video-magazine-1991-12

WORLD’S BIGGEST VIDEO PUBLICATION $2.50 DEC. 1991 YEAR END SPECTACULAR New-Tech Surprises Ultra-Small Camcorders Gifts: VCRs, TVS, Videogames, Movies & More

PANASONIC PRISM BRING A HIGHER PLANE. INTRODUCIN SYSTEM, A NEW DIMENSION |

: Prism Television with the Superflat System and Active Dome Sound creates a video experience of incredible depth and detail. Imagine looking out your window and seeing an Olympic event. The only thing separating you from the action is a single sheet of glass. That's what itfeels like to watch the new Panasonic Prism Television with the Superflat System, model CTP-3196SF Superflat technology produces a picture with amazing depth. An ultra black glass screen increases image contrast by 40% over con- ventional screens. Improved phos- phor technology produces brighter reds and greens, compared to our standard picture tubes. Our new multi-prefocus electron gun and invar mask create a stunningly sharp picture. And with the capability of 750 lines of resolution, the total result is television technology at its finest. The new Active Dome Sound Surenreund System uses computer- syvysTem designed acoustic chambers, a new coaxial speaker arrangement and front-fired bass ports. Creating incredible stereo sound and clear dialogue that feels like it’s actually emanating from the screen. The Panasonic Prism TV with the Superflat System and Active Dome Sound. It's not the next step in televi- sion. It’s the step after that. i ws. | USA — TTHVETESCUHPNEORLFOLGAYT. | Qe \"oe neni Panasonic: just slightly ahead of our time? For additional information, circle No. 1 on Reader Service Card.

FEATURES SPECIAL SECTION: YEAR-END SPECTACULAR 47 48 POWER PRESENTS §2 25 state-of-the-art ideas for buffs who have everything. By Stewart Wolpin 54 58 ALL TOGETHER NOW 60 Our own “Canned” Film Festival—1991’s best movie collections. 68 CAMCORDERS LITE 76 Sexy new minis shave off the ounces, pile on the features. By Richard Warren YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU Adults find portable fun in a new generation of handheld games. By Lou Kesten HI-DEF DIVIDE Wide TVs and smart TVs chase HDTV in a bid for the future of television. By Frank Beacham CD-I TEST DRIVE First look at a new interactive video system. By Brent Butterworth and Kenneth Korman GERMANY’S VIDEO BLITZ From widescreen sets to wild new decks, Europe shows off its latest high technology. By Robert Angus and Brent Butterworth REVIEWS 79 Fantasia, Backdraft, Soapdish, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World on laserdisc, more EDITOR’S CHOICE / A batch of new discs from Lumivision. By Kenneth Korman $1 86 DIRECTORY / The latest releases on tape and disc JVC HR-S4700U S-VHS VCR, 16 Fuji Fujix-8 FEO0WIDE 8mm camcorder, Philips VR6065 VHS VCR, Pioneer CLD-95 Elite combi player. By Berger-Braithwaite Labs Cover: CHANNEL ONE/ Open house at CES Celebrating a year of FEEDBACK/ Letters from readers LATE NEWS / New dual-well VCR, interactive FroxSystem, Nintendo and lotteries technological break- GAZETTE / Holiday kidvid, Kevin Kline on comedy vs. drama, more TECHNICALLY SPEAKING / TVs ghostbusting olympics 6 throughs with three tiny at Q & A/ Technical queries answered READER FORUM / The letterbox lobby speaks! 8 new camcorders—the NEW PRODUCTS / Camcorders from Minolta and Yashica, more UC1 from Canon, HANDS-ON TEST / Tamron’s Fotovix II-X and Fotovix III 10 Sony’s TR51 and OFF THE AIR / Southpaw shooters: born to be riled 14 Hitachi's VM-E25A— 30 plus RCA's forthcoming 34 widescreen TV. Photo- 41 graph by Vittorio Sartor. 42 Video Magazine 44 Volume XV 132 Number 9 The 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 Audit Bureau office. © 1991 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. Single copy price $2.50; $2.95 in Canada; £2.50 in U.K. One-year subscription (12 issues) $15.; Canada, $22.47 (includes GST #R125938423) U.S.; foreign, air mail, $40 U.S. Canadian international publication permit #546488. Address subscription orders, change of address, correspondence and inquiries to: VIDEO, Box 56293, Boulder, CO 80322-6293. Change of address takes 60 days to process: send old address label. new address, and zip code. All material listed in this magazine is subject to manufacturer's change without notice, and publisher assumes no responsibility for such change. Printed in the U.S.A. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to VIDEO, Box 56293, Boulder, CO 80322-6293. For microform copies of issues or articles, write to: Serials Acquisition Dept., University Microfilms, Inc., 300 North Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106. 4 VIDEO DECEMBER 1991

This Is the One You'll Watch Terminator 3 On. at GVR-A485 VHS 4 Head HifiStereoDel Isn’t it time you got a chance to really see and hear what's on the video tape? Bright, vivid pictures. Full stereo sound. GoldStar’ incredible new 4 Head HiFi Stereo GVR-A485 gives you all that plus the kind of consumer value you've come to expect from GoldStar. In fact, the GVR- A485 has more special features than most movies have special effects... every- thing from MTS Stereo to jog and shuttle search to flying erase head and titler for pro- fessional editing. About the only thing it can’t do 1s run to the store and rent you the Unified VCR/TV Remote Control with Jog and Shuttle Dial tape. It’s time to terminate your old equipment and step up to GoldStar. GoldStar User-Friendlier © 1991 GoldStar Electronics Int'l Inc. * 1000 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 For additional information, circle No. 2 on Reader Service Card.

Great CDs ° CHANNEL ONE They’re beautiful: They’re durable. Open house at CES And they sound great. Still, not all The big event at next summer’s Consumer Electronics Show won’t be a new product. It will be the show’s invitation to consumers to see all compact discs are created equally. the products for themselves. For the first time, this 25-year-old indus- try extravaganza is opening its doors to the public. It’s a terrific idea. This has become increasingly ap- Video buffs will be able to roam through more than 1,000 exhibits parent as the disc players them- sprawling across Chicago’s vast McCormick Place convention center— a space larger than 15 football fields packed with video, audio and re- selves improve, leaving deficiencies lated electronic products, including prototypes showing off new design ideas. It’s a chance to window shop on a grand scale (no selling will be in the software wide open, for lis- permitted), and talk to the people who actually make the camcorders, TVs, VCRs and other products we’ve found we can’t live without. Vid- tener scrutiny. eo Magazine will also be there, and we’re already looking forward to meeting and talking with our readers. Often, the problems begin with Two of the show’s four days are just for the industry (and the an- original master tapes that are nual January CES in Las Vegas will still be only for the trade), but equalized for cassette duplication note the weekend days of May 30 and 31, 1992. They’re for you, and instead of for CDs. An even bigger we encourage as many as can to plan to attend. problem arises when duplicates of ° Readers following the epic struggle to develop HDTV will want to original master tapes are used in check out “Hi-Def Divide” on page 60. It’s a penetrating look at the roiling debate over when, how and even if HDTV will become a mass this process. medium. TV makers, broadcasters, the film community and computer makers all have different points of view about the technology that’s An elite group of record manu- going to determine TV’s future. Contributing editor Frank Beacham facturers have gone to extremes shows where they stand and the hurdles still to be overcome. to provide consumers with the best @ sound that current CD technology This issue also gives us the opportunity to herald the arrival of an en- can offer. These labels range from tirely new video product —the CD-Interactive system developed by Philips Electronics. Six years in development, CD-I marries small small companies that record their discs and clever interactive programs in a package designed for home audio/video systems. Other companies are showing prototypes of their sessions using the highest quality own CD-I players, and a steady stream of new programs is promised. Will CD-I fly? That’s up to you to decide. But first, check out the audiophile equipment and unique hands-on report by senior editors Kenneth Korman and Brent Butter- worth on page 68. Our first look suggests CD-I is well worth your miking techniques, to larger con- attention. cerns. that Stan Pinkwas control the Managing Editor digital pro- cess with the Professional Oahdibeecrsrt AudioVideo quality mea- Retailers sures. Association ULTRADISCs from Mobile Fidelity are an example of current CD audio state-of-the-art. The company insists on using only first-genera- tion(J“/U‘EJB‘ODUODPOOZUON/IPOHOADD!OJDHSUBLWYSIUDOPJOU/ master tapes. It plays them back on a carefully aligned master- ing recorder. The CDs are manu- factured in limited quantities, us- ing natural materials such as gold- plated disc surfaces rather than metal alloys which suffer from deteriorating audio quality. In short, their engineers are devoted to pre- serving the ultimate performance on disc. Listen to one of these audiophile CDs yourself and compare the dif- ference. Audiophile CDs are an of- ten-overlooked way for you to get the most from your audio system. It is important to note that the supe- rior quality of these compact discs can best be appreciated on an au- diophile hi-fidelity system that achieves the widest dynamic range and best stereo imaging possible. PARA is an association of specialty audio/video retailers. To locate a PARA dealer near you, call: (816) 444-3500 6 VIDEO DECEMBER 1991

GAIGINAL MASTER REOCRCAIG ” THE moon aie FORMULA* O-M-R +. A/A/D + 24k Au = The eel Audio Experience te xa S“; SeFre R ORIGHtNAL MASTER RECORDING Wie Gigs Pee OAM *(Original Master Recordings <= a(WS 8 For a complete free Original Master comdonersoak le ge Recordings catalog and ULTRADISC ptleacthendolcoogmypa+ct24 dkiasrcast) gold ae 00-423.technical = aoe. 8759 Se\"2 cision loof MrIFeSLi,mel: acks PO Boorx wr1i6t5e7,to:SeMboabsitloepolF,idelCiAty 95S4o7u3n-d16L5a7b., iiiwstration by James Dowlen ©1990 For adaitiona! information, circie No. 4 on Reader Service Card

FEEDBACKEDITED BY BRIAN CLARK VIDEO magazine MIDI for the masses President and Managing Director, Jay Rosenfield I enjoyed Daniel Kumin’s article “Look Managing Editor, Stan Pinkwas Who's Talking” (Sept.’91). It’s high time Technical Editor, Lancelot Braithwaite Senior Editors, Kenneth Korman, that complex video systems have con- Brent Butterworth Assistant Editors, Brian Clark, trols that are simple to use. However, April P. Bernard Contributing Editors: Bob Angus, Mavis I’m dismayed that some companies are Arthur, Bob Barlow, Frank Beacham, Ivan Berger, Warren Berger, James Caruso, Steve creating proprietary standards of system Daly, Steve Ditlea, Bruce Eder, Ty Harrington, David Lachenbruch, Frank control, denying consumers the oppor- Lovece, Gordon McComb, Marianne Meyer, Murray Slovick, Richard Warren, tunity to mix and match components. Prime Timer: Gemstar's VCR Plus can control the Stewart Wolpin, Roderick Woodcock channel selector of a cable decoder box. Editorial Assistant, Lily Schwartzberg This is especially discouraging consid- is lifted. Introduced in April, it was re- Art Director, Lonnie Heller ering that the MIDI (Musical Instru- ferred to the House Committee on Ways Associate Art Director, Kristina Juzaitis and Means, and has yet to be added to Art Assistant, Luis Ramos Jr. ment Digital Interface) standard already the committee’s schedule. Our sources Production Manager, James LoGrasso in Washington predict for the bill a slow, Production Assistant, Gaye Whyte exists. lingering demise. Typesetting, Janet M. Holland It will take a commitment from the Vice President, Circulation and Special Projects, Rena Adler major video manufacturers to see MIDI Newsstand Sales Director, Gerald Levine Circulation Assistant, Elizabeth Moss as a video control standard, and so I Financial Officer, Albert Mineo Business Manager, Janette Evans strongly urge readers to write to their fa- Assistant to the President, Leslie Dionicio vorite manufacturers to encourage their Switching channels Publisher, Eric C. Schwartz support. With an industry-wide stand- Associate Publisher/National Advertising Director, Linda DeRogatis ard, smart systems can extend from the Marketing Director, Luanne Rao East Coast Sales, Dina Redding-Berrigan, lair of the high-tech videophile into the In “Prime Time for Timers” (Oct. ’91), Annette Y. Schnur Classified Sales, Mary Au homes of low-tech novices who may buy your sidebar on the Gemstar VCR Plus Midwest Sales, Milton Gerber, Christine Richardson more sophisticated equipment once it’s failed to stress the one factor that influ- West Coast Sales, Cynthia Gallivan West Coast Advertising Assistant, Karen easier to control. Michael Boom enced my decision to buy one: the abili- DeMarco Ad Coordinator, Maria Sozio Oakland, California ty of the VCR Plus to change the National Editorial & Sales: 460 West 34 channel on the cable decoder with each Street, New York, NY 10001; 212-947-6500, 212-947-6727 (fax) No rice, no VCRs recording. This single feature sold me. Midwest Sales Office: Gerber/Kamikow, 4409 RFD Stonehaven Drive, Long Grove, Timeshifting has never been a problem IL 60047; 708-913-5400, 708-913-5403 (fax) West Coast Sales Office: 1453 Third Street, I want to call to the attention of VCR for me, but I could never switch cable Suite 490, Santa Monica, CA 90401; 213-393-5057, 213-393-5538 (fax) owners the bill promulgated by Califor- channels when not at home during a re- Japan Editorial & Sales: Mike Ueda, Nobuo Shoji, CES International, New Nishishin nia Rep. Wally Herger. H.R. 2002 would cording. Michael J. Lane Building, 1-18-2 Nishi Shinbashi, Minato- ku, Tokyo 105; 03-3592-1531 (phone), stop the import of VCRs from Japan un- Bridgewater, Massachusetts 03-3592-1532 (fax) til we can jam American rice into the Editor-in-Chief, Art Levis (1936-1991) Japanese domestic market. Herger really Nothing lasts forever REESE @ CIONMCMOURNPIORCAATTEIDONS means California rice, which is a water- consuming, smog-producing product I found Frank Beacham’s article on tape blanketing as much as 70 miles of free- longevity (“Videotape’s Wonder Years,” way with dense clouds caused by burn- Oct. 91) to be quite interesting. I dis- ing rice straw. While it is true that we agree with his suggestion that especially can dump subsidized rice in Japan, Thai- valuable camcorder material be dubbed land and Indonesia more cheaply than over to D-2 digital composite video. they can grow it, these countries realize Digital formats allow multigenerational that the U.S. uses food as a weapon and dubs with virtually no loss of quality, but don’t want to be stuck. If this bill should D-2 is still magnetic media and suffers pass, a general boycott of rice products from the same problems as 8mm and might be in order. Jesse A. Hirst VHS. After many years of storage, it too Redding, California will fade. The only real way to preserve precious footage is to have it transferred Editor’s Note: H.R. 2002 is sponsored by to laserdisc. It is expensive, but it will Rep. Greg Laughlin of Texas, with Her- ger listed as one of 13 co-sponsors. The last much, much longer than any mag- bill, a brief one, describes itself as a re- sponse to “unfair Japanese import prohi- netic medium. Navarro Parker bition on rice produced in the United States,” and would stop the import ofJa- Wichita, Kansas panese VCRs until the rice prohibition Video Magazine welcomes your comments. Address correspondence to Feedback, Video Magazine, 460 West 34 Street, New York, NY 10001. 8 VIDEO DECEMBER 1991

