video-magazine-1994-10

eK i ARN ni a ue Patt I ma First Look at 2 Systems | e How They Perform e How To Get Started i TVs, Videogames, . Do High-End Cables Really Improve Picture & Sound? * ist 8mm/VHS VCR, 56-Inch 16:9 TV, 31-inch TV, Hi8 Camcorder, Combi Piayer

Bloodier blood, scarier sce other benefits of USSE | USSB digital entertainment is breakthrough, state-of- It is quite simply the sharpest, most brilliant picture a M the-art transmission of television programs in the form of clearest sound ever broadcast. | digital information. The result is a sparkling, super clear IT COMES TO YOU FROM OUTER SPACE) picture comparable to laserdisc quality. Plus sound that’s =What makes it possible is the remarkable new technoloil unsurpassed even by digital CDs. The effect is startling. | from RCA called the Digital Satellite System. Because it} | Action scenes become more exciting, love scenes more uses the largest, most powerful communications satellité . romantic, and the landscapes will take your breath away. _ ever launched, it broadcasts up to 150 channels of perfe : digital signals that can be picked up} by a tiny 18\" satellite dish. _THE BIGGEST HITS ON THE MALLEST DISH” Once you)1 n ~ own thisreoy Markable} home| 4 entert “Nt system} you Americas _ an AVorite Networks” iN a way you've} | | hever experienced. you'll get t | Showtime and HBO, with the best}; films from Hollywood and diverse,| Wed \\@ aALLNEWS @tIFETIMe ger ©1994, United States Satellite Broadcasting Company, Inc. Experience Digital Entertainment and The Biggest Hits on the Smallest Dish are service marks of United States Satellite Broadcasting Company, Inc. All information subject to change, HBO and Cinemax are registered trademarks of Time Warner } Entertainment Company, LP Showtime, The Movie Channel, and FLIX are service marks of Showtime Networks, Inc. MTV: Music Television, Nickelodeon /Nick At Nite, and VH-1/Video Hits One are registered trademarks of MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. All News Channel isa} ee eeepc meen eeres onion en a as

eams, sweatier palms and digital broadcasting. exclusive original programming including MULTICHANNEL MAGIC. With USSB, you get comedy, movies, documentaries, family five distinct channels of HBO, three channels of Showtime, series and sports specials. Plus classic two versions of The Movie Channel, three channels of and contemporary A SAMPLE OF THE TREMENDOUS CHOICE OF Cinemax, as well as FLIX. Fourteen films on Cinemax. MOVIES YOU GET EVERY TIME YOU WATCH USSB. distinct premium channel choices Movies from the every time you sit down to watch TV. 60's, 70’s and 80's It’s a movie-lover’s paradise. on FLIX, and non- ONE MONTH FREE! ‘Jo intro- stop movies on The Movie Channel. I. s : soe Ae 3} duce this dazzling new dimension of You'll also get great ‘a! mm ie’ HE Figg’ * Showtime West >HBO 3 In the Line of Fire So IMarried an Axe Murderer television pleasure, we’re offering ad ‘¢, 4* everyone who purchases an RCA music videos on MTV and VH-1, Digital Satellite System—ONE FREE _ unique comedy on Comedy Central, MONTH of all our great channels. great children’s programs on Nickelo- hia | Experience the power of USSB digi- deon, and classic television on Nick _ at Nite. As well as quality women’s HB2OWest tal entertainment on the new RCA \\ Digital Satellite System. Visit your €+ ‘ ” programs on Lifetime and the 24-hour- a RCA dealer or satellite TV retailer | a-day fast-paced All News Channel. today, or call /800-BETTER TV for | Plus our pledge to provide you with The Movie Channe! more information. Little Man Tate the very highest level of customer w service and support...24 hours a day, 23h FLIX a They Call Me Mr. Tibbs The Movie Channel West Life with Mikey ‘ef wy ie 365 days a year. EXPERIENCE DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT™ Juli Channel VL Channel MUSIC TELEVISION (cinemax trademark ofConusCommunications IanntdhVeiLaicnoemoSfaFtielrleictoeurNteewssy,IonfScH.OCWoTmeIdMyE,CentWrealeikesnadreagitstBeerrendiet'rsa,dReemmaariknosoffCtohmeeDdayyPaarntdneRrusb.LyiifentPiamreadTiesleeavisssieoneinosantCirnemaax.dLoietfLtilfmeeMtiaamneTrTaetleekvaisniodnL. ifAegWeiothfMIinkneocyen©ce,ToBuecvhesrtloynHeillPbiicltliuerse,sScoourMtaersryioedfaTnhAeMxoevMiuerdCehraenrn,elT.hTeFhuegyiCtailvelaMendMDrem.ToilibtbisocnouMrtaensay ossfeFeLnIoXn. HBO.SleeplessinSeat,Cliffhanger, Circle 1 on Reader Service Card.

| ] p f 0magazine _ Goldstar FEATURES DAWN OF THE SMALL DISH 48 Can 2 new digital satellite systems change America’s viewing habits? By Jonathan Takiff 56 OUT OF THE LOOP 60 Multimedia and videogames dominate the floor at Chicago’s last Consumer 64 Electronics Show. By Brent Butterworth and Ken Korman THE RETURN OF PIXELVISION: TOYS ’R’ ART How an offbeat camcorder is winning the hearts of video artists. By Stewart Applegath WIRE STRAITS Do quality video and audio cables really make a difference? By Corey Greenberg TAPES & DISES ©REVIEWS / Nightmare Before Chiristmas, Farewell My Concubine, Hoado, 68 69 Like Water for Chocolate, Shorts Cuts on disc, Myst on CD-ROM, Titanic on CD-i, more EDITOR'S CHOICE / Brandon Lee's last movie, The Crow. By Ken Korman 76 DIRECTORY / The latest releases on tape and disc VIDEOTESTS GOLDSTAR GVR-DD1 VHS/8MM VCR, 32 DEPARTMENTS Sony CCD-TR400 Hi8 camcorder, Toshiba TWS6D90 56-inch widescreen TV, Pioneer CLD-D703 combi player, Proton 31-inch NT-339 TV. By Brent Butterworth, Stewart Applegath and Timothy Liebe; tests by Berger-Braithwaite Labs 9©CHANNEL ONE /TV power play 10 FEEDBACK / Letters from readers 14 FAST FORWARD / Baseball, Akihabara, 3-D TV, the Gunvertor, Late Breaking News 20 NEW PRODUCTS / Hybrid camcorder, home theater speakers, video jukebox, more 24 Pe shack DSS HANDS-ON TEST / AMC Surround Sound Processor, Intel Smart Video Recorder 26 dish and receiver atop CAMCORNER / The difficulties of capturing art on video 27 ~~ TV displaying the Q & A/ Technical queries answered ae plans to fix your ; color 28 spyrsotgerma'ms gounisdcer.eePnhoto- of technicians TV’s 30 graph by Les Morsillo HOME THEATER / How a new group 106 COLLECTOR’S CLEARINGHOUSE / Reader requests for hard-to-find tapes OFF THE AIR / Kerns Powers and the birth of widescreen video Video Magazine Volume XVIII Number 7 VIDEO Magazine (ISSN 1044-7288) is published monthly by Reese Communications, Inc., 460 W. 34 St., New York, NY 10001. Second-class postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing office. © 1994 Reese Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. © under Universal, International, and Pan American Copyright Conventions. Reproduction of editorial or pictorial content in any manner is prohibited. tpSPoieOnrpSgmrliToetcMeAc#so5Ssp4:Ty6E4sR8pe8r:ni.dceSAo$del2dnd.rd9ea5ds:adsdr$de3rss.ues5bs0ssclraicbinephlCta,ianongnnaeedswoar;dtaeodr£dsV2r,I.eD5sc0EshO,a,innagUnBe.doKx.ozfi5Opa6nd2ced9o-r3dye,ese.sa,BroAluclsloudmbreasrrtc,eersriiCppaotOlinodl8nei0ns3tc(2e1ed22-ii6ans2nstd9uh3ei.issn)qmuFa$iog1rr5ia.ezm;siinctCorea:onfVaioIdsrDasm,EuObcj,$oe2pc2itB.eo4stx7oo5mf(6ai2inns9ucs3flu.auecdsetBsuoorureGlrdSae'rTrst.icl#ceCRhs1O,an2wg85re0i93t3e2w82i4t-t2oh6:3o2)uS9te3r.Uin.aoSlto.sir:ceAcf.acolqrluaeiintsgodinltl,-ipfouarnbiereliDms8eah0pietl0r.,-,3$a6U4s5n0s-i1uvU0me.0reS8ss.i.tyCnCaoMnhiaarcdnerisgopafeoinnlsmoisifbn,iatlediIrdtnnrcya.et,sifsoo3nr0at0slaukcNpeohusrbtlc6hihc0aaZntdeigaeoeynb.s The Audit Bureau Rd., Ann Arbor, Mi 48106. 4 VIDEO OCTOBER 1994

<=> TOR THE DISCRIMINATING MOVIE FAN, < r=> LASERS «= =~ 4te DISCS Demolition Man * 1199306 PLUS SAVIENAG.S! Ace Ventura: Pet Detective * 1242908 Beverly Hills Cop I * 1239607 1MORE AT GREAT Sommersby * 1120906 Beverly Hills Cop The Prince Of Tides * 0847103 Cat People (1982) * 1239003 SEE D Falling Down aiaFatal Attraction 0439307 The Bear * 0211003 uses ieritt Indochine Te! € Big 0367409 Manhattan Murder Mystery * 4134006 On The Waterfront The Hunger * 0638700 A Room With A View * 0599308 Orlando * 0151508 Runaway Train * 1188903 Single White Female * 0255505 Arsenic And Old Lace Howards End * 1238807 The Sound Of Music * 1189505 Sneakers * 1061407 0162503 Deliverance * 1102805 0361501 * 1071604 * 1189406 0607606 0073502 * 0003905 CLUB FAVORITES Backdraft * 0559005 Jaws * 0844605 Cliffhanger * 1149301 The Color Purple * 0630103 The Firm * 1154400 Looney Tunes After Dark: Rising Sun * 1174804 Ghoul, Ghost and Goblin 1060607 Sleepless in Seattle * 1154905 Robocop 0235002 Blazing Saddles 0001206 Bram Stoker's Dracula * 1102904 The Hunt For Red October * 0825000 Terminator 2: The Exorcist 0600304 Judgment Day * 0233205 Monty Python's The 0523902 0426908 Meaning Of Life 0268607 Top Gun The Haunting * 1232800 Unforgiven (1992) * 1084003 * 1232503 Die Hard * 0367607 Das Boot (subtitled) Robotech 1 & 2 1146604 Remains Of The Day Raa Coneheads * 1179001 CAR4L1I99TO’S W*AY PELICAN BRIEF IN THE LINE OF FIRE Addams Family Values * 1232701 History Of The World: Part 1 * 0055707 Highlander Star Wars Batman: Mask Of Judgment Night 0382309 Empire Strikes Back Home Alone * 1193101 In The Name Of The Father * 0056408 A Few Good Men * 1106301 The Phantasm * 1238906 Home Alone 2: * 0104208 Striking Distance * 0091009 * 1246305 Lost In New York Midnight Express MyLife * 1087709 Age Of Innocence * 1207307 Hot Shots * 1104900 Alien 1247709 Passenger 57 Hot Shots Part Deux 0029108 Aliens 1200708 * 0881102 A Bronx Tale 1221506 Indecent Proposal 1176809 Alien 3 * 0150003 The Abyss * 0642504 Rookie Of The Year Point Of No Return 0000208 Batman (1989) * 1029909 Fearless * 1207109 Sliver * 1142009 Robin Hood: 0360909 Batman Returns Basic Instinct * 1179803 Prince Of Thieves * 1042506 Bugs Bunny Classics 0297705 The Good Son 1198803 Pink Floyd: The Wall * 1147008 The Wizard Of Oz * 1127109 Always * 0921502 Predator * 1033208 Eric Clapton: Unplugged Chinatown The Man Without A Face 1190909 Predator 2 * 0258004 Goodfellas * 0976803 Far And Away * 0202507 The Silence Of The Lambs * 0364901 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial 0001404 The Empire Of The Sun * 1046507 Much Ado Die Hard 2: Die Harder * 0104307 Patriot Games 1038405 A League Of Their Own Star Trek-The Motion Picture * 0805309 Lawnmower Man National Lampoon’s * 0633206 About Nothing 1208701 Star Trek Il- * 0041806 Back To The Future * 0969808 Animal House * 1078005 The Wrath Of Khan * 0203505 Back To The Future Il * 0681106 Field Of Dreams Last Action Hero * 1154086 Star Trek Ill-The Back To The Future Ill * 1051309 Man Who Would Be King 0211508 Search For Spock * 0201301 My Cousin Vinny Groundhog Day 0920306 Wizards 0734905 Star Trek IV-The We're Back 1014505 Conan The Barbarian Voyage Home * 0201608 Dave * 0211409 Fried Green Tomatoes * 0085803 Blade Runner: * 1097906 Star Trek V-The Final Frontier Hard Target * 0921304 Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story * 1108406 The Director's Cut Star Trek Vi-The * 0430603 Ghost * 0497008 Beetlejuice The Bodyguard * TIOSUO7 Undiscovered Country * 0448605 Scent Of AWoman Forbidden Planet * 0220509 Bridge On The 1033109 Caddyshack 1005404 River Kwai (Restored) * 1143809 * 1001007 * 1206903 Lethal Weapon The Secret Garden (1993) * 1188804 * 1149400 Lethal Weapon 2 * 1150705 The Last Of The * 1179605 Lethal Weapon 3 0633008 Mohicans (1992) * 1071406 * 0826008 2001: A Space * 1121300 * 0844407 Odyssey * 0844308 0602300 M. Butterfly * 1207208 0630806 Visions Of Light * 1221407 A Perfect World * 1237205 * 0642702 Under Siege * 1077908 * 1051507 Shadowlands * 1239201 to build a collection mail the response card always provided Dept. J2Z, P.O. Box 1112, Terre Haute, Indiana 47811-1112 of your favorite movies — on laserdisc! by the date specified. And you'll always Yes, please enroll me under the terms outlined in this advertisement. As a member, | need buy Just write in the numbers of the 3 have 14 days to decide; if not, you may only 4 more selections, at regular Club prices, in the next 2 years. laserdiscs you want for $1.00 each, plus return the selection at our expense. shipping and handling. In exchange, you Send me these 3 laserdiscs for $1.00 each-plus $1.50 each shipping and handling (total $7.50). simply agree to buy four more laserdiscs If you in the next two years, at regular Club continue your membership after fulfilling SSRIE ERES SER prices (currently as low as $29.95, plus your obligation, you'll be eligible for our shipping/handling)—and you may cancel generous bonus plan. It enables you to BUY YOUR FIRST SELECTION NOW—AND HAVE LESS TO BUY LATER! membership at any time after doing so. enjoy great savings on the movies you Also, send me my first selection for $19.95, plus $1.50 shipping/handling, What's more, you can get still one more want — for as long as you decide to movie for the low price of $19.95 and remain a member! which I'm adding to my $7.50 payment (total $28.95). |then need buy only 3 more Bae have less to buy later (see complete details in coupon). instead of 4) in the next 2 years. sent every four weeks . We'll send details Please Check How Paying: My check is enclosed A35/A37 (up to 13 times a year) reviewing our of the Club’s operation with your Director's Selection — plus scores of introductory package. If not satisfied, return Charge my introductory laserdiscs and future Club purchases to: A36/A38 alternate choices, including many lower- everything within 10 days at our expense D Discover priced laserdiscs. And you may also for a full refund and no further obligation. MasterCard Diners Club AMEX VISA receive Special Selection mailings up to four times a year. (That's up to 17 buying For fastest service, use your credit card Acct. No. Exp. Date opportunities a year.) and call us toll-free 24 hours a day: Dept. Signature If you want J2Z the Director’s Selection, do nothing — it Name will be sent automatically. If you prefer an alternate selection, or none at all, just Address Apt. City State vy, Entertaining Zip Phone No. ( ) e America... One Person Do any of the following apptlo yyou? (41) LASERDISC at a Time, ® Clown a Personal Computer (1) 11! own a PC with a CDROM (2) 11! plan to buy a PC with a CDROM (3) Note: This offer applies to firstime Laserdisc Club members only. Limit one per household. Columbia House reserves the right to request additional information, reject any pet or cancel any membership. Offer limited to the continental U.S. CLUB (excluding Alaska}. Applicable sales tax added to all orders. ©1994, TheColumbia House Company 22-9/94

AITACHI VM-E5). RATED #1 JBUYSATLEGAODITNGEVCEONNSUBMEETRTEMRA!G.A.Z.INE ND HERE’S WHY “closer to the action.” This year 270,000 PIXEL CCD | Ae achieve true engineering they have extended the lens to a This extremely dense 12X optical system. Digital zoom CCD enabled the engineers excellence, a camcorder must further extends the range of the to employ an E.L.S. system combine the most important and that does not degrade popular features with a sleek, optical zoom system to an picture quality when in use. attractive, ergonomic design at an incredible 24X, while the instant Unlike other E.LS. systems affordable price. The engineers at the engineers at Hitachi Hitachi faced up to this challenge zoom button magnifies any scene developed their CCD so that and were determined to deliver a instantly an additional 1.5 times. whether E.LS. is engaged or not definitive package at a price of And even with the more powerful the image remains sharp. under $1,000. The result is a true optical lens system Hitachi breakthrough — the VM-E58A. engineers have been able to keep ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE the minimum illumination The VM-E58A’s autofocus Here’s the inside story on how requirements at 1 lux. So even in system uses a foolproof the engineers at Hitachi created low light situations the VM-E58A through-the-lens approach and its this extraordinary camcorder. will perform flawlessly. white balance and auto iris are both controlled by a highly- COLOR LCD WIEWFINDER DIGITAL ELECTRONIC IMAGE sophisticated artificial The engineers at Hitachi STABILIZATION intelligence circuit. Its digitally determined through their research Last year Hitachi introduced programmed autoexposure system that camcorder users desire the provides perfect pictures with accuracy of a color viewfinder. They the first Electronic Image Stabilizer pinpoint accuracy. increased the number of pixels to with “angular motion sensors” in The VM-E58A’s superlative create a sharp vivid picture that the number 1 rated VM-E55A performance is built into its chips, allows you to see what you are camcorder. This year, Hitachi transport, electronic circuitry and shooting exactly as it is. This engineers have improved the optical system. This is Hitachi — eliminates the need to keep looking system by applying new engineering Excellence in Engineering. over the viewfinder to check what advancements to make our digital you are recording. EIS even better. Hitachi’s digital For more information EIS can improve picture quality on the Hitachi VM-E58A, 24X Z00M whenever you are walking, riding please call 1-800-HITACHI Hitachi’s engineers have been in an automobile, using high pioneers in developing longer zoom powered zoom or any other activity ranges in order to allow you to get that causes your camcorder to be unstable.

jjo Le 7. Ly2 ey chips, e transport, é. wy the lech anes eee / ) (OOITO) Ig BePiha and al y i aloe @ JC e optics are theVM-E5SADd fa E Hitachi’s excellence in engineering.” Circle 2 on Reader Service Card.

