
3-864-837-12 (1)
Step 3
Video Cassette Player
Operating Instructions
SLV-GA60MJ
SLV-GA50ME/PS/SG
SLV-GA30ME/PS/SG
©1998 by Sony Corporation
Getting Started
Step 1
Unpacking
Check that you have received the following
items with the unit:
• Remote commander
• R6 (Size AA) batteries
• Aerial cable
PAL NTSC
PAL NTSC
PAL NTSC 4.43
• Plug adaptor (SLV-GA60MJ, GA50ME and
GA30ME)
Checking your model
name
The instructions in this manual are
for the 7 models: SLV-GA60MJ,
GA50ME, GA50PS, GA50SG,
GA30ME, GA30PS and GA30SG.
Check your model number by
looking at the rear panel of your unit.
The SLV-GA60MJ is the model used
for illustration purposes. Any
difference in operation is clearly
indicated in the text, for example,
“SLV-GA60MJ only.”
Connecting the unit
Aerial cable (supplied)
AERIAL OUT
AERIAL IN
to mains
: Signal flow
1 Disconnect the aerial cable from your
TV and connect it to AERIAL IN on the
rear panel of the unit.
AERIAL
OUT
IN
2 Connect AERIAL OUT of the unit and
the aerial input of your TV using the
supplied aerial cable.
Step 4
3 Connect the mains lead to the mains.
Use the supplied plug adaptor, if
necessary, depending on the design of
the mains (SLV-GA60MJ, GA50ME and
GA30ME).
Additional connections
To a TV that has audio/video input jacks
This additional connection improves picture
and sound quality. Connect the TV as
shown below.
If you want to use the Trinitron TV Synchro
Play function, this connection is necessary.
(If your TV has two or more inputs, connect
the audio/video cable to the VIDEO IN 1
jacks.)
For SLV-GA60MJ and GA50ME/PS/SG only
This unit
AUDIO VIDEO
LINE IN
LINE OUT
TV
IN
VIDEO
AUDIO
Audio/video cable (not supplied)
Step 2
Setting up the
remote commander
Inserting the batteries
Insert two R6 (size AA) batteries by
matching the + and – on the batteries to the
diagram inside the battery compartment.
Insert the negative (–) end first, then push
in and down until the positive (+) end
clicks into position.
Using the remote commander
You can use this remote commander to
operate the unit and a Sony TV. To operate
this unit, point at the remote sensor on the
unit. To operate the TV, point at the remote
sensor on the TV. Buttons in the shaded
area of the remote commander can be used
to operate your Sony TV. If the TV does not
have the g symbol near the remote sensor,
this remote commander will not operate the
TV.
Remote sensor
TV/VIDEO
; (TV power)
1/u
(on/standby)
PROG (CH) +/–
VOL +/–
To
Turn the TV to standby
or active mode
Turn on the TV power
Increase (+) or decrease (–)
the TV volume
Change the TV
programme position
Select an input source
of the TV either from aerial
in or from line in
Notes
• With normal use, the batteries should last
about three to six months.
• If you do not use the remote commander for an
extended period of time, remove the batteries
to avoid possible damage from battery leakage.
• Do not use a new battery with an old one.
• Do not use different types of batteries.
Press
1/u (on/standby)
; (TV power)
VOL +/–
PROG (CH) +/–
TV/VIDEO
Tuning your TV to
the unit
If you have connected your unit to the TV
using the audio/video cable, skip this step.
ON/STANDBY
· PLAY
1 Press ON/STANDBY to turn on the
unit.
2 Turn on your TV and select a
programme position for video
playback.
Choose a channel between UHF 30 and
39 on the TV where there is no picture
and no sound or only a steady rustling
sound.
This channel will now be referred to as
the video channel.
3 Insert a tape recorded in the colour
system matching your TV into the
cassette compartment.
(SLV-GA30ME/PS/SG)
The unit starts playing automatically.
(SLV-GA60MJ and GA50ME/PS/SG)
The unit starts playing automatically if
you insert a tape with its safety tab
removed.
5 Tune the TV until the video playback
picture is clearly displayed on the TV
screen.
Refer to your TV manual for tuning
instructions.
You have now tuned your TV to the
unit. From now on, whenever you want
to play a tape, set the TV to the video
channel.
To obtain a clear playback picture
If the playback picture does not appear
clearly in step 5 above, turn the RF
CHANNEL screw on the rear panel of the
unit with a screwdriver to a position where
the TV clearly displays the playback
picture.