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LATE NEWSEDITED BY BRENT BUTTERWORTH Are you ready for Frox? than $10,000 to more than $30,000, de- pending upon configuration. Look for Home theaters take a giant step into the more about this intriguing system in a future with the introduction this season of a new integrated audio/video system future issue. —Stan Pinkwas by a California-based Silicon Valley company called Frox. The FroxSystem Onscreen Power: TV screen showing the Frox New Go-Video VCR uses computing power and a radically menu. A remote wand moves the hand like a cursor. bypasses Macrovision new way of controlling components to smoothly integrate complex installa- hands-on demonstration. Other Frox A new version of Go-Video’s dual-deck features include digital signal processing, VCR-2 could be the easiest way ever to tions. fiber-optic cables, numerous information dub tapes, even those with Macrovision services (like onscreen TV listings) and copy prevention signals. It works by The heart of the system is a TV screen sizes from 31 inches to 10 feet. copying everything on the original screen with “film quality video” thanks Frox is available at present through cus- tape —including Macrovision signals — tom installers at prices ranging from less onto another tape. Both tapes should to various circuitry enhancements. But play normally on video monitors, but the real flash is the control interface, conventional VHS VCRs won't be able which uses a simple remote wand to to copy them. manage hundreds of feature options that appear as needed in Macintosh-like The first VCR-2 design includes a menus on the TV screen. The approach, circuit that does not allow the deck to unique among video systems, proved record when it detects Macrovision sig- easy and intuitive to use during a brief nals. The new model sells for about $750, roughly $50 more than the origi- Mix it up on the spot with a Nady nal. Expect to hear complaints from the real time portable camcorder mic mixer! Motion Picture Association of America, which in 1988 reportedly persuaded Go- = Get pro quality audio mixing with Video to include Macrovision detection your camcorder while you’re circuits in its decks. shooting the video Nintendo loses bet Includes a narrator headset for on lotteries voice overs Apparently, Super Mario Bros. 3 and Tet- Mix between 2 external mics ris aren't tough enough for the Minneso- including wireless mics and the narrator’s headsets—even add ta state lottery commission. It recently background music from a personal stereo planned to let Minnesotans play Nin- tendo for cash instead of points, using a = Compatible with all camcorders special game cartridge and a modem that fits into a hidden port on the under- MCM.-400 now only $69.95 side of the game machines. SPECIAL CHRISTMAS OFFER Even though the commission re- Save 20%! quired users to enter a password to place bets, the plan caused immediate contro- Offer expires 12/31/91 versy. Many Minnesotans felt the use of Save an additional 20% on your MCM-400 with a child’s toy for gambling sent the wrong the purchase of a Nady 151 VR lapel or handheld message to kids, and the commission wireless microphone. Call toll free for details. Nady 151 VR withdrew its plan. wirelss mic system But with eight-bit Nintendos in about one-third of American homes, you can bet this will be only the first of Add $5 per order for shipping and handling. Mostorders shipped within 48 hours. Special delivery services available. many proposals for interactive services CA residents add applicable sales tax. Visa and M lasterCard accepted. Mail check or money order to: 7700 Edgewater Drive #617 accessed through videogame machines. Oakland, CA 94621 At $80 for a game console and $50 to For addaitional information, circ le No. 6 on Reader Service Card. $75 for a Nintendo-compatible modem, it’s probably the cheapest way to bring interactive TV into homes. Bl 10 VIDEO DECEMBER 1991

PERHAPS THE BEST WAY TO EXPLAIN THE NEW PHILIPS COMPACT DISC INTERACTIVE SYSTEM IS TO EXPLAIN WHAT IT'S NOT. ¢ normal, evey, No J COy° ap 6:8 8\" =e What you're looking at is not a CD. Well, not exactly. It’s actually a new kind of CD called | a CD-I. You've probably already read that CD-l’s were coming. And you probably already know that CD-I stands for Compact Disc Interactive. What you may not know is that just one 5” disc can contain the combined works of Shakespeare, Dickens and Mark Twain. It can bring to life the paintings and photographs of the great museums of the world. And it can enable your children to exercise their creativity by using television as an interactive educational tool. CD-I technology is not like anything you've seen or heard before. And the possibilities it creates are, truly, limited only by your imagination.

PHILIPS PRESENTS THE IMAGINATION MACHINE? And this js defip normal, eVerye 7ley ae COMPACT BiGITDAIL SACUDIO BITSTREAM CONVERSION PHILIPS THE INVENTOR OF CD tive audio/video, animated graphics and text. TECHNOLOGY INTRODUCES A A world you can manipulate and control. WHOLE NEW WAY OF LOOKING THE IMAGINATION MACHINE AT TELEVISION. CREATES AN INTERACTIVE REALITY. When the engineers at Philips Imagine taking your family on a leisurely stroll figured out how to turn an audio signal into a series of digital through the back rooms of the Smithsonian. impulses, a format was born that provided an everlasting alterna- Imagine hearing an ABC golf announcer tive to the LP Of course, what can be done to an audio signal comment on the great chip shot you can be done to a video signal j: ust made from your easy chair. ane rem ote as well. Thus, the advent of CD-I. Imagine it's Saturday Woe we one A combination of both technologies, mornin; g and, instead of e we x me: the Imagination Machine is greater than the sum of its parts. As a CD player, it provides watchin: g cartoons, SSY aS& oe o stunning musical clarity thanks to Philips ae ii, i Ag SaIhF ihhyRe iRc,osok oi “Bitstream processing.” And, as a CD-I player, it creates an exciting new world of interac- creating their < 2 © o3 own. ©1991 Philips Consumer Electronics Company. A Division of North American Philips Corporation.

xe We28in YOU watch, je, ° ou experience . ‘Time-Life Push a button on the Utilizing the full advantages You adjust for exposure. You Photography “Time-Life Photography” of CD-Interactive correct for lighting. You focus. CD-I disc and you will find Series technology, the disc You shoot. In seconds you yourselfatthe table features a unique camera actually see how the picture of contents of an entire would turn out. Too dark? simulator which lets Adjust your f-stop and try again. 10 volume series on you actually experience photography. taking pictures. Sandy's Circus Push ‘Make A Movie’ on The interactive nature of the Does Sandy stay with the the ‘Sandy's Circus” CD-| “Sandy's Circus'’ CD-| disc animals or does he join brings the adventures of the clowns? Your children disc and your children Sandy the Sea Lion to life in decide how the story become their own writers new ways, time after time. will end with the easy to and directors, creating nd enterta; operate thumbstick cartoons that let their imaginations run wild remote, 2 0mYmve: s.Ae r you Sedat ge famy The Imagination Machine creates, AS in 2lst-century language, an “audio/video reality.” Just slide TAKE YOUR in a CD-I disc, point and click IMAGINATION FOR the unique “‘thumbstick remote” and you're in control. For the A SPIN. first time in the history of television, you plot the To let you sample this amazing , course. You call the shots. technology in action, we've set up an Imagination Machine IT’LL TEACH, demonstration kiosk at ENTERTAIN, AND an electronics dealer near you. INVOLVE FOR YEARS TO COME. And, for a limited time, we're offering a special introductory As the leading developer of CD-| titles, package of two free CD-I titles, one Philips is working closely with the world’s free audio CD, and coupons toward Photo most renowned publishing and entertainment CD Sampler and CD+Graphics discs with your groups such as Rand McNally, Time-Life and Imagination Machine purchase. ABC Sports. And in 1992, through an The Imagination Machine from Philips. It’s agreement with Kodak, you'll even be able to not like anything you've experienced before. create your own CD-I family albums. For the name of the Philips dealer nearest you, simply call 1-800-223-7772. & PHILIPSPHILIPS

GALENTEEDITED BY KENNETH KORMAN Kidvid classics for the holidays ’Tis the season for family gatherings, gift Where No Sleigh Has Gone Before: It's warp speed for Santa and company in George and the Christmas Star. giving and kids on vacation —all reasons e George and the Christmas Star and John Malkovich (a most unusual to stock up on family videos with a sea- (Paramount, $12.95). This imaginative, Santa) and lovely songs by former sonal spin. No one needs to be reminded animated charmer follows a lonely guy’s fantastic adventures seeking a star for Young Rascal Felix Cavaliere. about classics like How the Grinch Stole his Christmas tree. An obscure produc- Christmas (MGM/UA, $12.95) or class tion, but the kind of happy discovery e The Bear Who Slept Through Christ- acts like Christmas Eve on Sesame Street that gives video a good name. (Random House, $19.95). Instead, here mas (F.H.E., $14.95). Another sweet are some holiday offerings less well- @ Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol (Para- mount, $12.95). You don’t need to be a bear, this one (voiced by Tommy Smoth- known, but well worth tracking down. Magoo fan to enjoy this musical take on @ The Snowman (Sony, $14.95). Car- Dickens. Magoo plays it straigh—tno ers) determined to fight hibernation and squinty fumbling —and hits the emo- toons have to be inventive, entertaining see what Christmas is all about. Clever and emotionally direct to hold a young- tional high notes. Songs by Broadway ster’s attention without dialog. This me- veteran Jule Styne add to its evergreen bits, like a commercial for “Bear Air” ticulously produced tale is that kind of charms. travel, give this cartoon extra smile triple-play treat. e The Gingham Dog and the Calico e Madeline’s Christmas (Golden Cat (MCA, $14.95). Christian/pop song- mileage. —Marianne Meyer stress Amy Grant narrates and country Book, $14.95). The “twelve little girls in TV history the two straight lines” learn about real picker Chet Atkins strums preserved on Hi8 Christmas spirit when a mean winter on a classy reworking of the cold sweeps through Miss Clavell’s dueling dolls story. The il- Early this fall, New York’s Museum of lustrations have the muted, Broadcasting completed a major facelift. boarding house. Nurse Madeline and . painterly beauty of an- It changed its name to the Museum of the mysterious, magical Madame Marie ) tique Christmas cards. Television and Radio and moved into a save the day in this tres bien treat. stylish new 17-story building next door eSanta Bear's High- to Manhattan’s posh 21 Club, quadru- e Chanuka at Bubbe’s (Monterey, Flying Adventure (Vestron, pling the museum’s space. Less visibly, it $19.95, 800-366-7292). With so much $9.98). Our cuddly hero also wedded itself more firmly than ever emphasis on Christmas, in both its reli- battles his evil twin (the to the culture of home video. gious and secular meanings, the joyous Jewish festivities are often overlooked. \\ old evil twin plot!) to save The move, in fact, has turned the This cheery story focuses on one puppet —\\ Christmas. Fine vocalizations by museum into a showcase for advanced family’s celebration, highlighting their 8mm technology. Visitors access the mu- tender holiday fun. Kelly McGillis, Bobby McFerrin seum’s 40,000 TV programs (and 5,000 e Lights (TBA Communications, $19.95, 800-345-2689). This Hanukkah tape is an animated look at the origins of the season’s traditions, with Judd Hirsch and Leonard Nimoy contributing voices. e Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (F.H.E., $14.95). Something about this vin- tage puppet-populated TV special makes a grown critic positively squishy. May- be it’s Burl Ives’ Santa-like tendition of “Holly Jolly Christmas(”or any of the other songs by “Rudolph” com- poser Johnny Marks) or the quirky image of an elf who'd rather be a dentist. Whatever, this tale of holi- “ day misfits is a nostalgic de- light. 14 VIDEO DECEMBER 1991