CHANNEL ONE TV power play WcDTaacopehVtpnpellsayniesraeqwttnuahsmceaeetnstnp’cootsewlsteiahkorbeeffcouauwEllntianstetb,erftrguroayrun,sehhdtaearuwaapcntthpreeoiearwcncshbyoatatCpohnipodmenTpatgVohroressveeesssnrsepsuto.sali.hesamOefTsaodnhokleoetirriosdthbseruareorrneqwueddulnaie,u,rttceohrtteahhmsceeearytunldlueeaefidnwspa.eacrtorthgAfuteynrmudeeUnsrn.itsStnat.nhtidetasaondrddidcesesuddtexf-or President and Managing Director, TwhpdhostiiiirnhVol-vnoelfmlecvyiereIeppstsc’oipoasivtvwuwfTriyeeseuecVeuarrhrwisnaletysaorssstnlcshuseemetocvsaaeowehonnldlsfiduses.ikefcsdeweaabatpsIctybhaitthtterbmsouoiiwa.priglwbllflhieoiyilttkrBurieeiusteoimtpslnuitpllopc3lrolyt0igoouuinswvTrctmlheipVaeopearlesnsaiv.r,g.deenctxegMugtnteIabaeototnekTr.oefincVddreaonvsigwluogymsll-modtwwbgeuaTaiourngttVxaletdhlespsssipoanaiamiongcntrhfodtdhfiruakcrmetteopeav,hsunace,rdrehtigiinhrietbeefeonidonreeoitgwscscnyetefoaetrsoelrstalmlsetyiffu,okfetrfelioaaeictwsnnsiiru,vedeleer.inlcfeetrsotmwHiihnoeognewdrbeacwosirnre,nlraed'vtuetaulte-oswnerrleehse,risowsmsi,-ll Jay Rosenfield mostasstehbnaehhteireeyelivdiritAtdrchldhyuieiaoadlsngtwevihtgnetongacgonmboetbtuduxoolbhlprtbladooeo’bnerstudtthtywheotwaesrh5sotsaee0trnti0stsarDhadoeevnwmwxmpyaataioottrntdf.ntahciesksojeeuoudctifytihhocneeamE.rftnhpwteeeahaorMmretrenataugmneonrnyilcneuuanhsltfftgeweaasocsctiut‘tthbno6laruuto0etdorrtssreehterprrtpnfrsishloescoeraeetmtccdihiesepv¢aasperyveoetfoegrhecnrtfaeothleotoucemsyurnrusrmettde’raatrssiboonaTeofcmsVuTldea.iHtto,VtiDtsplcETb1eoaaq0yVwlnua0mel,dalfayrlriwraleatgtyai.tchfidnteahnytisrAaaerlnrmialagt2oeonrcef0crowmttl-eiinduinvTfadnegoeVc,yor.hn— Editor, Stan Pinkwas sets and TV viewing habits. of misguided regulation. Fortunately, there’s still-time Senior Editor, Brent Butterworth to This is a classic act that the Dept. of Energy should power down, let us Technical Editor, Lancelot Braithwaite back off. If you agree Assistant Editors, Josef Krebs, know and we'll forward your comments to the powers that be. Stewart Applegath e Contributing Editors: Bob Angus, Bob Twbshhyoiemsrueenwmhhoaacnpattpnhy’lsIacrgagecebtorlveoePrnrceiu?msstetosOortumyaerrsasnl)sso:ywosektrWeshamtetntpwhroeovwiiqnldueleewssstmiDaaoillnlglsittshaaweltee'ldSrleaeitttaeeilfllrsidetiqesyuhoeeuSnsytslnytbeeeemdarsekaatenodddybu(taoyhnfedtaennd Barlow, Frank Beacham, Bruce Eder, M. iPittnhX’sseLtya-iWl2nleds0op0ai0arm,dleaisdsokhteyhtoaaaatuknneddgsihafcovfhoheitoarsdonesedneobscmle-aayokcon—ekuarr-nsaldnopodrtk-ooewgxhradpitaeltmvohesiri.seegihma-saepgcniuerdrisiteovduoi,sndeloaloiutwdta-linebodutcdaagpameeuc.dtoiroCtdraecperea,astebdttlhhae—etasyseaasre,toy, Faust, Corey Greenberg, Ty Harrington, beginning to turn up in serious film and video festivals. Ken Korman, David Lachenbruch, Timothy Liebe, George Mannes, Marianne Meyer, ® Cliff Roth, Tom Soter, Jonathan Takiff, stamps (snail mail in Rich Warren, Stewart Wolpin, Roderick Readers who'd rather not fuss with envelopes and CompuServe or by fax. If Woodcock e-speak) can now also contact Video Magazine on Art Director, Marshall Moseley yCliolnuee’adriisnl2igk1he2o-ut9so4e7s-e6rn7edq2u7eu.sstsTl,ehtetoeurrsf,axCToeimscphoupSeTeniprsv,feorterncehuanmdiebcrearl coqirusres7et5si1po4on7ns,.d1e2no5rc5e,Colaalfnetdcertooru5’rsp.fma.x Assistant Art Director, Nadira Abdul-Kadir EST, weekdays, and all day on weekends. Drop us a line. We're always inter- Art Assistant, Gary French Production Manager, Gary M. Krystofiak ested in hearing from you. Production Assistant, Kim Lau Typesetting, Janet M. Holland a es us /Cow Group Publisher, Eric C. Schwartz } Stan Pinkwas Associate Publisher, Linda DeRogatis Editor Vice President, Business Development, Alan Deitch Editor, Video Pro, Tim Wetmore National Advertising Director, Video Pro, Annette Schnur Circulation Director, Rodney Bell Circulation Assistant, Lydia Ferrante Newsstand Sales Director, Gerald Levine Marketing Director, Luanne Rao Financial Officer, Mark C. Spector, C.P.A. Business Manager, Janette Evans Assistant Business Manager, Lily Schwartzberg Advertising Coordinator, Karen Pellino Assistant to the President, So Hee Kim Corporate Offices, Editorial & Sales: Linda Futterman, Christine Barbieri, 460 West 34 St., New York, NY 10001; 212-947-6500, 212-947-6727 (fax) West Coast Sales Office: Linda DeRogatis, Susan Kay Moses, 1453 Third Street, Suite 490, Santa Monica, CA 90401; 310-393-5057, 310-393-5538 (fax) Chicago Sales Office: Milton Gerber, Kristene Richardson, Media Plus, 135 N. Arlington Heights Road, Suite 106, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089; 708-913-5400, 708-913-5403 (fax) Editor-in-Chief, Art Levis (1936-1991) CREOEMSMEUNICATIONS @ INCORPORATED PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. 8 VIDEO OCTOBER 1994

SEND YOUR ENTERTAINMENT CHOICES THROUGH THE ROOF. NOW SATELLITE DISH OWNERS GET MULTICHANNEL HBO AND CINEMAX SERVICES. Imagine getting more great premium entertainment for your All this great entertainment is yours for only $19.95 a month. dollar. That’s what you get with MultiChannel HBO® and Or only $179.55 for an annual subscription. (You save $60!) Cinemax® Services: five choices of HBO and three of Cinemax- at no extra cost. You always have eight different programs to Best of all, we guarantee complete satisfaction on your annual choose from, every time you tune in. And talk about program- subscription. If you’re not 100% satisfied, you can cancel after 30 ming choices! days and receive a credit for the remaining months. You can count on HBO for Hollywood's biggest hits like GET A FREE WATCH WHEN YOU ORDER BY OCTOBER 31ST! Demolition Man and The Good Son. Critically-acclaimed original productions and Emmy® award-winning series. World Cham- ¥ Order an annual subscription to MultiChannel pionship Boxing. Cutting edge comedy exclusives. Plus a HBO and Cinemax Services from us and you'll “never-before-seen-on-HBO” movie every Saturday night, get a colorful HBO Direct watch, free. 52 weeks a year- guaranteed! (So you'll never have to And Cinemax is the perfect complement to HBO’s super great programming.) The Only Name You Need To Know program line-up. It’s non-stop movie excitement featuring hundreds of movies not shown on HBO, including our hottest Don’t miss out on this special offer. new attraction, “Friday Premieres’”— a sensational new film Call 1-800-285-5621 and get every Friday night, just for you. MultiChannel HBO and Cinemax Services today. Because with all the choices you get, the sky’s the limit. Offer ends 10/31/94. To use the money-back guarantee there’s a minimum charge of one month’s service fee. ©1994 HBO Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. HBO and Cinemax are registered trademarks of Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P HBO Direct and Design are trademarks of Time Warner Entertainment C ompany, L.P. Circle 3 on Reader Service Card.

me FEEDBACK Letters from our readers Letterboxed with network logos in the lower corner Further tweaking of the TV screen. In your July reader Thanks for Kevin Miller’s article about I was interested in the opinions ex- survey (“Off the Air”) I was surprised pressed about letterboxing versus pan- that, out of 54 gripes, network logos tweaking TVs (“Home Theater,” June). I and-scan in “Off The Air” (July). Origi- were listed as number one. Let us re- nally, I disliked letterboxing (who needs member that it all started a few years was able to rent A Video Standard at a lo- a smaller image just to get that side back on the USA network, and that junk?) until I obtained a couple of mov- logos have since appeared on Family, cal disc shop. However, I had a problem ies in both formats and ran A/B compar- Sci-Fi, CNN and several others. The isons of scenes. Having to change my worst offender, by far, is Comedy Cen- in trying to adjust my TV—some TVs opinion was painful, but letterboxing tral; I suspect that it displays its very won hands down. It wasn’t even close. large, full-color logo on the screen to have Custom Picture Memory for input distract viewers from the not-so-funny John Hamaker, programming. If your readers are as channels. If the adjustments are made Laguna Liguel, California ticked off as the survey suggests, perhaps they should inundate the networks with using a laserdisc, a VCR or channels 91 Power without memory or 92, the settings made for the other channels will not change. I was able to overcome this problem by recording the patterns onto a tape and playing it back on a coaxial input. Jeff Ratliff, Witchita, Kansas I was surprised to see that Timothy letters of protest. It may do some good. Ken Koch Menu madness Liebe, in his “Camcorder” about how Minneapolis, Minnesota manufacturers are solving battery mem- ory problems (May), failed to mention ~/ Can someone tell me why we are being the first and most successful battery to Pa 4 forced to accept onscreen programming? , Recently I needed to replace my TV and address memory head on—our Lenmar bought the best Sony I could afford, the NoMEM battery. Liebe briefly referred KV-32XBR96S. It is an onscreen control to the technology, but only as “the older nightmare! Any adjustment triggers a lead acid cells.” The fact is, lead acid batteries, which have no memory prop- menu or graphic display that interrupts viewing for everyone. Why would any- erties, continue to be used with all cur- one in the future pay for the picture res- rent VHS, VHS-C and S-VHS olution of HDTV only to have it camcorder models. In fact, Hitachi and destroyed by these functions? I would RCA introduced a 9.6-volt nickel cad- pay extra for a separate LCD channel mium battery for their VHS models but, Jilted Jaguar indicator and controls that stay where I after a short stint, reverted back to lead set them. Eugene Phillip, acid. For an article that was supposed to be Great Falls, Virginia Manufacturers introduced nickel about “systems primed for the informa- For the record cadmium batteries for 8mm and VHS-C tion age” (“Multimedia Playground,” camcorders not because lead acid was Aug.), I thought you would have had “old technology,” but because they were more to say about the Atari Jaguar than | “Charge of the Lights Brigade” (Aug., unable to get the capacity in the smaller a little side blurb. With its multiple 64- page 46) should have stated that Sima’s physical size. The breakthrough offered bit RISC processors, a DSP chip dedi- by the Lenmar 6-volt NoMEM battery, SL-6N light cuts battery life from 78 which took five years to develop, is that cated to audio, a palette of over 16.7 it combines a longer run time (about minutes to 33 minutes on a Panasonic two hours) with a small size. Also, it’s million colors, and an animation speed compatible with original equipment of 850 million pixels per second, the Jag- PV-S62 camcorder. The data was omit- chargers, and will never suffer from memory problems. So, while it’s true ted due to a printer's error. there are newer technologies coming to address memory, it’s our belief that no uar easily outperforms every other sys- Reader Ken Margeson points out battery offers a better solution than the tem on the market. The Jaguar is a very that we incorrectly stated in “Power for powerful machine with a lot of potential, Pennypinchers” (July) that the Sher- so give it a fair shot at the success it de- wood RV-5030R A/V receiver uses an serves. Jeff Thompson Analog Devices Pro-Logic chip. It actu- Ik, Ohio ally uses a Sanyo chip. 8 NoMEM. Martin Goldberg Video Magazine welcomes your comments. President, Lenmar Enterprises Please include a phone number, but not a Westlake Village, California Atari’s return envelope as the volume of mail does Jaguar Lose the logos! not permit replies. Letters may be edited for clarity and space. Address correspondence to Feedback, Video Magazine, 460 West 34 Until recently, I believed I was one of only a few people that had a problem Street, New York, NY 10001. 10 VIDEO OCTOBER 1994

Denon’s lifelong philosophy of “Design Integrity” has led us to constantly improve audio quality in all phases of the reproduction chain—including circuitry for Home Theater. As a result, off-the-shelf IC components like those used by our competitors, are no longer good enough for Denon’s AVR-2500 Audio/Video Receiver, The new Denon AVR-2500 features Dynamic Discrete Surround Circuitry, DDS:C which employs discrete surround circuitry plus an 18-bit digital converter in the DSP stage. (Most competitors use lower bit converters.) DONA OO WENO? NOLUINIDEROENiO) OOD) Just as discrete components allow an audio system to be optimized for better sound, Denon’s DDSC produces more accurate, more realistic surround sound by reducing Total Harmonic Distortion, by increasing Signal-to-Noise and minimizing DSP quantization noise. Naturally, the Denon AVR-2500 also features the latest audio and FM circuitry, such as multi-zone capability for playing different programs in different parts of your home and personal memory fields for one-button recall of your favorite, custom tailored surround sound stages. The AVR-2500 and AVR-1500 also feature the RDS Smart Radio System, which lets broadcasters offer you additional, invaluable information, iW) services and conveniences, either on the front panel or via On-Screen Display on the AVR-2500. Denon AV Receivers: DSP surround sound, advanced features and uncompromised High Fidelity. Radio Data System | “SMART RADIO\" Denon Electronics Division of Denon Corporation (USA), 222 New Road, Parsippany, NJ 07054 (201)575-7810 The First Name in Digital Audio Circle 3 on Reader Service Card.

Panasonic

P.asonic introduces the amplifier, the speakers and the cabinet you need to bring home movie theater sound. We know you. You love the idea of having movie theater sound at home. But you have no idea of what you should bring home. Well, you're in luck. Now Panasonic has put together a new home theater package that’s simple, affordable and sounds just like the movies. SC-HT500: ® Audio/Video Rack ® Two front speakers ® Two rear speakers © Built in center speaker ® Four-channel amplifier @ Preprogrammed remote The Panasonic SC-HT500. As you can see, it has everything you need to enjoy realistic movie theater sound at home. The heart of the package is a four-channel Dolby* Pro Logic amplifier. In the home theater mode, it sends 50 watts (1kHz, 8 ohms, 0.9% THD) of power to each of the four channels - left, center, right and surround.** The three front speakers are perfectly matched, with the center speaker (built in to the cabinet) handling dialogue while the other two speakers reproduce music and sound effects. And the two rear speakers complete the amazingly lifelike surround sound effect. The modern, black cabinet can hold up to a 31” TV set, as well as [15 >12 three other components. Simply hook up ne SC-HT500 ? SELEATIED to your TV, VCR or laser disc Rae and you're ready for i EH a spectacular home theater experience. Instantly. If you want movie theater sound at home, you'll love this package. If you want instant gratification, you'll love it even more. ee : “Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corp. Proud Sponsor **When using videotape, laser disc or broadcast which is encoded with Dolby Surround 1996 U.S. Olympic Team QO Panasonic: just slightly ahead of our time.

