Sony SLV-998HF VHS VCR
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- VCR Type: VHS
- Number of Video Heads: 4
- Audio: Hi-Fi Stereo
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A Great VCR, and It's Still Available
Pros
Edit Feature, Flying Erase Head, Remote, Seamless Playback
Cons
Original MSRP
Recommended it?
Yes
Brief Background
I also have have a 798HF, both this unit and the 998HF are very good VCRs. Interestingly enough many of the functions on the larger 998 remote will operate functions not on the 798s remote or even listed in the 798 manual, hmmm.... I use the 798 for playback and the 998 for playback and recording. Both units are run through my SONY STR-DA555ES receiver. I have had the 798 (I won't be writing a review for this, this review will cover it as well) for over three years, I have never had a problem. I have had the 998 for working on two, also no problems. O.K., with that out of the way, now the review of the SONY SLV-998HF VHS VCR.
Remote
The remote control for this unit is nothing short of phenomenal. It has every possible function and key one might expect to find plus quite a few more. The flourescent buttons are pretty much useless from the word go, but they will shine for a least a few months. This shortcoming is consistant with almost all remotes I have had from SONY that have flourescent buttons; their usefulness is lost a few months into ownership. Putting that aside, it is supremely complete, easy to use, and has a jog dial! For most people this will not be a desired or used feature. For anyone interested in an accurate dub, it is a definite boon. This, in conjunction with the flying erase head, is all you will ever need to make absolutely seamless dubs. This is true whether your are making a copy of a movie or making a compilation of various sources or programs. Want to put all your Simpsons or X-files on one tape (or more)? This is the only way to go. There ARE other VCRs on the market with jog dials on the remote, I actually own an inexpensive Magnavox with one years ago, but the dubs were very choppy and there was no way to add audio dubs over the video track. This remote makes all those functions possible without having to get up to access a function on the face of the unit, never underestimate the inertia of a couch potato! There is no tracking buttons because they are unnecessary. No video, no matter how used or beat up, has made either of these VCRs flintch, they handle bad tape with aplomb. Overall, the remote is great.
Picture
The picture on this VCR is comparable to anything on the market. The picture alone is not measurably better than the rest, lets face it, 240 lines is 240 lines, you can't get around the realities of poor resolution.
If you have a premium source the picture will get softer and lines will appear to crawl less than usual. A good example of this might be something I did recently. I dubbed Goldeneye(007) from DVD to VHS using a Panasonic XD S-VHS tape. Compared to the tape I rented, of the same movie, the dub WAS far superior to the store VHS version. HOW is that possible? The store VHS version was recorded from a source delivering 240 (+/-) lines of res. The DVD is going to be in the mid 400's. Why the tape? Does a S-VHS tape make a difference? YES!! Its higher quality tape with the ability to retain more magnetic info. Yes, the head is only going to READ roughly 240 lines, but when the play source is more accurate, the read source will also appear to be so. The stills (pause) is crystal clear, depending on the quality of the tape. The FF and REW are very clear in all speeds forward and reverse. The super slow, utilizing the jog dial, is very clear and makes editing very easy. One thing about this VCR, which generally is true of any video source, the better your cables, the better the signal transfer, and ultimately, the better the picture. Don't be afraid to spend $40 or $50 on your cables for the in AND the out, it is a worthwhile investment, and will enhance your enjoyment of this product. There are same visual artifacts with this player as there are with any other player, but this gets back to reality of 240 lines of resolution. Strictly speaking, in direct comparison with other VCRs in its class, the 998 is a top performer.
Features
This VCR is jammed packed with features. There aren't any "video effects" that one might find with some of the newer S-VHS units (JVC, Panasonic), but in the arena of convenience it shines. As above everything you really need is on the remote, but set-up (front of the unit) is easy and quick. Its channel selection won't pick up the stations you don't get, so you won't be forced to go back and delete a whole bunch of channels. The VCRplus Gold is a great way to schedule/program what you want to see. This feature in addition to the "cable mouse" makes recording or programming to record a snap. The cable mouse is just a little IR repeater that you put on top of your cable box over its emitter/receiver eye to control it. Programming it to the brand is very easy too.