commercials) by using copies that have Bumbling Biceps: been dubbed from master three-quarter- inch or D-2 videotapes onto Hi8 cas- Kevin Kline flexes his settes. The cassettes can be played at considerable comedic any of more than 100 special video car- muscle in Soapdish. rels, fitted with Hi8 VCRs, 20-inch TV sets and headphones. Even radio pro- Video), a send-up of the wacky world of physical world can betray you...when grams are dubbed onto Hi8 videotapes. daytime television. After months of do- you try to be suave but fall on your face, ing Hamlet on the New York stage, Kline or fall through a door that you thought The heart of the network is Sony’s was more than ready for Soapdish’s giddy VLCS-800 Video Hi8 Library System, was closed. It’s all about the unex- which can store 800 Hi8 cassettes and pleasures. pected.” play up to 32 at the same time. A robot- “The rewards of drama are more ic mechanism shifts the tapes from stor- Never much interested in a flashy age to VCRs, as they’re requested. Sony nebulous, harder to put your finger on — Hollywood lifestyle, Kline maintains his donated three of the $200,000 systems especially when you're doing a film and home in New York City as well as a de- to the museum along with about $3 mil- you have to wait to see the cumulative cidedly anti-glamor stance in the face of lion worth of other video components. movie stard—oevmen when it comes to effect,” Kline told us. “There is an in- the Academy Award he earned for his Visitors select programs electron- stant gratification when it comes to ically, with the help of a Hypercard cata- comedy. You know at the end of the day work in another comedy, A Fish Called whether it worked or not.” Wanda. “I was sound asleep, the phone Broadcaster’s rang and my wife [actress Phoebe Cates] Not surprisingly, the pratfall-prone answered it. She said, ‘Honey, you got a Hall of Fame: nomination!’ ” He laughs, recalling the performer cites Peter Sellers’ Inspector magic moment. “I asked, ‘For what?’ ” The Museum of Televi- Clouseau, Charlie Chaplin and Jacques Tati as primary sources of inspiration. —Shari Roman sion and Radio's “T’ve always been interested in how the expansive new Man- hattan digs. i. if Viewing Marathon. The 1992 Olympics have inspired an unusual deal from General Instruments, maker of log system developed for Apple com- Channel Master satellite receivers and the VideoCipher puters. Or they can attend video pro- II Plus descrambler. From now until next Aug. 9, when grams, like the current Jack Benny ret- the games conclude, consumers buying satellite receivers rospective, in either of two new video using the VideoCipher II Plus technology will also re- theaters, the largest of which seats 200. ceive the Silver Package of the Olympics Triplecast. This Just what do visitors watch? The $125 package of pay-per-view programming includes 24- museum reports its most requested clip hour coverage on three channels for all 15 days of the Barcelona games. For is The Ed Sullivan Show with the first ap- names of participating manufacturers, call Esther Rodriguez at 619-455-1500. pearance of the Beatles, followed by epi- sodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Name That Pooch. Woofer? BonaFido? Applause? Replay? V.C. Arf? The Ernie Kovacs Show, and the Person to Nope, Chipper is what the folks at RCA have decided to call Nipper’s young Person segment in which Edward R. sidekick after a pup-naming contest netted 81,000 entries, including those Murrow interviewed Marilyn Monroe. above, for RCA’s new mascot. Jeffrey Neal-Lunsford, a Kansas University pro- —Stan Pinkwas fessor, won a $6,500 RCA audio/video system for his trouble, and Chipper, a. Kevin Kline’s , young Jack Russell terrier, will soon be appearing at a laughing matters home theater near you. Collector’s Corner. Ever wondered what that vin- Kevin Kline is a thespian with crack age TV or radio tucked away in the attic is really worth? comic timing, a leading man with the subtle gifts of a first-rate character actor. Have you felt suspicious of the prices you see on these “T like mixing it up,” Kline says of his items at flea markets and antique shows? A new book, multi-faceted career, which recently 7 the $15.95 Illustrated Price Guide to Vintage Televisions and took him to the dizzying heights of ham- Deco Radios, should provide some relief. It not only lists myness in Soapdish (Paramount Home current prices, but includes dozens of photos and helpful hints on detecting fakes. Amazingly, the book’s publisher actually guarantees the listed prices: If you cannot sell an all-original mint radio or TV priced in the book, the company will pay you 75 percent of the lowest stated RCA mascots Nipper value for the item. For more information, write Harry and young pup Chipper Poster, Box 1883 PG, South Hackensack, NJ 07606. DECEMBER 1991 VIDEO 15

BERGER-BRAITHWAITE LABS re ee wcomn OUBer VAS Multilingual: JVC’s HR-S4700U displays noiseless special effects and color-coded menu screens in English, Spanish or French. WC JVC’s HR-S4700U hancer, a dynamic double limiter, a new Since the birth of video noise reduction circuit and a color S-VHS, video- S-VHS is an inexpensive philes have response improvement circuit. Our praised JVC’s S-VHS hi-fi VCR measurements of its picture and audio that dispenses quality are virtually the same as those S-VHS VCRs for their outstanding with many bells for the HR-S6700, a $1,000 machine performance. We’re happy to see and whistles, in- with a jog/shuttle dial, audio input level JVC didn’t compromise this tradition stead focusing on controls and audio circuitry designed to with its new budget S-VHS deck, the performance and simulate the movie theater experience edit compatibility with only two sound channels. HR-S4700. Its performance matches with more expen- that of many top-of-the-line S-VHS sive JVC decks. The HR-S4700 is equipped with a decks. Its duet edit capability makes The bidaesck inclSuedaehs duet editing control system compatible it an ideal companion for JVC’s cost- with other JVC decks. It can act as mas- lier HR-S10000 and HR-S6700 mod- VCR Ste os ter or a slave, and perform preroll for ac- els. Picture quality is very good to curate cuts. However, since there’s no excellent, audio quality is excellent, DA-4 heads for clear pictures and noise- jog/shuttle dial, finding exact points on a ease of operation is very good and overall performance is very good to less special effects, a twin-path detail en- excellent. It’s a great value, and we recommend it highly. JVC HR-547000 Price: $800 Remote Control: IR control (RCU) code S-VHS VCR wireless with switches Aloff/B, vertical lock/ Weight & Size (h/w/d): for duet editing/remote tracking + and -, timer, 14.2 Ibs.; 4-1/8 x control unit (RCU) and insert, S-VHS, TV/vid- Locator/index/Cue: Special Features: still 17-1/4 x 14-3/4 inches RCU A/B or duet A-B/ eo, SP/EP, channel up index with mark and frame, frame advance, and down, picture, re- erase slow motion, speed Tape Format & B-A; and buttons for wind, play, fast forward, play, full or segment re- Speeds: S-VHS, VHS; standby, start, TV pow- record/ITR, stop, pause/ Audio: linear mono; peat, insert edit, duet record SP, EP; play- still and headphone hi-fi AFM stereo edit control with pre- back SP, LP, EP er, TV channel, TV volume roll, auto rewind, auto- volume, TV monitor, Tuning Method: matic head cleaner, Video Heads 4 cancel, counter memo- Inputs: frequency synthesis twin-path detail en- ty, counter reset, S-video/video/stereo au- hancer, dynamic double Variable Search: SP— display, timer, menu, dio (on front panel), Channel Selectors: limiter, video NR, color 1/30x to 5x; EP—1/30x set + and -, select, SP/ video/stereo audio, AV VCR—up/down scan; response improvement, to 31x EP record, 10-digit key- Compu Link swap and remote—scan plus AV Compu Link, titles/ RF direct access graphics, flying erase Cue & Review Search: pad, enter, mark, erase, head, counter memory SP—5x, EP—21x index, variable search Outputs: Preset Method: §-video/video/dual ster- auto program plus: Absent Features: jog/ Fast Forward/Rewind reverse, pause/still, eo audio and RF with manual add/erase shuttle control, manual Time: 2-3/4 min. for variable search forward, channel 3/4 selecter audio level control, au- T-120 rewind/search, play, fast Cable Tuning Range: dio dub, video dub, mic forward/search, record, Counter Digits: 5— 113 channels input Remote Pause: duet stop, skip/blank search, hrs:mins:secs. Timer: 8-event/1-year edit (behaves like syn- VCR power, TV/video, chro edit) picture, TV monitor, Program Start eject and channel up/ down Front-Panel Controls: eject, power, remote 16 VIDEO DECEMBER 1991

tape while editing is difficult. An AV Two features dif- When shooting Compu Link Swap jack allows it to be ferentiate Fuji’s HIGHLIGHTS video indoors, connected to other Compu Link- equipped JVC components for complete VIDEOTEST Fujix-8 F60 WIDE ee many people find system integration of a home theater. from subcompact themselves back- Hi-fi stereo sound, an MTS decoder, a 614 8mm competitors: flying erase head, an automatic head ing into walls and furniture in an ef- cleaner and front inputs add to its flex- a built-in 0.7x fort to get everyone in the picture. ibility. wide-angle con- Fuji’s Fujix-8 F6OWIDE 8mm cam- An intelligent control system offers FU) version lens and corder neatly solves this problem digital auto/manual tracking and a five- an unusual grip mode video processor, with options for that combines the with an integral wide angle adapter. enhancement, tape dub, sharp, soft and functions of an op- Its unique detachable grip also func- off. The front panel displays easy-to-un- derstand, plain-English word messages 8 mm erating grip, a car- tions as a small tripod and a carrying instead of symbols. The onscreen display can be in English, French or Spanish. camcorder tying handle, a handle. It also features a sports view- Another interesting feature is retake, which lets a user advance or reverse the table tripod, a sin- finder, a rarity among subcompact tape while in record pause mode. Full repeat, segment repeat and various au- gle-action trigger and a sensor for the in- camcorders. Its picture and audio tomatic functions contribute to opera- frared remote. quality are both good, ease of use is tional ease. very good, and overall performance is The lens answers the demand for a The front panel carries transport good to very good. At $1,250, it is a and tuner controls, an alphanumeric wider field of view. The widest angle display and various indicators. There are little more expensive than other two compartments. One contains track- covered by most camcorder lenses is ing controls and a remote control code 8mm subcompacts, but its features selector. The other houses an S-video/ about 40 degrees, the equivalent of a video/stereo audio input, a headphone make it well worth the extra cost. jack with level control and a remote 50mm lens on a still camera. This is usu- pause jack. ally enough for outdoor shooting, espe- continued on page 112 cially if the shooter can back up so the Fuji solved these problems by build- entire subject fits within the frame. But ing a supplementary lens into the cam- indoors, walls get in the way, and you era. A lever slides the lens into place. It’s sometimes can’t back up far enough to an elegant solution, but there is a cover a subject. Wide-angle adapters are pri—acccesesory lenses and filters can- available, but some cause picture distor- not be used because there is no way to tion or conflicts with the autofocus sys- mount them. > tem. And it’s easy to miss a shooting opportunity while fiddling with ac- cessory lenses. Accessories: Response: Bruix remote control with bat- hi-fi20 Hz-20 kHz, teries, video/stereo +/-1.4 dB: linear (-3 6ix1hr - audio cable, S-video dB)—SP 75 Hz-10 kHz, Var me was cable, RF cable, 75-300 EP 75 Hz-4 kHz ohm adapter FUIIXS Hi-Fi Dynamic Range: RESULTS stun Horizontal Resolution: Linear Audio S/N: VSH-VSH—S2—54000linleisnes; | 46.5 dB Audio Distortion: hi- fi—0.3%; linear—0.9% SIN Ratios (dB): RATINGS Handled With Care: unweighted luminance Picture: very good/ Fuji’s unique pistol grip —SP 46.2, EP 42.6; excellent weighted luminance also folds out for use —SP 51.3, EP 48.7, Audio: excellent unweighted video—SP as a tripod, folds up 43.5, EP 42.9; weight- Ease of Use: into a carrying handle, ed video—SP 50.2, EP very good and acts as a receiving 49.6; chroma AM—SP Overall: very good/ 45.4, EP 42.9; chroma excellent point for remote con- PM—SP 43.8, EP 40.5 trols. Audio Frequency DECEMBER 1991 VIDEO 17

New Echostar 710 Fisher RS-646 A/V Receiver Satellite System Surround Complete Control Yourself From Any Room! With Excellence Now NBO (Name Brands Combine theater-quali Only) gives you all the sound and complete equipment you need to audio/video 7 experience the latest in control with the new RS-646 satellite home theater A/V receiver from Fisher. Its five-channel Dolby Pro Logic system puts out 120 watts-perchannel to the front pair of Gicssalers entertainment. The new and 20 watts-perchannel for the rear and center speakers. The center Shanna lectures both phantom and normal modes. Three Echostar 710 satellite system from sets of audio and video inputs are offered, including one set located in the front for easy camcorder access. It also includes S- Echosphere Corporation, for example, lets VHS inputs for compatibility with the high-resolution videocassette you control an entire satellite system from a format. This full featured receiver is controlled via a 44-function wireless remote. It’s everything you need to bring the theater faniiixee single hand remote, silently, easily and from experience alive in any home environment. jaz any room in the house. It's one example of the many name brands you can buy from For more information, contact: Fisher Audio/Video, NBO (HTS, RCA, GE, KOSS, and others) with no-money-down 21314 Lassen Street, Chatsworth, CA 91311; financing for as little as $29 per month. We provide all the Tel: (818) 998-7322. equipment and know-how you need — from the satellite dish to an entire RCA home theater audio/video system. For a FREE copy of our new 1992 catalog, just call, 1-800-366-6466. Circle Showcase # 1 Circle Showcase # 2 Chaparral Kenko Lens Converters & Accessories Monterey Satellite Look...with the best Receivers Kenko offers the industry's most complete line of camcorder Quite conversion lenses and optical accessories. Of particular note, Simply...The its KUT-65 super tele-converter is an industry best-seller, Best in Sights Offering a full 6.5X telephoto lens conversion. Ideal for & Sounds surveillance, sports or wildlife observation, the unit comes with metal step rings so itcan adapt to almost The Monterey satellite receiver's unique four-way audio/video any camcorder. The company also offers a switcher lets you easily select from a host of satellite TV options range of other quality teleconverter or as many as three other audio/video alternatives-and from lenses, including products for mini- any room in the house, Your VCR, camcorder or CD player camcorders and for Sony TR can be on-line and entertainment-ready at all times. And with camcorders. Another important the receiver's digital color P-I-P functions, you can toggle on- Kenko accessory is its screen between any two of these inputs at once. What's more, KDP-01 video transfer unit, which several Monterey models offer the best in satellite sound in allows you to easily transfer 110 and digital or analog stereo, and with Dolby surround sound and 35mm slides and color negatives dynamic noise reduction. The Monterey is the essential control to home video. center to the ultimate home entertainment experience. For more information about these For the name and location of the Chaparral dealer nearest you important video accessory call: (408) 435-1530 products contact: Kenko America, Inc. 17801 Sky Park Circle Showcase # 3 Circle, Suite B, Irvine, CA 92714. (714) 251-9646

