HiFi stereo playback for Dolby¨ Pro Logic surround sound with your home theater system * MTS stereo reception * 4 video heads * Quasi-S-VHS playback (VHS resolution) * front-panel A/V inputs * auto clock set * auto channel set * auto tape speed * skip search (Commercial Skip) * index scan * high-speed Flash Rewind * Instant Replay * multibrand remote control (operates most TVs) * built-in head cleaner * 181-channel tuner * SP/EP recording speeds * 8-event/1-month program timer * 16-7/8"W x 3-13/16"H x 10-5/8"D * warranty: 90-day Sony exchange
The 4-head SLV-N750 hi-fi VHS recorder from Sony is an inexpensive, high-quality VCR that is perfect for your home theater or anywhere in the house. The SLV-N750 provides everything you need in a VCR. It's easy to use and offers you superior recording quality, even when you are recording in extended-play mode.
With a minimum of setup required, you can begin using the SLV-N750 almost immediately. Hooking the VCR up to your TV or your home theater is simple, and the SLV-N750 will automatically program all available TV channels as well as set the clock for you.
Picture and recording quality are enhanced with Sony's four dual recording and playback heads. Don't be afraid of getting the most out of your videotapes. Even when you record a full eight hours on a tape, the SLV-N750's 19-micron recording heads and the digital auto tracking system ensure a great picture. The SLV-N750 offers stereo sound as well.
Skipping commercials just got easier. With one touch, the commercial skip feature of the SLV-N750 allows you to automatically skip 30 seconds on the tape at a time, up to two minutes at once. Another common nuisance is a thing of the past with the flash rewind feature. A full-length tape can be rewound in about a minute.
The stylish, silver-toned SLV-N750 VCR is designed to be a perfect match with Sony WEGA TVs but works seamlessly with any brand of television. The wide body of the VCR is intended to mesh with other home theater, stereo, and video components, and will offer an appealing visual match with larger TVs.
The SLV-N750 provides two composite-video inputs and two analog audio inputs: one set in the rear of the unit and one set in front for quick hookups of your camcorder or other devices. The VCR has one composite-video output at the back of the unit.
You can schedule up to eight programs with the easy-to-use recording timer, and the multilingual onscreen display makes it easy to set up the VCR or record programs with instructions in English, Spanish, and French.
What's in the Box
VHS recorder, owner's manual, remote control, 2 AA batteries, 75-ohm coaxial video cable with F-type connector.
1 Worst VCR
This has got to be the worst VCR sony has.... The audio portion of this VCR is it's biggest downfall but the video section isn't much better...My advise-- by an Emerson or something cheaper, it has to be better than this......
2 OK - if it doesn't break down
I bought this unit as a dedicated source for transfering a mountain of old VCR tapes recorded from tv and my camcorder to a DVD burner/player, and it functioned well. The rewind and fast foward functions are as fast as Sony advertises, and the quality of playback is good. There's no S-video in or out, but few if any VCRs in this price range have this feature.
On the negative side (for me), the following are minor irritations: The front panel elapsed time display doesn't show seconds, only hours and minutes, so it was difficult to cue the tapes (onscreen display showed seconds, but also recorded on the DVD). This shouldn't be a problem for most people, however. Also I couldn't find any way to slow-step or frame-by-frame through a scene. And after fast forwarding while playing, or just when starting to play, the sound doesn't come on for about 2-3 seconds after the picture starts playing.
The biggest problem I had with this unit, however, is that a week after I bought it, after maybe a dozen tapes viewed, it started blanking out frequently during play - just 1-2 second intervals of black screen and no sound. It also started freezing and jumping forward 2 or 3 seconds at a time during play. I checked those tapes with my other VCRs, but there were no problems. So I returned this machine and am now looking at a different brand.
3 Fooled again...
I purchased this VCR as a replacement for my failing Mitsubishi VCR which is several, several years old...I have owned many Sony products over the years and have enjoyed wonderful performance from them, so I had no quams about buying this model VCR...BEST BUY had this model so I bought it in late November 2004, and decided not to buy the extended warrantee..It wasn't til January 2005 that I opened the box and installed the unit, replacing the Mitsubishi VCR. Upon turning the unit on, I saw a screen full of diagonal white lightning bolt-like lines dancing all over the screen, even with the unit merely turned on but no tape in the transport...It plays pre-recorded tapes perfectly, but video is terrible when recording, or playing back a self-recorded tape...Sony has a published website www.sony.com/vcrhelp to sort out vcr problems, and I tried that, which offered me no help whatsoever...phone calls to 800-VHS-SONY also answered by a voice response menu, then a busy signal when attempt was made to get a technician/company rep on the line..the notice on the box and the VCR says.."do not return this to the store"..this should have been a warning not to buy this unit!! so...no address in the box...over 30 days since purchase so BEST BUY won't touch it, so what do I do with it, a brand new vcr...??...Lee Cherry
4 Record speed lacking
If you read this is an SP/LP/SLP recorder don't believe it..I wanted the 3 recording speeds..I could have got a 2 speed recorder at Wal-Mart for half the price...
