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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. The mains lead must only be changed at a qualified service shop.
Table of contents Getting Started Step 1: Unpacking Step 2: Setting up the remote commander Step 3: Connecting the VCR 11 Step 4: Tuning your TV to the VCR 14 Step 5: Setting up the VCR with EASY SET UP 17 Manual setup —...
Getting Started Step 1 Unpacking Check that you have received the following items with the VCR: • Remote commander • R6 (size AA) batteries Getting Started • Aerial cable • Audio/video cable (3-phono to 3-phono)
(+) 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.
• Do not use a new battery with an old one. • Do not mix different types of batteries. 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. Manufacturer...
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.
Additional connections To a TV that has phono type audio/ video input jacks This additional connection improves picture and sound quality. Connect the TV as shown on the right. If you want to use the Trinitron TV Synchro Play function (see page 43), this connection is necessary.
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Step 3 : Connecting the VCR (continued) Setting the NTSC PB switch to match your TV system You have to set the NTSC PB switch on the rear of the VCR according to your TV system to display the on-screen menus when there is no video signal input, and play back a tape recorded in the NTSC 3.58 system properly.
Step 4 Tuning your TV to the VCR If you have connected your VCR to the TV using the audio/video cable, skip this step. ON/STANDBY RF CH SET ON/STANDBY Press ON/STANDBY to turn on the VCR. Press RF CH SET on the VCR with a ball-point pen, etc. RF CH The factory-preset RF channel appears in the display window.
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VCR” below. RF CH Press RF CH SET. You have now tuned your TV to the VCR. From now on, whenever you want to play a tape, set the TV to the video channel. Getting Started Select SONY VIDEO CASSETTE RECORDER...
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To check to see if the TV tuning is correct Set the TV to the video channel and press PROGRAM +/– on the VCR. If the TV screen changes to a different programme each time you press PROGRAM +/–, the TV tuning is correct. To obtain a clear picture from the VCR If the picture does not appear clearly in step 5 above, go to step 6 to finish this procedure once.
Step 5 Setting up the VCR with EASY SET UP Before using the VCR for the first time, set up the VCR using the EASY SET UP function. With this function, you can set the language for the on-screen display, TV channels, guide channels for G-CODE, and the VCR clock, guided by the sequence indicated on the TV screen.
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Press CURSOR >/. to select either I, D/ K, B/G, or M, whichever is applicable in • CURSOR your area, then press EXECUTE. The VCR starts searching for all the receivable channels. • EXECUTE During presetting, the channel being located is displayed on the screen. When all the channels are preset, the following screen appears.
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Step 5 : Setting up the VCR with EASY SET UP (continued) Notes • Do not exit EASY SET UP while the VCR is presetting channels. If you do, repeat EASY SET UP from the beginning. • The channel numbers preset using AUTO TUNER PRESET may not match your local channel numbers.
Manual setup — Selecting a language You can change the on-screen display language from the one you selected with the EASY 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 First, we recommend that you preset the receivable channels in your area using EASY SET UP or using automatic presetting below. Then, if some channels could not be preset automatically, you can preset them manually; if there are any unwanted channels among the preset ones, you can disable the channels.
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Press CURSOR >/./?// to move the cursor (z) to SYSTEM, then select either I, D/K, B/G, or M, whichever is applicable in your area. If SYSTEM is set to the wrong position, the sound will be distorted or noisy. Press CURSOR >/./?// to move the cursor (z) to NORMAL/CATV, then select •...
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Manual setup — Presetting channels (continued) Presetting channels manually • MENU Press MENU, then press CURSOR >/. to move the cursor (z) to TUNER PRESET and press EXECUTE. • CURSOR • EXECUTE Press CURSOR >/./?// to move the cursor (z) to NORMAL/CATV, then select •...
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Press PROG +/– to select the programme • PROG position. Press CURSOR / repeatedly until the channel you want is displayed. • CURSOR Pressing CURSOR ? goes back to the previous channels. The channels are scanned in the order shown on pages 24 to 31. If you know the number of the channel you want, press the programme number buttons.
