Rating: 
Summary: Reliable, As Usual
Review: My last Sony VCR finally died - after about 9 years. I did my research and found Consumer Reports recommends this VCR. I got it home and had it connected and the time set in less than 10 minutes! I love it. To set the clock with the most ease, set your local PBS station - once I set this station, it found the correct time in about 5 seconds! I also love the remote! It controls my Zenith TV! As usual, I am happy with my Sony. Sony has yet to let me down. I definitely recommend this VCR.
Rating: 
Summary: Great, but not perfect
Review: This is a great VCR. Audio and video quality is great. Recording quality is great. The SP sound quality is slightly better than the EP, but the video quality is almost the same. However, it's a bit noisy especially while recording. If it was not for that, I would definitly give it five stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Agonizingly slow
Review: This VCR is slooooooooooooooow. When I am watching a movie, and I want to do a rewind-while-play, I expect the VCR to be able to handle it. My old Sony VCR model #SLV-660HF was quick, so shouldn't the years newer model SLV-N71 be much much faster? Well, apparently Sony doesn't think so. It takes, I am estimating, 4 times longer to do a "quick rewind" while the movie is playing. That's my first complaint.My 2nd complaint is that the time it takes for the VCR to begin recording is way, WAY slower than the SLV-660HF. To put it mildly, it is an agonizing wait. There you are, watching tv, when you see something come on that you want to record. So you (quickly) grab a tape, pop it in, press record, and wait.....and wait....and wait....and wait... all the while you program is ticking on without being recorded, until *FINALLY* the VCR starts recording. My 3rd complaint is that it takes sooo long for the VCR to eject a tape. Again, an agonizing process. My 4th complaint is that the remote control stinks. It is simply not designed well. I have decided to use my old control from my old SLV-660HF, which is designed in a way that allows me to press buttons (isn't that what a control is supposed to do)? Sadly, these complaints get in the way of my enjoyment of what otherwise would be a good VCR. I guess SONY is kind of going down the tubes a bit, because I also bought a DVD from them and that too is agonizingly slow. I used to be able to walk into a store and buy a Sony product and be reasonably assured that it would perform as expected. However, based on my experience with my 2 latest purchases, I guess things have changed at that company. .
Rating:
Summary: Gets the job done
Review: When my 3 year-old Sharp VCR ate my brand new movie, I let the poor thing sit for two weeks trying to figure out which VCR to buy. I probably just should've replaced it with a DVD, but I have too many tapes to go without. Nevertheless, I broke down and went to the local electronics store and picked up this VCR. Figuring it was a Sony utilizing state-of-the-art technology, I found myself somewhat disappointed. It's fairly low tech. Then again, I suppose VCR's are these days. While the picture quality and sound is good, the unit features were lacking compared to my old VCR. It has only one fast forward speed, and its "commercial pass" feature requires the user to manually stop the tape. Those are really the only major complaints I can lodge against the product, but when there's not much to talk about, it makes a difference. On the basis of picture and sound quality, this product deserves a favorable rating. Perhaps its biggest sin is not being the VCR that I was used to.
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