Getting back to the flying erase head, it rocks. The transition from one source to another or between programs is , again, seamless. There are no pops, snaps, or any other audio or video artifacts. There is no jumping or jerking either, things are associated with player whose heads stop when pause is played. The audio input is easy to use, but that statement is based on the fact that I fully read the ENTIRE (111 pages) instruction manual and that I use for reference. This is not something that most Americans don't do. If you don't read the manual the advanced functions won't be easy to operate and probably won't produce the results your looking for. This is a lot of reading, but if you buy this unit for its merits as dubbing VCR, it should be done.
There is something else about this VCR which is conspicuously missing from all of their new units today, the EDIT button on the face of the unit. This, as the manual suggests, "improves" the quality of the recording. This is true. The picture is cleaner, the sound seems to be better, and (I assume zero liability for misuse of this information) with this feature activated I have yet to run into a video on tape OR disc that I can't record onto tape, regardless of "protective encoding software". This is kind of neat for me because I can make much higher quality recording of movies from DVD than the original VHS.
Summary
Overall, this is an outstanding VCR. I believe the MSRP on this unit was around $440, that price doesn't make this a worthwhile purchase, in fact, it would be downright silly. If you can get this VCR for $250 total, or less, than it becomes a good buy. The truth is, this a VCR from 3+ yrs ago AND VCR technology has not really improved much in the past 3+ years short of smaller (lower profile) heads. So with that in mind, if you find one for a good price, go for it! If not, then go for anyone of SONYs new VCRs, I am sure they are quite good. In the long run, this VCR is just another example of SONY quality in action. I have never had a problem with this unit, and at this point I would be surprised if I ever did.
There is just one thing you might want to know about this unit, it's loud, loud to the point you think you are breaking something on the inside. That is not the case, it always makes this much noise, usually during rew/FF moves, stop/start/stop, and final rewinds. During play it is virtually silent and if it has to adjust tracking you may never know unless you happen to look up and see the icon for that on the display. Once again, this is an outstanding VCR!
>>>>>>>>Added 8-4-2000
Last time I looked Crutchfield no longer had these, but I got the impression they may get more. The local Circuit City here had a whole bunch last time I went in for $299 on special sale. I have looked around the web and seen them here and there between $200-$300. They are still out there, but you may have to hunt. One suggestion I might have is to try pricescan.com, it is an outstanding resource!!
I also have have a 798HF, both this unit and the 998HF are very good VCRs. Interestingly enough many of the functions on the larger 998 remote will operate functions not on the 798s remote or even listed in the 798 manual, hmmm.... I use the 798 for playback and the 998 for playback and recording. Both units are run through my SONY STR-DA555ES receiver. I have had the 798 (I won't be writing a review for this, this review will cover it as well) for over three years, I have never had a problem. I have had the 998 for working on two, also no problems. O.K., with that out of the way, now the review of the SONY SLV-998HF VHS VCR.
Remote
The remote control for this unit is nothing short of phenomenal. It has every possible function and key one might expect to find plus quite a few more. The flourescent buttons are pretty much useless from the word go, but they will shine for a least a few months. This shortcoming is consistant with almost all remotes I have had from SONY that have flourescent buttons; their usefulness is lost a few months into ownership. Putting that aside, it is supremely complete, easy to use, and has a jog dial! For most people this will not be a desired or used feature. For anyone interested in an accurate dub, it is a definite boon. This, in conjunction with the flying erase head, is all you will ever need to make absolutely seamless dubs. This is true whether your are making a copy of a movie or making a compilation of various sources or programs. Want to put all your Simpsons or X-files on one tape (or more)? This is the only way to go. There ARE other VCRs on the market with jog dials on the remote, I actually own an inexpensive Magnavox with one years ago, but the dubs were very choppy and there was no way to add audio dubs over the video track. This remote makes all those functions possible without having to get up to access a function on the face of the unit, never underestimate the inertia of a couch potato! There is no tracking buttons because they are unnecessary. No video, no matter how used or beat up, has made either of these VCRs flintch, they handle bad tape with aplomb. Overall, the remote is great.
Picture
The picture on this VCR is comparable to anything on the market. The picture alone is not measurably better than the rest, lets face it, 240 lines is 240 lines, you can't get around the realities of poor resolution.
