rfg@hound.UUCP (R.GRANTGES) (01/29/85)
[] The Sanyo VCR7200 was reviewed by Video magazine in their May, 1984 issue. They liked it. Their sample had an intermittent defect but otherwise worked fine. Video response was 240 lines (normal) Video S/N was 45 db (very good). I quote without permission (like everyone else): The VCR7200 performed like a champ in all areas but one - and that one flaw may stem from a defective test model...the problem was that the right audio channel faded out at times. The picture was surprisingly good, with the normal 240 lines of horizontal resolution - and the video signal-to- noise ratio was 45db, the best we've ever measured on a Sanyo machine. Color reproduction is also very good, but there is usually very little variation between machines on color accuracy. Audio performance was very good to excellent ... The 7200 was a bit easier to use than most of the other Beta Hi-Fi machines we've tested because most of the others had more bells and whistles to complicate operation. ... Conclusion. Sanyo is again offering a high-performance machine at a modest price. If you don't mind missing a few of the more esoteric features, this one is worth a strong look. One trick you might miss is that it probably outperforms most, if not all, audio cassette recorders in its price class, and you can record audio with no picture. Video tape is more economical... [The machine was originally offered at a suggested list price of $699.95] That is the lowest price for a Beta Hi-Fi machine so far. You're probably wondering how Sanyo achieves so low a price for such a sophisticated piece of technology. Well, the designers left out a few less-used bells and whistles. The 7200 doesn't offer audio dub, video dub(insert), or slow motion, and its search capability is optimized for Beta III. Sanyo says the search function works only at Beta III, but on the unit we tested it was quite usable at Beta II, albeit with a few large noise bars. In short, Sanyo chose to offer high performance plus the frills it considered most important rather than add extras and raise the price. The firm also prices on the principle that it can make more money by selling a large number of machines to the ravenous home-video public at a lower profit per unit. end quote. Sounds like a good deal to me. I have seen prices as low as $388 advertised. -- "It's the thought, if any, that counts!" Dick Grantges hound!rfg