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Manual setup — Presetting channels (continued) Disabling unwanted programme positions After tuning the TV channels, you can disable unused programme positions. The disabled positions will be skipped later when you press the PROG +/– buttons. You can also disable unwanted programme positions using the SET UP CH AND G-CODE menu (see page 32).
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 +/– to select the programme number for which you cannot obtain a clear picture.
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Manual setup — Presetting channels (continued) Channel numbers in the CHANNEL SET field and the corresponding channels TV system Western Country Europe Channel number in the CHANNEL SET field Getting Started Australia Zealand Corresponding channels 31, 32 Morocco Indonesia...
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TV system Country Western Europe Channel number in the CHANNEL SET field Australia Morocco Zealand Corresponding channels 39, 40 47, 48 55, 56 63, 64 Indonesia continued Getting Started...
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Manual setup — Presetting channels (continued) TV system Country Western Europe Channel number in the CHANNEL SET field Getting Started Australia Zealand Corresponding channels Morocco Indonesia...
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TV system Country Western Europe Channel number in the CHANNEL SET field Australia Morocco Zealand Corresponding channels Indonesia continued Getting Started...
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Manual setup — Presetting channels (continued) TV system Country East Europe Channel number in CHANNEL SET field Getting Started China UK/Hong Ireland Kong Africa Corresponding channels South U.S.A. Japan 2, C2 J-10 J-11 J-12 14, W+29, W+30 15, 16, W+31 J14, J15 17, W+32 18, W+33, W+34...
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TV system Country East China Europe Channel number in CHANNEL SET field UK/Hong Ireland South Kong Africa Corresponding channels 30, W+45, W+46 34, W+49, W+50 38, W+53, W+54 42, W+57, W+58 U.S.A. Japan 29, W+44 31, 32, W+47 J30, J31 33, W+48 35, 36, W+51 J34, J35...
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Manual setup — Presetting channels (continued) TV system Country East Europe Channel number in CHANNEL SET field Getting Started China UK/Hong Ireland Kong Africa Corresponding channels South U.S.A. Japan 71, 72 75, 76 A-2, A-1 M1, M2 M8, M9 F, G (12) M, N S5, S6...
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TV system Country East China Europe Channel number in CHANNEL SET field • The shadow in the table shows the adjustable RF output channel range (see page 11 for reference). Note • There may be a case that the same area channel may appear repeatedly as the other channel number in the CHANNEL SET field.
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Manual setup — Setting up G-CODE G-CODE is a feature in Sony VCRs that simplifies programming the VCR to make timer recordings. To use G-CODE, each programme position needs to be matched with its G-CODE guide channel. To get the guide channel...
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Press CURSOR / twice to select the guide channel column. • CURSOR Press CURSOR >/. to select the guide channel number assigned in the • CURSOR programme guide. Press CURSOR ?// to confirm the setting. • CURSOR To set the guide channel of another station, repeat steps 2 to 5. If you want to change the programme positions of the stations, proceed to step 2 of “Manual setup ––...
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Manual setup — Setting up G-CODE (continued) Setting up G-CODE for satellite broadcasts When your satellite tuner is connected via the AERIAL IN connector, first you have to set the programme position for each satellite channel using the TUNER PRESET menu. Then set the guide channel number for each satellite channel using the SET UP CH AND G-CODE menu.
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Manual setup –– Changing/ disabling programme positions After setting the channels and G-CODE guide channels, you can change the programme positions as you like. If any programme positions are unused or contain unwanted channels, you can disable them. Before you start… •...
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Manual setup –– Changing/disabling programme positions (continued) Press CURSOR >/. until the selected channel and guide channel row moves to • CURSOR the desired programme position. The selected channel and guide channel are inserted at the new programme position and the intermediate channels are displaced to fill the gap.
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Disabling unwanted programme positions Note • Be sure to select the programme position you want to disable correctly. If you disable a programme position by mistake, you need to reset that channel manually. • MENU Press MENU, then press CURSOR >/. to move the cursor (z) to SET UP CH AND G-CODE and press EXECUTE.