The difference between zoom and 20000000000000M. ee looking for a are hiding in the background, camcorder that can bring you can bring them eyeball the action up close, here are to eyeball. three words of advice: Hitachi Digital Zoom. With Hitachi Digital Zoom, the possibilities are endless. The amazing fact is, while most ordinary cam- To learn more about Digi- corders can get you only tal Zoom and other innova- 8 times closer, Hitachi’s new tions like Accushot, Artificial Digital Zoom is capable Intelligence and Autohead of magnification up to 100 Cleaner, call 1-800-HITACHI. times. Of course, as with all Your dealer will show you that the difference between nary camcorders and ichi camcorders is,among >r things, awhole lot of 000000000000M. SHOP WITH THE VIDEO. SHOWCASE Get more information on any advertisers featured in Video Showcase or find out where the nearest dealer is for that product. Simply cirde the product number along with your desired shopping option and we'll do the rest! Showcase #1 Showcase #3 4ITACHI A. Send me literature A. Send me literature B. Send me dealer information B. Send me dealer information Showcase #2 Showcase #4 A. Send me literature A. Send me literature B. Send me dealer information B. Send me dealer information Name Address City

New Echostar 710 Fisher RS-646 A/V Receiver Satellite System Surround Complete Control Yourself From Any Room! With Excellence Now NBO (Name Brands Only) gives you all the pole | equipment you need to theater-quality 7 experience the latest in sound and satellite home theater complete entertainment. The new audio/video Echostar 710 satellite system from control with the Echosphere Corporation, for example, lets new RS-646 you control an entire satellite system from a A/V receiver from Fisher. Its five-channel Dolby Pro Logic system single hand remote, silently, easily and from puts out 120 watts-per-channel to the front pair of loudspeakers any room in the house. It’s one example of and 20 watts-per-channel for the rear and center speakers. The the many name brands you can buy from center channel features both phantom and normal modes. Three NBO (HTS, RCA, GE, KOSS, and others) with no-money-down sets of audio and video inputs are offered, including one set financing for as little as $29 per month. We provide all the located in the front for easy camcorder access. It also includes S- equipment and know-how you need — from the satellite dish to VHS inputs for compatibility with the high-resolution videocassette an entire RCA home theater audio/video system. format. This full featured receiver is controlled via a 44-function wireless remote. It’s everything you need to bring the theater | For a FREE copy of our new 1992 experience alive in any home environment. } ‘ catalog, just call, 1-800-366-6466. For more information, contact: Fisher Audio/Video, 21314 Lassen Street, Chatsworth, CA 91311; Tel: (818) 998-7322. Circle Showcase # 2 Chaparral o Monterey Kenko Lens Converters & Accessories Satellite Receivers Le Look__.with the hest Quite VIDEO Simply... The Best in Sights 460 West 34th Street & Sounds New York, NY 10117-0460 The Monterey satellite receiver's switcher lets you easily select fre or as many as three other audio any room in the house. Your VC can be on-line and entertainme the receiver's digital color P-I-P f screen between any two of the: several Monterey models offer tl digital or analog stereo, and wit dynamic noise reduction. The \\ center to the ultimate home eni For the name and location of th call: (408) 435-1530 = aS

The difference between zoom and 20000000000000M. I;youre looking for a are hiding in the background, camcorder that can bring you can bring them eyeball the action up close, here are to eyeball. three words of advice: Hitachi Digital Zoom. With Hitachi Digital Zoom, the possibilities are endless. The amazing fact is, while most ordinary cam- To learn more about Digi- corders can get you only tal Zoom and other innova- 8 times closer, Hitachi’s new tions like Accushot, Artificial Digital Zoom is capable Intelligence and Autohead of magnification up to 100 Cleaner, call 1-800-HITACHI. times. Of course, as with all Your dealer will show you digital camcorders, at ex- that the difference between tremely high zoom levels, ordinary camcorders and picture clarity diminishes. Hitachi camcorders is,among other things, a whole lot of So now, when your Little Leaguer is playing deep Z00000000000000M. center field, you can catch every detail from the seats record them close up from the last behind home plate. row of the balcony. When your favorite singing And when all the zoo animals group comes to town, you can ©1991 Hitachi Home Electronics (America), Inc. For additional information, circle No. 22 on Reader Service Card.

The fancy grip is primarily intended Fuji FEOWIDE 1/1,000, 1/2,000, 1x erase head, skip search 1/4,000 to minimize fatigue by letting a user hold Cue & Review Search: Absent Features: fade, his or her arm lower. Its trigger operates 8mm Camcorder White Balance: auto 7x forward, 5x reverse manual iris, wind noise like those on home movie cameras, re- Viewfinder: electronic switch, lens thread for with diopter, LED indi- Fast Forward/Rewind filters and accessory cording only when pressed and stopping Time: 8 mins. 15 secs. lenses, manual white when released. This “dead-man” type of Price: $1,250 cator for record and for P6-120 balance, headphone control helps prevent accidental shots of jack, audio dub, video Weight & Size (h/w/d): onscreen indicators for Remote Pause: LANC dub, indexing, stereo shoes or sky. BLC, macro range, audio, digital audio Other features include an integrated 1.65 Ibs.; 4-1/4 x 4-1/4 transport mode, title Remote Control: IR x 7-1/4 inches without wireless with buttons RESULTS lens cap, a backlight compensator, six accessory grip mode, tape counter, for rewind/search, play, shutter speeds, powered manual focus ‘shutter speed, low bat- fast forward/search, Horizontal Resolution: and date/time imprinting. It also has a Image Sensor: 1/3-inch tery, change tape, dew, stop, pause/still, slow, 250 lines sports finder, which allows the user to ccD caution, autofocus win- frame advance, self shoot while holding the camcorder at a timer, interval record, S/N Ratios (dB): slight distan—cyeou don’t have to press Lens: f/2; 6x (7-42mm) dow and date/time wide zoom, tele zoom, video—unweighted the viewfinder up to your eye. power zoom with macro Viewfinder Controls: record stop and record 41.6, weighted 48.4; range and built-in wide diopter focus start chroma AM—38.9; The F60WIDE looks like a stream- Counter Digits: 5— chroma PM—35.8 lined, dark gray version of a Sony TR se- conversion for equiva- VCR Controls: stop, hrs:mins:secs. Audio Frequency ries camcorder until the user installs the lleenntgtohf 4.9mm focal rewind/search, play, fast Response: special grip and it assumes a distinctive forward/search, bidirec- Analog Audio: hi-fi 20 Hz-7.5 kHz, +0/-3 appearance. A bulge in the lens area AFM mono dB, down 8 dB at 20 holds the wide-angle lens and the lens Minimum Focusing tional edit search, kHz cap. Most controls for the camera sec- Distance: about 4 feet, pause and record; on Titles/Graphics: Audio S/N: 65.6 dB tion reside atop the bulge. Controls for remote only—frame ad- 1-page digital memory the titler and date/time imprinting sit at excluding macro superimposible in 8 col- Audio Distortion: 0.3% its rear. A release on the left opens the vance and slow motion ors with reverse, scroll spring-loaded lens cap. A slider controls Autofocus: TTL with Microphone: electret or both RATINGS powered manual focus, and a button push-button macro Special Features: inte- Picture: good sends the camera into macro focus switchable to manual; condenser gral wide-angle adapter Jacks: external mic, and lens cap, accesso- Audio: good mode. inoperative with wide DC out for RF adapter, ty grip/tripod/handle, It has a typical control setup, with converter lens still frame, frame ad- Ease of Use: video in/out, audio in/ vance, slow motion, very good Minimum Illumination: out and LANC remote speed play, insert edit, | rated—5 lux; control auto rewind, flying Overall: measured—7.8 lux for good/very good 50 IRE Tape Format & Speed: Iris: auto with BLC 8mm SP Shutter Speeds (sec.):. Video Heads: 4 normal, 1/100, 1/250, Edit Search: approx. | No matter how you take your cotlee, 22 VIDEO DECEMBER 1991

the right side used as the grip. It can be mount for filters and accessory lenses lens gives the F60 a big advantage over used as a standard subcompact when the can be a drawback to creative users. We would have preferred the IR sensor on its competitors. At some distances, the accessory grip is removed. The view- the camera itself, because the grip must finder swings upward 90 degrees for low- be installed to get IR control, but we un- wide-angle lens produces a slightly softer angle shooting. derstand the technical problems placing it on the camera would have introduced. image than the normal lens. It produces It has jacks for video and audio, A second tripod socket would have been which can be switched from outputs to useful for mounting the system on a con- a picture at its rated minimum illumina- inputs. There are also jacks for an exter- ventional tripod when the grip is in- nal microphone, DC output for an RF stalled for IR control. tion of5lux, but requires 7.8 lux to pro- adapter, and LANC remote control, Most users may not notice, but acti- duce a 50 IRE signal, our benchmark. which interfaces the camcorder with vating the wide-angle conversion lens Audio quality is also good, despite the Sony VCRs and a variety of editing con- disables the autofocus system. Users lack of a wind noise switch and ear- trollers. must remember to reactivate it under some circumstances. Fortunately, a phone jack. Our overall rating is good to When the cable on the accessory square denoting the AF sweet spot in very good —its unique features make grip is plugged into the LANC connec- the viewfinder acts as a reminder. We this camcorder a winner. = tor, the red button on the grip becomes a miss certain features like fade, manual single-action trigger. A button on the iris and white balance controls. TECH TIP side lets the grip swing parallel to the camcorder base to form a convenient Given all these caveats, you might Star quality carrying handle. From the back of the think we don’t much care for the F60, grip, a user can extract two legs to form but that’s far from the truth. The wide- Videos of birthday parties, weddings and a table pod. The IR remote sensor sits at angle adapter solves one of the biggest the front of the folded grip. problems in home video, and the multi- other events that include candles look function grip solves more problems than The remote has a full set of VCR it creates. Ease of use is very good — only more professional if you use a star filter controls, including slow motion and very demanding users and semiprofes- over your camcorder lens. You’ve seen frame advance. It also operates several sionals may think otherwise. camera functions, including self timer, the effect on TV. On video, it makes il- interval record, zoom and record run/ Picture quality is good compared to stop. other 8mm models, but the wide-angle luminated horizontal and vertical lines While the grip and the wide-angle emanate from any light source. Star fil- adapter are very appealing, the lack of a ters are available from most photo or video dealers. Allen D. Skocelas Manistee, Michigan Serve your 35mm slides and negatives any way you like with Fotovix Ill. It’s the surprisingly affordable and easy to use photo-to-video processor that perks up business presentations and home photo libraries. Fotovix III also inputs instantly to floppy disks, for sharp computer imaging :i and desktop publishing. For larger format films, there's the advanced ix : Fotovix II-X. And ifspecial effects are your cup of tea, there’s Tamron’s Video Editor II. a. iy For a demonstration see a Tamron dealer or write to: Tamron Industries, Inc., Box 388, Port Washington, NY 11050. TAMRON In Canada: Amplis Foto, 22 Telson Road, Markham, Ont. L3R1E5. - OTOVI D4 Fotovix can make itfor you. For additional information, circle No. 7 on Reader Service Card. DECEMBER 1991 VIDEO 23 Nt

