Customer Reviews

Sony SLV-N700 Hi-Fi VHS VCR

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The quality and dependability of SONY's VCRs over the past few years were in a terrible state of decline. SONY made some very good VCRs in the past. SONY's SLV-N700 Hi-Fi VHS VCR demonstrates a continuing genuine effort to return to the type of quality product they were once known for. This unit records very well and playback of pre-recorded tapes look excellent as well. What really impressed me was the playback image of EP recordings. This sounds a little unbelievable but black & white movies recorded in EP look better than those recorded in SP. This unit also has an incredibly fast rewind. I also found the Quasi S-VHS playback to be very indispensable. If you have a collection of S-VHS recordings this unit plays them back with very good results.

I was deciding between the Panasonic 4623S and the Sony SLV-N700 and I bought both to do a side-by-side comparison. The Sony model is more expensive but it has more features such as VCR+, Quasi SVHS playback and a handy replay button. Rewinding speed is extremely fast, and I prefer Sony¡¦s on-screen display better. For example, after you press the rewind button, the Panasonic model doesn¡¦t display the time counter right away; it takes a few seconds for it to show up, making it difficult to search video just a few minutes prior. Programming is equally easy on both, but only Sony has VCR+. In terms of video quality, the Sony model records and plays with superior video quality in both SP and EP mode, but the difference is not huge. This is the only two recording mode available in the Sony model vs. Panasonic¡¦s SP, LP and SLP mode. Buttons on both remote controls are tiny; Panasonic¡¦s remote is illuminated but only on 4 navagation buttons. Sony¡¦s model has a glow in the dark remote on every buttons, but some markings are not directly printed on the buttons, rendering it meaningless to have blank buttons that glow at night. Panasonic features commercial advance (CA), which is different from commercial skip from other manufacturers. After recordings, Panasonic will rewind the tape to mark commercials. During play back, it¡¦ll automatically fast forward without having to touch the remote. It works almost all the time but sometimes it¡¦ll miss a commercial, depending on the program and signal. The down side of CA is that it takes 15 mins to mark a 2-hr recording. Sony¡¦s commercial skip only fast forward 30 sec per key press. Overall, Sony¡¦s quality and feature wins out, but I decide to return it and keep the Panasonic, mainly because of the commercial advance feature. For those who care, the Sony is made in China and the Panasonic is made in Indonesia.

I purchased this particular VCR approximately a year ago and have used it primarily as a recording VCR and have enjoyed its uses so far. The only negative thing I can say about it is that when making a recording on this VCR and trying to play it back on my other Sony VCR in the living room, the tracking is a bit off but it adjusts itself soon enough which, for me, doesn't detract from the overall quality of this terrific VCR.

One of the most important features in a VCR is the quality of the image and sound in playback mode and I've found the playback quality on this Sony VCR to be outstanding with "near" DVD quality in image and the Hi-Fi sound is as good as can be expected from a VCR; continuing to make me a Sony electronics customer.

One feature that is highly important to most people is ease in programmability and it really couldn't be any easier with this VCR especially given for the automatic presetting on the clock and TV channels that is fed from your cable company. In just a few short steps, you can program this VCR to tape all your favorite shows, hit the power button and it's ready to do its job when the time comes. Also, for recording your favorite shows, this Sony VCR comes with the VCR Plus+® System; making recording that much easier, providing you have your local cable listing. Should you desire to run this VCR through your cable box, it easily sets up in that manner and works perfectly as well.

Feature wise, this VCR has the majority of the bells and whistles one could expect and desire for a VCR in this price range. For parents out there that might be worried about young children accidentally hitting the power button and preventing a recording, this VCR possesses a child lock which eases that worry.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this or any other of the line of outstanding Sony VCR's as this is my second Sony VCR and in the future, should I need another, I won't even look at another brand! {ssintrepid}

A Sony VCR has had a place in my entertainment center for many years. I bought one of these in August 2003 to replace an SLV-N71, which I found was no longer available new. It was great - for about 4 months, just long enough to be out of warranty. At that point it had about 60 hours of recording time. It could no longer record a usable control track, so during playback the sound and picture would fade in and out. Doubly annoying is the fact that the picture would look fine while fast-forwarding or rewinding. This same problem was the reason I stopped using the SLV-N71 when it was about 2 years old.

I found a repair shop that cleaned and aligned it for about $75. The resulting picture was better than when it was new! It was great again - until it had about 56 more hours of recording time. Then the same problem cropped up again.

It seems that no one makes them like they used to. The electronics in the new ones are terrific. The high speed rewind in this one is [the best] ever. They weigh just a fraction of the older models. But they just don't last. My advice is if you have an old VCR, you're better off spending the money repairing that than buying a new one. The repair warranty is probably as good as can be had on a new one - and it [will] last longer anyway.

I really like this VCR. It matches our Sony Wega TV and is very easy to operate. Purchased it about a year ago and no problems so far.

I have had trouble getting it to record with our DirectTV, but that could be me not hooking it up right, since the instructions to install with D-TV aren't very clear.

The commercial skip feature doesn't skip the entire commercial, which was one of the reasons I purchased it, so that was a little disappointing. But at least it makes it much easier/faster to use the fast forward instead.

The fast forward and rewind features are very quick and smooth. It offers an on-screen display which is nice and easy to follow. If you have it showing while watching a show, it shows you how much more of the tape you have left. A great feature for when using an exercise tape!

I've had this VCR since 2003, about a year now. It works fine. It records when programmed. It plays back. The picture is fine. If you want better quality picture: buy DVD. I use this VCR to record TV and play older tapes of recorded from TV documentaries and some store bought tapes. No problems. Only negatives: no random channel search. You have to use the up/down buttons to scroll through the channels. No biggie. Also fast forward/rewind are very fast so when you press stop the tape keeps moving for a while. Again, no biggie. Only reason I didn't give 5 stars is nothing is perfect.

This is a VCR that could have been made by a company that had never used one nor made one before.
The fast forward in the play mode is way too slow, the slow is really a frame by frame and the pause reacts so slowly that it is almost impossible to get it to stop where you want it to.
The machine is lightweight and has smooth feet so when you push any of the buttons on the VCR the machine just slides backward. In other words, you have to hold the VCR in place with one hand and push a button with the other or velco it in place. No problem, you might say, cause I'll use the remote all the time. My remote functions started to fail after one month and at two months it became unusable.
I called Sony's 'we are here to help' phone number several times but could never get through.
This is a bush league machine made by a company that knows better..............

Fast rewind and forward speeds are great for skipping from one program to another but stopping at a desired spot is frustrating. The remote it terrible. After one month it stopped working. Sony site said to remove the batteries and then press each button twice. This fix lasted about 5 minutes. You must constantly remove the battery and put it back in to get the remote to work. Just programing the VCR is a chore with this remote- removing and replacing the battery for almost every programing item. I bought a new identical Sony remote and it developed the same problem in about a week!

We've had two of these models now, and between them have now eaten three tapes! It seems to have a real affinity for Fuji, with a nice helping of Sony for dessert. This is simply unacceptable for such a renowned company as Sony.

THis product has always been the highest quality in VCRs. This particular one is functioning as I expected so far and I expect it to continue to function in a quality way.