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WARNING To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose the unit to rain or moisture. To avoid electrical shock, do not open the cabinet. Refer servicing to qualified personnel only. Mains lead must only be changed at qualified service shop. Precautions Safety •...
Table of contents Getting Started 4 Step 1: Unpacking 5 Step 2: Setting up the remote commander 9 Step 3: Connecting the VCR 11 Step 4: Tuning your TV to the VCR 13 Step 5: Setting up the VCR with the Auto Set Up function 15 Step 6: Setting the clock 19 Manual setup —...
Getting Started Step 1 Unpacking Check that you have received the following items with the VCR: • Remote commander • R6 (size AA) batteries Checking your model name The instructions in this manual are for the 2 models: SLV-E780EN and E780EG.
(+) end clicks into position. 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...
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Step 2 : Setting up the remote commander (continued) TV control buttons Turn the TV into standby or active mode Select an input source of the TV either from aerial in or from line in Select the programme position of the TV Adjust the volume of the TV Switch to TV (Teletext off) Switch to Teletext...
• Do not use different types of batteries together. Controlling other TVs with the remote commander The remote commander is preprogrammed to control non-Sony TVs. If your TV is listed in the table below, set the appropriate manufacturer’s code number.
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• If you enter a new code number, the code number previously entered will be erased. • When you replace the batteries of the remote commander, the code number automatically resets to 01 (Sony). Reset the appropriate code number. Getting Started...
Step 3 Connecting the VCR Mains lead to mains : Signal flow Disconnect the aerial cable from your TV and connect it to AERIAL IN on the rear panel of the VCR. Connect AERIAL OUT of the VCR and the aerial input of your TV using the supplied aerial cable.
Step 3 : Connecting the VCR (continued) Additional connections To a TV that has a EURO-AV (Scart) connector This additional connection improves picture and sound quality. Connect the TV as shown on the right. Whenever you want to watch the VCR picture, press TV/VIDEO to display the VIDEO indicator in the display window.
Step 4 Tuning your TV to the VCR If you have connected the VCR to your TV using the EURO-AV cable, skip this step. ON/STANDBY Press ON/STANDBY to turn on the VCR. ON/STANDBY Press RF CHANNEL on the VCR. RF CHANNEL The factory-preset RF channel appears in the display window.
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RF channel appears. Then tune the TV to the new RF channel until a clear picture appears. Note • If you set the wrong TV system, you may have no sound or sound may be distorted. Getting Started SONY VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER...
Step 5 Setting up the VCR with the Auto Set Up function Before using the VCR for the first time, set up the VCR using the Auto Set Up function. With this function, you can set the language for the on-screen display and TV channels, guided by the sequence indicated on the TV screen.
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Step 5 : Setting up the VCR with the Auto Set Up function (continued) Press AUTO SET UP. The ATP function starts searching for all of the AUTO SET UP receivable channels and presets them in numerical sequence. After the search is complete, the current time appears in the display window for any stations that transmit a time signal.
Step 6 Setting the clock You must set the time and date on the VCR to use the timer recording features properly. The Auto Clock Set function works only if a station in your area is broadcasting a time signal. If the Auto Set Up function did not set the clock correctly for your local area, try another station for the Auto Clock Set function.
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Step 6 : Setting the clock (continued) Push the joystick to >/. to set the date. PLAY Push the joystick to / to flash the month and set the month pushing the joystick to PLAY >/.. Set the year, hour, and minutes in sequence, pushing the joystick to / to PLAY flash the item to be set, and push the...
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Changing the station for the Auto Clock Set function • MENU Press MENU, then push the joystick to >/ . to select SETTINGS and press the joystick (OK). PLAY Push the joystick to >/. to select CLOCK, then press the joystick (OK). PLAY The cursor (”) appears at AUTO ADJUST.
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Step 6 : Setting the clock (continued) Push the joystick to ?// to select ON. PLAY Push the joystick to . to move the cursor (”) to CLOCK PROG, then push the PLAY joystick to ?// repeatedly until the programme position of a station that carries the time signal appears.