Fast >> FORWARD COHOHHSHHSHSOHOHHHSHHSHSOHHHHSHOEOHEOEE Play ball bP When PBS ran Ken Burns’ epic video The Civil War, it was caught off- guard by the strong, immediate demand for videos. This year, it’s taking no chances. Videotapes of Baseball, Burns’ 18-hour history of the game, told in nine two-hour “innings,” are coming out Sept. 23, during Baseball's broadcast pre- miere —a rarity in a business where stag- gered release dates are the rule. Burns has been working on Baseball for four years, searching through 250,000 feet of archival footage and 50,000 photos for the best way to tell a THE COOLEST PLACE IN THE WORLD >msnLcpuoloaalna>mmndtceecuie,eilltetoi,rvTtstaehhiilcenstaBhlrfeetlcarlreoaeeidlocc;etilktgwhesrhhwsitoeaftnieiiinyltscopiesTulndoagikcmasrye,tneomoda’ardisarensnkldeAJotttaknhspieteaahhionresafwebbpsoyaaroe,rirot,slabhldateeshbr—mdelaaiyastyertclebreteieihccllptetei.aarnycsbogotkeHnsueseitdrcfa.eoscrsr,aeonIuemirlynhncostaeewetcvlloelhfnfa,tounmrrnedsaot.esieltcceailWhcdsutnthe—toiratatocstestnaiwrehiltheecvsadsetefurldnpwaidasittrehhtoityirhtrs,ss in the entire world. siigetnolalloaUendvlnoocetdlcohtetem/rrrpoo,ahnonmincyte:hmederetToveboihrefcesset;sarpesiloenarldceteopchatzeriitesosnnn.cesrxItao—n,wfmloiavennysiegobd,teeeowyrtiiohatcuhpuemmneuildlgyethorcitutpe'rivofdn—neiisnocdcefsovanetngriceenhcyeostkiesoscetrenas.fnrdsoseAf,mlonercdaatcllilolomyonoopfvuue'otwrrfeheridtscihg;hie-n story he calls “a secret history” of the globe. U.S. “You will get to know the pure do-it-yourselfer compiles a mental list of game behind the pro game we all know Over the years, every electronics find. At the Akihabara market, I reduced parts he or she has never been able to too well,” he said. my list by three. I finally found some high-quality, 1/4-inch stereo right-angle The nine-volume set is $179.98, with ee eek Deebeen aves for 10 years. I also snagged a handful of S-video plugs and one o individual innings $24.98. Fans can also ] indulge in a 512-page companion book and a collection of baseball songs on CD, and possibly look forward to a ver- sion on CD-ROM. —Stan Pinkwas the tive-pin connectors used cilia (Ol Wee, for LANC edit controllers, nei- ~ a ther of which Lance or I have a ever been able to find in the /etcmeeaks U.S. Some unusual screw- drivers and a bunch of cheap Yugoslavian tubes for my an- tique Heathkit amp drained my remaining supply of yen; had I had another $200, I could happily have spent it in five minutes. —Brent Butterworth 14 VIDEO OCTOBER 1994

TIMESHIFT TQHUEOTMEONOTF H TEN YEARS AGO IN VIDEO MAGAZINE “On a midsummer night we un- packed an RCA Colortrack 2000 effective for stereo TV set and dreamed of hot watching the sounds coming from its speakers. It show.) 3-D comes to was July 26, and Video staffers were Toon Town to meet in Technical Editor Lance While the Braithwaite’s cramped office some program cannot A pair of be viewed in 3-D time before 11:30 p.m. in the hopes without the of hearing the 3-D glasses ap- glasses, it nev- PENN JILLETTE first network pears briefly on broadcast in MTS | the screen as Ziv Zulander com- of the comedy and magic team ertheless appears stereo, of The To- # mands his robotic Penn & Teller clean, free of night Show. We entourage — as double images displayed a mod- well as his TV and, at times, in est amount of audience — to begin *‘laser time.’ ” During deep perspective. On the other hand, this sequence in the animated series The the effect of viewing old 3-D films, like It emotion when Bots Master, the good and evil charac- Came from Outer Space, without special the red stereo ters go to war while viewers watch glasses is somewhat like looking at a light at the top of § through the transforming lenses of video image cross-eyed. the set went on, Nuoptix 3-D glasses. Airing in syndica- However, laser time is fleeting. As if but our first re- one’s last quarter were used up at the lo- views were cal arcade, Ziv Zulander signals the end mixed. We sus- oe of the 3-D sequence with “Game over, pect the effect OCTOBER 1984 boyzz.” In fact, “The whole concept of will impreve when most of us own ‘playing’ is emphasized in the cartoon, in stereo TVs. We’re making a big to- catch phrases such as ‘laser time’ and ‘game over’,” stated Mark Taylor, execu- do about all this, naturally, because tive vice-president of Jet Lag, which li- stereo TV will be taken for granted censes the program. Taylor suggests that in years to come...Pioneer’s soon-to- the passive, purely visual engagement of be-announced CLV900 won't re- animated TV programs like The Bots cord, but it will play both CDs and Master may eventually be replaced by laserdiscs...K-Tel Video's Break- dance not only shows you how to programs that allow active participa- tion—the third dimension complete “break” with specific instruction and with viewing glasses and a joystick. E-Z 3-D: For a 3-D effect, the Bots Master anima- —Janeen Renaghan examples, but also includes seg- tors use constantly shifting fore- and backgrounds. ments from Breakin’, released the- atrically last spring...Wouldn’t it be tion on weekdays, The Bots Master is a great if the operating functions of novelty in itself. Ziv, his sister Blitzy and the rest of the Bots make up the first an- all your audio and video compo- imated 3-D television series. Yet, what is nents were completely controllable distinctive about the 3-D used in Bots Master 3-D is not merely the images that GUNYERTOR from a single remote? And if you you do see, but those that you don’t. Elvis’ Dream Toy: could combine their functions —say, The Nuoptix 3-D TV process allows Next time you're so viewers to watch with or without the frustrated with lousy prime- record an LP on your audio cassette special glasses. The reason? According time shows that you want to deck while taping a cable show on to Nuoptix inventor Terry D. Beard, the shoot your TV, call process “does not use pairs of images to 800-684-3324 to find the your VCR—why, that would be even create the 3-D effect but relies on the name of the nearest Gun- viewer's perception of motion and 3-D.” vertor dealer. The $70 better, right? Dimensia, RCA’s new Gunvertor functions as a The Nuoptix process is made possible by universal remote control, audio-video component line, is the the continuous movement and changing with the trigger reserved for perspective of the characters or the channel-changing. first system to let you do all the camera, as well as by the viewing glasses. (Nuoptix glasses, available in toy stores, above and more. A normally mild- have one clear and one dark lens; nor- mal red and blue 3-D glasses are not as mannered Video editor waxed ec- static when treated to a sneak pre- view of the system recently. Rumor has it that RCA will even tell us which CED player we'll be able to integrate with Dimensia.” = OCTOBER 1994 VIDEO 15

WHY BUY LOOK FOR THE DAVID SARNOFF HIGH-PERFORMANCE recoton to Research Center has teamed up with come out early Texas Instruments on a four-year, Pen- SPEAKERS? next year with tagon-funded project to develop the headphones latter's unique projection technology. “Great loudspeakers make great sys- that harness The system displays images by using a tems come alive. The loudspeaker is the the new tech- silicon structure supporting more than only component that actually produces nology of ac- two million “micro-mirrors” designed the sound we hear. Given the quality of tive noise to pivot on tiny hinges. Voltage digital sources and available amplifica- cancellation, a changes in tiny electrodes beneath the tion, increasing the loudspeaker budget way of generating noise to erase back- mirrors mechanically control their tilt nearly always provides the most ground sounds so that music and to project detailed digital pictures. demonstrably audible improvement.” e speech sound clearer. Chris Browder, B&W Loudspeakers, e WHO SAYS KLINGONS ARE SEC- President of AAHEA SILIWOOD? THAT’S WHERE ond-class citizens? The alien warriors Hollywood meets Silicon Valley, ac- will get their own CD-ROM early next “High performance loudspeakers year now that Paramount's broke the reveal so much more of the sound- cording to one Sega official. The evi- ice with The Next Generation Interac- track’s detail, dynamics, and impact dence it’s happening? Sega and MGM that the listening experience becomes are collaborating on a ncw CD-ROM | tive Technical Manual, a clips-and-ef- much more lifelike, involving, and fects disc that explores the format’s enjoyable. It’s like bringing the per- game. Although the companies won't potential as a medium for Trekkers. formers into your home.” release details of the project, it will in- Also on tap for the CD-ROM-ulans clude live actors, sets suitable for fea- Jim Thiel, THIEL ture films and a budget estimated at $5 over at the studio: An interactive ver- million. Look for it on small screens sion of the Star Trek Encyclopedia. “In their pursuit of perfection, dedicat- ed audio manufacturers have devel- early next year. oped high-fidelity loudspeakers with performance capabilities far beyond e movie theater standards. We believe QUICKTIME, APPLE COMPUT- that the accuracy and realism of these er's digital movie format, will turn up speakers can significantly improve A/V as the software component in TV-top systems. Speakers that realistically boxes planned by Bell Atlantic for its reproduce an orchestra and a singer full-service telecommunications net- will also realistically reproduce film work. The company has decided to in- effects and dialog.” clude Quicktime in its $11 billion pro- project to deliver video, phone and Richard Vandersteen, multimedia services in several East Vandersteen Audio, Inc. Coast states. THE ACADEMY FOR THE e 3DO PLAYERS WILL SOON HAVE ADVANCEMENT OF the option of saving their games in This column is presented by The Academy for the Ad- mid-play and resuming later thanks to vancement of High End Audio (AAHEA), an organiza- tion dedicated to the recognition of excellence and the a Memory Card planned by TDK for e promotion of greater awareness of high end audio. early next year. The card and a card WHAT'S A SPIDER, A DARK CLIP, a saw filter, a delta factor? You can CONTACT AAHEA AT reader will use flash memory technolo- find out in the new fourth edition of TEL: 207-929-5505¢ FAX: 207-929-5506 the Product Terminology Dictionary, a gy to boost storage capacity. It will run 1ll-page, $4.50 guide to things audio/ video from the Electronic Industries off the 3DO Multiplayer’s expansion Assoc. in Washington, D.C. port and should cost about $100. (202-457-8700 for more info). The e dictionary’s also available in DOS- and THERES STILL A LITTLE TIME Mac-format discs. A spider, by the way, is the loudspeaker part that holds to enter this year’s Tokyo Video Festi- the voice coil in place. val, sponsored by JVC. Videotapes up e to 20 minutes long in half-inch or IN A SIGN OF TIMES TO COME, Radio Shack has opened its first store three-quarter-inch formats are eligible. in Russia—an outlet on Moscow’s Leninsky Prospect. A company Top prizes include $4,000 plus a trip to spokesman says the store is the first of Japan for two. Call 201-794-3900 for several and carries the chains’ full line an application. The deadline for entry of products. e is Sept. 30. @ VCRS ARE NOW IN 91 PERCENT THE VIDEO INDUSTRY AIDS AC- of U.S. households according to Elec- tion Committee, a volunteer fund-rai- tronic Industries Association figures. = sing group, expects to raise about $500,000 this year, which is as much as its combined total since it’s start in 1989. The funds are donated to nu- merous AIDS organizations in the U.S. and Canada. 16 VIDEO OCTOBER 1994

EYES-ON REPORT There has never Hi-Fi Stereo been a better SARACMGAS -Cama no CORAL ereTENE time to buy a SONY SLV-720HF HI-Fl STEREO VCR new VCR. Major improvements in IF YOU’RE SERIOUS about quality and convenience images are clear. A/B comparisons between the new Sony audio and video from a VCR, Sony’s SLV-720HF Hi-Fi stereo VCR will and another two year old model showed much better con- performance are handle the tasks required. leading millions trast, truer red reproduction and finer edge details. of consumers to It features the modern, no-nonsense cabinet design that the new Sony VCRs share. The front panel is uncluttered, In addition, the unit provides clear freeze frame capa- trade-in for with a concealed tape door, LCD display panel, Sony bility, along with ultra clear slow motion with a minimum newer models, Shuttle control, power, record and eject buttons. of picture jitter. A special Tape Stabilizer design in the or to add second units for other The device is easy to hook up to a TV or home theater smooth-operating transport is there to minimize picture jit- rooms in their system with its simple, uncluttered back panel jackfield. ter at all times and aids in the gentle, yet fast handling of Once up and running, video and audio performance are opti- the tape. Digital auto tracking is designed to ensure that houses. A mum thanks to several significant technology improvements. every tape is playing back at its full potential. close-up look at the latest selec- Most readily apparent is better picture quality. Thanks The Rapid Access Tape Transport system produced a to Dual Azimuth 4-head design, recording and playback picture almost as soon as our fingers came off the play but- tion of VCRs are improved over 2-head designs. Colors are true and ton, and the engineers also have been able to reduce from Sony offers response time between functions. Format: VHS an excellent Recording Speeds: SP/EP Meanwhile, it is extremely easy to operate. The Sony indication of Playback Speeds: SP/EP/LP Shuttle has become standard on the entire new Sony line how far video Channel Coverage: VHF: 2-13; UHF: 14-69; Cable: 1-125 and it makes VCR operation a much friendlier experience. technology has Total Channels: 181 It’s featured on the full-function remote as well as on the evolved since Antenna Terminals: 75-ohm “F” type deck and it handles up to 13 separate operations, providing this company Video Heads: Double Azimuth 4-head system easy and accurate control of all major tape functions includ- introduced the Video Signal-To-Noise Ratio: Better than 45 dB ing: slow motion, frame advance, and search (all in forward first home video- Dynamic Range: More than 90 dB (VHS Hi-Fi) and reverse), as well as play, stop, fast forward and rewind. Frequency Response: 20 - 20,000 Hz (VHS Hi-Fi) The system is ergonomic to use and intuitive to operate. cassette Wow And Flutter: Less than 0.005% recorder nearly The SLV-720HF’s built-in VCR Plus+ programming (WRMS, VHS Hi-Fi) capability makes getting the VCR ready to tape up to eight 20 years ago. Video Input: Phono type (1) events in a l-month period as easy as dialing the phone. Since that time, Video Output: Phono type (1) Sony's on-screen menus guide the user quickly and easily Audio Input: L/R Phono type (1) through all functions — and they’ve been designed to be Hi-Fi Stereo Audio Output: L/R Phono type (1) more pleasant to the eye. The unit also features Cable Box Sound has Timer Clock: Crystal locked 12-hour cycle with 3 hour Control, which lets your VCR change channels on your become an cable box when you are not home for timer recording, as especially backup well as when you're watching TV through your VCR. Programmability: 8 events/1-month important fea- Power Requirements: 120 V AC, 60 Hz Other features include: Auto Head Cleaner to maintain ture, while pic- Power Consumption: 21 Watts (maximum) the life of the heads without you having to do anything in Weight: 11 lbs., 4 oz (5.1 kg) that regard; Skip Search, which advances the tape 30 sec- ture quality Dimensions: 17” x 4” x 14 3/4” (430 x 100 x 375 mm) enhancements Supplied Accessories: RMT-V140 UniCommander onds at the touch of a button; linear counter; and Auto and user-friendly Preset Tuner with Express Tuning System. Remote Control (with two AA-size batteries); Cable controls have Mouse infrared repeater; 75-ohm Coaxial Cable; And how does it sound? It made the most of the Hi-Fi proliferated. Audio/Video Connecting Cord; AC Power Cord; stereo sound quality that we played back through a 100 Because of Instruction Manual watt per channel Dolby Pro-Logic amplifier, and five these recent speaker surround system. technical devel- For a truly good all-around VCR, with high perfor- opments, three new Sony VCRs mance and ease-of-use, check the SLV-720HF out at your dealer soon. (and one laserdisc machine) were selected for review in this “Eyes-On Report.” Advertising Supplement

EYES-ON REPORT SONY SLV-770HF HI-Fi STEREO VCR THIS NEW MODEL is one of Sony’s top line units and it The Sony Shuttle is quickly becoming a standard for The SLV- lives up to that status. For the discriminating consumer, the intuitive VCR ooperation. After using the control, we found 920HF is SLV-770HF’s recording and playback quality are optimal, no need to look at the control to perform its functions. The Sony’s top-of- thanks to these sophisticated monitoring circuits. Colors Electronic Tab Marker Indexing System enables quick access the-line VHS are bright and images are clear. Any differences between via fast forward or rewind to the start of recorded sections: deck. The com- the audio of the Hi-Fi VCR and a laserdisc machine playing Index Scan mode scans up to 19 index marks in sequence. pany has the same title was indecipherable to most ears. The linear tape counter indicates tape position in hours, min- loaded it with every imagin- Sony has introduced the “smart” VCR here. The unit utes and seconds of real time. able feature, actually monitors its own recording quality and makes the The Adaptive Picture Control tests each tape and adjusts most of which appropriate adjustments. The result? Picture quality that are also being goes beyond what you might expect from the VHS format. recording parameters for best performance and it also made available on the SLV- The LS Feature Package is a combination of automatic adjusts playback for ideal balance. In tests with old tapes 770HF. This Hi- capabilities that make using this VCR easy. For instance, no that were recorded on antiquated equipment, we were sur- Fi Stereo VCR more wisecracks about your VCR flashing at 12:00. Auto prised at how well the unit brought the most out of them pic- contains the Clock Set automatically sets the clock to the correct time, ture-wise. Dual azimuth 4-head design adds more assurance entire LS resets for Daylight Savings Time, leap year, etc., from data of optimum picture quality. In addition, Narrow Width Feature gathered from broadcast/cable signals (where available). Video Head design improves picture quality in EP (Extended Package, as Auto Station ID automatically displays station call letters of Play) mode. Comparing long-play tapes between the SLV- well as the compatible TV broadcasts (where available). “Context- 770HF and VCRs without this feature proved it does tend to Sony Cable Sensitive” on-screen displays feature enhanced color menus. bring out the best from them. Mouse System and VCR Plus+. For consumers who are afraid of electronics, who don’t like With its front panel inputs, the Sony 770HF makes an A VCR Selector ideal editing companion to any camcorder. Its tape transport Switch permits lots of buttons, or who don’t read owner’s manuals, these seems to be highly responsive and robust. High-speed rewind more than one menus coach them every step of the way and, once mas- lets you rewind a T-120 tape in about half the time it takes Sony VCR to tered, the operations are intuitive. for a typical VCR to do so. A Control “S” input is on board be used in the for use with optional A/V controllers, editing equipment and system. The Meanwhile, the unit sports the growingly popular VCR other VCRs equipped with a Control “S” output. big differences Plus+ programming feature, Commercial Skip, which auto- Additionally, the SLV-770HF has an Edit Switch that opti- between the matically advances the tape 30 seconds at the touch of a mizes picture quality for tape-to-tape editing and front panel 770 and 920 button, and Sony’s Cable Mouse remote repeater which jacks for hooking up a camcorder or other component. models are allows the VCR remote to control channel selection on most essentially two cable boxes during normal TV viewing and also permits This is a highly versatile VCR that has been loaded with valuable fea- timer recording of more than one scrambled cable channel. features for virtually every home use. tures — flying erase head and Hi-Fi Stereo audio/ video insert capabili- Format: VHS Dynamic Range: More than 90 dB Programmability: 8 events/1-month ty. These two Recording Speeds: SP/EP (VHS Hi-Fi) editing options Playback Speeds: SP/EP/LP Power Requirements: 120 V, 60 Hz are extremely Channel Coverage: VHF: 2-13; Frequency Response: 20 - 20,000 important for Hz (VHS Hi-Fi) Power Consumption: 25 Watts anybody who UHF: 14-69; Cable: 1-125 (maximum) wants to give Total Channels: 181 Wow And Flutter: Less than 0.005% their home Antenna Terminals: 75-ohm “F” (WRMS, VHS Hi-Fi) Weight: 11 lbs., 7 oz. (5.2 kg) video produc- tions and tape type Video Input: Phono type (1 front, 1 Dimensions: 17” x 4” x 14 3/4” (430 x compilations Video Heads: Double Azimuth 4- rear) 100 x 375 mm) that profes- sional look, head system Video Output: Phono type (1) Supplied Accessories: RMT-V140A offering much Video Signal-To-Noise Ratio: Better UniCommander Remote Control cleaner transi- Audio Input: L/R Phono type (1 (with two AA-size batteries); Cable tions, inserts than 45 dB front, | rear) Mouse infrared repeater; 75-ohm and cuts. Coaxial Cable; Audio/Video Audio Output: L/R Phono type (1) Connecting Cord; AC Power Cord; Instruction Manual Timer Clock: Crystal locked 12- hour cycle with 3 hour backup Advertising Supplement