VIDEOTESTS QW PIONEER eee Lf Circuit City: The Elite CLD-95's elegant exterior houses a timebase corrector to reduce picture jitter and circu its that permit special effects on CLV discs. The CLD-95 con- smaller and most of its controls are hid- Pioneer’s $2,000 CLD-95 combi tinues the tradi- den. player is an ideal From a functional standpoint, its in- choice for video- VIDEOTEST tion of perform- philes who seek the ultimate picture, sides are equally beautiful. It features a but can’t cough up $3,500 for the 616 ance and hand- digital timebase corrector to reduce pic- company’s cost-no-object LD-S2 la- some appearance ture jitter, a video noise reduction sys- serdisc player. The CLD-95 carries that has made Pi- tem that cleans up picture noise (even such LD-S2 features as a digital in poor source material like old movies), timebase corrector, digital effects and oneer’s upscale an alpha-turn system which maintains a beefed-up chassis, and adds practi- proper laser orientation for two-sided cal functions like side changing and PIONEER Elite line popular play and digital memory for still, clear CD playback. Its picture quality is among video- search and multispeed play effects on very good to excellent, audio quality philes. Rosewood CLV discs. For luminance/chrominance separation, its S-video outputs use a is excellent, operational ease is very Elite side panels, a high-performance comb filter that is bet- good to excellent and overall perfor- shiny black face ter than those in many video monitors. mance is very good to excellent. We recommend it both for performance combi plate and gold Audio also receives top-notch han- and its striking appearance. trim add elegant dling, with 8x oversampling and twin hes. It h Pplay er Feeaeudook hai previous models because there is no jog/ shuttle dial on the player, the display is Pioneer CLO-95 Price: $2,000 butions for power, frame, time, chapter/ dial (on remote) Dynamic Range: rat- eject, CX, audio L/R/ track and points A-B ed—115 dB; Elite Combi Player Weight & Size (h/w/d): stereo, A-B repeat, pro- Absent Features: jog/ measured—104 dB (our gram, 10-digit keypad, Analog Audio: hi-fi shuttle on player, RF measurement limit) 31.3 Ibs.; 5-7/8 x +10, program, clear, AFM stereo/dual mono input and output 18-1/8 x 17-3/8 inches one-shot memory, Audio S/N: digital rat- chapter/time, search, Digital Audio: stereo/ RESULTS ed—95 dB; measured— Disc Formats & still with sound, skip re- dual mono, 8x. over- 94.6 dB; analog—67.1 Speeds: LD—12- and verse, play, skip sampling and twin D/A Horizontal Resolution: dB 8-inch; CDV—5-inch; forward, pause, jog 425 lines CD—5- and 3-inch mode, display, side A Special Features: still Audio Distortion: digi- and side B, and plus/ frame, bidirectional S/N Ratios (dB): lumi- tal rated—0.0017%, Outputs: two S-video, minus rockers for still/ frame advance, bidirec- nance—unweighted measured—0.002%; two video, two stereo step forward or reverse, tional slow motion 49.4, weighted 55.2; analog—0.03% audio, one optical digi- and multispeed forward, 1/2x-1/90x, bidirectional video—unweighted tal audio reverse and speed speed play 2x-3x, re- 48.3, weighted 56; RATINGS peat playback, repeat chroma AM—46.5; Direct Search: 12 Counter Digits: play, effects at CLV chroma PM—42.9 Picture: very good/ secs. on one side frame—5; chapter/ speed, auto program excellent track—2; time—4, edit, 2-sided play with Audio Frequency Cue & Review Search: mins:secs, and indica- alpha-turn system, vid- Response: Audio: excellent maximum 3 min. on tors for chapters 1-19 eo noise reduction, digital rated—4 Hz-20 one side and over 19 chapters digital memory, one- kHz, +/-0.2 dB; digital Ease of Use: very shot memory, last measured—10 Hz-20 good/excellent Remote Pause: SR re- Program Start memory function, S-vid- kHz, +/-0.3 dB; analog mote in and out Locator/Index/Cue: eo output, optical digital measured—20 Hz-20 Overall: very good/ audio output, jog/shuttle kHz, +0.8/-1.6 dB excellent Remote Control: IR wireless with jog/shuttle dial and indicator, and 24 VIDEO DECEMBER 1991 Pa ee i?

20-bit digital-to-analog converters. The digital audio output and an in/out pair equal or superior to that of other combi CLD-95 plays all laserdiscs and CDs, for Pioneer’s SR control, which ie players, but not quite as good as that of and automatically changes sides on la- serdiscs. Up to 24 chapters can be pro- commands so that a component can be Pioneer’s LD-S2, the best laserdisc play- grammed on both sides. Two A-B picture windows with freely selected operated from the remote while hidden er we've tested. There is no noticeable start and end points may be pro- in a cabinet. It also has two stereo audio picture deterioration during search be- grammed, and any four still frames may outputs, but no RF input or output. be stored and played back in sequence. cause whole frames are displayed It offers eight repeat playback options with laserdiscs, seven with CDs. The remote control is a little smaller through digital memory. However, the Auto program editing juggles chap- than previous models, and has similar search seems like a slightly jerky presen- ter/track playback to fit into time peri- ods—such as tape len—gdestignhated features, including a jog/shuttle dial. It tation of sampled still frames. We rate by the user. The last memory function stores the position of a disc before the has no dedicated scan butto—nysou picture quality as very good to excellent. power is turned off, and continues play- back from that point when power is re- have to use the shuttle ring. Audio performance is excellent, in stored. Having few exposed buttons and no some cases beyond the measurement The disc drawer dominates the front panel. Exposed buttons include side A/B jog/shuttle on the front certainly helps limit of our test equipment. Our meas- selecters, power, open/close, stop and create a good-looking machine, but this, urements are very close to Pioneer's own play. The comprehensive display may be function-follows-form approach can be outstanding ratings. We rate the turned off. In display off mode, an LED reminds users that the machine is on. annoying for those who like to operate CLD-95 as very good to excellent. It’s an The bottom edge is actually a door cov- ering a 10-digit keypad, programming the player from the front panel. The re- outstanding combi player. a and video noise reduction buttons, and mote is the primary operating control. It scan and chapter skip/search controls. Oooffers the only access to such operations The rear panel holds two video out- puts, two S-video outputs, an optical as repeat, one-shot memory, still with TECH TIPsound, strobe motion, bidirectional mul- tispeed playback, still and audio mode selection. Only a few minor functions, such as video noise reduction, must be Travel telephoto activated from the front. The disc tray is a bit less robust than on previous models You can get ultra-telephoto pictures by and may require gentle handling. We shooting through coin-operated binocu- rate operational ease as very good to ex- lars. Aim the binoculars, turn off the cellent, aided considerably by the wide camcorder’s autofocus, then press the range of play options. lens up to one of the binocular eye- The CLD-95’s picture quality is pieces. Use the zoom to focus. MAKING A GREAT VIDEO aaAfter you used your camcorder the first INCLUDES QUALITY SOUND T00! ©:time, you realized that your camcorder’s including those you don’t want. And, when shooting from a distance, you can’t hear your subject's voice clearly. Azden, the leader in quality audio for video, manufactures a full line of microphones to make your sound as good as your pictures. Each one fills a particular need. WMS-PRO This powerful professional aZ miniature VHF wireless system has LF a; a range of over 300 feet. It allows ‘Whff) hY) : Ny you to shoot from a distance and ixMini\\iN\\hs laa pick up your subject's voice In Clearly. It has 2 switchable frequencies, and it comes with 2 mics (handheld and clip-on). The Full-size directional mic. Headset with boom mic Mini directional 1 mic (clip-on) mini transmitter clips to the subjects Allows you to zoom in on for adding narration as mic for palm-sized wireless system in belt, and the mini transmitter can subject's voice, reducing you shoot. Your voice camcorders. Slide 49Mtz band. 125 ft. attach to the camera (shoe mount side noises. Range 35- becomes the dominant switch for adjusting range 2 frequencies — & velcro included) or be kept in 40 feet. width of sound pick-up choose the cleanest your breast pocket. s sound recorded. Or, pattern. Low cut filter. sound. Same size and use it to monitor sound features as WMS-PRO, ae you're recording. S) | but not as powerful. 0) Also available with 2 mics as WMS-200. i uy Write or call for 4-color full line literature } Al a: b AZDEN wa.ty YOU CAN HEAR ND lla|nil )3| 147 New Hyde Park Road, Franklin Square, NY 11010 4 (516) 328-7500 Distributed in Canada by GENTEC ze/melololiifelale/ Malo ldeateliolamelisel MoM -MelaNis-10[¢ (an \\-1a7[e1- more] Ke]

VIDEQTESTS VHS HQ fl PHILIPS Sound Stylist: Philips’ VR6065 features a cinema sound mode that uses channel separation and phase effects to widen the apparent sound stage. Philips set design simple operation. Yet under the skin is a The spherical dis- four-head VHS hi-fi VCR with many play gracing the goals of elegant front of Philips’ attractive features. VR6065 VHS hi-fi looks and simple One of its most unusual is Cinema VCR makes it one of the most un- operation for the Sound, which uses channel separation usual-looking decks of the year. VR6065ATOI and and phase effects to create the illusion of Philips targeted this VCR at those two-dimensional audio. There are two who favor simplicity and good looks. accomplished Cinema Sound modes, one of which Its Cinema Sound feature provides a them. The deck makes the sound image seem wider than pleasing surround-sound effect with- the other. The feature only works with out using rear speakers, although it PHILIPS draws attention to stereo programs, and only when the does not deliver the directionality of itself because of its VCR is connected to a stereo audio sys- Dolby Surround or Pro-Logic decod- spherical display tem or a stereo TV set. It can be ers. Picture quality is average to and control panel, switched off for normal playback. Other good, audio quality is good and ease significant features include locking of use is very good. Overall perfor- which recalls the search, double-speed playback, frame mance is good to very good. At $570, it’s a good value. VHS look of Id VCR fashioned Tee) ‘ has few exposed buttons, which contrib- utes to its uncluttered good looks and PHILIPS Price: $570 search, stop, fast for- access recording level controls, Response: ward/search, skip edit control, jog/shuttle hi-fi—20 Hz-20 kHz, Weight & Size (h/w/d): search, pause/still, VCR Preset Method: auto control, flying erase +6.5/-1.4 dB; linear (-3 channel up/down, 10- program with add and head, front-panel in- dB)—SP. 50 Hz-12.5 11 Ibs.; 3-1/2 x 14-1/4 digit keypad, clear/re- delete puts, indexing, audio kHz, SLP 50 Hz-5 kHz x 13 inches set, menu, slow, status, dub, video dub, insert auto tracking, variable Broadcast Tuning edit, remote pause Hi-Fi Dynamic Range: Tape Format & slow up/down, record, Range: 2 to 13, 14 to 77.1 dB Speeds: VHS; record— OTR, tracking up/down, 69 RESULTS SP, SLP; play—SP, LP, clock/counter, memory, Audio S/N: 42.7 dB SLP record speed, VCR/TV, Cable Tuning Range: Horizontal Resolution: channel search, moni- 5A, 2 to 13, A to |,J to 240 lines Audio Distortion: hi- Video Heads: 4 tor, go-to and 2x play W, AA to EEE, 65 to fi0.3%; linear—1.1% 94, A-5 to A-1 S/N Ratios (dB): Cue & Review Search: Counter Digits: 5— unweighted video—SP RATINGS 7x SP, 21x SLP hrs:mins:secs. Timer: 8-event/1-year 43.6, SLP 41.1; weight- Picture: average/good ed video—SP 52, SLP Audio: good Fast Forward/Rewind Audio: linear mono, hi- Special Features: 49.6; chroma AM—SP Time: less than 4-1/2 fi AFM stereo still frame, frame ad- 46.3, SLP 41.3; chroma Ease of Use: min. vance, slow motion, PM—SP 39.8, SLP very good Tuning Method: fre- speed play, Cinema 37.8 Remote Control: IR quency synthesis Sound, auto rewind, Overall: wireless with buttons auto rewind/eject/power Audio Frequency good/very good for TV power, VCR Channel Selectors: off, counter memory power, mute, alternate VCR—programmable channel, volume up/ up/down scan; re- Absent Features: down, TV channel up/ mote—scan plus direct down, play, rewind/ 26 VIDEO DECEMBER 1991 @&“¢.aome.

advance, variable-speed slow motion, TECH TIP label cards onto the screen of the TV counter go-to, an onscreen calendar and Simple superimposer set. Connect a VCR to the TV set, and automatic operating sequences. If your camcorder doesn’t have a char- play your original footage through the The display window covers the top acter generator or a superimposer, you can achieve a similar effect using a small TV. Set your camcorder to macro focus half of the bulge on the front panel; a TV set. Stick letters from videocassette mode, focus on the letters, and begin control panel occupies the bottom half. taping. You may need to adjust room A stereo audio level meter sits at the far lighting and the TV set’s picture. tight. Because the VR6065 has no con- After removing the letters from the cealed controls, only basic functions like screen, clean it with a cloth moistened play, rewind and channel selection can with rubbing alcohol. J.R. Swihart be controlled from the deck. The rear Naples, Florida panel hosts RF inputs and output con- nectors, a channel 3/4 selector switch, and video/stereo audio inputs and out- puts. The remote control carries all the Finally, ACompatible Unified Remote That’s Easy To Use standard buttons, with extras for con- trolling slow motion, counter go-to and = Unified remote unit controls most JVC televisions and VCRs. & Also compatible with most Panasonic, Sony, Sharp, Hitachi, 2x play. Its shape is long and slim, but Mitsubishi, and Toshiba televisions and VCRs. slightly thicker in front to accommodate the batteries. Far forward on the top are — JVC ... controls to operate certain Philips TV TV sets and the VCR power switch. Further back are the transport controls for the VCR, scan and direct access tuning but- tons, and less-frequently used transport controls like slow, record, one-touch re- cord and tracking. There are also con- trols for clock/counter, memory, record speed, VCR/TV, channel search, moni- tor, go-to and 2x playback. With so few buttons on the front, oe ig VOLUME CHANNEL operation from the deck is as simple as using an audio cassette recorder. The re- mote is the primary control. Its large buttons with good legends and conven- ient groupings make it easy to use. In ad- dition to the main manual, which we recommend you read, a condensed VCR MUTE SLEEP TIMER Quick Use Guide summarizes the basics in a few pages. It’s especially easy to pro- UNIFIED REMOTE CONTROL gram —in fact, it won the VCR timer ( TV/ VCR) = Compact, lightweight shootout in our October issue. design. VCR Infrequently used options can be ac- = 19 Large, colorful, REW POWER e user-friendly keys to PLAY FE cessed through onscreen menus. The prevent pressing the wrong key main menu system offers numbered accidentally. choices for programming, setup, clock @ Easy-to-use operation set and calendar. Choosing one option simplifies the basic commands you use calls up another menu with equally sim- most often. ® Quick and easy push- ple choices and onscreen operating in- button access of factory preset codes to structions. Some advanced features, like use with other brands. PAUSE /STILL 1 manual audio record level control, audio IMPORTANT STOP cVAoClmRtpsh,aoutgihbasletwheelwlitUhnaisfmioemsdatnyRJeVmTCoVtseTVasCnodnatnVrdoClRJsVuCniftroims a dub, video dub, edit control, front panel other manufacturers. it is possible that the inputs and indexing, have been omitted UPynoriuofrviiedTdeV RooenrlmyoVtCcRee,rtCaoiornntrifnoulnscotwmiileolnsniontstwaonrckeswitwihll for simplicity and low cost. We rate ease TV/ VCR CHANNEL of operation very good because video-. philes will miss the advanced functions. But for those who simply want to play movies and timeshift, the deck is tre- mendously easy to use. The picture quality is average to ect good. Small noise bars appear in search mode, but other playback effects are rel- atively noise-free. Its audio quality is JVC Company of America 41 Slater Drive, Elmwood Park, N.J. 07407 good, aided by the pleasing Cinema JVC Canada Inc. Sound effect, but hampered by the lack 21 Finchdene Square, Scarborough, Ontario M1X 17 of recording level controls. Our overall tating is good to very good. B DECEMBER 1991 VIDEO 27