Manual setup — Selecting a language You can change the on-screen display language from the one you selected with the Auto Set Up function. Before you start… • Turn on the VCR and the TV. • Set the TV to the video channel. •...
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Manual setup — Presetting channels If some channels could not be preset using the Auto Set Up function, you can preset them manually. Before you start… • Turn on the VCR and the TV. • Set the TV to the video channel. Press MENU, then push the joystick to >/ •...
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Push the joystick to >/. to move the cursor (”) to CHANNEL SET. PLAY Press PROG +/– to select the programme • PROG position. Push the joystick to ?// repeatedly until the channel you want is displayed. PLAY The channels appear in the following order: B/G TV system Channel number in the CHANNEL...
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Manual setup –– Presetting channels (continued) If the TV sound is distorted or noisy, push the joystick to >/./?// to move the PLAY cursor (”) to SYSTEM, then select B/G or D/K so that you get the better sound. To allocate another channel to another programme position, repeat steps from 5 to 7.
If the picture is not clear Normally, the Auto Fine Tuning (AFT) function automatically tunes in channels clearly. If, however, the picture is not clear, you may also use the manual tuning function. Press PROG +/– or the programme number buttons to select the programme number for which you cannot obtain a clear picture.
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Manual setup — Setting up ShowView ShowView is a feature that simplifies programming the VCR to make timer recordings. To use ShowView, each programme position needs to be matched with its ShowView guide channel. To get the guide channel numbers, look in the programme guide for your area that features ShowView numbers.
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Push the joystick to >/. to move the cursor (”) to the row on which you want PLAY to set the guide channel. To display other pages for programme positions 6 to 60, push the joystick to >/. repeatedly. Press the programme number buttons to enter the guide channel number assigned in the programme guide.
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Manual setup — Setting up ShowView (continued) Select CHANNEL SET, then push the joystick to ?// repeatedly to tune the VCR to the satellite tuner. The channel number displayed beside CHANNEL SET is used for receiving all satellite broadcasts from the satellite tuner. Remember this number for the following steps.
Setting the Canal Plus decoder You can watch or record Canal Plus programmes if you connect a decoder (not supplied) to the VCR. Connecting a decoder EURO-AV cable (supplied with decoder) DECODER/ …LINE-3 IN : LINE-1 (TV) EURO-AV cable (not supplied) Setting Canal Plus channels To watch or record Canal Plus programmes, set your VCR to receive...
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Setting the Canal Plus decoder (continued) • MENU Press MENU, then push the joystick to >/ . to select SETTINGS and press the joystick (OK). PLAY Push the joystick to >/. to select OPTIONS, then press the joystick (OK). PLAY Push the joystick to >/.
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Push the joystick to >/./?// to move the cursor (”) to NORMAL/CATV, PLAY then select NORM. To preset CATV channels, select CATV. • PROG Press PROG +/– to select the desired programme position. Push the joystick to >/. to move the cursor (”) to CHANNEL SET, then push PLAY the joystick to ?// to select the Canal...
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Setting the Canal Plus decoder (continued) If the TV sound is distorted or noisy, push the joystick to >/./?// to move the PLAY cursor (”) to SYSTEM, then select B/G or D/K so that you get the better sound. Press the joystick (OK). PLAY Notes •...
Basic Operations Playing a tape NTSC PB 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. 6 EJECT COUNTER RESET DISPLAY...
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Playing a tape (continued) Press the joystick (· PLAY). PLAY When the tape reaches the end, it will rewind automatically. Additional tasks Stop play Pause play Resume play after pause Fast-forward the tape Rewind the tape Eject the tape To replay a recently watched scene You can immediately rewind and playback the scene you want to watch again.
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To use the time counter At the point on the tape that you want to find later, press COUNTER RESET. The counter in the display window resets to “0:00:00.” Search for the point afterwards by referring to the counter. VIDEO To display the counter on the TV screen, press DISPLAY.
Recording TV programmes Turn on your TV and set it to the video channel. To record from a decoder, turn it on. Insert a tape with its safety tab in place. Basic Operations COUNTER/ REMAIN TV/VIDEO DISPLAY INPUT SELECT SP/LP r REC PROG +/–...
