The Sony SL-HF400 is very flexible as it can play Beta 1, 2, and 3 tapes. It can also play the newer Beta tapes in stereo if they were recorded that way. It is a bit larger and heavier than newer VCR decks, but that is to be expected from any deck built in 1985! There are many bells and whistles for recording and setting the timer that I can't really speak to - I use it in my business to transfer analog recordings to digital. So I can speak to the quality of the audio and video on playback, and it is really good! It was professionally restored - great job too! It came with the manual, remote and some test tapes. I am really happy with this purchase...and I shopped around a lot!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The Sony SL-HF400 Betamax VCR is an exceptional machine & sentimental favorite. (This review assumes you know the difference between Beta & VHS tapes & VCRs. If not, there are several excellent websites about Beta, including http://www.geocities.com/videoholic2000/ & http://www.betamaxcollectors.com/.) At each cohort of each generation of VCRs, each Beta was technologically & qualitatively better than its counterpart VHS. But the SL-HF400, first released in 1985 (!) was & still is a standout. It was built like a tank. Several "step-up" Beta VCRs in the same or next cohort had similar chassis & more features, but for some reason, the SL-HF400 was one of the sturdiest VCRs, & possibly THE sturdiest consumer VCR, ever built. This means that, while most Beta VCRs have held up very well over the years, the reliability & performance of the SL-HF400 has held up especially well. This was the first SUPER Beta VCR, with a picture even 20% better than the 1st & 2nd generations of Betas, a picture quality never equalled by any VHS VCR short of a Super-VHS. Even on a cheap TV, you could see the Super Beta's superiority to standard VHS or VHS HQ. This was also the 2nd generation VCR with Beta Hi-Fi, an awesome sound technology that was only barely surpassed by CDs & DVDs. We hooked up ours through external speakers for home theater sound that still holds up well. The SL-HF400 also was the first Beta to have new picture-stabilization tracking circuitry that allowed it to play back aging tapes longer & with better results than older VCRs. Some people may be disappointed that this unit has few bells & whistles -- even some considered pretty basic on later models, like a real-time tape counter (this was one of the last with just a basic, 4-digit counter) & frame-by-frame advance. And, having only 2 heads instead of the 4 heads that became more common later, it still had snow on the freeze-frame & scanning (FF or REW with a picture). Yes, those & others are nice features. However, their enjoyment pales when compared to the simple joy of the Super Beta picture & Beta Hi-Fi sound coming from a VCR that, because of its sturdiness, offers stunning quality over an exceptional life span. So, if you can live without the studio-quality editing, jog wheels, Hi-Band Beta I recording, slo-mo, character generators, & animation features of later, hi-end VCRs, which drive their prices up to between $400 & $1500 from reputable eBay & other sellers; if what you want is great sound & picture & reliability & durability for a reasonable price, the SL-HF400 is for you.Read full review
This unit works fantastic. It weighs a ton but weren't all old style electronics like that? What surprises me is how quiet it is. Almost silent actually. Even the playing and recording is just a whisper. Far cry from our noisy DVD players of today. I got this unit so that I can transfer Beta tape to DVD. Originally was not going to do Beta. I am a retail business that transfers Film and Video. But I constantly had customers coming to me asking for Beta. When I looked into it most places were charging $30-$40 PER HOUR! That is gross! In this economy why do people charge to much. WAY TO MUCH!!! So I now do it for only $10 extra from our regular price. Only charging that because these Betas cost about $300. Probably won't even get my money back on the unit. What I do get to keep is happy customers. That is definitely worth ALOT! Waited until a unit came up that played all the Beta speeds and some SuperBeta speeds. It even includes the original instructions, manual, remote control, adapters, cables, and sample recordings. WOW! The quality is definitely old style NOT hi-def by any means. But it does do a pretty good job. Considering how good this Beta unit is I may buy another just for the fun of it!Read full review
It's a bit heavy, as some, great, electronic-type products can be, and it contains some great engineering, from Sony. Beta was the choice, during a certain time, and Sony made the best Beta-type products ... as the latter survive the many years after their productions. ... If you have old Beta dubs/tapes, and want to transfer them to VHS, DVD and/or other forms that have products, in reproduction, that are NOT of the older, almost-extinct type ... then refurbished Sony Beta decks (and I'm not saying that OTHER, Beta decks are disallowed) ... are the choice, and then you should investigate ebay and Sony/Beta.
I PURCHASED THIS MACHINE--SONY BETA 400 BECAUSE IT WILL PLAYBACK BETA I-II-III I HAVE A FAMILY OWNED PRODUCTION BUSINESS & I CHANGE FORMATS - PHOTO' TO STORY BOOK - HOME MOVIES - BETA - VHS - 8MM'S - DVD - AROUND THE WORLD TRANSFERS & MY BETA MACHINE BROKE DOWN THIS MACHINE DID ALL THREE SPEEDS SO I'D NEED ONLY ONE MACHINE WHEN BEFORE I NEEDED 2 MACNINES & I LIKE SONY BETA PRODUCTS....IT DOESN'T HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO TIME RECORD BECAUSE THAT FUNCTION DOES NOT OPERATE ON THIS MACHINE--UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS IT DOES BUT THE PRICE WAS REASONABLE & TO REASONABLE TO RETURN THE MACHINE--SINCE I HAD NO INTENTIONS OF TIME RECORDING ANYWAY