Types and Typology of Video8 Models:

All Sony VCR’s with a video8 drive start with the letters –EV-. VHS models start with –SLV- and Betamax recorders have a –SL-. For Betamax I recommend Stephan Wagners Betamax Page . The following letter describes the type of VCR. Programmable VCR’s with a timer and a tuner are named –S-. There are two exceptions: (EV-A300 and EV-A200). Another possible explanation: these 2 models have a mono tuner. All –S- named VCR’s actually have an mpx stereo sound system, some of them are even capable of NICAM stereo reception.

Compact VCR’s without a tuner, however with a recording and playback function were named -C-. Players models which did not have a recording function, were named -P-. Twin recorders with two types of drives, a V8 and a VHS- drive, were named -T-. The only twin recorder, not capable of recording with the V8 drive, was entered in the VHS series of recorders, with an additional -T- on it, the SLV-T2000.

The following number describes the actual V8 model.

Within a series of models the common rule is: the smaller the first digit, the older is the VCR. There are two exceptions: the A300 was marketed a year before the A200. Just some years before model S880 the S1000 was marketed. Therefore the rule is: the higher sophisticated a model, the higher the number. E.g. the S880 has a lower number than the S1000, as it does not provide PCM sound, which enables the dubbing feature. Technically the S880 is derived from the S1000. Probably that model was one of the last attempts to position a Hi8 VCR as a valid competitor of so many S-VHS recorders in the growing market of Hi-End VCR's. For the sake of an attractive pricing more sophisticated extras like PCM sound or PIP were omitted from this very well designed last -S- model on the market.

Next to the model number comes another letter, referring mainly to the type of tuner necessary for the PAL standards in different countries. The continental European PAL evidently gets the attribute -E-. The British PAL has an -U- and the -PS- attribute suggests a compatibility of PAL and French SECAM. The complexity of all the variations may be shown at some examples: for the S550 und S1000 -NC- describes models which have besides the standard MPX- decoder an additional NICAM-decoder. Model S9000 has access to 5 different PAL sytems: -AE- is the model, which enables 2-channel reception and recording; -B- enables recording of Canal-Plus, Secam and Pay-TV programmes, -NP- may receive NICAM B/G; -VC- may receive VPS-signals, and -UB- receives NICAM!


The 4 Types of Video8 Recorders:

Videorecorder

Compact VCR's

Player

Twinrecorder

EV-A200

  EV-C3

  EV-P10

  EV-T1

EV-A300

  EV-C8

  EV-P25

  EV-T2

EV-S550

  EV-C45

  EV-P300

  SLV-T2000

EV-S600

  EV-C400

EV-S650

  EV-C500

EV-S700

  EV-C2000

EV-S850

EV-S880

EV-S1000

EV-S9000  

Hi8 VCR's in bluet