5 Very very disappointed
This unit really is disappointing. It has easy set-up and decent features, but the sound and picture quality are very bad. Audio playback is noticeably muted. I had been using a Samsung for 12 years and would continue using that same unit today if not for the fact I had to open it all open it all up to retrieve a snagged tape - and then never got it back together right. So I thought, well it is time for a new VCR anyways. I have always liked Sony equipment - TVs, CD players etc. However the images on this one are just plain bad - even on the best tape speed. You can not see details on people's faces, colors wash together and there is a lot of noise on screen. Compared this unit right next to a friend's old Funai and theirs is so much better. Went back and forth hoping that maybe it was my set-up. But in recording and playback, this Sony really stunk. I am returning mine and looking for something else. Oh, if I could only have back my old VCR!
6 An Excellent Machine
I have to honestly say that I don't know why everyone is giving this wonderful VCR such terrible reviews. This is honestly the best VCR I have ever had, and I have had VCRs of all prices, manufacturers, and models. The VCR is a fabulous price, the picture quality is always bright and sharp, and it has not given me a bit of trouble since I bought it. I knew that this VCR was perfect when I played a tape recorded on the RCA VCR in the living room. The RCA does not play nice with the other VCRs, and whenever I try to play a tape recorded on it in any other of my VCRs, the picture is full of ugly tracking, and the sound is full of crackles and pops. So, when I put a tape in the Sony that was taped on the RCA, the picture was beautiful, and the sound was crisp and clear. I can say without a doubt that this VCR can play any tape and make it look good and sound good. I highly reccomend this machine to anyone looking for a quality VCR.
7 Sony's SLV-N750 works fine for me.
I was surprised to read all of the bad reviews on this site, the customer reviews on Circuit cities web page are a lot more positive. The Sony VCR I purchased has a very good picture, both on tapes that were previouly recorded and on tapes from this machine. I also bought all new connecting wires to make sure I get the best image. With my old wires my picture was not as clear as with the new wires. It is also best to replace all old wires, if you're having a problem with picture quality. That may be the problem, not the VCR.
No matter which VCR you buy, make sure you use the Audio/Video (AV) hookup, that way you get the best picture and sound quality. This is the best VCR that Best Buy and Circuit City sells. If you want a better VCR, buy a Mitsubishi or JVC in the $350.00-$450.00 price range online. Otherwise this VCR is a good choice (for $80.00 it fits the bill and does what I expect).
8 Expected more from Sony.
I knew my expectations shouldn't be set that high for a lower priced VCR, but the poor playback quality and even poorer recording quality was way below my already low expectations. I tried several different combination of VHS tapes and recording speeds, including premium high grade tapes, but got the same poor results from recordings; fuzzy, blurred, dark, and even audio was sub-par. Playback of retail tapes while not as bad as the ones I recorded were the worst I have seen from any VCR. I thought perhaps the unit had a factory defect, but upon reading these other reviews I see that it is most likely not the case. The other complaint I have of this unit is the rewind and forward mode is very annoyingly loud. It also lacks VRC+ and s-video input/outputs. I really expected more from Sony. I am returning this unit pronto and doing my homework before purchasing another VCR.
9 Awesome, but YMMV...
I recently bought and am preparing to return a Panasonic VCR which had a bad tracking flaw on playing tapes that play perfectly on my other VCR, the Toshiba W522. In my review of the Panasonic, I stated that I should have spent some extra money for a Toshiba or JVC instead. So I went to Best Buy, but they did not have the JVC I wanted, let alone any Toshibas. The SLV-N750 was one of only two or three hifi VCRs they had and it looked nice, so I bought it. It was a bit more expensive than the Panasonic, but I figured spending the extra money wouldn't hurt. So far this Sony VCR is wonderful.
My review of the Panasonic VCR was at odds with others who gave it a high performance rating. Similarly, my review of this Sony VCR will be at odds with others which give it a low performance rating. This VCR plays many of my tapes perfectly, and I have some older, ex-rental tapes. The playback quality is awesome. So is recording, even in EP mode. No problems here. And under the category of personal preference, I really like how the on screen display works. Unless you press the display button on the remote, the OSD stays off the screen, a feature I find especially convenient.