EYES-ON REPORT AYER oO other components from the remote. g _—@ * ee Dp +a movie on laserdisc in the home theater on the s truly a remarkable experience. In addition, ae: A y : lises, you can scan the discs forward or reverse esired point clearly. Laserdiscs' picture quality sound are great for material you buy and keep rent for the night — especially music videos, id classic films. In addition, random access and to play discs over and over without wear makes ct medium for children's movies. iences abound. For instance, this unit features se, which means that you don’t have to get up aour and turn a 12-inch motion picture dise one side has come to its end. The machine lly does it for you with a minimum of interrup- also offers the convenience of Auto Resume; if : is interrupted by real life, turn off the player you return and turn the player back on, it lly commences play where you left off. Quick k Reverse provides faster laserdisc response. Protection keeps the disc flat by disengaging ‘when you press Stop. On-screen displays let the status of functions, while the full-function ‘mmander puts all operations at your finger- tan also peruse discs via Frame/Time Search Direct Chapter/Track Search. You also have repeat for laserdiscs and two-way repeat for Sony’s Automatic Chapter Sensor/Automatic sor system skips forward or backward to LD ‘CD tracks. VIDP-500 AV laserdisc player is great entertain- sreat value. It provides an affordable laserdisc louble-side play and Sony quality. GENERAL PRESENTED 0425 Power Requirements: 120 VAC, 60 Than Hz MAGAZINEB Y V ID E O Power Consumption: 40 W oe Ly he 5/8x 16 ohms, Supplied Accessories: RMT-M23A Remote Commander Remote i: 200 Control with 2 AA batteries; Audio ion); and video connecting cords; AC power cord; instruction manual SPONSORED, BY SONY.ELECTRONICS INC

SONY SLV-770HF HI-FI STEREO VCR THIS NEW MODEL is one of Sony’s top line units and it The Sony Shuttle is quickly becoming a standard for SLV-920HF lives up to that status. For the discriminating consumer, the intuitive VCR ooperation. After using the control, we found SLV-770HF’s recording and playback quality are optimal, no need to look at the control to perform its functions. The The SLV- thanks to these sophisticated monitoring circuits. Colors Electronic Tab Marker Indexing System enables quick access 920HF is are bright and images are clear. Any differences between via fast forward or rewind to the start of recorded sections: Sony’s top-of- the audio of the Hi-Fi VCR and a laserdisc machine playing the-line VHS the same title was indecipherable to most ears. Index Scan mode scans up to 19 index marks in sequence. ck. The c ee ee ELT SD TRS SRR A = Sony has introduced the “smart” VCR here. T! actually monitors its own recording quality and ma appropriate adjustments. The result? Picture quali Is it time to. goes beyond what you might expect from the VHS fo The LS Feature Package is a combination of aut capabilities that make using this VCR easy. For insta: more wisecracks about your VCR flashing at 12:0( buya < Clock Set automatically sets the clock to the correc resets for Daylight Savings Time, leap year, etc., fro gathered from broadcast/cable signals (where avai Auto Station ID automatically displays station call le new VCR? compatible TV broadcasts (where available). “Ci Sensitive” on-screen displays feature enhanced color For consumers who are afraid of electronics, who do lots of buttons, or who don’t read owner’s manuals menus coach them every step of the way and, onc tered, the operations are intuitive. Meanwhile, the unit sports the growingly popula Q. Why are so many of my friends buying new VCRs? Plus+ programming feature, Commercial Skip, whic matically advances the tape 30 seconds at the tou A. Recent industry figures for new VCR sales indi- button, and Sony’s Cable Mouse remote repeater allows the VCR remote to control channel selection ¢ cate that a large number of consumers are either cable boxes during normal TV viewing and also _ replacing their old VCRs or buying additional decks timer recording of more than one scrambled cable cl for use around the home. Many of these shoppers are being surprised by the numerous refinements that have taken place in VCR technology since they bought their last machines. Certainly, they are asking more questions about programming options, HiFi Stereo Sound, convenience features and picture quali- ty. That’s why Video Magazine and Sony have teamed up to produce this indispensable VCR Buyer’s Guide. Let us help you choose the VCR that’s right for you. BUYING TIP: Q. How have VCRs changed since | bought my VCR Plus+\" —jast one? makes A. Today’s VCRs offer substantial improvements in programming a audio and video performance — in addition to being. much easier to operate. With consumers renting and VCR as simple buying over $10 billion worth of stereo prerecorded as dialing a movies per year, the HiFi Stereo Sound feature is critical phone number. to get the most out of your movie rentals. One other important difference is that most new VCRs have four video heads, for providing superior picture quality and special effects. Today's VCRs are also more user-friendy. Q. Why is now the right time to trade up or replace my VCR? A. Probably because there has never been a better time in terms of the quality and selection of product. VCR technology has come a long way since Sony debuted the world’s first home videocassette recorder Adv nearly 20 years ago. The current generation of VCRs

EYES-ON REPORT LaserDise are easier to use, better performing, and a great value. STEREO AYER Q. What are some of today's hot VCR features? BUYING TIP: other components from the remote. HiFi Stereo $a movie on laserdisc in the home theater on the A. The range in VCR features these days is truly offers near-CD is truly a remarkable experience. In addition, astounding. Even some “basic” models sport pretty quality sound, liscs, you can scan the discs forward or reverse impressive lineups with features such as: making a HiFi esired point clearly. Laserdises' picture quality VCR a critical sound are great for material you buy and keep @ built-in VCR Plus+ timer programming part of any : rent for the night especially music videos, home theater. id classic films. In addition, random access and @ on-screen help menus to play discs over and over without wear makes M automatic digital tracking and head cleaning ct medium for children's movies. @ real-time tape counters iences abound. For instance, this unit features se, which means that you don’t have to get up @ automatic channel preset (eliminates the need to set hour and turn a 12-inch motion picture disc up the VCR’s internal tuner) one side has come to its end. The machine The feature count really soars on the high end, where the additional offerings include: lly does it for you with a minimum of interrup- also offers the convenience of Auto Resume; if @ shuttle control and shuttle remote + is interrupted by real life, turn off the player you return and turn the player back on, it automatic clock set Ily commences play where you left off. Quick k Reverse provides faster laserdisc response. @ cable box control Protection keeps the disc flat by disengaging : when you press Stop. On-screen displays let M rapid access transport with high-speed rewind the status of functions, while the full-function mmander puts all operations at your finger- @ multibrand unified remotes :an also peruse discs via Frame/Time Search * Direct Chapter/Track Search. You also have @ adaptive picture control for improved picture quality repeat for laserdiscs and two-way repeat for Sony’s Automatic Chapter Sensor/Automatic @ camcorder-friendly editing and front-panel inputs sor system skips forward or backward to LD > CD tracks. Then, of course, there is the outstanding audio per- MDP-500 AV laserdisc player is great entertain- formance offered by the HiFi Stereo feature. sreat value. It provides an affordable laserdisc louble-side play and Sony quality. Q. What’s so special about HiFi Stereo? | have an old stereo VCR, isn’t that the same thing? A. Not at all. Early “stereo” VCRs (which, by the way, are no longer manufactured) used the convention- al narrow audio track located on the outside edge of the videotape; that’s the track still used by all monaural VCRs. The HiFi Stereo system, however, strips in audio information along the full width of the tape, just like a video signal, resulting in high-quality sound when con- nected to a home stereo system or stereo TV. The HiFi Stereo feature is also essential for playing back the phe- nomenal sound tracks found on most movie rentals. In addition, HiFi Stereo VCRs allow you to receive and record MTS (stereo TV) broadcasts.

SONY SLV-770HF HI-Fi STEREO VCR THIS NEW MODEL is one of Sony’s top line units and it The Sony Shuttle is quickly becoming a standard for SLV-920HF lives up to that status. For the discriminating consumer, the SLV-770HF’s recording and playback quality are optimal, intuitive VCR ooperation. After using the control, we found The SLV- thanks to these sophisticated monitoring circuits. Colors = ee are bright and images are clear. Any differences between no need to look at the control to perform its functions. The Sthoen-lyinSe toVpH-oSf- the audio of the Hi-Fi VCR and a laserdisc machine playing the same title was indecipherable to most ears. Electronic Tab Marker Indexing System enables quick access Sony has introduced the “smart” VCR here. T via fast forward or rewind to the start of recorded sections: Index Scan mode scans up to 19 index marks in sequence. rents ise is PODER TSS in nee eee actually monitors its own recording quality and ma appropriate adjustments. The result? Picture quali Are today’s goes beyond what you might expect from the VHS fo The LS Feature Package is a combination of au capabilities that make using this VCR easy. For insta more wisecracks about your VCR flashing at 12:0( VCRs easier Clock Set automatically sets the clock to the corre: resets for Daylight Savings Time, leap year, etc., fro gathered from broadcast/cable signals (where ava Auto Station ID automatically displays station call le compatible TV broadcasts (where available). “C to use? Ge Sensitive” on-screen displays feature enhanced color For consumers who are afraid of electronics, who do lots of buttons, or who don’t read owner’s manual; menus coach them every step of the way and, om tered, the operations are intuitive. Meanwhile, the unit sports the growingly populi Plus+ programming feature, Commercial Skip, whic Q. Is there anything | can do to prevent adding yet matically advances the tape 30 seconds at the tou another remote control to my collection? button, and Sony’s Cable Mouse remote repeater allows the VCR remote to control channel selection « A. Indeed there is. Many manufacturers have cable boxes during normal TV viewing and also } timer recording of more than one scrambled cable c! responded to consumers’ growing “remote” con- cerns by packaging VCRs with unified remote con- trols that operate TVs and other components in home entertainment systems. Be forewarned, though: the level of wireless flexibility can vary from deck to deck. While some unified VCR remotes will control most major-brand TVs, others will only work with TVs made by the same manufacturer. So, if this BUYING TIP: is an important consideration for you, be sure to The Sony clarify the remote’s capabilities before making your Shuttle Control purchase. is designed to operate Play, Q. Should | expect to find the same type of controls Stop, FF, as I’m using with my current model? Rewind, Search, A. Yes and no. You will probably find that there are Frame Advance, fewer controls overall — which are typically hidden behind a flip-down panel, creating a noticeably cleaner in forward and faceplate. And many set-up functions are done via the reverse on-screen menu system. Sony has made its VCRs easier to operate with a single, rotary Shuttle Dial that gov- erns all the basic operating functions. directions — Q. What exactly does the Shuttle Dial do? with one simple, A. It is very easy and intuitive to use. In addition fun control. to controlling the play, stop, rewind and fast for- ward functions, the Shuttle also operates all special effects — from frame-by-frame advance, slow Ad\\ motion, normal-speed play, and 2X normal speed, to high-speed picture search. Turn it in the opposite

EYES-ON REPORT direction, and you get all these modes in reverse. AYER For added convenience, the Shuttle control is found Cable Mouse® other components from the remote. on both the front panel of the VCR and the supplied Cable Box .a movie on laserdisc in the home theater on the wireless remote. Control lets is truly a remarkable experience. In addition, your VCR lises, you can scan the discs forward or reverse A. Not unless you feel like brushing up on your change channels esired point clearly. Laserdiscs' picture quality reading. Fortunately, some VCRs today offer some on your cable sound are great for material you buy and keep type of on-screen help menu designed to display the box when you : rent for the night — especially music videos, needed operational information on your TV moni- are not home id classic films. In addition, random access and tor. Of course, some menus are more comprehensive for timer to play discs over and over without wear makes than others — and some are simply easier to under- recording. ct medium for children's movies. stand. The most advanced ones offer “context sensi- iences abound. For instance, this unit features tive” systems wherein the VCR actually follows the se, which means that you don’t have to get up procedure being performed in order to provide the hour and turn a 12-inch motion picture dise exact information required. one side has come to its end. The machine A. In the past, time-shifting (programming a lly does it for you with a minimum of interrup- also offers the convenience of Auto Resume; if VCR to record at a later date or time), was widely : is interrupted by real life, turn off the player viewed as one of the most vexing tasks a consumer you return and turn the player back on, it could face. Fortunately, there’s been some significant lly commences play where you left off. Quick progress made on that front. In addition to program- k Reverse provides faster laserdisc response. ming menus that walk the user through each step of Protection keeps the disc flat by disengaging the programming process, some new models also : when you press Stop. On-screen displays let come equipped with built-in VCR Plus+ program- ming, which uses PlusCode™ program numbers the status of functions, while the full-function (found in over 600 newspapers as well as TV Guide) mmander puts all operations at your finger- to make timer recording as simple as dialing a phone tan also peruse discs via Frame/Time Search number. ' Direct Chapter/Track Search. You also have repeat for laserdiscs and two-way repeat for A. The good news is that this crucial clock setting function is now easily addressed via many VCRs’ Sony’s Automatic Chapter Sensor/Automatic on-screen help functions. Two new Sony models uti- sor system skips forward or backward to LD lize date and time signals from TV broadcasts from > CD tracks. local PBS stations (where available) to automatically set their own clocks! Another useful feature is a MDP-500 AV laserdisc player is great entertain- clock/timer backup system, which preserves clock sreat value. It provides an affordable laserdisc and timer settings for up to three hours in the event Jouble-side play and Sony quality. of a power failure. 0425 GENERAL Than Power Requirements: 120 VAC, 60 ohms, Hz 3: 200 don); Power Consumption: 40 W Dimensions (WHD): 17x 45/8 x 16 1/2” (430 x 117 x 420.5 mm) Weight: 22 lbs. Supplied Accessories: RMT-M23A Remote Commander Remote Control with 2 AA batteries; Audio and video connecting cords; AC power cord; instruction manual

SONY SLV-770HF HI-FI STEREO VCR THIS NEW MODEL is one of Sony’s top line units and it The Sony Shuttle is quickly becoming a standard for SLV-920HF lives up to that status. For the discriminating consumer, the SLV-770HF’s recording and playback quality are optimal, intuitive VCR ooperation. After using the control, we found The SLV- thanks to these sophisticated monitoring circuits. Colors ert ag are bright and images are clear. Any differences between no need to look at the control to perform its functions. The Sony’s top-of- the audio of the Hi-Fi VCR and a laserdisc machine playing the-li ine VHS the same title was indecipherable to most ears. Electronic Tab Marker Indexing System enables quick access The om via fast forward or rewind to the start of recorded sections: Index Scan mode scans up= to 19 index marks : in sequence. as Sony has introduced the “smart” VCR here. 7 actually monitors its own recording quality and mi appropriate adjustments. The result? Picture qual How can | goes beyond what you might expect from the VHS fi The LS Feature Package is a combination of au capabilities that make using this VCR easy. For insti more wisecracks about your VCR flashing at 12:0 Clock Set automatically sets the clock to the corre resets for Daylight Savings Time, leap year, etc., fri gathered from broadcast/cable signals (where avz Auto Station ID automatically displays station call | VCR performance? compatible TV broadcasts (where available). “C Sensitive” on-screen displays feature enhanced color For consumers who are afraid of electronics, who di lots of buttons, or who don’t read owner’s manual menus coach them every step of the way and, on tered, the operations are intuitive. Q. How does a VCR fit into a home theater system? Meanwhile, the unit sports the growingly popul A. Home theater is an increasingly popular concept Plus+ programming feature, Commercial Skip, whi in which consumers are integrating their audio and matically advances the tape 30 seconds at the tor video systems to recreate the movie-going experience in button, and Sony’s Cable Mouse remote repeate their own homes. Obviously, the ability to record and allows the VCR remote to control channel selection cable boxes during normal TV viewing and also playback movies is an integral part of most home the- timer recording of more than one scrambled cable ¢ ater systems. But just any old VCR won't do for such applications. Once again, the HiFi Stereo function is a must-have for playing back prerecorded movies with HiFi Stereo Sound that adds to the excitement and drama of watching movies at home. By connecting your VCR's audio outputs to the stereo system, your lis- Auto Clock tening room turns into a theater. Other essentials include a true multibrand remote control for operating BUYING TIP: other system components. Auto Clock Set Q. Are there any other new developments in uses date and enhancing picture quality? time signals from TV A. Four-head VCRs are now the norm, offering better broadcasts to picture quality in special effects modes. Meanwhile, automatically some new upscale Sony models offer an Adaptive Picture Control (APC) that automatically adjusts for the seta VCR optimal recording and playback characteristics of each clock. tape. In the Record mode, the VCR test records (in less than a second) on each new tape to automatically balance tape quality and head wear for the best picture perfor- mance. In playback mode, the VCR adjusts itself auto- matically for best quality. Other innovations include the use of narrow width video heads, which, with APC, pro- vide improved picture quality in the EP mode, tape stabi- lizer mechanisms (which promote smooth tape motion and reduce picture jitter) and automatic head cleaning Ad and digital tracking functions.