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Press INPUT SELECT until a programme position number appears INPUT SELECT in the display window. Press PROG +/– to select the programme position you want to • PROG record. Press SP/LP to select the tape speed, SP or LP. SP / LP LP (Long Play) provides recording time twice as long as SP, however, SP (Standard Play) produces better picture and audio quality.
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Recording TV programmes (continued) To check the remaining time Press DISPLAY. With the display on, press COUNTER/REMAIN to check the remaining time. Each time you press COUNTER/REMAIN, the time counter and the remaining time appear alternately. The remaining time with indicator also appears in the display window.
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Tips • To select a programme position, you can use the programme number buttons on the remote commander. For two-digit numbers, press the ? (ten’s digit) button followed by the programme number buttons. • You can select a video source from the LINE-1 (TV), LINE-3 IN (Scart) connector, or LINE 2 IN VIDEO/AUDIO L/R jacks using INPUT SELECT.
Recording TV programmes using ShowView Just enter the programme’s ShowView number listed in the TV programme guide. The date, times, and programme position of that programme are set automatically. You can preset up to eight programmes at a time. Before you start… •...
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Press the programme number buttons to enter the programme’s ShowView number, then press SET. If you make a mistake before pressing SET, press SHOWVIEW and re-enter the correct number. The date, programme position, and start and stop times appear on the TV screen. CLEAR If the information is incorrect, press CLEAR to cancel the setting.
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Recording TV programmes using ShowView (continued) To stop recording To stop the VCR while recording, push the joystick to p STOP. Daily/weekly recording In step 3 in “Recording TV programmes using ShowView,” push the joystick to . to select the recording pattern. Each time you push the joystick to ., the indication changes as shown below.
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To record satellite broadcasts If you connect the satellite tuner and the VCR, you can record satellite programmes. Turn on the satellite tuner. On the satellite tuner, select the satellite programme for which you wish to make a timer setting. Keep the satellite tuner turned on until the VCR finishes recording the satellite programme for which you have made a timer setting.
Setting the timer manually If ShowView is not available in your area, follow the instructions below to set the timer to record programmes. Before you start… • Check that the VCR clock is set to the correct time. • Insert a tape with its safety tab in place.
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Set the date, start and stop times, programme position, tape speed, and PLAY VPS/PDC function: 1 Push the joystick to / to flash each item in turn. 2 Push the joystick to >/. to set each item. To correct a setting, push the joystick to ? to return to that setting and reset.
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Setting the timer manually (continued) Daily/weekly recording In step 2 above, push the joystick to . to select the recording pattern. Each time you push the joystick to ., the indication changes as shown below. Push the joystick to > to change the indication in reverse order. TODAY n SU-SA (Sunday to Saturday) n MO-SA (Monday to Saturday) n MO- FR (Monday to Friday) n SA (every Saturday) ...
Additional Operations Playing/searching at various speeds 03 REW Playback options Operation View the picture during fast- During fast-forward, keep pushing the joystick to )# FF. forward or rewind During rewind, keep pushing the joystick to 03 REW. Play at high speed •...
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Playing/searching at various speeds (continued) To resume normal playback Press the joystick (· PLAY). • Adjust the picture using TRACKING +/– if: – Streaks appear while playing in slow motion. – Bands appear at the top or bottom while pausing. –...
Recording TV programmes using the quick timer After starting recording in the normal way, you can have the VCR stop recording automatically after a specified duration. While recording, press QUICK TIMER once. indicator appears in the display window. Press QUICK TIMER repeatedly to set the duration. Each press advances the time in increments of 30 minutes.
Checking/ changing/ cancelling timer settings Before you start… • Turn on your TV and set it to the video channel. Press ON/STANDBY to turn on the VCR. Press MENU and select LIST, then press the joystick (OK): • If you want to change or cancel a setting, go on to the next step.
