Unboxing a 1978 Sony SL-8200

[@cgeorge6786]

I found one junked and rusted in a shed at an estate sale. I was so fascinated by it that I worked weeks on it trying to restore it. Even bought another one on ebay to help me out. Amazing you found this. Love the huge motor and all those belts.

[@kennixox262]

My first Betamax in 1981 had the timer built in but had a corded remote control. Growing up, we had Trinitron's in our home probably from about 1973. Prior to that a large RCA that due to a lighting strike (Florida), was replaced by a Sony. Many, many years later in the late 1980's, I purchased one of the first Sony VHS machines to go next to my Betamax so that I could rent tapes which frankly I rarely ever did. Since 2005, I have not owned a television and the last Trinitron purchased was Sony's first HDTV (CRT), I think it was 30 or 32 inches, weighed a lot and two people to haul it upstairs to my viewing room. No HDMI, just the three RCA plugs, and an outboard HDTV tuner that could only receive the few HDTV broadcasts, maybe 5 hours a week prime time and mostly on ABC at 720P. This was before HDTV was on cable and only standard DVD existed. I had a friend who had a VHS D Theater, the first home HDTV video format. Since, those days, have not seen any reason to watch television. Anyone old enough to remember the old Trinitron commercial tagline "A Sony of My Owny"?

[@jasonhaman4670]

SL-8200? Awesome. In original box with packing, manual, and probably all other paperwork? Amazing. Timer unit? Wow, that's gotta be exceptionally rare. Again, original box, manual, etc.? Even awesomer. Surprised this was still in use to be serviced a decade later, considering the leaps and bounds home video made in that decade. Also a miracle it was put away and saved with all that original stuff, instead of tossed. Unfortunately it's probably more likely its replacement was a VHS VCR, rather than SuperBeta/Beta Hi-Fi. You are the Curator of an early home video museum. A home video archaeologist, if you will. Thank you for documenting and sharing your legendary collection! This is the cousin of the oldest Betamax I have in my collection - the SLO-260, the industrial version of the SL-8200. I got that off ebay about 20 years ago, in non-working condition. May just need belts, but it's been stored away most of the time since then, and I haven't gotten around to pursuing it further. (Can't stop thinking of your LV-1901, case of K-60 tapes, SL-7200... you are an absolute legend. I am in awe. Videoholic/Ray Glasser on youtube, who's had a website about his collection of tapes and machines that started with, IIRC, an SL-7200 he bought new back in the day, and continued on through basically the absolute end of Beta, is also a legend. I think he had a secondhand LV-1901 at one point, but even he didn't have an almost entire case of unopened K-60s. That is one heck of an accomplishment to outdo him in any aspect.)

[@vintagevideobasement]

Thanks! I’d like to see photos of the SLO-260. I might be interested if you ever want to sell it.

[@jasonhaman4670]

@@vintagevideobasement Unfortunately it's buried pretty deep in my garage. But it looks almost identical to the SL-8200. IIRC, unlike later SLO models, it has a built-in tuner, same as the SL-8200. Pretty sure it had BNC video connections instead of RCA (same as the later SLOs)... it might have audio dub? No plans to sell/part with any of my collection, but if that changes, I'll keep you in mind - it would obviously be going to a good home.

[@jasonhaman4670]

@@vintagevideobasement I just stumbled across a video on an SLO-260 - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z36pmYWKiJVgfrc. I was right about the BNC video connections and audio dub; it also has an audio level meter and input level control.

[@kennixox262]

I had a Super Beta ED. Long gone to the landfill or Goodwill.

[@nin74]

Such great find. Love your channel, keep it up.

[@vintagevideobasement]

Thanks!

[@josehugobarrerasanchez4396]

GENIAL estas si son ABUELAS VCRs de CALIDAD, PESADOTAS, y si es BETA uuuuuuuuuuy tienen un color perfecto.👏👏👍😁😁

[@thevacdude]

It must have been replaced by VHS a decade later, since that's what overtook Betamax tapes. Sadly, I never grew up with Betamax, only VHS, so probably didn't miss out too much. Thanks for the video. PS, you got yourself a new subscriber.

[@mclovinpo]

Vhs had been around already, in fact it was huge in the late 70s as it had more length to record

[@Betamax19732]

Excelente video gracias

[@oldradiosnphonographs]

I bought a SL7200A over an SL8200 because I wanted the oldest Beta machine I can add to my own collection since the LV1901 is too big and besides I got later machines to play X2 speed tapes. The next Beta machine I’ll get is probably a Superbeta HiFi machine. I’m also looking for a VTC-8200 Sanyo machine.

[@SavageScientist]

Sony packaging and boxes have not changed a bit since the 70s

[@Magnetar83]

I love these kind of videos, but can you please make them in normal landskape?

[@vintagevideobasement]

In the future, all of my repair videos will be in landscape. I have a much bigger following on Instagram, so this video is intended to be viewed on a phone, but I do want my repair videos to be better formatted for KZbin, so they will be in landscape from now on. Thanks!

[@Magnetar83]

@@vintagevideobasement Thank you! I'm looking forward to it 😁

[@tartarughaninja4]

@@Magnetar83 thank you for that. phone users can rotate their device and the video flips. PC users can't really flip their monitors so easily...

[@stevenamelching536]

@@vintagevideobasement great videos

[@shadex-ray7566]

If only they had have named it alphamax, it would have won though over VHS! 😆