Without a doubt, smartfile. You always know wants on the tape. Exclusively Sony. TV Guide Plus is just great. Free of charge and no more need for the TV Guide.

Can't find another one. I want two backup units.

Without a doubt the BEST VCR produced within the last 4 years. The quality is there and their features can't be beat. How good is it? I have 5 units to include a share.

Similar Products Used:

None. It's in a class all by ITSELF.

Lotsa terrific features, large easy-to-read display,
cheap price ($199 at Fry's!)

Sound quality can be better

For $199, this unit has got some awesome features.
I can watch my buddy's S-VHS tapes. If you record TV
programs, the Smartfile feature is a must-have. Guide+
is cool, you get a listing of TV programs which you can
display by category. For some reason I was not getting
any Guide+ data during the first month or two, but I just
tried it again after two months and the listings are now
there.

Visual quality is great, sound quality is not too bad,
but, as another reviewer mentioned, it sounds a bit muted.
Remote is a little busy and bulky, but decent overall.
All-in-all, an excellent VCR at an excellent price.

I found this product to be a very good
value for $199 at Fry's. I saw it at
the Good Guys for $299, so one must
do a bit of shopping around. I was
amazed by the features of a VCR for
only $199, I found the quality to
be quite good, and I do like the Guide+
feature which tells you what will b e
showing on TV and Cable for the next 2 days, and then you can select to tape
a show by just scrolling to that entry
and pressing one button.

See Strengths

Has many features not found on other units.Like guide+ and smartfile!

Poor Quality control!!!

This is a great unit,if you can get one that works right!My first unit had a audio problem on the left side.Second unit had a malfunctioning remote!I bought this because I wanted a quality vcr.I have had at least 10 vcrs in the 20+ years.I have NEVER had a problem
with any unit,until at least 2 years down the line.I own a complete Sony home theater,and other than my xbr big screen,all other components(935rec.,550dvd)have been returned for replacement! Sony is NOT quality anymore!

I cannot find this product in stock anywhere... Does anyone know who is selling it? I've seen another post that it has been discontinued, but it is still featured on the sony web site.

I'd like to find a VCR with GuidePlus and this is the only one that seems to have it...

Thanks,

Charles Evans
the_evans@knology.net

Nice features good Picture quality

noisy

Like the features like the auto clock set and the VCR+ Gold. The VCR+Gold is of limited use since I have Direct TV, it would work well with a cable system.

This VCR is currently in for repair even though it doesn't get heavily used and isn't quite a year old yet. The pinch roller is coming down on top of the tape, wrinkling and sometimes jamming it. Since I don't know the correct positioning of the mechanics I elected to take it to the local VCR repair place.

It was a real debate on if I should fix or replace. On one hand I wanted to replace it since the unit failed before it was a year old. On the other hand I was very unimpressed with the VCR's which are currently for sale and wonder how long VCR's will continue to be sold.

Similar Products Used:

JVC HR-VP604

SmartFile

Remote

SmartFile is way cool. If you do lots of recording and find yourself searching through piles of tapes for a recorded program...SmartFile is for you. The flip-top on my remote doesn't seem to close as smooth as I think it should. I assume the Guide+ is handy, although after 1 week the VCR still has received no data (service is available in my area; my neighbor has it). The VCR's looks are a 10. I highly recommend. Don't pay over $199!

I found this product at AtlasAudio for $199 (2/13/01) after seeing it go for as much as $260 on eBay. You can email KristyD@atlasaudio.com for purchasing details. No tax and UPS Ground shipping was $11.

I haven't been able to find out if GuidePlus+ will work here, but assume it will since all of the stores are selling TVs with this feature now.

I bought this, and I like it. It's got the normal HiFi/VCR+/etc. features, but it's also got Guide+. This lets you view a TV Guide-like list (and description) of all of the programs playing over the next 48 hours or so, completely free. It's also got S-Link so it cooperates well with my other Sony equipment.
$199 at www.jandr.com.

Smartfile, Guide +, Auto Clock, Front Inputs

Audio

Ever since I bought a DVD player, I have only used my VCR for time shifting. This usually resulted in a stack of unlabeled VHS tapes that never got watched becuse I couldn't remember what was on them, and didn't want to screw around with putting them in one at a time and jogging around. The "Smart File" not only tells you what is on the tape, but you can watch the taped shows out of sequence. . .way cool. My only complaint is the VCR's sound is a bit muted. Overall, an excellent VCR, I highly recommend.