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Manual setup — Setting the clock You must set the time and date on the VCR to be able to use the timer recording features properly. If you have not set the VCR clock in the EASY SET UP procedure, you need to set it manually.
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Set the year, hour and minutes in sequence, using CURSOR / to select the • CURSOR item to be set, and CURSOR >/. to select the digits. • EXECUTE Press EXECUTE to start the clock. • To change the digits during setting, press CURSOR ? to return to the item to be changed, and select the digits using CURSOR >/..
Basic Operations Playing a tape COLOR SYSTEM switch NTSC PB switch 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.
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Additional tasks Stop play Pause play Resume play after pause Search forward Search backward 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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Playing a tape (continued) 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 “0H00M00S.” Search for the point afterwards by referring to the counter. To display the counter on the TV screen, press DISPLAY.
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Turning on the VCR and TV, and starting playback automatically (Trinitron TV Synchro Play) You can only use this function if your TV is made by Sony (Trinitron TV). How to connect to use this function Connect the VCR and TV with the audio/video cable (see “To a TV that has phono type audio/video input jacks”...
Recording TV programmes Turn on your TV and set it to the video channel. Insert a tape with its safety tab in place. Basic Operations TAPE SPEED PROG +/– r REC...
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• PROG Press PROG +/– to select the programme position you want to record. TAPE Press TAPE SPEED to select the tape speed (SP or LP for the PAL SPEED colour system, and SP or EP for the NTSC colour system). LP provides recording time twice as long as SP.
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Recording TV programmes (continued) To watch another TV programme while recording If the TV is connected to the VCR using an audio/video cable, set the TV to TV input. If the TV is connected to the VCR using only the aerial cable, skip this step.
Recording TV programmes using G-CODE Just enter the programme’s G-CODE 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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Recording TV programmes using G-CODE (continued) Press the programme number buttons to enter the programme’s G-CODE number. If you make a mistake, press TIMER CLEAR and re-enter the correct number. Press TAPE SPEED to select the tape TAPE SPEED speed, SP or LP. To set the EP mode for the NTSC colour system, display “LP”...
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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. Follow the steps on pages 47 and 48.
Setting the timer manually The VCR automatically starts and stops recording TV programmes. You can preset up to eight programmes at a time. 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, and tape speed: • CURSOR 1 Press CURSOR / to select each item in turn. 2 Press CURSOR >/. to set each item. To correct a setting, press CURSOR ? to return to that setting and reset.
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Setting the timer manually (continued) To use the VCR after setting the timer To use the VCR before a timer recording begins, just press u. The TIMER indicator turns off and the VCR switches on. Remember to press u to reset the VCR after using the VCR.
Additional Operations Playing/searching at various speeds Playback options Fast-forward/rewind View the picture during fast- forward or rewind Play at high speed Play in slow motion for two minutes Play frame by frame Rewind to the beginning of a tape and start play To resume normal playback Press ·...
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Playing/searching at various speeds (continued) Using the CLICK SHUTTLE ring With the CLICK SHUTTLE ring on the VCR you can operate a variety of playback options. During playback or pause, turn the CLICK SHUTTLE ring clockwise or counterclockwise. Each change in the CLICK SHUTTLE ring position changes the playback mode, and the corresponding mark appears on the TV screen for a few seconds in the following way if the on-screen display function is on.
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 on the VCR once. 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 u to turn on the VCR. Press MENU, then select TIMER SET/CHECK: • If you want to change a setting, go on to the next step.
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 only when the SYSTEM (I, D/ K, B/G, or M) option in the TUNER PRESET menu is set to B/G. When a stereo or bilingual programme is received, the STEREO indicator appears in the display window.
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Recording stereo and bilingual programmes (continued) Bilingual programme To listen to Main Main and sub Standard sound* * Usually the main sound (monaural) Selecting the sound during playback Press AUDIO MONITOR to select the sound you want. Stereo programme To listen to Stereo Left channel Right channel...
