SL-C9
1983  


Overview

The SLC9 is a very special machine in the range of Sony Betamax machines. It first came on to the market in 1982 and was the 'top of the range' model for many a year afterwards.

What makes it so special? Well to put it simply it is because the C9 incorporates so many advanced features. Features that even today still put many current video recorders ( non Beta included ) to shame. From the technical point of view the most amazing achievement of this machine is the tape transport. This uses two separate direct drive dc motors, one for each of the supply and take up reels. The result is that the tape transport is simply beautiful. The ability to change from normal speed playback to trick speeds of one tenth, a fifth, with near frame accurate advance in both forward and reverse is incredible for a domestic VCR.

Internally the machine is densely packed with sophisticated electronics. At the centre of the control systems are no less than three micro processors.

From the consumer point of view the C9 is a stylish front loading machine which has a 9 event 14 day timer, Beta Noise Reduction (BNR), audio dubbing facility, a camera input and perfect picture in pause mode not to mention a real-time counter and APS indexing system. The APS system is a classic example of a feature which was to later find its way on to a rival system. The ES model is also equipped with a stereo / bilingual modulator.
Another nice feature of the C9 is the tape remaining indicator. This shows using a six segment LED display roughly how much tape is left. When the final ten minutes is reached, the remaining LED starts to flash.
Tape remaining picture


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