Sony SLV-GA55ME, SLV-GA35SG, SLV-GA35PS, SLV-GA55TH, SLV-GA55PS User Manual

3-867-577-13 (1)

Video Cassette Player

Operating Instructions

SLV-GA35ME/PS/SG/TH

PAL NTSC 4.43

SLV-GA55ME/MES/PS/SG/TH

PAL NTSC

SLV-GA65MJ		PAL NTSC
©1999 by Sony Corporation
	Getting Started
	Step 1
Unpacking			• Plug adaptor (SLV-GA35ME, GA55ME,
			GA55MES and GA65MJ)

Check that you have received the following items with the unit:

• Remote commander

•R6 (Size AA) batteries

•Aerial cable

Checking your model name

The instructions in this manual are for the 10 models: SLV-GA35ME, GA35PS, GA35SG, GA35TH, GA55ME, GA55MES, GA55PS, GA55SG, GA55TH and GA65MJ. Check your model number by looking at the rear panel of your unit. The SLV-GA65MJ is the model used for illustration purposes. Any difference in operation is clearly indicated in the text, for example, “SLV-GA35ME only.”

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
	a (TV power)
	?/1
	(on/standby)
	PROG (CH) +/–
	VOL +/–
To	Press
Turn the TV to standby	?/1 (on/standby)
or active mode
Turn on the TV power	a (TV power)
Increase (+) or decrease (–)	VOL +/–
the TV volume
Change the TV	PROG (CH) +/–
programme position
Select an input source	TV/VIDEO
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.

Step 3

Connecting the unit

Connect the aerial to your unit and TV as shown below to watch TV programmes and video pictures on your TV. In addition, if your TV has audio/video (A/V) input jacks, we recommend you connect the unit to your TV using an audio/video cable to get a better picture and sound.

Connecting the aerial

Aerial cable (supplied)

AERIAL OUT

AERIAL IN

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.

AERIAL

OUT

IN

3 Connect the mains lead to the mains.

Use the supplied plug adaptor, if necessary, depending on the design of the mains (SLV-GA35ME, GA55ME, GA55MES and GA65MJ).

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.)

This unit

AUDIO VIDEO

LINE IN

LINE OUT

TV

IN

VIDEO

AUDIO

Audio/video cable (not supplied)

Step 4

Tuning your TV to the unit

If you have connected your unit to the TV using the audio/video cable, skip this step.

?/1 ON/STANDBY H PLAY

1 Press ?/1 ON/STANDBY to turn on the unit.

ON/STANDBY

2 Turn on your TV and select a programme position for the video picture.

This channel will now be referred to as the video channel.

Some TV has the programme position, such as 0, that is reserved for a VCR. In this case, select that programme position for the video picture. Refer to the instruction manual of your TV for details.

3 Tune the TV until the video picture below is clearly displayed on the TV screen.

SONY

VIDEO CASSETTE PLAYER

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 video picture does not appear clearly in step 3 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

Operations

Playing/searching at various speeds

H PLAY A EJECT

m 3 REW M# FF NTSC PB

x STOP X PAUSE COLOR SYSTEM

Z EJECT

DISPLAY

3/# SEARCH

y SLOW X PAUSE

M FF

H PLAY

x STOP

m REW

1 Turn on your TV and set it to the video channel.

2 Insert a tape.

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	Set COLOR SYSTEM to
recorded in
PAL	PAL/MESECAM
NTSC	NTSC
MESECAM	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	Set NTSC PB to
PAL	ON PAL TV
NTSC 4.43	NTSC 4.43
NTSC 3.58	NTSC 3.58
	(SLV-GA55ME/MES/PS/
	SG/TH and GA65MJ only)

To view the tape status on the screen

Press DISPLAY.

The following information appears on the TV screen.

LINE 1

STEREO

					Remaining
					tape length
SP	S–		E		Time counter
	0 : 0 0 : 22

Tape speed*

*Appears for a few seconds when the DISPLAY button is pressed and when the mode is changed.

To turn the display off, press DISPLAY again.

(SLV-GA35ME/PS/SG/TH)

The unit turns on, and starts playing automatically.