EYES-ON REPORT AYER A. Cable Box Control is fast becoming one of MENU other components from the remote. today’s most sought-after VCR features. This feature TIMER SET CHECK lets you change the channels on your cable box with 5 a movie on laserdisc in the home theater on the your VCR remote. Sony's Cable Mouse® Cable Box is truly a remarkable experience. In addition, Control will also allow you to record more than one lises, you can scan the discs forward or reverse scrambled or unscrambled channel during timer esired point clearly. Laserdiscs' picture quality recording. It also allows you to place the cable box sound are great for material you buy and keep almost anywhere. rent for the night — especially music videos, A. The tracking control regulates tape movement On-Screen Help id classic films. In addition, random access and to play discs over and over without wear makes across the vi: deo heads and, i: n essence, i. s responsi-: dispsaliay|s essential ct medium for children's movies. ble for keeping the picture steady on your screen. _ information iences abound. For instance, this unit features Due to variations in the production of prerecorded § about your se, which means that you don’t have to get up videos, it is important to adjust the tracking foreach | VCR's operation hour and turn a 12-inch motion picture dise individual tape. In older models, this was accom- on your TV one side has come to its end. The machine plished by manually turning the tracking control. In panleoe: Ily does it for you with a minimum of interrup- many newer VCRs, however, this task is handled also offers the convenience of Auto Resume; if : is interrupted by real life, turn off the player automatically with digital control for maintaining you return and turn the player back on, it Ily commences play where you left off. Quick accurate tracking adjustment throughout the entire k Reverse provides faster laserdisc response. playback process. Protection keeps the disc flat by disengaging : when you press Stop. On-screen displays let A. The biggest innovation of all is the fact > ig the status of functions, while the full-function a \"2 W.2 mmander puts all operations at your finger- that today's VCRs are a tremendous value. san also peruse discs via Frame/Time Search Manufacturers have been able to address a r ' Direct Chapter/Track Search. You also have wide range of performance and convenience ~\\ oJ ay repeat for laserdiscs and two-way repeat for needs — at surprisingly affordable prices. ea eo) Sony’s Automatic Chapter Sensor/Automatic These VCRs are easier to operate, offer sor system skips forward or backward to LD better audio and video performance, wy > CD tracks. and do things like control the cable box p ba MDP-500 AV laserdisc player is great entertain- and set their own clocks. By reading sreat value. It provides an affordable laserdisc this guide you have taken an important SS emai Jouble-side play and Sony quality. step toward learning more about what today's VCRs can offer. Sony has provid-= 0425 GENERAL Than ed the chart of new Sony models on the Power Requirements: 120 VAC, 60 back page of this special section to help ohms, Hz ss 200 you begin shopping for the VCR that's Bin, jon); Power Consumption: 40 W right for you. Dimensions (WHD): 17x 4 5/8 x 16 1/2” (430 x 117 x 420.5 mm) Weight: 22 lbs. Supplied Accessories: RMT-M23A Remote Commander Remote Control with 2 AA batteries; Audio and video connecting cords; AC power cord; instruction manual

SONY SLV-770HF HI-Fl STEREO VCR THIS NEW MODEL is one of Sony’s top line units and it The Sony Shuttle is quickly becoming a standard for SLV-920HF lives up to that status. For the discriminating consumer, the intuitive VCR ooperation. After using the control, we found SLV-770HF’s recording and playback quality are optimal, The SLV- no need to look at the control to perform its functions. The thanks to these sophisticated monitoring circuits. Colors Electronic Tab Marker Indexing System enables quick access 9So2n0yH’Fs tisop-of- are bright and images are clear. Any differences between via fast forward or rewind to the start of recorded sections: the-lin e VHS the audio of the Hi-Fi VCR and a laserdisc machine playing Index Scan mode scans up to 19 index marks in sequence. the same title was indecipherable to most ears. i om Sony has introduced the “smart” VCR here. r SONY. actually monitors its own recording quality and m appropriate adjustments. The result? Picture qua goes beyond what you might expect from the VHS f VHS Videocassette Recorders The LS Feature Package is a combination of a’ capabilities that make using this VCR easy. For inst more wisecracks about your VCR flashing at 12:( Clock Set automatically sets the clock to the corr: Today’s VCRs are easier to use, better performing and are a great value. | resets for Daylight Savings Time, leap year, etc., fr Use the following chart to choose the Sony VCR that's right for you. gathered from broadcast/cable signals (where av Auto Station ID automatically displays station call compatible TV broadcasts (where available). “( Sensitive” on-screen displays feature enhanced colo For consumers who are afraid of electronics, who ¢ lots of buttons, or who don’t read owner’s manuz menus coach them every step of the way and, o} tered, the operations are intuitive. Meanwhile, the unit sports the growingly popu Plus+ programming feature, Commercial Skip, wh SLY-TIOHF SLY-R1000 matically advances the tape 30 seconds at the to Model SLV-420 | SLV-620HF SLV-T0HF | SLV-770HF | SLV-920HF | SLV-R1000 button, and Sony’s Cable Mouse remote repeat allows the VCR remote to control channel selectior Ls HiFi Stereo & MTS Stereo Tuner ° .. e: cable boxes during normal TV viewing and also timer recording of more than one scrambled cable Shuttle Control, VCR & Remote Cable Mouse Cable Box Control VCR Plus+ System eS Auto Head Cleaner On Screen Menu & Help od ae 30-sec Commercial Skip UniCommander® Remote Co 8 Event/! Month Programming w/3hr Back-up Auto Clock Set/Audio Station ID (where available) ase Adaptive Picture Control (APC) Front Panel AV Inputs ae Multi-brand TV Remote eda High Speed Rewind ; Super VHS Flying Erase Head” w/AV Insert ee Suggested Retail Price $399 $499 $549 ahd $649 $1,299 eee © 1994 Sony Electronics Inc. Alll rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Sony, Cable Mouse, Express Tuning, Flying Erase, Rapid Access, Tab Marker Indexing System, Auto Clock and UniCommander are trademarks of Sony. VCR Plus+ and PlusCode are trademarks of Gemstar Development Corporation. TV Guide is a registered trademark of New America Publications, Inc. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice. Auto Clock Set/Auto Station ID: These features function only in areas where a TV station's broadcasts are encoded with Closed Captioning Extended Data Service for date, time and station call letters. It is anticipated that at least one TV station in most major metro markets will transmit time, date and station call letters by the end of 1994.

YES-ON REPORT ’ “On-screen SONY MDP-500 LASERDISC PLAYER displays let SONY’S MDP-500 AV laserdisc player offers full feature control of other components from the remote. you know the status of func- convenience combined with the superb picture and sound Viewing a movie on laserdisc in the home theater on the tions, while quality the laserdisc medium is known for. MDP-500 is truly a remarkable experience. In addition, the full-func- tion Remote Of course the VCR remains the staple of every home with CLV discs, you can scan the discs forward or reverse Commander outs all opera- theater; and the laserdisc player isn’t a replacement for it to find a desired point clearly. Laserdiscs' picture quality tions at your by any means. Still, the laserdisc medium is the only one and digital sound are great for material you buy and keep fingertips.” that brings out the full spectrum of visual and aural detail - — not just rent for the night — especially music videos, that films, high-quality video productions and fine musical concerts and classic films. In addition, random access and recordings contain. And this Sony unit proves the point. the ability to play discs over and over without wear makes This model provides up to 425 lines of horizontal reso- it the perfect medium for children's movies. lution and a video signal-to-noise ratio of 49 dB for clear, Conveniences abound. For instance, this unit features detailed pictures. Our eyes-on tests also found that you get auto reverse, which means that you don’t have to get up richer, more natural color, clear and crisper motion — after one hour and turn a 12-inch motion picture disc and all of these come through in spades, especially on big- over when one side has come to its end. The machine screen televisions. automatically does it for you with a minimum of interrup- Consider the laserdisc player a CD player that also tion. Sony also offers the convenience of Auto Resume; if plays videos. The MDP-500 is a combi-player, meaning it your movie is interrupted by real life, turn off the player accommodates 12- and 8-inch laserdiscs, 5-inch CD Video and when you return and turn the player back on, it and conventional music CDs. So you actually get more automatically commences play where you left off. Quick than one component in one package. Start/Quick Reverse provides faster laserdisc response. The sound quality between the audio and video discs Auto Dise Protection keeps the disc flat by disengaging was judged to be virtually the same to most listeners. This the spindle when you press Stop. On-screen displays let unit features 1-bit Digital-To-Analog conversion for low dis- you know the status of functions, while the full-function tortion on CDs and and digital audio laserdises. Signal-to- Remote Commander puts all operations at your finger- noise ratio is rated at 115 dB+ and frequency response is 4 tips. You can also peruse discs via Frame/Time Search Hz - 20 kHz. and 10-key Direct Chapter/Track Search. You also have The MDP-500 becomes an integral part of your home three-way repeat for laserdiscs and two-way repeat for theater quickly and easily. It features two sets of audio CDs. And Sony’s Automatic Chapter Sensor/Automatic outputs for connection to both television and high fideli- Music Sensor system skips forward or backward to LD ty system, basic video output, as well as two specialized chapters or CD tracks. connections: S-video output for a cleaner, clearer sig- Sony’s MDP-500 AV laserdisc player is great entertain- nal; and Control “S” input for the integration into A/V ment at a great value. It provides an affordable laserdisc systems using the SRC-100 A/V controller, which allows entry with double-side play and Sony quality. DIGITAL AUDIO VIDEO GENERAL D/A Converter: 1-bit Oversampling Frequency: 8X Horizontal Resolution: Up to 425 Power Requirements: 120 VAC, 60 Signal-To-Noise Ratio: More Than Hz lines 115 DB Signal-To-Noise Ratio: More Than Power Consumption: 40 W Frequency Response: 4. Hz - 20 kHz 49 dB Dimensions (WHD): 17x 45/8 x 16 (+0.3 dB) INPUTS AND OUTPUTS 1/2” (430 x 117 x 420.5 mm) Control S$ Input: Minijack Dynamic Range: More Than 99 dB S-Video Output: One Weight: 22 lbs. Video Output: I.0 V p-p, 75 ohms, Wow & Flutter: Below measurable Supplied Accessories: RMT-M23A limits (+0.001% W. Peak) unbalanced Remote Commander Remote Analog Stereo Audio Outputs: 200 Control with 2 AA batteries; Audio and video connecting cords; AC mV (1 kHz, 40% modulation); power cord; instruction manual two sets Advertising Supplement

= BY STEWART APPLEGATH SONY’S SIDEFINDER Sony's Hi8 CCD-FX730V camcorder is a hybrid that adds the versatility of a 3-inch color LCD screen to its traditional viewfinder apparatus. The LCD swings out from the left side of the camera ' and can be tilted to different angles. It has a built-in speaker which allows you to listen on playback to footage you've just shot. When it's too bright outdoors, you can use the traditional viewfinder setup. The camcorder also features a 12x variable-speed zoom and four-mode auto exposure. (For more info, circle 110 on the Reader Service Card) ASG JUKEBOX DELECTABLE SELECTABLE The Video Series Home Theater Speaker System ($1,649) ASG Technologies’ Video is the first line of speakers KLH has designed specifically JukeBox ($49) is an elec- for home theaters and media rooms. With a magnetically tronic cartridge server for shielded center speaker, it plays back hi-fi music, movies, Sega Genesis and Sega CD users. Players can videogames and TV sound tracks produced in Dolby Sur- store up to six game car- round and Dolby Pro-Logic. Thanks to two selectable tridges in a unit shaped like crossover frequencies, separate volume and phase con- | a Stereo component. Its trols, and inputs for speaker and networking software allows line-level signals, the system's VJs to be attached to each powered subwoofer can be used other, allowing gamers to comfortably for movies or music. store up to 36 cartridges, (For additional info, circle 108 on or six VJs. (For additional the Reader Service Card) | info, circle 105 on the Reader Service Card) HEAD TURNER SMART SYSTEM Sharp's Auto Pan Head accessory ($449) Denon's AVR-2500 AV Surround Receiver ($1,000) is its first to include RDS Smart- may improve your game. Once you at- Radio digital data capability, and employ an icon-based onscreen display. SmartRadio tach a camcorder, the head will revolve automatically finds another station with the same programming when the station origi- automatically to face any sounds and set the camcorder to record. Sharp says it’s nally tuned becomes too weak for good reception. A multisource capability lets a good for both golf swings and social second room enjoy a different audio or video source than that in the viewing room. events. The Auto Pan Head comes with a remote control. (For additional info, cir- (For additional info, circle 109 on the Reader Service Card) cle 100 on the Reader Service Card) 20 VIDEO OCTOBER 1994