To select the TV system
For your TV to receive the correct signal
from your unit, you must set the TV
SYSTEM switch on the rear panel of the
unit to either G (for system B/G) or K (for
system D/K). If this switch is set to the
wrong position, the sound will be distorted.
RF CHANNEL
TV SYSTEM
G
K
4 Press · PLAY on the unit.
PLAY

Operations
PICTURE CONTROL
NORMAL TRACKING
– – – – – – – –
– – – – – – – –
TRACKING
SELECT : [ TRACK / SHARP ]
SHARPNESS
Playing/searching
at various speeds
· PLAY
COLOR SYSTEM
6 EJECT
NTSC PB
0 3 REW
6 EJECT
SLOW +/–
3/# SEACRH
7 FRAME
P PAUSE
) FF
· PLAY
p STOP
0 REW
1 Turn on your TV and set it to the video
channel.
2 Insert a tape.
(SLV-GA30ME/PS/SG)
The unit turns on, and starts playing
automatically.
(SLV-GA60MJ and GA50ME/PS/SG)
The unit turns on, and starts playing
automatically if you insert a tape with
its safety tab removed.
3 Press · PLAY.
PLAY
When the tape reaches the end, it will
rewind automatically.
Additional tasks
Playback options
Stop play
Pause play
Resume play after
pause
Fast-forward the tape
Rewind the tape
View the picture
during fast-forward
or rewind
Play at high speed
Play in slow motion
Play frame by frame
Operation
Press p STOP.
Press P PAUSE.
Press P PAUSE or
· PLAY.
Press ) FF () # FF
on the unit) during stop.
Press 0 REW
(0 3 REW on the unit)
during stop.
During fast-forward, hold
) FF () # FF on the
unit) down.
During rewind, hold
0 REW (0 3 REW on
the unit) down.
• During playback or
pause, press
# SEARCH or
3 SEARCH.
• During playback or
pause, hold down
) FF () # FF on
the unit) or 0 REW
(0 3 REW on the
unit).
When you release the
button, normal
playback resumes.
During playback or
pause, press SLOW +/–.
Press the SLOW +/–
buttons to change the
speed.
During pause, press
7 FRAME to advance
the picture one frame.
Hold the button down to
play one frame each
second.
) # FF
p STOPP PAUSE
Playback options
Rewind and start play
Eject the tape
Resume normal
playback
Operation
During stop, hold
0 3 REW on the unit
down and press · PLAY
on the unit.
Press 6 EJECT.
Press · PLAY.
To set the colour system
If streaks appear during playback, set
COLOR SYSTEM on the unit to conform to
the system that the tape was recorded in.
(Normally set the switch to AUTO.)
If your tape was
recorded in
PAL
NTSC
MESECAM
Set COLOR SYSTEM to
PAL/MESECAM
NTSC
PAL/MESECAM
To play an NTSC-recorded tape
Set NTSC PB on the unit according to the
colour system of your TV.
If your TV is
PAL
NTSC 4.43
NTSC 3.58
Set NTSC PB to
ON PAL TV
NTSC 4.43
NTSC 3.58
(SLV-GA60MJ and
GA50ME/PS/SG only)
To view the tape status on the screen
Press ON SCREEN DISPLAY on the unit.
The following information appears on the
TV screen.
LINE 1
STEREO
Remaining
tape length
–
SE
::
SP
000
Tape speed*
* Appears for a few seconds when the ON
SCREEN DISPLAY is pressed and when the
mode is changed.
Time counter
22
To turn the display off, press ON SCREEN
DISPLAY again.
Notes
• The sound is muted during playback at various
speeds and pause.
• If you press 7 FRAME during playback,
playback continues at the normal speed but the
sound is muted. Press · PLAY to resume
normal playback.
• You can eject a tape even when the power is
off. When you press 6 EJECT, the unit turns on
automatically. After ejecting the tape, the unit
turns off again.
• When the pause mode lasts for more than
approximately five minutes, the unit will
automatically enter the playback mode.
• (SLV-GA50PS and GA30PS only)
You can play back tapes recorded in the SP
mode only.
• (SLV-GA60MJ, GA50ME/SG and GA30ME/SG
only)
Tapes recorded in the LP mode of NTSC system
on other VCRs can be played back on this unit,
but the picture quality cannot be guaranteed.
• The counter resets to “0:00:00” whenever a tape
is inserted.
• The counter stops counting when it comes to a
portion with no recording.
• If a tape has portions recorded in both PAL and
NTSC systems, the time counter reading will
not be correct. This is due to the difference
between the counting cycles of the two colour
systems.