(SLV-GA55ME/MES/PS/SG/TH and GA65MJ)

The unit turns on, and starts playing automatically if you insert a tape with its safety tab removed.

3 Press H PLAY (if playback did not start in step 2).

PLAY

When the tape reaches the end, it will rewind automatically.

Additional tasks

Playback options	Operation
Stop play	Press xSTOP.
Pause play	Press XPAUSE.
Resume play after	Press XPAUSE or
pause	HPLAY.
Fast-forward the tape	Press MFF (M# FF
	on the unit) during stop.
Rewind the tape	Press mREW
	(m3 REW on the unit)
	during stop.
View the picture	During fast-forward, hold
during fast-forward	MFF (M# FF on the
or rewind	unit) down.
	During rewind, hold
	mREW (m3 REW on
	the unit) down.
Play at high speed	• During playback or
	pause, press
	# SEARCH or
	3 SEARCH.
	• During playback or
	pause, hold down
	MFF (M# FF on
	the unit) or mREW
	(m3 REW on the
	unit).
	When you release the
	button, normal
	playback resumes.
Play in slow motion	During playback or
	pause, press y SLOW .
Rewind and start play During stop, press H
	PLAY on the unit while
	holding down
	m3 REW on the unit.
Eject the tape	Press ZEJECT.
Resume normal	Press HPLAY.
playback

Notes

•The sound is muted during playback at various speeds and pause.

•You can eject a tape even when the power is off. When you press ZEJECT, 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.

•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.

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.

Adjusting the picture

Although the unit automatically adjusts the picture when playing a tape, distortions or noise may occur if the tape was recorded in poor condition. If so, manually adjust the resolution, colour and tracking.

RESOLUTION CONTROL II buttons

STD PICT

AUTO/MANU

V/v NORMAL/ SLOW/STILL ADJUST

M/m/</,

Resolution

Control II

STANDARD PICTURE

Adjusting the resolution and colour

1 While playing a tape, press M/m/</ , RESOLUTION CONTROL II (up/ down/left/right button on the unit) to display the RESOLUTION CONTROL II menu.

The RESOLUTION CONTROL II buttons light up.

RESOLUTION CONTROL II

•	•	•	•	• C
•	•	•	•	• O
•		+	•	• L
•	•	•	•	• O
•	•	•	•	• R

RESOLUTION

2 Press </,RESOLUTION CONTROL II (left/right button on the unit) to get a clearer picture.

3 Press M/m RESOLUTION CONTROL II (up/down button on the unit) to get the best picture colour.

Wait for several seconds until the RESOLUTION CONTROL II menu disappears.

To resume the automatic adjustment

Press STANDARD PICTURE on the remote commander (STD PICT on the unit) so that the RESOLUTION CONTROL II buttons turn off.

Adjusting the tracking

Press V/v TRACKING NORMAL/SLOW/ STILL ADJUST to obtain the best possible picture. The distortion should disappear as you press one of the two buttons. If you cannot get a clear picture with manual adjustment, press TRACKING AUTO/ MANU to return to automatic adjustment.

About Optimum Picture Control (OPC) (SLV-GA35ME/PS/ SG/TH only)

Optimum Picture Control (OPC) 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.

About Adaptive Picture Control (APC) (SLV-GA55ME/ MES/PS/SG/TH and SLV-GA65MJ only)

Adaptive Picture Control (APC) automatically improves recording and playback quality by adjusting the unit to the condition of the video heads and tape.

APC playback

The APC function automatically works on all types of tapes, including rental tapes and tapes that were not recorded with APC.

APC recording

Whenever you insert a tape and first start recording, the unit adjusts to the tape using the APC function. This adjustment is retained until the tape is ejected.

Tip

•Adjust the picture using V/vNORMAL/ 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.

•There is a delay of a few seconds before the unit actually starts recording while the unit analyses the tape. To avoid the delay, first set the unit to recording pause and press zREC to have the unit analyse the tape. After ten seconds, press XPAUSE to start recording immediately. If you press X PAUSE before ten seconds, the APC function is cancelled.

•While playing a MESECAM recorded tape, you cannot adjust the colour using the RESOLUTION CONTROL II function.

•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.