OWN ANYG@ROCISTES29 EACH See details below. AGE OF INNOCENCE 1207307 STARWARS (0056408 BATMAN: MASK OF THEEMP=IR~—~E———~—SO& THE PHANTASM 1238906 ~<a STRIKES BACK 0091009 = BEVERLY HILLBILLIES 1208305 ene ws a RETURN OFTHE JEDI 0354704 3 ABRONX TALE 1221506 “ NING OW THE GODFATHER 0000802 2 CARLITO’S WAY 1229301 Pl\" PyIlI| ] THE GODFATHER: = ADANGEROUS WOMAN 1240506 uiree || PART II 0001800 3 AND THE BAND 1240100 TPHAERT GOIlDl FATHER: 0842302 2S PLAYED ON AESNCOATPHEERFRSOTMAKNEEQUWT 1238203 THE SECRET GARDEN = (C1H9A4R9L)OTTE’S WEB O0270399540028 = YORK (DIRECTOR'S CUT) 1249507 FATAL INSTINCT 1213008 FIDDLER ON THE ROOF 0055103 FRANCIS INTHE NAVY 1249705 MY GIRL 0693408 AA aTTHWEENTTHYINGBUCCAKLSLED LOVE 11214990480080 BODY OF EVIDENCE § FORLOV:EOR MONEY 1198506 HEART AND SOULS 1179100 mabaa ox1120809 INDOCHINE (SUBTITLED) 1188903 VICTOR BORGE RFaRIeEDCAGNRNEEONT TOMATOES 11010456400040 # mae Spare : va POINT OF NO RETURN 1127109 AND THE CHOCOLATE Bi JOY LUCK CLUB 1218106 FACTORY 0606103 = THEMAGIC VOYAGE 1219906 SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE PHILADELPHIA MRS. DOUBTFIRE —‘THE FUGITIVE HOME ALONE 0104208 1154905 1251404 1221605 1197706 HOME ALONE 2: MMUARNDHEARTTAMNYSTERY LOSTINNEWYORK _ 1104900 8 MALICE _1189505 GETTYSBURG 1213305 POETIC JUSTICE 1189109 THESOUND OF MUSIC 0003905 MADEINAMERICA 1150606 DIRTY DANCING MR. JONES 1226505 THE GOOD SON 1198803 ROBIN HOOD: FERN GULLY: BDRRAAMCULSATOKER’S 1102904 0495507 = 1229905 HARD TARGET 1179605 MEN IN TIGHTS THELASTRAINFOREST EE.XT.T:RAT-HTEERRESTRIAL 0681106 =Sy 1179704 1006808 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR 1179803 MALCOLM X 1107903 g N EW RE LEASES THE SECRET GARDEN RISING SUN 1174804 C LU B FAVORITES 3 ADDAMS FAMILY LOOK WHO'S VALUES 1232701 TALKINGNOW (1993) 1188804 PASSENGER 57 1087709 |DEMOLITIONMAN 1199306 AFEWGOODMEN 1106301 ||©&5 1237304 | JASON GOES TO HELL oe ARIVERRUNS soa7eoo |FREEWILLY 4147503 SISTER ACT 1071208 FLESH AND BONE 1226208 TRHUEDYPIANO o424o09)209 | e3L0ATWHREANNCNEIVeEOFRSAARRAYBIA 1068501 PRORBIINNCE HOOFODT:H:IEVES THE BODYGUARD 1105907 BEETHOVEN 1009901 ||2§ THE GETAWAY 1192400 BACKDRAFT 0976803 | CLIFFHANGER 1149301 PRETTY WOMAN 0904102 (1994) 1260405 SHORT CUTS 1249606 | EDITION 1191907 0260307 DOCTOR ZHIVAGO 0559005 | |NDECENT THE SILENCE OF E INTOTHE WEST 1239706 SUGARHILL 1264506 | THE PROGRAM 0597807 RFAOIRNEVMEARN YOUNG 0002600 | PROPOSAL 1142009 THE LAMBS 0805309 |3 MY LIFE 1246305 WAYNE’S WORLD 2 1249200 | SPIONNKEOAFNTTHHEER: City SLICKERS 0216804). 01120846390066 |THfEoTEe ENN THMEOHLIACSTANOSF (T1H9E92) 1071406 ||SZe~3ze ORLANDO 1238807 HOT SHOTS PART DEUX 1176809 BEN-HUR (1959) 945 weeks 0862904 | (1956) 0202606 APERFECT WORLD 1237205 REMAINS OF THEDAY 1232503 LASTACTIONHERO 1154806 STEELMAGNOLIAS con uaanO DAY 0270801 ROBOCOP 3 1226604 THE MAN WITHOUT SCARFACE (1983) 7108406 SLIVER 1147008 LETHAL WEAPON 0630806 CONEHEADS 1179001 AACE 1190909 SOMMERSBY 1120906 Boy7N THE HOOD 0385906 GHOST 0826008 LETHAL WEAPON 2 0642702 DAVE 1149400 MENACEIISOCIETY 1200609 HOOK 0854307 GREASE 0207407 THECOLOR PURPLE 0630103 LETHAL WEAPON 3 1051507 DAZED AND CONFUSED 1188606 NEEDFUL THINGS 1198704 TIHNETHEBIBLBEE.G.I.NNING 0074708 MYCOUSINVINNY 1033109 COP AND A HALF 1145903 ONCEUPONAFOREST 1121706 ROCK-A-DOODLE 1001403 m mI 0788901 elk lily 0054909 AND THE UG, LYTH 0058206 . SON-IN-LAW 1192301 THE HAND THAT ROCKS SOULE 11102717390008 ACE VENTURA: GRUMPY OLD MEN TOMBSTONE STRICTLY BALLROOM 1192103 THE CRADLE INTHELINE PELICAN BRIEF THE FIRM PET DETECTIVE 4251503 4254200 TSRTRUIEKIRNOGMADNICSETANCE 1200708 SUNCDEENRTOSFIEAGWE OMAN 1145705 OF FIRE 4251305 1154400 1242908 (RATED VERSION) 1234400 DENNIS THE MENACE _1084003 1190107 WDOHATWI'TSH LOVE GOT TO 1218007 MNOUTCHHINAGDO ABOUT 1208701 UNDERCOVER BLUES 1207000 UNFORGIVEN (1992) 0805200 THE GREATEST STORY 0085506 CASABLANCA 50TH IT EVER TOLD ANNIVERSARY EDITION WE’RE BACK 1206903 DANCES WITH WOLVES 1033208 0865204 THE WIZARD OF 02 0001404 BASIC INSTINCT 1126804 ALL DOGS GO 0289702 TOM AND JERRY: TO HEAVEN THE MOVIE HERE’S HOW TO GET YOUR 6 MOVIES FOR 29¢ EACH! use your credit card and (For New Video Club Members Only.) Dept. LE6 our toll-free number. Call 24 hours a day. of _ selection, or none at all, just mail F4 Columbia House Video Club Dept. LE6 Advance Selections the 6 movies you want for 29¢ each, _the response card always provided ! PO. Box 1112, Terre Haute, IN 47811-1112 plus shipping and handling. In by the date specified. And you'll ! Yes, please enroll me under the terms outlined in this exchange, you agree to buy just six always have 14 days to decide; if : advertisementA.s amembeIrn,eed buy just six more more movies in the next three not, you may return the selection at 4 movies at regular Club prices within the next three years. |You may order one or two more movies now y(ewahrisc,h atcuorurrentrelgy8ulsatrartClausb lPopwricaess _ our expPense. 3 Ifyou |! __ pluss $$11.6600 eacehach shishpinpn}ing and handliAng (a total of $11.34). efcoahricph$6od.b9il5sicgeoautanictohn—pabuynrcdohnaehs!aevereldeuscsetso byouuyr lamteerm!beArn-d $19.95, plus shipping and handling) continue yMousyorur obmleimgabteirosnh,ipyopu'lalftbeer !r # Also send my first selection for $6.95 plus 1 |# # __—atanandyyotiumme aayftecrandcoeilngmesmo.beWrhsahti’ps —_fylfilling ! $1.75 shipping/handling which I'm adding to my eligible for our generous bonus # $11.34 payment (total $20.04). I then need buy _ More, you canget two more movies ! |# only 5 more (instead of 6) _ for the low price of $6.95 each and plan. It enables you to enjoy great sayings on the movies you want— in 3 years. i : _\" hplaevtee mduetcahilslesisn tcooubpuoynl)a.ter (seecom- faoirnaegralbeornlg as you decide to remain 1! Please check how payiing: addiAtlisoonaslen$d6.s9ti5ll polnues $m1o.r75e shseilpepcitnigo/nhanfodrlianng Ranteen 4 : : CO My check is enclosed. AWF/AWK/AWN (total$28.74). Ithen need buy only 4 more \" froeuvri‘ewwwieienkgs (up Dtiorhe1ca3toytri'msesSealeact,ioonn —Ss_eewientdh ydoedtueartialislisntofrooftdheutchetColruCyblu’b’ps aocpkearga-et.ionlIfl | CCharge my introductory movies and future Club purchases to: (instead of 6) in 3 years. - our |4 7MasterCard Cl Diners Club CIAMEX CIVISA CiDiscover |___ i eal a not satisfied, return everything » Account # Si5 gnature AWH/AWL/AWP settes, , down to $14.95“.pricedAnd cyaoSu- wniothfiunrth1e0r daoybs ligfaotrioanf.ull refund and 1! Exp. Date may receive Special Selection mail- fr : Name Apt. Ci;ty ings up to four times a year (a total Entertainin of up to 17 buying opportunities). Araepieats 8 1Address I Ifyou e One Person ! State Zip Phone ( ) want the Director's Selection, do at a Time.” 1 Note: Columbia House Video Club reserves the right to reject any application or cancel any membership. Canadian residents will be ser- nothing—it will be sent automat- ime. : iced et Offer sae to eatsnts of the Contos: United States. Rowe nts ofAlaska, Hawaii, ae Rico, U.S, ter: aia ically. If you'd prefer analternate CLUB VIDEO 1 ooee io aoe please write for separate offer. Applicable sales tax added to all orders. 1400 N. Fruitridge ee ey,

TRANSMISSION TARGET ¥ <THX DELUXE BullsEye ($140) is Recoton’s new indoor/outdoor antenna system. The Do you have $21,250 to spare? Apogee Sound's 24-inch TV/FM dish can be mounted anywhere—on the floor or ceiling, Motion Picture Theater System One is a loud- outdoors, even in closets. The BullsEye is intended to improve the recep- speaker monitoring speaker system for mixing and evaluating the sound accompanying films and vid- tion of broadcasts from stations up to 150 miles away. You can also eos. It.was designed by Lucasfilm THX for use in mount the BullsEye on RVs or boats. (For additional info, circle 106 on the mixdown of THX soundtracks. It has switchable features that deliver appropriate sound when in- the Reader Service Card) stalled behind picture screens or elsewhere and one that switches between film industry or small room settings. (For additional info, circle 107 on the Reader Service Card) WOODSTOCK REVISITED Y Woodstock II is not a movie sequel, but CWD’s new Enter- tainment Center. It takes but four feet of space and gives your home theater system a custom hideaway. It's 46 inches wide by 57 inches high and holds a 35-inch TV. Closing doors and adjustable shelves make it both unobtrusive and suitable for different component systems—the vertical divider moves to al- low a center-channel speaker to be positioned directly below the TV. Wood- stock Il is available in var- ious wood finishes, with solid or sound- permeable, fab- tic-grille cabinet doors. The pri- ce is $1,100. (For additional info, circle 101 on the Reader Service Card) FOREIGN CONVERSION > Pre-paid CAT’S EYE RECORDER Y Sharp's VL-L490U Slimcam ($850) Relatives in far-flung places will ap- International Tape p|red-aag Conversion Service weighs in at just under four pounds. It preciate High-Tech Productions’ offers a 12x variable speed power Pre-paid International Tape Conver- by High Tech Proaacmcns zoom and a new feature Sharp calls sion Service ($40), which converts Cat's Eye recording which enables the camera to see in only 1 lux conditions. tapes from one format to another. The VHS VL-L490U also features full- Using much the same idea as Ko- range autofocus, a switchable dak’s pre-paid film mailers, High- high-speed shutter, an intel- Tech will change NTSC tapes, run- ligent auto iris, audio/ ning up to 8 hours from or to PAL video or SECAM formats. You fill out an fade in/ enclosed form, drop the tape in the VHS-sized mailer and take it to the out, and post office. High-Tech says it will a digital locking be mailed back within 24 hours. auto white balance. (For additional info, circle 104 on (For additional info, circle 102 on the Reader Service Card) the Reader Ser- vice Card) 22 VIDEO OCTOBER 1994

No matter what you spent on your from than ever before, with digital quality in your living room that never runs out of home entertainment system, you picture and CD sound. 1 You get stock. For just $2.99 each, you get the could get more out of it with tons of hit movies to choose from, Hollywood hits you want, starting as often DIRECT V.™ Because DIRECTV before they're on the premium as every 30 minutes. You also get classics, gives you more entertainment to choose cable movie channels. It's like a video store independent films and more. 1) You can DOESN'T YOUR GREAT HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM DESERVE GREAT ENTERTAINMENT? choose from hundreds of pro and college than you pay now. [1] See the tiny 18-inch for the authorized DIRECTV dealer nearest sports events, and the newest and most RCA-brand DSS™-dish and DIRECTV at you. L] DIRECTV. It's Personalized TV™ popular cable networks. CNN, ESPN, your Consumer Electronics or Satellite TV USA, Sci-Fi Channel, The Disney Channel, dealer. Equipment availability is limited DIRECTY. Court TV, and a lot more. Probably for less until late fall, 1994. Call 1-800-345-4388 IT'S PERSONALIZED TV © 1994 DIRECTV Inc, a unit of GM Hughes Electronics. DIRECTV™and DSS™are trademarks of DIRECTV, Inc. Circle 5 on Reader Service Card.

HANDS-ON TEST A unique Pro-Logic decoder & a video capture card AMC AVS81HT Surround to the front, or get a friend to help. remote can’t control other components, Sound Processor The AV8I1HT costs. $750; a THX- and there are no S-video jacks. The only As Corey Greenberg wrote in last approved version will soon be available month's “Home Theater” column, set- for a few hundred more. The only differ- ergonomic glitch I found—and it’s a big ting up a home theater sound system by ence is that the THX version includes one —is that you can’t select the input ear usually leaves it several decibels out the signal-processing tchotchkes spe- or the surround mode from the front of whack. AMC, a manufacturer of rea- cified by Lucasfilm. I think this is smart. panel, only from the remote. sonably priced high-end audio gear, has Nowadays, almost all good decoders are taken this lesson to heart with the THX-certified, so many people pay for When I compared the AV81HT with THX whether they want it or not. an Adcom GTP-600 and a Fosgate Model Four (both $1,000), it made a very respectable showing. The Model Four sounds extremely smooth, but is $750 ¢ RATING: lacking in user-friendliness and appear- ance. The feature-laden GTP-600 doesn’t sound quite as fabulous, but strikes (for me) a more practical balance of good sound and great ergonomics. The AV8IHT’s sound places it in the same league as the GIP-600; the differ- ence I noted was that the AV81HT sounds very slightly thinner. It also seemed to me that the AV81HT'’s steer- AVS8IHT, the first Pro-Logic decoder/ Those who'd rather spend their bucks ing sounded a little more realistic, al- preamp with an integral sound-pressure on laserdiscs and CDs than on extra sig- though since both use the same Analog level meter. nal processing will rejoice. Devices Pro-Logic chip, I can’t see how they could be different. Still, stranger Just plug the microphone AMC in- The front panel has a real things have happened in audio... cludes with the AV81IHT into the front switches’n’knobs feel—no fancy dis- This product is ideal for those seek- plays, unnecessary bells and whistles or panel, activate the test tone and watch ‘music surround modes, just outstanding ing to put together something better the meter. An orange LED indicates build quality for a $750 processor. It than a typical A/V receiver-based sys- makes a great system control center, tem at a comparable cost. Pair it up with when the level is right; green ones tell with four video/audio inputs (two with a good multichannel amp, and you'll recording loops), four audio inputs (two have a rockin’ system you know will be you you're too low or too high. The one with recording loops), a headphone jack calibrated correctly. and three rear AC outlets. However, the snag is the channel level controls, which —Brent Butterworth are on the back instead of on the remote control, making adjustment less conve- nient — you have to keep looking around Intel Smart Video Recorder a capture speed limited to 15 frames per ture full-color still frames from video at second at 320 by 240 pixels, and no up to 640 by 480 pixels, which is good Intel, the company that makes the proc- enough for a “video snapshot” from a essors that probably make your PC run, NTSC output, the board is really for has entered the multimedia market with color printer. a bang—a video capture card called the multimedia purposes, like making those continued on page 47 Smart Video Recorder. At $499, it movie clips you see on CD-ROMs or seems a bit expensive compared with Creative Labs’ $399 VideoSpigot or Sig- spicing up business pre- ma Designs’ $299 WinMovie. However, Intel's board comes with video compres- sentations on your com- $499 ¢ RATING: sion hardware in addition to compres- sion software. Such hardware is usually puter. But Intel will found only on boards costing a great deal more. Since hardware compression soon market a new ver- Intel Smart Video Recorder> indee reduces both the size of the file and the sion, the $570 Smart Thene Ceacasstiegsst WAY twiaddl maSUcNienSnsess ¥ VULED oo FO yNeourt“ strain on your computer’s throughput, Video Recorder Pro, there are fewer dropped frames and im- age quality improves. that captures at double As impressive as the Smart Video the speed— 30 frames Recorder is, it is not designed for pro- ducing conventional NTSC video. With per second. It is possible to create watchable vid- eos using the Smart Video Recorder, an NTSC output board and an editing program like Adobe Premiere, but the quality will be below that of VHS. You can also use it to cap- 24 VIDEO OCTOBER 1994

= IMAGINE How Easy ACAMCORDER WOULD BE | IF IT WASN'T STUCK TO Your FACE. VIEVWCAM| ea Imagine a camcorder so innova- tive it has a big color LCD view TY GRETZKY screen, instead of a tiny black and white viewfinder. Imagine a lens that pivots 270° Imagine a camcorder that you hold comfortably away from your face, so you can shoot and still be part of the action. You could shoot from any posi- tion, any angle—even turn the view screen and put yourself in the pic- ture. You could get those shots you'd miss if you were squinting through a tiny viewfinder. The Sharp Viewcam” is the first camcorder of jfs-kind to do all this. Then, with the view screen and built-in speaker, you can play it all back instantly, In color, with ™“ =| sound. Adywhere. ) The Sharp Viewcam. It's the new moyement in cam- corders. @all now, for a free brochuré and the name and location of your nearest Sharp dealer. 1°600-BE-SHARP Only Sharp offers a choice of cameorders with big 3\" and 4\"view screens, Hj8 and HiFi stereo models. GMFER.OMSHSAHRAPRPPRMOIDNUDCSTS\" al) | tedScreen Image. Model Shown: VL-H400U. Circle 6 on Reader Service Card.

CAMCORNER BY TIMOTHY LIEBE The difficulties of capturing art on video. As a videographer, I’ve often found my- horror film called The Transgression. we discovered a problem common self working in unusual situations for a Thomas impressed me with his set-de- among people from different profes- variety of people. I’ve done no-budget signing skills, helping to put together sions — communicating ideas so both parties understand them. Once, Thomas horror features for first-time producers, mad scientists’ laboratories and govern- videos for eccentric performance artists, ment offices in a basement using noth- asked me for a sort of “panning” shot comedy shows, and documentaries ing but a few bags of outdated electronic that didn’t sound like it could be done about controversial art installations. parts and some borrowed furniture. from where the camera was. After five Through a good deal of this, I’ve worked In the late ’80s, I approached some minutes of heated discussion, we hit on a with fellow videographers. But I’ve for- friends about committing their 30-min- sequence we'd both seen that had what ged my most unusual working relation- ute comedy show, That's Elementary, to he wanted — the opening shot from Or- ship with an artist, Thomas Gansevoort. video. Thomas’ set design required the son Welles’ Touch of Evil. This is a great Since the mid-’80s, Thomas and I creation of several different Hollywood way for people from different disciplines have worked on a variety of video pro- genres on a budget of less than $5,000. working in video to communicate — jects together, and we’ve both discov- He worked miracles, recreating an Art there’s almost always a common point of ered a great deal about what it takes to Deco ballroom in a loft apartment with reference in a familiar old movie. integrate our very specific—and very the aid of $40 worth of Mylar tape, black One way for us to smooth over com- differ—esntytles to get the job done. construction paper and glittery fabric. munication barriers has been to share How we’ve man- , ate _ We have our skills. I've been teaching Thomas aged to achieve worked on sever- how to use a camcorder and letting him this, and remain al projects since, do some shooting. This way, he under- good friends de- including a half- stands what I’m doing, so that if he has spite frequent dif- ¥ hour program for something he can’t explain but can visu- ferences of the video arts or- alize, he can do it himself. opinion, is what ganization Cast I've also gotten him into the habit of this month’s col- Iron TV, a video taking a VHS copy of the day’s footage home and doing “paper cut—swri”ting umn is about. based on an down where he wants the edits to hap- I first met # Adam Kurtzman pen by using the timer numbers on his Thomas over a papier machee VCR. (If you ever get pressed into edit- decade ago, when sculpture, and ing a friend’s videos, get him or her to do we were both dance and move- this—it’ll save you hours.) With less members of a ment tapes based success, he’s been instructing me in the now-defunct ra- on Thomas’ cho- art of model building and “forced per- dio drama com- reography. But spective.” I’ve got the theory, but I’m pany. There’s a we've had a few not as dexterous as he is, nor as patient. certain irony in clashes over style. There’s also the conflict in our views the fact that two There’s been about art. Mine runs more to Norman extremely visual the difficulty of Rockwell than to Mondria—nor so I tell people — Thomas integrating my him in my puckish moments. I once got is an abstract ar- way of working, a rise out him as we were shooting out- tist, while I’m a which can be side New York’s Guggenheim Museum dyed-in-the-wool summed up as the by looking up at the spiral structure.and videohead — videographer’s asking, in my most innocent voice, if the should find them- equivalent of the architect wasn’t making an editorial selves doing ra- actor’s saw, comment about modern art by designing dio. This might “Learn your lines a building that looked like a toilet bowl. be part of the rea- and don’t bump Thomas just shook his head and sighed. son we became Video Meets Art: At top, an inexpensive back- into the furni- Overall though, Thomas has learned friends —even ground gives That's Elementary an old Holloywood ture,’’ with about how he can use video effectively though Thomas look. At bottom, a scene from a dance video. Thomas’ precise and economically to express his artistic feels Jean Coc- vision. On one vision, and I’ve become more discerning teau’s Beauty and the Beast and Orpheus occasion, what was intended as a simple are among the greatest films ever made, hour-or-two shoot ended up taking all about the aesthetics of video. I’ve also and my personal tastes run more to The night because Thomas wasn’t satisfied learned that not all modern art is pre- Terminator and The Road Warrior. with the footage we had gotten. What tentious garbage—I found I kind of like Although we have distinctly differ- we ultimately ended up with was much Jackson Pollack and Salvador Dali. Even ent modus operandi, I’ve often found better, but I wasn’t in the mood to see Thomas has broadened his horizons — he Thomas’ input invaluable. Our first ex- that at the time. recently admitted that he really enjoyed perience together was on a low-budget When we started working together, watching The Road Warrior. B 26 VIDEO OCTOBER 1994