If you have a premium source the picture will get softer and lines will appear to crawl less than usual. A good example of this might be something I did recently. I dubbed Goldeneye(007) from DVD to VHS using a Panasonic XD S-VHS tape. Compared to the tape I rented, of the same movie, the dub WAS far superior to the store VHS version. HOW is that possible? The store VHS version was recorded from a source delivering 240 (+/-) lines of res. The DVD is going to be in the mid 400's. Why the tape? Does a S-VHS tape make a difference? YES!! Its higher quality tape with the ability to retain more magnetic info. Yes, the head is only going to READ roughly 240 lines, but when the play source is more accurate, the read source will also appear to be so. The stills (pause) is crystal clear, depending on the quality of the tape. The FF and REW are very clear in all speeds forward and reverse. The super slow, utilizing the jog dial, is very clear and makes editing very easy. One thing about this VCR, which generally is true of any video source, the better your cables, the better the signal transfer, and ultimately, the better the picture. Don't be afraid to spend $40 or $50 on your cables for the in AND the out, it is a worthwhile investment, and will enhance your enjoyment of this product. There are same visual artifacts with this player as there are with any other player, but this gets back to reality of 240 lines of resolution. Strictly speaking, in direct comparison with other VCRs in its class, the 998 is a top performer.
Features
This VCR is jammed packed with features. There aren't any "video effects" that one might find with some of the newer S-VHS units (JVC, Panasonic), but in the arena of convenience it shines. As above everything you really need is on the remote, but set-up (front of the unit) is easy and quick. Its channel selection won't pick up the stations you don't get, so you won't be forced to go back and delete a whole bunch of channels. The VCRplus Gold is a great way to schedule/program what you want to see. This feature in addition to the "cable mouse" makes recording or programming to record a snap. The cable mouse is just a little IR repeater that you put on top of your cable box over its emitter/receiver eye to control it. Programming it to the brand is very easy too.
Getting back to the flying erase head, it rocks. The transition from one source to another or between programs is , again, seamless. There are no pops, snaps, or any other audio or video artifacts. There is no jumping or jerking either, things are associated with player whose heads stop when pause is played. The audio input is easy to use, but that statement is based on the fact that I fully read the ENTIRE (111 pages) instruction manual and that I use for reference. This is not something that most Americans don't do. If you don't read the manual the advanced functions won't be easy to operate and probably won't produce the results your looking for. This is a lot of reading, but if you buy this unit for its merits as dubbing VCR, it should be done.
There is something else about this VCR which is conspicuously missing from all of their new units today, the EDIT button on the face of the unit. This, as the manual suggests, "improves" the quality of the recording. This is true. The picture is cleaner, the sound seems to be better, and (I assume zero liability for misuse of this information) with this feature activated I have yet to run into a video on tape OR disc that I can't record onto tape, regardless of "protective encoding software". This is kind of neat for me because I can make much higher quality recording of movies from DVD than the original VHS.
Summary
Overall, this is an outstanding VCR. I believe the MSRP on this unit was around $440, that price doesn't make this a worthwhile purchase, in fact, it would be downright silly. If you can get this VCR for $250 total, or less, than it becomes a good buy. The truth is, this a VCR from 3+ yrs ago AND VCR technology has not really improved much in the past 3+ years short of smaller (lower profile) heads. So with that in mind, if you find one for a good price, go for it! If not, then go for anyone of SONYs new VCRs, I am sure they are quite good. In the long run, this VCR is just another example of SONY quality in action. I have never had a problem with this unit, and at this point I would be surprised if I ever did.
There is just one thing you might want to know about this unit, it's loud, loud to the point you think you are breaking something on the inside. That is not the case, it always makes this much noise, usually during rew/FF moves, stop/start/stop, and final rewinds. During play it is virtually silent and if it has to adjust tracking you may never know unless you happen to look up and see the icon for that on the display. Once again, this is an outstanding VCR!
>>>>>>>>Added 8-4-2000
Last time I looked Crutchfield no longer had these, but I got the impression they may get more. The local Circuit City here had a whole bunch last time I went in for $299 on special sale. I have looked around the web and seen them here and there between $200-$300. They are still out there, but you may have to hunt. One suggestion I might have is to try pricescan.com, it is an outstanding resource!!