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8 SM ati-m late g—elloll— fd detail is possible with the world’s smallest j me iksMKer=i galeg}eol—i oiMlal-mclolahy j Handycam™ CCD-TR8I. / SM alomcl aal-VAallcatel ealaaiter-laaleolgel—ialaal-ie for-Tals olgotleolet moh/—i ar- 10Om iial— me)| fof atoNUR)aol am Lomo) alel—i aicieaohl al a i-lalehier-ran iY waa alo) let Mmaales-ial ole) ol0ll-1 aler-laalelol gels a The full range inner-focus system can take yy oll iligelaell =I at-\\\\\\s-h alRome olel lol-\\—m-Ialo llol—ia-volar-1| 4/ it YY ffMi f ff y 4 VA with speed and accuracy. There’s AFM Hi-Fi stereo. bf MZG / PN ale ma Lom sell Mmalolllg-Me) miqa(egleel llal-adlasl-micvomi Mm ,ell a= etgomeloie-il-mn ZoleM i il) ital toh ,om al aaliclolah al a i-lalehier-laar | v4 ss ca Sony HiFi Steres SONY

RAEZWDEINNDQEURA TECHNICALLYSTATE OF THE ART SPEAKING Q Compatible with Sony | tery packs (NP-55, 66, 77) for _ outdoor use. (4 Comes with AC adapt TV's ghostbusting olympics _ indoors. (Infra-red Sensor Syste prevent tape snapping. “1 Compatible with all 8m BY FRANK BEACHAM sociation of Japan, and joint proposals cameras & VCR's. from Zenith and AT&T Microelectron- Ghosts have always haunted home TV ics, and Thomson Consumer Electronics _1 Automatic tape leader | receivers. They usually appear on cer- and the David Sarnoff Research Center. tain channels as a slightly displaced im- All the systems are based on a similar system. _ age to the right of the main image. But a concept, according to Claudy. They dif- group of ghostbusters is out to rid TV of 1 Has Fast Foward aswell its pesky poltergeists. Led by the Nation- fer in the type and nature of the training al Association of Broadcasters, a consor- signal each specifies for transmission and as Rewind. _— tium of groups is testing five proposed in the type of decoder needed for the AZDEN’ systems that promise to eliminate most TV receiver. ghosts from NTSC broadcasts. If the NAB engineers are conducting the 147 New Hyde Park Roa tests go well, the consortium will estab- “J4BO‘UB“JJOUFDPOOOUNOZIPODYADDKJDOSYOWFJYSIrPOaPJnDUk!lin Square, NY 11010 lish a stand—awrhidch set manufac- field tests in Washington, D.C., with the turers should immediately app—leyarly help of three local TV statio—nosne for the VHF spectrum, one for the low end next year. of the UHF spectrum and one for high- Onscreen ghosts are caused by a end UHF signals. The stations transmit each system’s training signals to a recep- type of distortion called multipath. tion van which drives around the metro- Haunting car radios (the audio fades in politan area, sampling signals at 100 and out) as well as TV receivers, multi- different locations. Technicians in the path distortion results from the reflec- van select the training signal they want tion of a broadcast transmission signal at any given time from each station by off such objects as tall buildings and remote control. Normal broadcast re- mountains. Multipath distortion also oc- curs in cable systems. In this case, the 80 oa ghosts usually come from electrical re- flections caused by unmatched termina- aor tions or corroded connectors in the cable wiring. 40 + All five of the proposed ghost-killing 2 systems use reference or “training” sig- “or palm- nals that would be transmitted to TV 0 size. This 2 in 1 le sets in the vertical blanking interval of the video signal, says Lynn Claudy, the 2b _a(n0.d5iXs) a46tmelme:(2: NAB’s director of advanced engineering and technology. A TV receiver equipped 40 te _L 1 Gi eS _ring. $109.95. with a digital decoder would use the training signal to correct multipath dis- Shadow Chasers: Diagrams of ghost-canceling O W52-NACwide ler tortions, thus reducing ghosts in the waveforms proposed by AT&T/Zenith (top) and Sar- transmitted picture. noff/Thomson. The scale at left is in IRE units. 147 New Hyde Park Road _ /J“B‘UJB6POOOU/DOFINOZUIPDUHAODDOJOWEFOWJYrSIPaOPnJDkUl)in Square,NY11010 __ “The TV would know what the training signal is supposed to be,” says 30 VIDEO DECEMBER 1991 Claudy. “It would compare the informa- tion on the training signal in its memory to the training signal being sent over the airwaves. The TV set would then clean up the received training signal, making it conform as much as possible to the reference condition. In doing so, it will also clean up the TV image.” Competing for ghostbusting honors are systems from Philips Laboratories, | Samsung, the Broadcast Technology As-

A picture so real itcould fool the Audubon Society. \\Fthis a television set or a nearest dealer and see how digital ultimate home theater. After all, in tropical bird act? convergence, fine definition and this case, a picture really is worth a horizontal resolution up to thousand words. Actually, it’s a tropical bird act 1,000 lines make Ultravision the as seen on a Hitachi big screen TV. But thanks to Ultravision, even the most avid bird watchers (and TV watchers) can't tell the difference. Ultravision is an unprecedented combination of advanced technol- ogies that create a picture so ultra clear, ultra bright and ultra sharp itlooks like real life. And since a great picture deserves great sound, Ultravision comes with 4-way Surround Sound including Dolby Pro Logic,’ the ultimate in audio. Call 1-800-HITACHI for your ©1991 Hitachi Home Electronics (America), Inc. Dolby Surround is a registered trademark of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation. For additional information, circle No. 22 on Reader Service Card.

ception is not affected. “The van covers all the terrain and propagation conditions encountered in a major metropolitan area,” says Claudy. “We'll have five decoders and we'll re- cord and visually assess how each sys#em works.” Meanwhile, the Advanced Televi- sion Systems Committee in Canada is performing laboratory and computer simulations for each of the systems. When all the results are in, they'll be evaluated by the NAB, the Electronic Industries Association, the National Ca- ble Television Association, Cable Labs and the Association of Maximum Serv- ice Television. Surprisingly, the Federal Communi- cations Commission is not involved— yet. According to Claudy, establishing an antighosting system doesn’t require FCC approval since the training signal doesn’t affect standard transmissions. However, Claudy says the group would like the FCC’s blessing to help create a mandate for the winning ghostbuster. If a standard is picked in early 1992, it would take at least a year for manufac- turers to offer TV sets with the anti- ghosting circuitry. And at first, only high-end sets will incorporate chips. “The goal is for an extra manufacturing cost of about $30 per set, which will translate to $75 to $100 extra for the user,” Claudy notes. Whatever system is selected by the consortium, it will not affect future high-definition television transmission. Each HDTV transmission standard now being considered by the FCC uses its own integral antighosting system. This means future high-end sets that receive both HDTV and standard NTSC broad- casts will probably have separate anti- ghosting circuits for each transmission system. For those who don’t want to wait for If you’re curious about those shiny discs you’ve been seeing all an industry standard, Mitsubishi has an- over, you’re not the only one. Hundreds of thousands of people have already brought laserdiscs home. It seems no one can nounced a new 35-inch monitor/re- pass up the latest movies on laserdisc, with its incredible picture (60% sharper than ordinary videotape) and flawless CD sound. ceiver, the CS-35X7, which incorporates You’re probably next. Just be careful when you visit your nearby laserdisc store. The way it’s been going, these things are likely to digital ghostbusting circuitry that func- fly out as Soon as you open the door. W)PIONEER 'LaserDis< tions without a training signal. “This is ©1991 Pioneer LDCA, Inc., Long Beach, CA. For a store near you, call 800-421-1404. the first U.S. consumer product with this type of circuit,” says a Mitsubishi spokesman. “The circuit virtually elimi- nates stationary ghosts, reducing up to 16 individual echoes with a processing time of 3.5 seconds.” The set should be available early next year. Is new technology about to rid TV of ghosts forever? No, not with even the best technology, admits Claudy. “De- ghosting is not a 100 percent thing,” he said. “There are multipath conditions so severe no amount of processing is going to get rid of them. With a training sig- nal, we can achieve as much as a oSper- cent solution. But there is only so much you can do.” 8 32 VIDEO DECEMBER 1991 For additional information, circle No. 11 on Reader Service Card.

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BY RODERICK WOODCOCK Orphan formats, satellite TV and lookalike batteries [> any Video Magazine readers VideoCipher II decoder or a new inte- teries on my JVC or vice versa? Lewis Jeffries know where I can find new, blank or grated receiver/decoder (IRD). Most prerecorded cassettes for the Sanyo services are purchased on a monthly or New Orleans, Louisiana VTC-8200 V-Cord system? If so, please yearly basis. You pay for 24-hour access, write me at Box 173, Yellville, AK even if you don’t use it. A new decoder JVC and Panasonic use the same 72687. D. Hartley called VideoPal lets you pay for only battery for their recent VHS-C Yellville, Arkansas what you watch. camcorders. It’s also used for Mat- If and when SkyPix arrives, you'll be sushita-made GE, Magnavox and Chi- A Someone out there may have some able to use your now-dormant dish for it, non 8mm and VHS-C camcorders. JVC V-Cord cassettes they would be but will have to use their decoder/re- doesn’t make use of the third contact on willing to part with, but my suggestion is ceiver to get the signal. Bear in mind any of its camcorders or chargers. But that SkyPix will initially be much like to forget about using this ancient VCR many of the other services, offering re- Panasonic uses it on its chargers to en- for new recordings and invest in a VHS peated showings of the same movies. If it able a microprocessor to monitor the deck instead. My usual advice to readers clicks, SkyPix hopes to expand its offer- condition of the battery during charging with orphan formats like V-Cord is to lo- and in the refresh mode, which dis- cate a working deck so they can dub the ings, perhaps even broadcasting new charges the battery before recharging. contents of obsolete V-Cord tapes onto movies at the same time they’re playing The mounting lugs on the perimeter a more current format like VHS. If you have a working V-Cord, don’t be sur- in the theaters. We'll see. of the JVC/Matsushita battery design prised if you get some letters from other Two magazines— Orbit and Satellite are almost identical to Sony’s, differing readers who might want to pay you to TV Week—cover satellite programming, only in the placement of the recessed and are available at better newsstands. holes which line up with locking lugs on dub some old tapes for them. the camcorder. The similarity is close The batteries used on the JVC GR- enough, however, that at least one ac- [i]:invested in a large satellite dish AX7 VHS-C camcorder are almost cessory company in Japan is selling a and receiver a few years ago. When identical to those on my Sony CCD-V9, rear-mounted accessory shoe with mov- scrambling started, I felt the price of the except for the third contact in the cen- able contacts to let you use either type decoder and the programming fees were ter of the battery, marked with the letter of battery. When it becomes available too high, so the dish sits unused. Since I T. What does it do? Can I use Sony bat- over here, we'll let you know. 6 live in the country, there is no cable TV. It’s been several years since I investi- FANA sonic /JVeBATTERY Sony Barrery gated what’s available on satellite, but I'm still not interested in expensive serv- ices that play the same movies over and over. How can I find out what’s available | now? And can I use my dish with the new SkyPix system? Donna Whited Centerview, Missouri AE too bad you haven’t been using your dish— much satellite program- ming is unscrambled, and can be seen with just your dish and satellite receiver. True, virtually all of the premium serv- ices that show movies are scrambled, and to receive them you'll need either a Video Magazine welcomes your questions. Dead Ringers: Although Panasonic, JVC and Sony camcorder batteries look alike, they are not interchangeable. Please include a phone number, but not a return envelope as the volume of mail does not permit replies. All letters may be edited for clarity and space. Address queries to Q & A, Video Magazine, 460 West 34 Street, New York, NY 10001. JKURZIASITTIINSA 34 VIDEO DECEMBER 1991

