/VIDEO COUNTER/ REMAIN DISPLAY SP/EP CH +/–...
Page 31
Press CH +/– to select the channel or line input video source you want to • CH record. Press SP/EP to select the tape speed, SP or EP. SP / EP EP (Extended Play) provides recording time three times as long as SP (Standard Play).
Page 32
To watch another TV program while recording Press TV/VIDEO to turn off the VCR indicator in the display window. If the TV is connected to the VCR’s LINE OUT jacks, set the TV to the TV’s antenna input; if not, skip this step. Select another channel on the TV.
Recording TV programs using the timer You can preset up to eight programs at a time. Before you start… • Check that the VCR clock is set to the correct time. • Turn on your TV and set it to the video channel.
If necessary, press M/m to select the row that is to be set. PLAY Set the channel number, start and stop time, date, and tape speed: PLAY Press , to flash each item in turn. Press M/m to set each item. To correct a setting, press <...
Page 35
To use the Auto Tape Speed function In step 3 above, press m to select AUTO. When you are recording a program in the SP mode and the remaining tape becomes shorter than the recording time, the tape speed is automatically changed to the EP mode. Note that some noise will appear on the picture when the tape speed is changed.
Locking the VCR (Child Lock) After you have set the timer, you can lock all of the buttons on the VCR so that the settings are not canceled by mistake. To lock the VCR When the VCR is turned on, hold down ?/1 POWER on the VCR until “LOC” appears in the display window.
Additional Operations Playing/searching at various speeds TRACKING +/– m REW Playback options View the picture during fast- forward or rewind Play at high speed Play at twice the normal speed Play in slow motion Play frame by frame To resume normal playback Press H PLAY.
Page 38
• Adjust the picture using the TRACKING +/– buttons if: – Streaks appear while playing in slow motion. – The picture shakes during pause. Notes • The sound is muted during these operations. • Tapes recorded in the LP mode on other VCRs can be played back on this VCR but the picture quality cannot be guaranteed.
Setting the recording duration time After you have started recording, you can have the VCR stop recording automatically after a specified duration. While recording, press z REC. The TIMER indicator appears in the display window. Press z REC repeatedly to set the duration time. Each press advances the time in increments of 30 minutes.
Checking/changing/canceling timer settings Before you start… • Turn on your TV and set it to the video channel. Press ?/1 to turn on the VCR. Press MENU, then press M/m to select “Timer set/check” and press OK. • If you want to change a setting, go on to the next step. •...
Page 41
Press M/m to select the setting you want to change or cancel. • To change the setting, press </, to flash the item you want to change, and press M/m to change it. • To cancel the setting, press CLEAR. Press OK.
Recording stereo and bilingual programs Recording stereo programs When you receive a program broadcast in stereo, press AUDIO MONITOR to display STEREO on the TV screen. You can also select LEFT, RIGHT, or MONO. If there is noise in the stereo program, select MONO. The sound will be recorded in monaural (on both hi-fi and normal audio tracks) but with less noise.
Page 43
How sound is recorded on a video tape The VCR records sound onto two separate tracks. Hi-fi audio is recorded onto the main track along with the picture. Monaural sound is recorded onto the normal audio track along the edge of the tape. Normal audio track Hi-fi audio track (main track)
Searching using various functions You can easily find a specific point using various search functions. To search using the index function (Scan and Play) The VCR marks the tape with an index signal at the point where each recording begins. Use these signals as references to find a specific recording. Press SEARCH.
Page 45
To search for the counter 0:00:00 point To mark a point on the tape that you want to find later, reset the tape counter to “0:00:00.” The VCR automatically fast-forwards or rewinds to the 0:00:00 point on the tape counter. Press SEARCH.
Adjusting the picture (tracking) Although the VCR automatically adjusts the tracking when playing a tape, distortion may occur if the recording is in poor condition. In this case, manually adjust the tracking. Press TRACKING +/– on the VCR to display the tracking meter.
Changing menu options Press MENU, then select “Advanced options” and press OK. Press M/m to select the option to change. Press </, to change the setting, then press OK. Press MENU to return to the original screen. Menu choices Initial settings are indicated in bold print. Menu option Tape select Auto play...
Editing with another VCR How to connect to record on this VCR This VCR (Recorder) LINE-2 IN : Signal flow Notes • Make sure you connect the plugs to jacks of the same color. • If the other VCR is a monaural type and connected to this VCR’s LINE-2 IN jacks, connect the audio plug to the AUDIO L (white) jack.
Operation (when recording on this VCR) Before you start editing • Turn on your TV and set it to the video channel. • Press INPUT SELECT or CHANNEL +/– to display “L2” (or “L1”) in the display window. • Press SP/EP to select the tape speed, SP or EP.
Additional Information General setup information Setting the RF unit When connecting the VCR to the TV using only the antenna cable, you must set the CH switch on the rear of the VCR so that the TV can receive the correct signal from the VCR. ?/1 POWER CHANNEL +/–...
Attaching the external antenna connector When using a 300-ohm twin lead cable for a VHF/UHF antenna, use the EAC-32 antenna connector (not supplied) to connect the antenna to the VCR. Loosen the screws on the antenna connector. Wind the twin leads around the screws on the antenna connector. Retighten the screws.
Troubleshooting If you have any questions or problems not covered below, please consult your nearest Sony dealer. Symptom The ?/1 switch does not function. The power is turned on but the VCR does not operate. The clock has stopped and “--:--”...
Page 53
Symptom The timer does not operate. A tape cannot be inserted. The remote commander does not function. The tracking meter does not appear on the screen. You cannot control other TVs. The VCR needs to be cleaned. Symptoms caused by contaminated video heads •...
75-ohm coaxial cable with F-type connectors (1) Design and specifications are subject to change without notice. ® NERGY is a U.S. registered mark. As an NERGY ® Partner, Sony Corporation has determined that this product meets the guidelines for energy efficiency. ® NERGY...
Index to parts and controls Refer to the pages indicated in parentheses ( ) for details. Front panel A ?/1 POWER switch (34) B Z EJECT button (28) C Remote sensor (7) D Tape compartment E m REW (rewind) button (28) (37) F H PLAY button (28) G M FF (fast-forward) button (28) (37) H x STOP button (28) (49)
Display window A Tape indicator (31) B TIMER indicator (34) C Hi-Fi indicator (42) Rear panel A AC power cord (9) (13) (15) B LINE OUT AUDIO R/L/VIDEO jacks (10) C LINE IN 1 AUDIO R/L/VIDEO jacks (48) Index to parts and controls D Time counter/clock/line/channel indicator (29) (31) (49) E VCR indicator (32) (50)
Page 57
Remote commander A •TV / VIDEO switch (7) B Z EJECT button (28) C TV/VIDEO button (8) (32) D DISPLAY button (31) E SP (Standard Play)/EP (Extended Play) button (31) F INPUT SELECT button (32) (49) G z REC (record) button (31) (39) H y SLOW button (37) I MENU button (17) (47) J X PAUSE/M button (17) (28)
Page 58
Index to parts and controls K ?/1 (power) switch (8) (34) L COUNTER/REMAIN button (31) M AUDIO MONITOR button (42) N CLEAR button (29) (41) O Number buttons (32) P ENTER button (32) Q CH (channel) +/– buttons (8) (31) R VOL (volume) +/–...
VCR indicator in the display window turns off. 2 Set the TV to the channel you want to watch. Sony Corporation Printed in China Hookup 2 To play a tape 1 If you made A/V connections, set the TV to video input.