What I am now thinking is that instead of spending the extra money on a nice looking Sony, what if I had bought the same Panasonic model again? Would it have been a success? It seems that with any model VCR, there are successes and failures. If I had bought a different SLV-N750, would I be giving it one star instead of five? It would be nice to believe in a brand's reputation, but "quality" seems to have lost its meaning. Sadly, it feels like there is no guarantee that home entertainment gear will work. You just buy it, and if it doesn't work, return it and hope that whatever you buy next will do better.
My SLV-N750 is a solid performer in my home entertainment setup. If you buy this VCR, I hope your experience with it will be just as good, but don't be disappointed if it's not. After all, in the modern age of home electronics, "your mileage may vary".
10 Sony is OK but all VCRs have been cheapened lately!
If anyone shopped for a VCR today and tried to compare it to "the one they used to have", that's a mistake in my opinion.
Best Buy only sells 4 VCRs, ranging from $60 (Panasonic) to $80 (Sony). I bought the JVC for $70 and took it back after reading reviews here and on Epinions.
This SONY had a grand total two very positive reviews. That's it TWO! And that was more than any of the others that Best Buy sells. What are we supposed to do if we need a replacement VCR? So, I bought the Sony, added $20 to the mix and got Best Buy's 2 yr. warranty.
Now that I've used this Sony to record and playback and also to just playback a Blockbuster's rental, all I can say is that it works OK. Is it terrific? No, it had flaws and has been "dumbed down" like all the other ones.
No it doesn't have a TV-Out channel slide switch for Ch3-4. You have to set it and if you lose power, you have to set it again. No battery backup any more. But then, the new JVC and Panasonic worked the same way.
The antenna-out cable connection is monaural, like the JVC I returned and most others. That stinks, of course, but they probably all have that restriction. If a person cares about getting stereo on their TV, they have to use the three RCA plugs for stereo and video. But then you can't watch a different program if you're taping, unless you ALSO hook up the RF out antenna wire. Gotcha! Better get an A-B switch or just live with monaural.
I took advantage of the "Auto Tape Speed" feature and it leaves much to be desired. You have to configure the recorder EACH time you insert a tape to tell it the size tape you're using (T-120, T-160 ...) and then set your recording on "Auto". If it sees that your recording is too long for the tape it applies some mathematics and at some point switches from LP to EP so the whole program will fit. But, who wants to configure the VCR for the tape length each time ... and besides you don't even know the tape length unless you always keep the longer tapes in their original jackets ... many are marked ever so faintly on the cartridge ... life is too short to live that way.
Finally, when it switches from LP to EP you could immediately see the drop-off in quality. On the Sony the picture became less sharp, although the sound didn't seem compromised. Is this a Sony problem? Probably not. I've always recorded everything using EP because we all jam stuff on our tapes. How many programs are less than 2 hours ... and that's without the President breaking in and taking a half hour from us. I don't even compare SP to EP quality since I don't use SP. This begs the issue of whatever happened to SLP which gave us 4 hour recording time?
So far as I can see, you might as well buy this Sony with a 2 yr. warranty from the store and get on with your life. I've come to the conclusion that all VCRs today are probably compromised. Surely I wouldn't touch a combo DVD/VCR machine anticipating the VCR component will fail and I'll be adding a standalone VCR to the "stack" anyway and living with a crippled combo machine.
If you really want to get yourself upset, buy a VCR based on any criteria which makes sense to you, like an Amazon or Epinions review, the brand you used to have and liked, a friend's recommendation, or price. Then when you go read more reviews and see the complaints registered against it, you'll probably be sorry you bought it (no matter what you bought).
One bright spot is that the Sony has separate Stop and Eject buttons and can even eject from the remote. Not too many can do that.
Good luck with whatever you buy. You'll need it. Just get an extended warranty so you don't have to buy another one every 91 days.
-- Sam
11 AVOID!
Completely agree with the previous review...I also am on my 2nd one after returning the first due to INCREDIBLY poor tracking during playback. The color in the top 1/4 of the screen always looks terrible! I play the same tape in another VCR and it looks fine! Even when recorded ON THE SONY! The reviewer who says it works great must only be watching black & white movies! I'm taking this one back ASAP!
12 Sony has lost their quality
I am on my second VCR of this same model and am going to return it for a different brand, don't waste your money on this machine. It cannot record or play tapes correctly, my old Magnavox that was falling apart did better than this one.
13 i love it
i dont know what the other guy is talking about but this vcr was great and it works great and it is beautiful would have paid more for this item its great love it.
14 Don't bother
Words fail to describe how poor this product is. If someone wanted an example of the shortcomings of VHS, they would use this machine.
Panasonic still has machines out there, for a lower price that blow this piece of **** away, for a lower price. So don't waste your time or money buying this unit, because you'll only end up returning it, and buying something else, like I did.