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READER EDITED BY BRIAN CLARK #ilaaieouta FORUM SPECIALISTS Loud & proud from the letterbox lobby: FOR MORE INFO: CONVENIENT FAX # More widescreen (201) 696-6531 (201) 633-1476 tapes & discs! WE WILL MATCH OR BEAT ANY LEGITIMATE PRICE TOLL FREE:.... 1 (800) 444-6300 FAST SERVICE, BEST PRICES! Our September feature “Widescreen Fe- Your article on letterboxing is one of the Canovision 8 ver” filled our mailbox with comments most comprehensive and informative I from opinionated laser fans. The over- have seen. It resolves much of the con- AUTHORIZED DEALER # whelming majority prefer letterboxed fusion about motion picture aspect ra- movies and want to see more released tios. However, Bruce Eder greatly exag- FE] this way. Here’s a sample of what you gerates the loss of usable screen area due have to say on the subject. to letterboxing when he states that in the letterboxed Ben-Hur, “more than A round of applause to Bruce Eder for two-thirds of the screen was black.” covering all aspects of this interesting topic. I’ve never seen so complete and Letterboxing a film with a 2.66:1 as- comprehensive a look at letterboxed la- pect ratio fills just half of the video serdiscs. I feel that studios like Para- mount are doing an excellent job screen, since TV screens have a 1.33:1 satisfying both sides by releasing panned-and-scanned versions alongside EN et 1a! letterboxed editions. I'll always buy the widescreen version, but people should be able to choose. This way, the mar- ketplace determines what survives and what falls by the wayside. David Spencer Edina, Minnesota I'm sorry to hear you feel letterboxing is Sunday Driver: Road hog Stephen Boyd is off to taking over as the format of the future. the races in William Wyler’s epic Ben-Hur. I’ve compared letterboxed to panned- and-scanned versions, and it’s very an- aspect ratio. Ben-Hur, with an extreme ratio of 2.76:1, fills approximately 48 per- noying to need a 30-inch monitor to cent of the screen (by my calculation). view a picture the size ofa13-inch TV. If After allowing for a small amount of you are counting on TV owners to up- overscan in the monitor, less than half grade to widescreen sets so they can the screen should be black. The great watch letterboxed or widescreen mov- majority of widescreen films can be let- ies, you have made an error in judgment. terboxed to their full width without sac- rificing even half the available screen. Henry J. Eichman Pueblo, Colorado Jim Brown Garland, Texas The laserdisc format has just begun to Revolutionary new technology allows Thank you for your very informative ar- interchangeable lenses pick up steam, and the letterbox format ticle. Thanks also to Woody Allen, for: having the artistic integrity and, for- Digital Signal Processor allows 2x is beginning to do the same. I predict the tunately, the influence to transfer Man- Closeup, Overlap, Gain-up (0.5 lux), hattan to video in widescreen. Letter- Freeze, Art Freeze, and strobe effects \"90s will be the decade in which the pan- boxed films look so much more cinemat- to be added to videos. ic that I find myself getting more caught and-scan format loses considerable up in the image, despite the smaller size. True-to-life AFM stereo sound I've watched Ben-Hur several times, and ground. For any film collector this I just cannot imagine how a panned- and-scanned version, with about half means total bliss! A prime example of the picture lost, can do this film any jus- tice. David S. Rudin how more film collectors are converting A1 DIGITAL H800 E08 Brooklyn, New York to the widescreen image is Media Home PRICES ALWAYS COMPETITIVE Entertainment's decision to release Wild at Heart letterboxed — but only after let- ter writing and phone calls voicing total dissatisfaction with the original plan to We ship within 24 hours. All prices quoted include manufacturer's standard release it only in a panned-and-scanned accessories & U.S. Warranty. All units are factory seaied. We are an AUTHORIZED DEALER for ALL version. Philip Henning NAME BRANDS WE SELL! 10 DAY EXCHANGE Snyder, New York S & H NON-REFUNDABLE! FaCRicS1Nooida4noeenrrd.facdiovld.rtieemicraeotniaoln, DECEMBER 1991 VIDEO 41

Seadisvaste NEW PRODUCTSEDITED BY BRIAN CLARK C ~- SPECIALISTS Manual controls boost Hi8 creative options FORMORE INFO: CONVENIENT FAX # Yashica’s new KD-H170 Hi8 camcorder boasts a rewritable consumer time-code (201) 696-6531 (201) 633-1476 feature that records hours, minutes, seconds and frames. A 10x zoom lens works with a half-inch, 410,000-pixel CCD to produce more than 400 lines of horizontal WE WILL MATCH OR BEAT ANY LEGITIMATE PRICE resolution. Audio is strengthened by FM hi-fi stereo sound. A four-mode Program Auto Exposure feature has settings for portrait, sports, aperture priority and shut- TOLL FREE:.... 1 (800) 444-6300 ter priority. The H170 has full auto lock, but also permits manual control of the iris, shutter and gain (eight steps). Other features include custom preset, 27-step DVIRIEDCTEEOD NPICLSUS variable-speed shutter and four-frame recording. hi = Price: $2,125. © ARRANGE FAVORITE SCENES Rime For additional information, circle No. 157 on Reader Service Card. IN ANY ORDER © BUILT-IN CHARACTER GENERATOR INTERNAL GRAPHICS (12 TYPE STYLES & 64 COLORS) © 12 TYPES OF FADES OR WIPES © INDEX SCENES © WIRELESS REMOTE JVC VIDEO EDITING PROCESSOR © 16 WIPES BY COMBINING 5 BASIC PATTERNS: * COLOR BALANCING w JOYSTICK CONTROLLER * 8 BACKGROUND COLORS, PLUS COLOR BAR CHART © COMPATIBLE w SUPER VHS & 8mm HI-BAND © VIDEO ENHANCER * INDEPENDENT A V FADERS JIX-SV55 RMV-100 @ EDIT CONTROLLER for MATCHING e JVC COMPONENTS VE-100 Hitachi deck programs eight edits PROFESSIONAL Hitachi’s VT-S751A S-VHS hi-fi VCR is an editing model full of useful touches. EDITOR The assembly synchro-edit feature accepts eight program commands. A jog/shuttle dial is on both the VCR and the remote. Audio features include an MTS stereo ® 200 CUTS — 100 SCENES decoder, Hitachi’s Spectrasonic bass extender and audio level meters. The Video @ ACCURATE TO WITHIN 3 FRAMES Brain remote, which has an LCD panel to aid editing, controls 14 brands of TV @ AUDIO MIXING INCLUDING sets, a second VCR and most cable decoder boxes. Other features include auto- eos cleaning, a mic input, A/V dubbing, VHS index search and go-to FADE IN OUT search. @ COMPATIBLE w VHS, BETA, Price: $1,099.95. 8mm, SUPER-VHS For additional information, circle No. 158 on Reader Service Card. AV SWITCHER REMOTE © 6 VIDEO IMPUTS VIDEO 3 OUTPUTS @ REMOTE CON WJ-AVES5 Digital A/V Mixer ¢ BUILT-INDIGITALSYNCHRONIZER ¢ DIGITAL SPECIAL EFFECTS © SUPERIMPOSE ¢ FADE-INFADE-OUT * AUDIO MIXING ¢98 WIPE PATTERNS® PICTURE-TO-PICTURE ¢ JOYSTICK IMAGE POSITIONER “U‘JBB|GPOLDUIO/N/UODPAOWDIKOSOIWYSDOPJODU! 42 VIDEO DECEMBER 1991

_ kartevista Cc SPECIALISTS 1160 HAMBURG TPK., WAYNE, N.J. 07470 FOR MORE INFO: CONVENIENT FAX # (201) 696-6531 (201) 633-1476 WE WILL MATCH OR BEAT ANY LEGITIMATE PRICE Minolta debuts compact 8mm camcorders FAST SDERRIVCIECSE|,TOLL FREE:.... 1(800) 444-6300 Minolta has introduced two compact 8mm camcorders, the Master 8-418 and the HITACHI VT-F540 Master 8-428. In each unit, digital signal processing uses information from a 1/3- inch, 270,000-pixel CCD chip to control white balance and auto iris functions. VHS: Eight-segment assembler automates editin While both have 8x zoom lenses, the 8-428 has the added feature of an 8x digital ae placing desired scenes in any order. H zoom that increases its range to 64x. Other features include a character generator taeiing aneute asolty ooo’ with two-page memory and 16 characters per page, six shutter speeds, remote con- and fuss-free playback trol and a 3-lux low-light rating. Each includes the standard accessories: an adapt- er/charger, an RF output adjuster, a battery pack, an A/V output cord and a cil ) ' shoulder strap. +i Prices: 8-428, $1,300; 8-418, $1,235. JVieC HR-S5800U For additional information, circle No. 159 on Reader Service Card. Zenith 27-inch 7 V : S S-VHS: Feature-laden deck offers the utmost in scene-finding convenience. Full-featured offers closed-captions adian 1: remote with display dupli- Closed-captioning is now available on ; 7 Wecegabiatieg oie af five Zenith TV sets, in screen sizes rang- a “.* i eae mm | be ing from 13 to 27 inches. Pictured is the 1 As ae ani CC2766S, a 27-inch table model that ae open 3 — Jve HR -SC1000U features a remote, onscreen menus and THE NEIGHBOR'S GARDEN, MOM. sh-uVtHSt:le, diHgi-iFtialstAe’rVeo,track with& VHS combo, 5jo favorite channel scan. “Closed” caption- dual screen programming. i; ng means that the capti;on feature can be turned on or off. Other available sizes are 13-, 20- and 25-inch models. Price: CC2766S, $729. For additional information, circle No. 160 on Reader Service Card. chnic - escent am S-VHS: Title/date recording adds personal touch. Bargraph-style ‘‘tape time remaining” display eliminates recording surprises. Synchro-edit feature simplifies dubbing. Technici;s produces low-cost A/V receiiv. er TOSHIBA SV-771 Dolby surround processing with digital delay is a highlight of Technics’ SA-GX303 S-VHS: Optical scanner digitizes graphics for audio/video receiver. The unit delivers 85 watts per channel, and its 58-key A/V remote can handle several audio and video sources. Parametric equalization allows colocr orrectfaideos,nwi,pes,superimposition. Other digital tricks include the center frequencies to be altered. There are four audio and two video inputs, 3a0n-d.st.fartoinotn inrpauntdsommakaeccecsosnnaencdtin1g0-. kaeycadmic:roercdteracceeasssy.. The receiver offers presets for negative positive, titles, and noise reduction. Price: $319.95. tr ota For adaitional information, circle No. 161 on Reader Service Card — co = — EE w J aaccepsrsiocersiesquott&edd UaS.ninecWlvaurdieraanmtayn2u4fAalncltauunrpietars'sarestSafonacdntaorery sealed. We are an AUTHORIZED DEALER for ALL NAME BRANDSS & WHENONS-ERLELF!UND1A0BLDEAY EXCHANGE ‘“SJUBOOPFUO/INFOUPADDHODIDOHSOWISYIDOPJDU/ DECEMBER 1991 VIDEO 43

The Ultimate BY IVAN BERGER In Video! FOTOVIN U-X &Itt With fully Digitized Audio A fast way to turn Satellite TV slides into video Buyers Guide I spend a lot of time using 35mm film New!! 1991 Buyers Guide cameras, as well as camcorders, but this Video-$19.95 Plus $4 s/h. Satisfaction Guaranteed leaves me with a closet full of slides, or your Money Back. which I occasionally show to one or two Complete Satellite Systems Start At...... peopleat a time on a small, eight-inch m= tabletop slide viewer. But the viewer's vt =— Over 200 Channels. ability to display slides that are off in All Major Sporting Events Over 100 Radio Channels. terms of color, density and cropping is Over 1500 Movies Per Month. Pay Per View Channels. limited. And it has no ability to project Special Interest and my color negatives. Education Programming. International Feads- This is where Tamron’s Fotovix film- Instant Access to Major World Events. to-video processor comes in. It’s essen- Includes: The Echostar 4000 with tially a CCD color camera designed for Decoder (Features Favorite 100 Channel Selection), LNB, Feedhorn, displaying slides, negatives, prints or Motorized Dish, 18\" Jack & Motor. small objects on ordinary TV screens. Save 30-60%!! 1-800-350-0256 The camera is mounted above a small athFax: 805-652-2190 fluorescent lightbox. It includes a zoom me —<\\ lens to tighten cropping, a joystick tint SATELLITE TE=LEVISION controller for fine-tuning colors, auto- 2316 Channel Drive matic or manual iris adjustment, _ . Ventura, CA. 93003 and a positive-negative switc PB‘“UJ|LJfDO/UOIO}YNIDODPAUNDIODGOHWSY/IPOPJDU) Serving the Consumer Since the Beginning of the Satellite Television Era. that can deliver positive onscreen im- ages from either negatives or slides. The Fotovix II-X, priced at $1,899, is a bit larger than the Fotovix III, for $899, but it’s packed with more features. These include 6x zoom, instead of 3x, and color saturation controls. The me- chanical differences include a stage on the II-X big enough for the six-by-eight- centimeter images of 120mm film, and additional camera stand adjustments that improve stability. The camera stand can be raised several inches to cover the 120mm stage or to shoot three-dimen- Slide Master: The Fotovix Ill displays slides and negatives on TV sets for watching or dubbing. sional objects. And the camera head can although less satisfied with the way they be tilted to shoot vertical objects. looked on my 31-inch set. In addition to the color saturation control, the units Accessory conversion lenses let the could use a gamma adjustment to better shoehorn the highlight and shadow de- II-X copy pictures and documents as tails of film images onto video’s more limited contrast range. large as eight by 11 inches from as far Operation with Fotovix’s manual away as two feet. The II-X also accepts feed is a bit slow. If you’re transferring photo images to a videocassette, you'll an optional slide feeder suitable for the need good reflexes running the VCR’s pause control to keep the transitions be- straight slide trays used by some slide tween frames from showing up on the tape. 5 projectors. However, it is not suitable for the more common carousel-type trays. Picture quality is pretty good with both models. I was very happy with the images displayed on a 26-inch monitor, Ivan Berger is technical editor of Audio ang and co-author of The New Sound of Stereo (Plume).