WivwensopTHE NATIONAL HOME

Advertising Supplement NeiCOny » tn tI 0 AUUL LEU x #42 |e Nations In) Sz pea. eS ne napp YOU! DI HUNDREDS of home theaters have been written descriptions about what makes Burns' \"Movie Palace\" honorable men . reviewed and evaluated by the editorial their system so special. The EIA selected staffs of Video Magazine and the four winners — one for each of the “Home theater has taken America Electronic Industries Association's broad price categories. by storm,” says Gary Shapiro, group vice president of the EIA. “Consumers Consumer Electronics Group (EIA) to To emphasize how affordable home are recognizing that a home theater is select those examples that best demon- affordable and relatively easy to assem- strate the range of today’s home theater theater can be, our “search” has con- ble. There is no doubt that the home possibilities. All contestants were judged centrated on four “start from scratch” theater will be the primary household on the originality and attractiveness of interface for tomorrow's information systems in four price categories: Up to superhighway.” their systems’ decor and equipment, and $1,500, $1,500-$3,000, $3,000- Sales of large-screen TVs are an $5,000 and Over $5,000. indicator of how fast the home theater phenomenon is growing. According to The Wiley's \"Movies in the Attic\" home theater honorable mention. EIA statistics, sales of color TVs measur- ing 30-inches and above jumped 51 percent over the preceding year (1993), while projection TV sales grew 6 percent during the same period. “Home theater is also revolutionizing the way we watch a wide array of pro- gramming,” Shapiro adds. “With a large-screen television and surround sound effects, you feel like you're riding with Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven or

watching the basketball or hockey play- Aavertising supplement offs from a frontrow seat. Home theater CREATIVE SOLUTIONS 10TECHNICAL PROBLEMS has the unique ability to make you feel like you're in the center of the action.” These honorable mentions offered some unique solutions to prob- lems you may encounter when building your own home theater. What is a home theater? For the purposes of this contest, a BuildYourOwnMovie Palace home theater system includes a large- Consider costeffective interior styling. Greg Burns of Bayport, MN, was able to screen television (25 inches or larger), transform his living room into a “movie palace” by acquiring most of the decor Hi-Fi stereo VCR, laserdisc player, for his home theater at antique stores and salvage yards. Complete with pillars, auto dimming lights, Dolby Pro-Logic surround sound and a 10-foot video pic- amplifier with surround sound, and four ture, Burns has created a vintage viewing interior design which compliments the or more speakers. In reality, home the- high tech audio/video of his preferred laserdisc format. The trick to his special ater is really much more than just an home theater system? “Buying a used video projector saved thousands and assemblage of equipment. adding a glass bead screen produced the brightness levels of new projectors.” Home theater is truly the entertain- Movies intheAttic ment trend of the ‘90's. It is a reflection of contemporary life: people are spend- What do you do when space limits your home theater aspirations? In what used ing more time at home and are expect: to be an abandoned old attic in their Kirkland, WA home, Pat Wiley and his ing more services to be provided with a family now have great bonding experiences around the big-screen TV. The attic minimum of hassle. The modern catalog has a pyramid-like ceiling which made it a little difficult to make everything fit is to shopping what home theater is to visually as well as acoustically. But with the help of Heston Technical Services, a public entertainment: consumer conve- local installer, it all came together neatly and easy to use. The end result is that niences whose time has come. Wiley and his wife achieved their original goal: “...to add a feature to our house that would make the kids want fo spend more time at home.” One thing is certain: the sights and sounds of the neighborhood movie the- HitleandSeekHome Theater ater can now be re-created in your Bob Easton's home theater couldn't compete with the scenery surrounding his hometown of West Linn, OR. This room with a view overlooks majestic Mt. home, at surprisingly affordable Hood and a four-acre forested community park. It’s not the type of view you prices. want to obscure — even with a great home theater. How did he integrate high tech into these natural surroundings? Everything is hidden. When it is time to sit How affordable is home theater? around and watch a movie, a single button is pushed, the motorized blackout Many of the home theater systems curtains appear, the 100-inch screen comes down, the projector comes out of hiding from the custom-built coffee table, and the lights fade. entered in our contest cost under Bob Easton's \"Hide and Seek Home Theater.\" $1,500 to assemble, making use of a range of components that the entrants already owned. Then again, home the- ater systems can cost upwards of $250,000 — complete with room envi- ronments, acoustical treatments, motor- ized screens, sophisticated lighting and the finest interior decors. How do | build my home theater? The four award-winning systems that follow are excellent examples to consider. Your choice ultimately depends on your budget and your cre- ativity. You can take a single brand approach and utilize an existing cabi- net. You can take the middle ground by making use of your current collec- tion of components and putting togeth- er a do-it-yourself theater shelving sys- tem. If you don’t want to “do it your- self” you can find a range of system installation specialists listed in your local Yellow Pages. A lot depends on your taste and style. But as these con- test winners reflect, a savvy shopper can build the home theater of his or her dreams without breaking the bank.





INeNere sinc) Soy eenvetan |Meets NeW Name: Donald R. Thompson, Glenford, NY Price Category: $3,000-$5,000 Comments: “Our home theater blends unobtrusively with a circa 1826 post & beam house, original fireplace, an operating pipe organ (circa 1800), spinning wheel, etc. During entertaining when theater use is inappropriate, the Aé-inch screen dis- appears behind “dutch doors.” During theater mode, the top half of the dutch door disappears into an overhead pocket; we then often have a fire in the fireplace, movie on the screen, hammock in place (or just the old couch and lounger). We lack cable (too rural) so we are looking to RCA’s DSS 18-inch dish to improve TV quality and variety and a laserdisc player for quality movies. The sound is already great.” Components: Hitachi rear projection television, Pioneer VSX 502 A/V receiver with surround sound, Panasonic Hi-Fi stereo VCR, Yamaha front speakers, Advent center speakers, Yamaha rear speakers and subwoofer.

Name: Tito M. Famacion, Daly City, CA Price Category: $1,500-$3,000 Comments: “Once, our home atmos- phere was boring; video and audio entertainments could not be appreciat- ed. Not until we were able to set up a home theater system from scratch did we start to enjoy wholesome viewing and listening pleasure. What makes it so special is that the sounds and pic- tures generated from the system are just superb and look so real and alive that you feel the theater-like experience right in the living room. My family has been closer than ever as we are together most of the time enjoying the movies and music from our home theater system.” Components: Toshiba CF2668v 26- inch television, Pioneer CLD V820 laserdisc player, Sharp VC H75U Hi- Fi VCR, Bose front speakers, and DCM center channel speakers, Pioneer CX500K rear speaker, Carrera subwoofer and Sony STR 990 A/V receiver. Name: Brad Tompkins, House Springs, MO , Price Category: Up to $1,500 Comments: “My roommate and |live in a small home near St. Louis. Because my bedroom is more or less my ‘living ANSEL ADAN ‘oom,’ |was looking for a way to enjoy movies, in surround sound, in a small space. | wanted clean, clear sound, excel- lent picture quality, and of course, a small compact (as possi- ble) system. My result? A system that fits in the corner of my room, and has all the vital ingredients of an impressive, larger home theater.” Components: Zenith television, Pioneer CLD-5250 laserdisc player, Pioneer V5X-402 A/V receiver with surround sound, RCA Hi-Fi VCR, Infinity SL10 front speakers and JBL rear speakers.

HomeI,iThea[terDLUrbdDreamPantest nes +3 tell us how you and your family would benefit from a home theater sys- erent needs and first place winner John Geng] expressed his quite cleverly:_ tem. Everyone had “\\'d invite the boss over to watch the big game. We’d become friends, he’d give me a raise. ’dadd onto my house, have a party with the CEO attending. He’d know ry name and make me president of — the company. until ees, Vil justwatch my B&W 13-inch TV.” rs. Here are the names of the 100 runnerstp. 1. Diana Hiller _ A9. Richard. Fassulal: 75. David Mechals 2. Pam Wei a Mi, _ 50. Catherine M. Schilling a 76. S.K. Muszynski 51. Paula King 3. Anthony Mohammed. 77. Jane Foster 4. Raymoi 52. Bill Frost : 78. Rubina Jilani thariotte Lowe 79. Fernando De LaTorre 6. Mr, Lav: 4. Lisa Failoni 80. Eric Brown 7. Jerilynn Morr 8. Debra Dean rti 81. Judy Johnson 9, Christine Care 56. Vijay S. Darekar 82. Ardis Bartle _57. Kay Adams 83. Sandra Smith 8. Darrell Crissman 84. Donald-A. Bailey 11. L. Rosen 9. Ludd F. Schmidt 85. Audrey Lyons rnc 60. P 86. Guillermo Cuesta 13. Debbie Ro 61. 87. James F. Schwartz 14. Dougl /H. Willi 88. Julie Bisgaard 15. Alvin S. 93 a 89. Mack Weems 17. Uruth 18. Thomas 4. 90. Mary Lou Moe 19. Kathleen F 91, Eric P. Fost . iane Doherty _ -_- 92. Dr. Eduardo J. Perez Garcia 20. Ruth An * 66. Jo ms 21. Michael . Pa Ryerson _ _ 93. Scott W. Webb 22. L.G. Spear: 68. ( Aanle 94. Nguyen Huynh 23. Sandra 69. Geudecs H.McCully = =—-—_:95. Tina Courtney 24. Bobby| ---- 96. Todd Schannuth 70. Tina Coffey 26. Mike Co 97. John Baloun 71.JesiHanna 27. Mark R =—-98.. E. M. Bishop 28. John E, 72. Anthony V.Monaco 99. Richard Olsen 29. Melinda 73. Carol Dabundo . 100. Patrick Muldowney 3301.. DB.rSu.ceBlHi 74. David Murphy oe . 32. Kathy V 33. Sam Huds 37. Melissa Ennis 38. Ninette J. G 39. Lilly Rogers 40. Robert Turc 41, Mildred D. 45. Rob Tucker 46. Cyril & Loui:

RODERICK WOODCOCK Dual-size decks, dub speeds and shooting an eclipse [i]have a VHS-C camcorder. A year | that are far too common with slow- or so ago, before I bought it, I re- speed tapes. Try playing some of these member seeing a VCR that looked like it tapes on another VCR (regardless of used both VHS-C as well as standard- brand) or a few years from now and size VHS cassettes. My dealer says these you'll see what I mean. machines aren't available anymore. EP was never intended for long-term Why not? It seems like they would be program storage. That's the domain: of popular with people like me, who need | SP. That’s why it’s called the “standard to play both types of VHS cassette. speed.” A standard is something people George Kesselman, can rely on to be consistent, especially Palm Springs, California from one product to another. Even JVC, WA isper the inventor of VHS, acknowledges that | ANG! A adore and JVC offered a num- | SP is superior, and doesn’t make any | Introducing the ber of VCRs a few years ago that claims for the reliable interchange of VOLUME STABILIZER™ could play both VHS-C and VHS tapes at any speed except SP. that lets you hear the whispers and stops you from cassettes. Unfortunately, these so-called The lure of condensing three or four cringing at the bangs. full-size/compact machines used a some- | bulky VHS tapes into one S-VHS tape is It's an innovative, low cost solu- what complicated cassette loading certainly attractive when storage space tion to home video volume control problems because it automatically mechanism that proved too expensive to is limited, but it’s not even economically increases the volume of the audio source during soft passages and justify their continued manufacture, es- sensible. The best discount price for an reduces volume during loud pas- sages. You'll hear every word of pecially since sales were disappointing. ST-120 tape is about $7, while plain dialogue and every bar of music while the VOLUME STABILIZER A few very expensive industrial ma- T-120 (name brands to boot) regularly softens the sounds that are normally too loud. chines still offer this dual-cassette capa- dip to $2 or less. EP tapes are also more Whether you use a satellite dish, a home theatre system, orjust a bility, since both S-VHS and S-VHS-C prone to dropouts, and with S-VHS the VCR; you can put the remote con- trol aside. Prices start at $119.50. have found success in industrial and || video noise also increases at the slower For more information call or write: professional markets as electronic news speed. For my money, something worth Srookline gathering formats that are more cost-ef- keeping is still worth keeping on VHS Technologies fective than Betacam or M-II. SP. Or better still, at S-VHS SP. 2035 Carriage Hill Road Allison Park, PA 15101-3350 [}:would like to assure R.A. Haas [i]:have a Minolta camcorder with a 800-366-9290 (“Q&A,” June) that it is possible to time-lapse feature and I'd like to use Circle 7 on Reader Service Card. make high-quality dubs to standard it to record an upcoming solar eclipse. VHS. Just use another Mitsubishi | As far as I know, this camcorder has a S-VHS VCR! Using a Mitsubishi U-71, I single CCD chip and a manual iris con- recorded a documentary off-air in trol. Will prolonged exposure to direct S-VHS EP mode. When I needed to sunlight damage it, and what kind of fil- make a dub for a friend, I did so at the | ters will help me get the best possible VHS SP speed. The copy, in standard | image? VHS, was as good as any off-air VHS Russ Rosener, tape, and better than any store-bought St. Louis, Missouri movie tape. I now use S-VHS EP for my Afaa an unprotected CCD cam- entire off-air video library. I can’t toler- corder directly at the sun for even a ate VHS EP even for casual timeshift- short time can damage the chip as well ing, but S-VHS EP is far better. I’ve | as the viewfinder housing, which will saved a lot of storage space as well. It’s a funnel the intense image and create a shame some chains have completely giv- | hot spot. While CCDs are burn-resistant en up on S-VHS. Louis A. Carliner, compared to earlier tube-type pickups, Rockville, Maryland which often left streaks and “comet tails” behind brightly lit objects like can- While I agree that S-VHS EP can dles, they aren't invulnerable. If you pan deliver outstanding results—I often | the camcorder briefly over a highly re- use it myself to timeshift an entire eve- flective surface you won't get these arti- ning of programs—I must point out the facts. But if you focus the camcorder on pitfalls involved in archiving programs a very bright object for too long you'll at this speed. As long as you use the definitely risk some damage. same machine for recording and playing The safe way to photograph the sun | your EP collection, you're not likely to | with a camcorder is with heavy filtration, | notice some of the tracking problems using dark neutral density filters. . OCTOBER 1994 VIDEO 27

| HOME BY BRENT BUTTERWORTH THEATER How a new organization of video technicians plans to fix your TV’s color Joe Kane says your TV picture is all 10,000-Kelvin sunlight. 407-997-9073. The service costs about $200 per monitor, which is a bargain wrong. And he’s right. But once you see a monitor cali- when you consider that any videophile What’s wrong with that 32-inch brated to 6,500 Kelvin next to a typical would gladly pay a much higher premi- TV set, you realize what you’ve been Sony you just spent $1,500 on, you say? missing in color accuracy. I notice the um to get a top-notch set instead of a difference mainly in fleshtones (which price-leader cheapie. According to Kane, its color is probably look nearly perfect at 6,500) and black- way off. That’s because its color tem- and-white movies, which take on a just- An ISF-trained technician will also perat—uwrhiech indicates the bias of a right hue that reminds me of the way be able to calibrate the black level set toward a reddish, bluish or greenish they look in the movie theater. At Video (brightness), white level (contrast) and shade — doesn’t conform to the standard Magazine, we use a Sony professional sharpness of your set to ensure maxi- set when our color television system was monitor and a calibrated ProScan con- mum picture accuracy and resolution. created 40 years ago. Kane has devoted sumer TV set as color references. Both As reported in our June “Home Thea- much of his career to teaching the in- ter” column by Kevin Miller (who, like dustry how to get the best color from myself, has been trained by Kane), the factory settings for these param- eters are usually far from optimum. The results of proper calibration may vary somewhat depending on your set. A few TV sets are designed for easy 6,500-Kelvin calibra- tion. For example, Pro- Scan direct-view sets offer screwdriver gain (maximum level) and Color Commentary: Imaging Science Foundation cofounder Joe Kane says the TV on the left is too blue at 9,700 Kelvin, bias (minimum level) of but the other set is just right at 6,500 Kelvin. red, green and blue; Toshiba and Mitsubishi video monitors. And now he’s bringing blow away the factory-calibrated con- sets have service menus that allow easy MLEOSRSIL his crusade into consumer's homes. sumer sets we test when it comes to col- adjustment of these parameters. Color temperature is measured in or rendition. degrees Kelvin. If we say a TV has a col- Kane was perhaps the first to bring No matter what set you have, or temperature of 8,000 degrees Kelvin, though, the ISF should be able to get the that means its whites have the same the color temperature issue to the atten- best possible picture from it. The ISF shade as a piece of pure carbon heated tion of videophiles through his writing, provides its technicians with the menu his test and calibration laserdisc A Video commands necessary to adjust the color to that temperature. Standard, and his frequent appearances temperature of most TVs, and collects Most of today’s sets have a color and demonstrations at trade shows. field reports from all its technicians on Now that he has brought the issue to the the characteristics of different models of temperature of 9,000 degrees Kelvin or fore, Kane and his associate Joel Silver TV sets so it can offer advice as to the higher. But the standard for the NTSC have created a solution: the Imaging best procedure with a certain set. (Cus- tomers also get a copy of the field report (National Television Standards Com- Science Foundation. when they have their set calibrated.) mittee) system used in the U.S. is 6,500 Through the Imaging Science Foun- degrees Kelvin. The 6,500-degree color There’s one problem with 6,500-Kel- temperature is still used for professional dation, Kane is training custom instal- monitors, but has long since fallen out of lers and other technicians to properly vin calibration that you need to consid- favor for consumer TVs. The result is calibrate video monitors. He recently er. The problem—and the reason that the pictures most of us watch have manufacturers have gone to higher tem- began traveling around the country giv- peratures—is that 6,500-Kelvin pictures a bluish cast. ing seminars that explain his concepts are fairly dim. In a dimly lit broadcast Unless your TV’s color temperature and techniques, and provide hands-on control room, that’s no problem. But in is very high—say, over 10,000 Kelvin— a brightly lit living room, a 6,500-Kelvin you probably haven’t noticed a bluish experience in monitor calibration. It’s cast in your TV picture. That’s because not an especially difficult process, but picture is tough to watch. Videophiles don’t try to do it yourself —it requires will be happy to make the rearrange- your eyes adjust to different color tem- knowledge, patience and a Philips color ments in room lighting needed to take peratures. You still see fleshtones as advantage of proper calibration, but the fleshtones, no matter if they’re lit with a analyzer that costs about $5,000. 2,500-Kelvin incandescent lamp or To find a qualified calibration tech- continued on page 84 nician in your area, just call the ISF at 28 VIDEO OCTOBER 1994