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Push the joystick to >/. to select the setting you want to change or cancel, then press the joystick (OK). The selected setting appears in the TIMER menu. • To change the setting, push the joystick to ?// to flash the item you want to change, and push the joystick to >/.
Recording stereo and bilingual programmes In ZWEITON (German stereo) system This VCR automatically receives and records stereo and bilingual programmes based on the ZWEITON system. When a stereo or bilingual programme is received, the STEREO indicator appears in the display window.
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Bilingual programme To listen to On-screen display Main MAIN Main and sub MAIN/SUB Standard sound* No indicator * Usually the main sound (monaural) Selecting the sound during playback Press AUDIO MONITOR to select the sound you want. To listen to On-screen display Stereo/main and sub STEREO...
Searching using the index function 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. Insert an indexed tape into the VCR. Press =/+ INDEX SEARCH. •...
Adjusting the picture Adjusting the tracking Although the VCR automatically adjusts the tracking when playing a tape (the indicator flashes in the display window, then goes off), distortion may occur if the tape was recorded in poor condition. In this case, manually adjust the tracking.
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Adjusting the picture (continued) • To set tracking to the centre position, press the TRACKING + and – buttons at the same time. Notes • You can adjust the tracking for the NTSC-recorded tape but the tracking meter won’t be displayed. •...
Changing menu options Press MENU, then select SETTINGS. Select OPTIONS. Push the joystick to >/. to select the option you want to change: • To change the TAPE OPTIONS or VIDEO OPTIONS 1 Press the joystick (OK) after selecting TAPE OPTIONS or VIDEO OPTIONS.
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Changing menu options (continued) VIDEO OPTIONS menu choices Menu option EDIT SYSTEM OPTIONS menu choices Menu option AUDIO MIX HIFI AUDIO (SLV-E780EN only) DECODER/LINE3 POWER SAVE RF MODULATOR Notes • When you set a timer recording, the indicators in the display window remain on, even though POWER SAVE is set to ON.
Editing with another VCR How to connect to record on this VCR This VCR (Recorder) LINE-2 IN Other VCR (Player) LINE OUT VMC-810 audio/video cable (not supplied) : Signal flow Notes • Make sure you connect the plugs to jacks of the same colour. •...
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Editing with another VCR (continued) This VCR (Recorder) : Signal flow • You can also use the LINE-1 (TV) connector instead. Notes • When you connect LINE-3 IN to other VCR, set DECODER/LINE3 in the OPTIONS menu to L3. • If the other VCR doesn’t have a EURO-AV (Scart) connector, use the VMC-2106 cable instead and connect the cable to the line out jacks of the other VCR.
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This VCR (Recorder) : LINE-1 (TV) 21-pin adaptor (not supplied) VIDEO IN AUDIO IN VMC-810 audio/video cable (not supplied) : Signal flow Notes • Make sure you connect the plugs to jacks of the same colour. • If the other VCR is a monaural type, leave the red plugs unconnected. •...
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Editing with another VCR (continued) Operation (when recording on this VCR) Before you start editing • Turn on your TV and set it to the video channel. • Press INPUT SELECT to display “L2” (“L1”, “L3”) in the display window. •...
Do not use a commercially available liquid type cleaning cassette other than Sony’s, as it may damage the video heads. • The video heads may have to be replaced. Consult your local Sony service facility for more information.
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Troubleshooting (continued) Symptom No TV programme appears on the TV screen. TV reception is poor. The tape starts playing as soon as it is inserted. The tape is ejected when you press r REC. Nothing happens when you press r REC. The timer does not operate.
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Symptom A tape cannot be inserted. The remote commander does not function. The tracking indicator does not appear on the screen. You cannot control other TVs. The VCR needs to be cleaned. Remedy • Check that a tape isn’t already in the tape compartment.
Index to parts and controls Refer to the pages indicated in parentheses ( ) for details. Front panel 1 ON/STANDBY switch/indicator (11) 2 Tape compartment 3 § EJECT button (32) 4 03 REW (rewind) button (45) 5 · PLAY button (45) 6 )# FF (fast-forward) button (45) 7 r REC (record) button (60) 8 p STOP button (60)