• Streaks or snow cannot be eliminated
completely in the various playback operations,
especially in the slow motion mode.
• On screen symbols may shake while playing or
searching at various speeds.
• Depending on your TV, the following may
occur while playing an NTSC-recorded tape:
– the picture is black and white,
– the picture shakes,
– no picture appears on the TV screen,
– black streaks appear horizontally on the TV
screen, and
– the colour density increases or decreases.
Turning on the unit
and TV to start
playback (Trinitron
TV Synchro Play)
You can only use this function if your TV is
made by Sony (Trinitron TV).
How to connect to use this function
Connect the unit and TV with the audio/
video cable. Be sure to connect the audio/
video cable to the VIDEO IN 1 jacks on the
TV if the TV has two inputs or more. The
TV must be placed where it will respond to
the remote commander while you are
pointing it at the unit.
Operation
Make sure that the TV’s power is in standby
mode.
Adjusting the
picture (Resolution
Control)
Adjusting the tracking and
sharpness
Although the unit automatically adjusts the
tracking and sharpness when playing a
tape, distortion or noise may occur if the
tape was recorded in poor condition. If so,
manually adjust the tracking or sharpness.
TRACKING
indicator
PICTURE CONTROL
AUTO MANUAL
SHARPNESS
indicator
AUTO/MANU
$/4 NORMAL/
SLOW/STILL
ADJUST
TRACKING/
SHARPNESS
1 While playing a tape, press the
PICTURE CONTROL dial on the unit
or TRACKING/SHARPNESS on the
remote commander to display the
PICTURE CONTROL menu.
2 Press the PICTURE CONTROL dial on
the unit or TRACKING/SHARPNESS
on the remote commander to move the
cursor (r) to TRACKING.
The TRACKING indicator flashes and
the SHARPNESS indicator lights up.
3 Rotate the PICTURE CONTROL dial to
the left or right or press $/4
NORMAL/SLOW/STILL ADJUST on
the remote commander to reduce the
distortion.
Press TRINITRON TV SYNCHRO PLAY
and hold the remote commander in place
for about two seconds.
The unit and TV turn on, and the TV is set
to the video channel. If there is a tape in the
unit, playback starts automatically.
Notes
• If the Trinitron TV Synchro Play function does
not work properly:
– Wait a few moments, and press the button
again.
– Replace both of the batteries in the remote
commander with new ones, and press the
button again.
Note that this function may not operate some
Sony TVs because of the remote commander’s
signal limitations.
• Do not press TRINITRON TV SYNCHRO
PLAY while playing back a video tape. If you
do so, the TV’s input source will momentarily
switch to the TV’s tuner.
4 Press the PICTURE CONTROL dial on
the unit or TRACKING/SHARPNESS
on the remote commander to move the
cursor (r) to SHARPNESS.
The SHARPNESS indicator flashes.
PICTURE CONTROL
TRACKING
SHARPNESS CONTROL
– – – – – – – –
SELECT : [ TRACK / SHARP ]
SHARPNESS
– – – – – – – –
5 Rotate the PICTURE CONTROL dial to
the left or right or press $/4
NORMAL/SLOW/STILL ADJUST on
the remote commander to get a clearer
picture.
Wait for several seconds until the menu
disappears. The TRACKING and/or
SHARPNESS indicator light(s) up to
show the tracking and/or sharpness
are/is manually adjusted.
To resume the automatic adjustment
Press AUTO/MANUAL on the unit or
AUTO/MANU on the remote commander
so that both of the TRACKING and
SHARPNESS indicators turn off.
About OPC
OPC (Optimum Picture Control)
automatically improves playback quality by
adjusting the unit to the condition of the
video heads and tape.
The OPC function automatically works on
all types of tapes, including rental tapes and
the tapes that were not recorded with OPC.
Tips
• You can adjust the tracking just by rotating the
PICTURE CONTROL dial or pressing $/4
NORMAL/SLOW/STILL ADJUST while
playing a tape.
• Adjust the picture using PICTURE CONTROL
dial or $/4 NORMAL/SLOW/STILL ADJUST
if:
– streaks appear while playing in slow motion
– the picture shakes while pausing
Notes
• The auto tracking function works
automatically when you play back a tape just
after inserting it.
• Sufficient picture quality may not be obtained
when playing back tapes recorded on another
VCR or tapes in poor condition.
• When a tape recorded with the copyguard
system is played back, intermittent distortion
may appear in the upper portion of the picture.
However, this is not a malfunction of the unit.