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YEAR END SPECTACULAR From camcorders to decks, new technology shapes a holiday olidays and high | while an expanding variety of video pro- |configuration that helps deter picture technology go to- | jectors demonstrated the technology’s | jitter. Meanwhile, editing accessories gether like football |growing strength. But the real news is | tilted toward more accessibility as dem- and fall, popcorn | the coming wave of widescreen TV sets, |onstrated by the compact titling, sound- and action films. At | like the RCA model on this issue’s cov- | effects and graphics consoles introduced least they do for vid- | er. This year, they went on sale in sever- |by Videonics and Sony. Each offers users eo and electronics | al European countries. Next year, | the ability to easily make home videos buffs who have | there’s a better-than-even chance that | more entertaining. learned to associate | they’re coming here. e Videogames grew a notch thanks the year’s end with e VCRs showed more modest refine- | to 16-bit systems that offer superior giving and receiving |ments. Among them are standard VHS | graphics and better action from all the ® the kind of presents |models that can play back—but not re- | major players, including Nintendo. And they love best, prod- | cord —S-VHS tapes, and decks featur- | this year especially, the handheld ver- ucts that embody | ing a new, extra-stable midmount | sions, which are surprisingly popular . the year’s top inno- | *s. among adults, have begun to offer the vations and newest poorer great diversity and playability of their trends. And this year there’s plenty to larger tabletop cousins. show off. The state of the e@ More significantly, an art inched, strode, even utterly new type of product leaped forward on more oeeem appear—etdhe interactive than half a dozen of video’s CD player. Commodore’s front lines. CDTV system and Philips’ e Camcorders displayed CD-I player promise to a remarkable level of inven- change the way consumers tiveness. Sony, Canon, use optical discs. Hitachi, JVC and other e Even movies are show- manufacturers shrank shoot- ing a new wrinkle —in the way ing machines to levels undreamt they're packaged: 1991 will surely of 2 couple of years ago. And be known as the year of the box. competed fiercely to introduce More than ever, studios are col- imaginative new features, like Hitachi's 64x digital zoom and lecting and offering their most narrow shooting mode, Fuji’s unique pistol grip, Sony’s world popular films in boxed sets of clock and Sharp’s extra-slim body. tapes and discs. It’s a bright idea e TV saw the first of what may we'd like to see continue. next year become a flurry of flat tube sets like the SuperFlat model introduced You'll find all this and more on by Panasonic. Such sets by several man- ufacturers are selling extremely well in the following pages in a series of Japan. In other areas, rear-projection TV sets displayed thin new profiles, technology-oriented gift guides by contributing editors Stewart Wolpin, Fun in ’91: Best bets include (from left) Canon's UC1, NEC's TurboExpress system, Ricoh’s R-88 Richard Warren and Louis Kesten. The camcorder, the Back to the Future set and Hitachi’s VM-E25A camcorder and S-VHS playback VCR. products assembled capture the spirit of PBVSDAIRANHIANOUNIOVTRDRSTITIDSODOAEONR:LRRSI;:O a year that kicked off the 90s with prom- ising bursts of new technology. Whether your eye catches an item costing $49.95 or $4,995, you can be sure it captures one of the year’s exciting developments and that it represents the state of the art —at least for a few months. . ESCBQETOULAULINR'PDTOMEGESGNYETTTI DECEMBER 1991 VIDEO 47

BY STEWART WOLPIN POWER PRESENTS 25 state-of-the-art ideas for buffs who have everything ost people look gains?) Smooth Operator: Panasonic's SuperFlat TV set has ‘ forward to the Fortunately, you don’t have to run holidays as a time 30 percent less face curvature than standard models. to sip a cool egg- all over town to find hot new technology nog by a warm this year. It’s packed into almost every Since it’s winter, it’s appropriate that fire, and enjoy the new product on the shelves, from high- Panasonic literally has skated into the company of family performance monitors to interactive CD high-tech TV field with its evolutionary and friends. We players to economical editing gear. And Prism SuperFlat sets. To convey an idea video buffs, on the this year, you can start your shopping of the set’s flatness in Panasonic’s new other hand, look trip from your easy chair. We’ve round- ads, a tiny skater glides across the sur- to the holidays as ed up some of the most interesting, in- face of the screen of the new 31-inch an excuse to stop novative video products of 1991— you're CTP-3196SF. The $1,799 set is 30 per- by every electron- sure to find several that tickle your fancy cent flatter than previous Panasonic and lengthen your holiday wish list. tubes, but it’s more than just extra-level. ics store in town, There’s a blacker background to accen- ogling the latest Let’s start in the TV department. tuate contrast and brighten colors, ex- technological tra-clear picture-in-picture effects and a wonders. Of course, we say we’re picking This season, Mitsubishi weighs in with Dome Sound System that offers two co- up a new Walkman for the kids or blank the skinniest rear-projection TV set yet, axial, 10-watt speakers with upper and tapes to record those heartwarming holi- the $3,699 50-inch VS-5017S. Only lower bass ports. day TV specials, but let’s face it— we're 22-1/2 inches deep, this set looks like it shopping for ourselves, for gifts we hope followed the Slim-Fast diet. It uses a Fuji’s P40U uses the latest and most new multi-element, multicoated lens as- promising technology in video projec- we'll find under the tree Christmas sembly, which produces an 800-line pic- morning. (And if we don’t, well, who can pass up those great ture. Trimming a rear-projection telly after-Christmas bar- | tends to cause corner and center fo- cus problems, but Mitsubishi ad- Music Maker: dressed these with a special Yamaha's QY10 synthe- magnetic dynamic focus —a sizer/sequencer. coil on the CRT that refo- cuses the electron beam and sharpens the picture. Ifyou’re looking for a bigger picture, tell San- ta to forget that silly “sleigh and get an 18-wheeler with plenty of reindeer power under the hood. He’ll need it for the new 286-pound, 55-inch SP- P5553 850-line rear-projection moni- tor from Pioneer. The company’s projec- tion sets need little new technology in the picture department — they're already renowned for color, sharpness and de- tail. But there’s a new twist in the audio circuitry of the $3,500 set —a sound ex- pansion system that offers three differ- ent acoustical environments. 48 VIDEO DECEMBER 1991

Oe] CLD-V820 Songs and Sea: LR Pioneer's CLD-V820 Laser Karaoke player (left) and Panasonic's | diving case for Palm- i corders (below). tion—an LCD screen. The handheld for Hire ($19.95) is a comic book/game; unit weighs less than a pound, is slightly Mind Run ($39.95) is a memory-building larger than a VHS cassette and can pro- game; the Prehistorik game ($49.95) stars ject a picture from six to 40 inches. It caveman “Clubus Anticus” trying to uses an LCD array with 88,908 pixels survive the ice age; and Spirit of Ex- and can be powered by Sony’s NP-77H calibur ($59.95) is an Arthurian fantasy. Marine Case camcorder battery, or with the included To make its $999 machine more palat- SO MaleraNESsi165 FeeFteet Made in USA AC adapter. It can be hooked up to any able for science and technology buffs, X-mas Excitement: Hitachi's VT-F551A video sou—ralcthoeugh it’s aimed espe- Commodore is bundling two goodies VCR (left) and Commo- dore’s Lemmings CDTV cially at camcorder users—and is with it: The New Grolier Encyclopedia, a game (below). equipped with tiny stereo speakers. 21-volume reference on one disc (ac- most popular group entertainment from the Land of the Rising Sun fails to make The promise of integrating S-VHS cording to Commodore, it’s a $399 val- it here, it won’t be from lack of trying. Sanyo, Nikkodo and, especially, Pioneer into a world filled with VHS VCRs is be- ue), and the $49.95 adventure game will be aggressively marketing laserdisc karaoke machines and song discs de- ing fulfilled by Hitachi's new VT-F551A. Lemmings. signed to break down the inhibitions of American rock ’n’ roll wanna-bes. This $729 VHS The Pioneer CLD-V820 is the latest hi-fi deck is S-VHS compati- ble—if you have a prerecorded S-VHS tape, or you've borrowed one from a high-tech friend, you can play it on ws 9STROVE RETR HD the VT-F551A. Designed primarily as an editing deck, it includes a universal Video Brain II re- Philips meanwhile, to make its mote control, equipped with a jog/shut- CDI910 CD-I player a more practical tle dial that controls two VCRs holiday gift, has cut the initial price from simultaneously, as well as 14 brands of $1,400 to $1,000 —which means that if TV sets and eight cable decoder boxes. you shop carefully (or use one of those By now, you may be familiar with new price-guarantee credit cards), for two competing and incompatible inter- about $800 you can be the first on your active compact disc systems, Philips’ block to interact with your CD. At CD-I and Commodore’s CDTV. Each is presstime, Philips had announced nearly hoping to capture not only the lion’s 50 CD-I titles, ranging from $18 to $50, share of interactive CD sales, but the at- to go along with the player. (For more tention and efforts of third-party soft- on the technology, see ‘‘CD-I Test ware develo—pseofrtwsare being the Drive” elsewhere in this issue.) key to any new hardware system. The technology-loving Japanese Commodore has more than 100 titles have enthusiastically embraced karaoke, available for its CDTV system, which a laserdisc-based system that lets you has been available since summer. These sing along with music videos. Whether it include five new discs for the holiday can cross cultures to become popular season: Animated Coloring Book ($39.95) here is a matter of lively conjecture, es- animates what you’ve colored; Dinosaurs pecially among bar owners. But if the DECEMBER 1991 VIDEO 49

POWER PRESENTS in karaoke. It not only plays the 12-inch BARR?ENS . iAN’RSE Production Power: karaoke discs, but laserdiscs and CDs of Sony's computer-con- all sizes. The new $1,000 player can also RABAT, ANNES remove the vocal track from almost any zs % Se aoe WAS trolled Hi8 VCR (left) CD. It features three digital sound proc- and Videonics’ Title- essing setti—ncogncsert hall, nightclub % Maker (below). and outdoor arena—to enhance the fan- tasy of stardom. voic—eenosugh to make this little box Videonics, Panasonic and Yamaha sound like a big band. Its sounds are ter- M4 VIDEONICS VIDEO TITLEMAKER have crammed the latest digital video tific, including special effects and digital and sound technology into small, afford- able units that add titles, effects or mu- samples of a wide variety of instruments. sic to your productions. Videonics’ $399 TitleMaker offers more than a million A 24-voice rhythm machine provides 76 colors and more than 400 lines of resolu- realistic-sounding backbeats, from polka ee to punk, complete with bass lines and Library to Go: Sony's Data Discman displays CD-ROM reference works on a black-and-white LCD screen. chord patterns. With so much power, it tion for scrolling titles, subtitles, back- takes a little patience to learn, but re- grounds and outlines. It lets you super- impose titles over a moving image, add quires little musical talent. animation, 3-D and drop shadow effects, Video printers solve the glaring and insert backgrounds such as “gran- ite” and “shimmering rainbow.” weakness of video—no hard copies. The $1,100 Panasonic WJ-AVE3 dig- Panasonic’s new PV-VP1 is the current Sony's Data Discman is a simple, ital effects generator performs digital still, pixelization, solarization, image re- state of the art in video printers. The versal and strobe. It’s not your garden- $1,300 unit can reproduce 16.7 million portable version of interactive CD play- variety strobe, either —it uses crystal- colors (most only do about 200,000) and ers. It uses a black-and-white LCD clear freeze frames flashed to simulate an eight-bit digital memory allows you screen to display computer graphics and an old-time nickelodeon. The unit can also mix sound from three sources, and to print multiple pictures on the same text from three-inch CD-ROM discs. includes a color corrector and a mono- chromatic color effect that tints an en- sheet, including sequential frames, or The $550 Data Discman is intended as a tire image. A trigger that synchronizes the effects with the beat of a music track zoom in on an image. pocket-size reference library —it comes makes it perfect for home music videos. The glaring weakness of surround with Compton’s Concise Encyclopedia, The ultimate mini sound accessory, sound — everyone in the room has to ex- World Language Translator and The Well- however, comes from Yamaha—its new QYIO synthesizer/sequencer is undoubt- perience it with you—has also been ness Guide, a home medical reference. edly the easiest way to add original, pro- fessional-sounding music to home solved. Memorex’s $100 Video Head- Other titles include Frommer’s Guide to videos. The videocassette-sized unit re- cords four tracks of music in up to 30 phone System uses two drivers in each America’s Most Traveled Cities, Roger ear cup to produce a surround-sound ef- Ebert's Movie Home Companion and The fect. The headphones actually have two Silver Palate Cookbook. It has a video quarter-inch plugs; one plugs into a sur- output so it can be used with a TV set. round-equipped receiver, the other into New technology has even trickled a rear-channel amplifier included with down to battery chargers. Siraa’s $125 the headphones. You'll have to rewire PowerMax Plus 2 tests, discharges and your speakers slightly, but it’ll be worth recharges two batteries in sequence— it if you wake up at 4 a.m. with an un- eliminating the memory effect that /ha,controllable urge to enjoy Dick Tracy plagues nickel-cadmium continued on page 122 in all its sonic glory. Surround on a Strap: Memorex's surround- sound headphones. 50 VIDEO DECEMBER 1991