SAMSUNG Look Ma, Fi No Wires. A Marriage of Convenience. Hang-ups about ll ' A TV and VCR need each other. So hookups? No A Great Game PlanT.heCombo is Samsung united them. As a result, problem. Just kid-friendly. Video input jacks are you live happily ever after. plug in the up front, not way in the back. So playing games is all fun, no work. The Barlect Habyetier Combo and it’s ready to go. A i The Combo rewinds and replays tapes automatically. And it won’t eat all your snacks or call boyfriends named Ridge. If we made the Samsung TV/VCR Combo any more convenient, we’d have to watch it for you. The Combo is more than just a TV. It’s a TV with a built-in VCR. And it has the features that every couch potato loves. On-screen programming. Video input jacks. Auto repeat. Auto tracking. TECHNOLOGY And full-function remote. THAT WORKS Hate wiring? We do too. That’s why the Combo sets up anywhere with a single plug. And whether you choose the 13\" or 19\" screen, it’ll look great wherever you put it. Cieatbe For more information, please call one of our zone offices: East (201) 229-4000, West (310) 537-6791, Midwest (708) 916-2230, South (404) 956-0800. ELECTRONICS Circle 8 on Reader Service Card.

COLLECTOR'S CLEARINGHOUSE Searching for Mr. D, Dr. K and Linus I am working on an extensive, photo- i There are three TV shows I really love—As The World Turns, Guiding (Or-¥4 MOxe) e-3s MmDDhasloiKe) moym\\ cars packed project for the “lost” 1950s TV Light, and hockey games. I would like to Products for Sima, talks about series Richard Diamond, Private Detective hear from people who have the follow- AetcMbany ole)arcbaversMe) mO@xeynicet)aFp (syndicated as Call Mr. D) which starred ing VHS tapes they can spare: the July 1985 episode of Guiding Light called In a simple way, it’s a Sony- the late David Janssen, who later played developed system that takes the in The Fugitive. I am looking for four ep- tape position signal from the cam- isodes —any generation or format. The “The opening of the Blue Orchid,” the corder and lets other video equip- AIDS Benefit Ball episodes of As The ment, such as an editor, use it to episodes I need are: The Homicide Habit, World Turns (1990), and the December make editing much easier to do.To Secret Cargo (unaired); Marineland Mys- 30, 1993 show with a cast montage dur- use Control L, you must start with a tery and Echo of Laughter. This series ing the closing credits. 1 would also ap- Control L (LANC) camcorder from doesn’t use onscreen titles to identify preciate copies of any hockey games Sony or a Sony derivative. This episodes, so if anyone has any episodes, from this past season. I will be their pen- makes up a good 20 to 25 percent of the camcorders on the market. Look please contact me. Costs reimbursed. pal for life. for the special Control L output jack on the camcorder's side. Some com- Jon Strauss Jim Bittner panies, such as Sima, offer special 9372 Tidewater Circle editors with Control L connectors Huntington Beach, CA 92646 2351 Brownsville Road that go into this output jack and read Library, PA 15129 the Control L tape position system. I’m a big fan of the 1960s Saturday This signal allows the consumer to morning television program Linus the Li- go through their footage, selecting IN and OUT edit points that are “memo- onhearted. I am looking for any or all epi- rized” by the editor; in essence automating the entire process. sodes of this forgotten children’s show. Sony has new VCRs with Control I'll be glad to pay for any expenses. VHS Land, along with other manufac- turers, including Sima, has come out please. Michael Britt with editors that use the feature. The Sima FX-L is our latest editor. It con- Box 271 nects to a Sony Control L camcorder Zebulon, GA 30295 and any recording VCR to automate the editing. You not only preset your I have been searching through TV IN and OUT points, the FX-L automati- cally does color wipes and color fades. guides ever since I bought my first VCR You will be able to use Control L hoping to find reruns of my favorite with computers. We're coming out with a product called PC Video medical show, Dr. Kildare, starring Ray- Edit. Your computer will control the camcorder through Control L and the mond Massey and Richard Chamber- recording VCR with an infra-red sig- nal. You will be able to make an edit lain. The episode “Tiger, Tiger, Burning Is Frankenstein Missing? decision list, manipulate the sequence, save it for later use, and then automat- Bright” about a surfer with epilepsy, I am interested in obtaining the follow- ically make an edited tape. played by Yvette Minieux, would be ing monster movies, domestic versions most appreciated. I will gladly reimburse only, on VHS or laserdisc: Yog Monster from Space, Frankenstein Conquers the expenses for VHS copies of any and all World and Destroy all Monsters. The ti- episodes. Thomas Crown tles are not commercially available. I Box 1092 will generously reimburse expenses. Sun City, AZ 85372-1092 Brian Cleary 6 Englewood Road I am looking for a tape in VHS titled Peabody, MA 01960 Dead Dreams of the Monochrome Man. I am looking for good quality copies of a The program aired on TVOntario, series, possibly on ABC, which aired on March 26, 1993 on Jay Scott’s Interna- Saturday afternoons. It’s called Wizard tional Film Festival. Iwould be very hap- and Warriors. One of the stars was Julia py to reimburse any expenses. Duffy as a princess. I'll reimburse ex- penses for a VHS copy. Usein M. Alieff 4302 Sheridan Drive Norman Myszynski Royal Oak, MI 48073-6232 8450 Christine I am an avid fan of the Cars. I’m trying Warren, MI 48093 to locate The Cars Live,, which came out in 1984 or ‘85 on laserdisc. I understand al Vestron no longer distributes it. I will Send requests to Collector's Clearinghouse, happily pay for the copy. Video Magazine, 460 West 34 Street, New Noel Pena York, NY 10001. We do not locate tapes; this is a reader-to-reader service. 822 E. Madison Harlington, TX’ 78550 t 30 VIDEO OCTOBER 1994

IsThis Your Home Theater System? HR-VP710 You could have high performance tires, the best paint HR-VP710 you can have all the power and quality that JVC job and a fine leather interior, but if your engine is weak so has to offer. Is your car. The same is true for your home theater system. So, don’t compromise your system with an under | You have a great TV, and a great stereo but it’s not powered engine choose the HR-VP710 from JVC and |complete without a good engine, the VCR. Now with the experience the true potential of your home theater. 6% em, © Hi-Fi VHS Stereo with MTS e Flying Erase Head/Insert Edit/Audio Dub JVCTechnically Perfect. PerfectlySimple. © Hi-Spec Drive NS099mm, © Instant ReView © Variable Audio Record Level Control The Inventor of VHS Official Video of © Jog/Shuttle on Multi-Brand Remote & VCR © Dual Audio Level Meters the World Cup USA 1994 © Random Assemble Editing Circle 53 on Reader Service Card.

Video8 VHS VIDEO CASSETTE PLAYER VIDEO CASSETTE RE ONE TOUGH PLAY PRE mSTOP/REJECT COPY PHSTILL <4REW CGTo) (dhol ea] gs GOLDSTAR VHS/8mm VCR PRICE: $899 editing features that make it a simple but capable home postproduction tool. By Timothy Liebe V-RATING: Camcorder neophytes The VHS recorder has flying erase have long bemoaned the PICTURE heads for clean cuts, audio/video dub hassles of 8mm. Most peo- SOUND and a simple titler. Video assemble or in- ple have to connect their FEATURES sert editing is possible either from the 8mm camcorders to a TV to play back VALUE 8mm player or from another VCR. tapes, and have to dub their tapes to There’s also a five-scene programmable VHS if they want to share them with oO 1 2 3 4 5 assemble editor so that you can auto- friends. Apparently, someone at Gold- RATINGS GIVEN ARE RELATIVE TO THOSE mate simple edit sequenc—ejsust enter Star noticed these problems, because the company’s new GVR-DD1— the first FOR OTHER VHS AND 8MM VCRs the start and stop points for each scene, VHS/8mm VCR available in the U.S.— solves all of them. and the GVR-DDI1 will assemble them Similar in some ways to the GoVideo for you. series of dual-deck VCRs, the “VH8” Editing from 8mm to VHS with the Multiburst pattern showing fair Hi8 (left) and excel- lent VHS (right) frequency response of GVR-DD1. SPECS AND Fast Forward/Rewind Preset Method: auto lines, VHS 230-220 lines GVR-DDI1 comes with an 8mm player | MEASUREMENTS Time: 3-1/4 min. for 120- program with manual add/ on the left-hand side of the unit, and a min. VHS tape, 8-1/3 min. erase S/N Ratios (dB): un- VHS recorder/player on the right. This Price: $899 for 120-min. 8mm tape weighted video—Hi8 46.7, innovative deck also offers valuable Cable Tuning Range: 2 8mm 45.7, VHS SP 47, Weight & Size (h/w/d): Edit Protocol: integral to 13, 4A, A to W, W+1 to VHS EP 45.4; weighted 32 VIDEO OCTOBER 1994 18 Ibs., 4.x 17 x 15-3/8 edit controller W+84, A-5 to A-1 video—Hi8 51.7, 8mm inches Timer: 8 event/1 year 51.6, VHS SP 52.7, VHS Remote Control: IR wire- Clock/Timer Battery EP 51.2; chroma AM—Hi8 Power Use: 44 watts less with controls for both Backup: 1 min. 41.4, 8mm 41.5, VHS SP decks 45.5, VHS EP 42; chroma Jacks: front—video/mono PM—Hi8 36.7, 8mm 36.9, audio input, mic input; Program Start Locator/ VHS SP 38.4, VHS EP 36 rear—video/mono audio Index/Cue: VISS with input/output, RF input/out- auto/manual mark and Key Features: VHS/8mm Audio deepieye erase (VHS only) dual-deck design, one- Response (-3 dB): put Hi8/8mm 50 Hz-7 kHz, Audio: VHS linear mono, fouch dubbing, quasi-Hi8 VHS SP 100 Hz-11.5 kHz, Tape Speeds: VHS SP, 8mm hi-fi AFM mono layback; on VHS only— VHS EP 75 Hz-4 kHz LP (play only), EP; 8mm/ rame advance, slow mo- Hi8 playback SP, LP Titles/Graphics: 1 page HI-Fi Dynamic Range: of 10, 5, 3 or 2 lines with tion, 2x speed play, audio 63.4 dB Video Heads: VHS 4, 24, 12 or 8 characters per dub, video dub, insert edit, 8mm/Hi8 2 line, recordable during flying erase head original recording or Cue & Review Search: dubbing RESULTS Linear Audio S/N; 42.3 VHS SP 5x locking, 9x dB nonlocking; VHS EP 15x locking, 27x nonlocking, Horizontal Resolution: Audio Distortion: 8mm 8mm/Hi8 SP 9x forward, Hi8 300 lines, 8mm 230 0.4%, VHS 0.9% 7x reverse locking MLPEOHSROTSOISL

SONY Hi8 CAMCORDER My first experience with the TR400 was Ce one of those instances where you take an By Stewart Applegath immediate liking to a piece of equipment. With the arrival of the CCD-TR400, Sony re- medies some of the weak- nesses of last year’s CCD- TR500, gives us some strong features and drops the price to $1,399. Auto exposure presets with some well-placed manual over- tides, a 12x zoom, and an electronic stabi- Pee lizer make this a very attractive camcorder. There is no color viewfinder (the current tage) but sticking with a black-and-white viewfinder may make the CCD-TR400 Multiburst pattern showing frequency response of CCD-TR400 which is very good for Hi8. more, rather than less attractive, for some videographers. PRICE: $1,399 While the TR500 is a decent camcorder, it V-RATING: has some irritating flaws, especially in the area of manual overrides. The focus/iris GVR-DD1 is very clean and easy, even thumbwheels on the TR500’s somewhat flimsy pop-out panel make it an unappealing without using the assemble editor. You PICTURE choice if you use the thumbwheels often. SOUND select where you want your edit to start, FEATURES The TR400 harkens back to the heyday either on the 8mm side or the VHS side, of the CCD-TRIO1, where everything you VALUE needed was right there in your hand. It then pause that half of the deck while o 42 34 5 doesn’t offer quite the versatility of you search for the start point on the oth- continued on page 45 er. By pushing the assemble edit/one RATINGS ARE RELATIVE TO THOSE FOR OTHER Hi8 CAMCORDERS touch copy button, the 8mm side of the GVR-DDI goes into a five-second pre- roll, so that when the edit starts, there'ss no glitching at the edit point. aes Audio and video é : aN ONnER \\eX%s xeadySne Nt dubs work more like standard deck-to- 5 deck edits, requir- ing you to take GboVtRh-DsDiF Ide1s oofuttheof tpiamues.e Tahteyt’hree sastmiell ¢ N\\ a. : = yideoHi easier to do than they : : s OFF _| would be with two NN Lace different VCRs, how- ak ever, since both pause _| buttons are on the | same remote control. | The deck’s editing aL cay SHOT accuracy is pretty good. T Sera, “on | I found it occasionally M2AANuUTACL ey erred by coming in a uSH hair earlier than I want- pfuTo ed, but the accuracy was certainly acceptable for casual editing. The 8mm side comes with continued on page 44 OCTOBER 1994 VIDEO 33

VIDEOETheaTerWue . TOSHIBA TOSHIBA 16:9 movie on a conventional set, you get 16:9 ratio makes watching letter- REAR-PROJECTION TV black bars on the top and bottom of the boxed movies much more of a theatrical experience. For me, By Brent Butterworth picture. But with a 16:9 set, the bars are it’s enough to overcome the fact The rear-projection set I eliminated on 1.85:1 movies, and dimin- that the PT-5OWXF5 doesn’t ished on movies with wider ratios. have the best picture I’ve seen. watch the most isn’t the one with the best picture. Big deal, you say? Well, it makes Toshiba tries to solve this di- Why? Because the set—a much more of a difference than I ever lemma with its first 16:9 rear- Panasonic PT-50WX—Fu5ses a 16:9 as- imagined. On a rear-projection set, the projection set, the 56-inch pect ratio. TW56D90. It’s a top-of-the-line Most sets have a 4:3 (or 1.33:1) as- model with a Dolby Pro-Logic pect ratio. But the wider, 16:9 (1.77:1) sound system, front inputs, pic- ratio is closer to those of letterboxed ture-in-picture and other high- movies, most of which run from 1.85:1 to end features. 2.35:1. When you watch a letterboxed The picture size button switches between normal (4:3 with bars on the sides), theater (which fills the screen horizontally and crops off the top and bottom — the mode you'll use most) and full, which stretches a 4:3 picture to fill the screen horizontally. There’s also picture-out- side-picture, which scans three channels at a time in small windows on the right continued on page 42 SPECS AND Aspect Ratio: 16:9 _ Jacks: front—S-video/ Picture S/N Ratios (dB): MEASUREMENTS : video/stereo audio input; luminance 55.7. video tear—S-video/video/stereo 55.1, chroma AM 61.7, Speaker Size: front—two audio input, video/stereo chroma PM 62.1 | 6-1/4 inches round, rear— audio input, 2 RF (antenna/cable) inputs, RF Screen Brightness: two 4 inches round output (loop-through of RF 78 footlamberts input 1, for feeding cable Broadcast Tuning box), video/stereo audio Color Temperature: 8.500 Range: 2 to 13, 14 to 69 output, variable-level Kelvin at normal factory stereo audio output setting. 6.500 at memory Price:é $4,999 Cable Tuning Range: factory setting Weight & Size gat External Speaker 357 Ibs., 59 x 55 x 25-1/4 125 channels—2 to 13, Connectors: spring- Accuracy of Colors: A-8 to A-1. A to W. AA to. loaded clips for front and excellent inches rear speakers Z1Z0,0 AtAoA.125BBB, 65 to 94, Audio Frequency Power Consumption: 283 Internal Audio Amplifier Response: 20 Hz-15 kHz. watts average Remote Control: Power: front—14 watts -3 dB line out: -3.7 dB at IR wireless main remote per channel stereo, rear— 20 kHz Screen Size: 56 inches with command learnin 10 watts per channel diagonal 16:9 (48-3/4 stereo Audio S/N: 68.9 dB line inches wide x 27-1/4 high) commands for TV, VC out and auxiliary device: plus RESULTS IR wireless simplified Total Harmonic temote with buttons for Horizontal Resolution: Distortion: 0.2% line out power. volume, channel 650 lines and input select 34 VIDEO OCTOBER 1994