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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. Stereo Normal audio track (monaural)
Searching with the index function You can search for the start of a specific passage or scene. The VCR can search up to 99 index signals ahead of or behind the current position. Insert an indexed tape into the VCR. Press =/+ INDEX SEARCH repeatedly to specify how many index signals ahead or behind you want to search:...
Adjusting the picture Adjusting the tracking Although the VCR automatically adjusts the tracking when playing a tape (the tracking indicator distortion may occur if the tape was recorded in poor condition. If so, manually adjust the tracking. Press TRACKING +/– on the VCR to display the tracking meter.
Changing menu options Press MENU, then select SET UP MENU. Press CURSOR >/. to select the option to change, then press CURSOR ?// to change the setting. Press EXECUTE to return to the original screen. Menu choices Initial settings are indicated in bold print. Menu option BUZZER AUDIO MIX...
Editing Connecting to a VCR or stereo system How to connect to record on this VCR This VCR (Recorder) LINE 2 IN VMC-810MS audio/video cable : Signal flow • You can also use the LINE-1 IN jacks instead. Notes • Make sure you connect the plugs to jacks of the same colour. •...
Basic editing (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” (or “L1”) in the display window. • Press TAPE SPEED on the remote commander to select the tape speed (SP or LP for the PAL system, and SP or EP for the NTSC system).
Additional Information Troubleshooting If you have any questions or problems not covered below, please consult your nearest Sony service facility. Symptom The ON/STANDBY switch does not function. The power is turned on but the VCR does not operate. The clock has stopped and “–:–...
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Troubleshooting (continued) Symptom The picture rolls vertically during picture search. The picture has no sound. The sound is unstable or has an echo. No TV programmes appear on the TV screen. TV reception is poor. The tape starts playing as soon as it is inserted.
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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. The VCR needs to be cleaned. Remedy • Check that a tape isn’t already in the tape compartment. • Make sure you are pointing the remote commander at the remote sensor on the VCR.
Specifications System Channel coverage VHF R1 to R12, E2 to E12, NZ1 to NZ11 UHF E21 to E69, R21 to R60 CATV S01 to S05, S1 to S41 RF output signal UHF channels 21 to 69 Aerial out 75-ohm asymmetrical aerial socket Inputs and outputs LINE-1 IN and LINE 2 IN VIDEO IN, phono jack (1 each)
Index to parts and controls Refer to the pages indicated in parentheses ( ) for details. Front panel 1 EASY SET UP button (14) 2 ON/STANDBY switch/indicator (11) 3 Multi system indicators (22) 4 INPUT SELECT button (51) 5 Tape compartment 6 6 EJECT button (41) 7 0 REW button (41, 53) 8 ) FF button (41, 53)
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Index to parts and controls (continued) Display window 1 Tape speed indicator (45) 2 Tape indicator 3 REC indicator 4 TIMER indicator (48, 51) 5 NICAM indicator (57) 6 APC indicator (61) 7 RF indicator (11) Additional Information NICAM RF I G K M TIMER SP LP EP 9 TV system indicator (12)
Rear panel 1 Mains lead (8) 2 LINE-1 IN AUDIO L/R/VIDEO jacks (63) 3 AERIAL OUT connector (8) 4 AERIAL IN connector (8) 5 NTSC PB switch (41) 6 LINE-1 OUT AUDIO L/R/VIDEO jacks (9) Additional Information continued...
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Index to parts and controls (continued) Remote commander Additional Information 1 TV / VIDEO remote control switch 2 6 EJECT button (41) 3 Menu buttons (14) MENU button CURSOR >/./?// buttons EXECUTE button 4 WIDE button (6) 5 TRINITRON TV SYNCHRO PLAY button (43) 6 DISPLAY button (45) 7 COUNTER RESET button (42)
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Counter 42 Disabling programme position 22, 37 Dubbing. See Editing E, F EASY SET UP 14 Editing 63 EP mode 45 Sony Corporation Additional Information G-CODE recording 47 setting 32 Guide channel setting up 32 Hi-fi audio track 59 I, J, K...