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GRAND SLAM
INTRO
Super VHS video recorders have been pretty thin on the ground lately but
Mitsubishi are doing their best to make up for the shortfall with the M1000,
the long-awaited replacement for the ageing B82
COPY
Super VHS has had only limited success as a home recording format, the
lack of any pre-recorded software has been a major hindrance, and it's not
helped by the fact that S-VHS recordings of off-air TV programmes do not look
significantly better than those made on normal VHS machines. One area where the
system has been welcomed though, is in video movie-making, where it is the
preferred medium for editing from high-band camcorders, and mastering copies
onto standard VHS, minimising quality losses.
Mitsubishi have long championed the cause of Super VHS and have been at
the forefront of this particular technology, so the M1000 has a lot to live up
to, not least the fact that it replaces the B82, one of the best specified
Super VHS machines to date. In the past Mitsubishi's S-VHS machines have been a
breed apart but it's a sign of the times that the M1000 is based on the HS-M59,
one of their existing VHS decks. They've tried hard to differentiate the two
models by giving the M1000 and its remote control handset a distinctive silver
livery. We rarely feel the urge to comment on VCR colour schemes, they all look
pretty much the same, but the M1000 sticks out like a sore thumb. Silver harks
back to an earlier age -- about five years ago --when brushed aluminium was all
the rage on video and audio equipment; the M100 looks distinctly odd next to
currently fashionable black and anthracite-coloured boxes.
Like most Mitsubishi video products the M1000 is loaded with features,
some really useful, others less so; the one's we're interested in are those
directly concerned with editing and picture quality; we're pleased to report
they include the four essential facilities that determine whether or not a VCR
deserves to be called an edit deck, they are insert edit, audio (and video
dub), front-mounted AV terminal and a jog-shuttle dial. In addition the M1000
has a pre-roll mode and edit terminal which are used when this machine is
connected to another compatible Mitsubishi VCR, simplifying deck to deck
editing and copying.
Mitsubishi are famous for giving every tweak and widget a name or acronym
which is usually plastered all over the front panel; they've been a little more
discrete with the M1000 and only the Digital DCF, double SCART sockets, front
AV terminal, AV dub and 16:9 compatibility makes it to the fascia. DCF, by the
way, stands for dynamic comb filter, which reduces colour patterning and bleed.
That's not to say the M1000 is any way short of acronyms, look closer and you
will discover that it also has Twin IP (intelligent picture) playback, which controls
sharpness, according to tape grade and signal quality, DJ4 recording heads, PA
noise correction, and New SSS (swift
servo system) which gets a picture onto the screen in double quick time. Whilst
they were at it Mitsubishi have also reduced switching noise on the stereo
hi-fi recording system, and included NTSC replay (to most recent PAL TVs), date
recording and one-button timer programming.
IN USE
Routine functions, such as time and date setting, tuning and timer
programming are all helped by a clear and easy to follow menu-driven on-screen
display. This also puts up useful status indicators, including tape transport
mode, real-time counter, channel name and number and tape remaining. Just about
everything can be controlled from the handset, which sports the machines one
and only jog/shuttle dial, for quick and accurate control over the machine's
impressive array of trick-play facilities. Control layout and operation are
both good, the machine is generally
predictable and very well behaved, as it should be.
PERFORMANCE
The M1000 holds very few surprises, it's almost an old friend and apart
from the silvery cosmetics and extra circuitry and switches needed for the
Super VHS recording system there's not too many differences between it and the
M59, which we road-tested in the May issue. The M1000 test results echo the M59
with the horizontal resolution on VHS recordings just above 250-lines, noise
levels were lower than average and colour accuracy is exceptionally good. In
the S-VHS mode horizontal resolution climbed to just over 400-lines, and if
anything noise levels were even lower, producing a clear, sharp and
well-defined picture. Picture stability during still and trick-frame replay was
exceptional, and insert editing cut-points were clean and noise-free.
The impact of noise any suppression circuits on the hi-fi tracks is hard
to judge, the M100, like the M59 before it sounds very good indeed, and the
manual recording levels controls will be welcomed by anyone interested in
serious post production. Mitsubishi VCRs with stereo sound systems have been
criticised in the past for clicky soundtracks, sometimes blamed on auto
tracking systems; we are happy to say that we have not experienced any
problems, and our sample emerged with a clean bill of health.
VERDICT
The B82 was a fine machine but it had been around for over two and a half
years, which makes it almost an antique, as far as VCRs are concerned. The
M1000 has most of the B82's most important features, plus a few new ones
besides and picture performance is comparable; furthermore it's smaller,
lighter and cheaper. Normally at this point in a summary there's a few ifs and
buts. Not this time, the M1000 receives
an unconditional commendation, though if anyone at Mitsubishi is listening we
wouldn't mind the option of a black, or anthracite finish, in fact any colour
except silver...
SPECIFICATIONS
Make/model
Mitsubishi HS-M1000
Recording format
S-VHS-C/VHS
Guide price
£800
VIDEO DECK
Max playing time
8-hours (E-240 tape, LP speed)
Timer
31-days/8-events
Tape speed (mm/sec)
23.39(SP), 11.70(LP)
Remote control
full-function, inc. jog/shuttle
VIDEO
System Super VHS/VHS, PAL,
SP/LP, HQ, NTSC replay
Replay speeds
14x, 7x, 3x, 2x, 1/5x, 1/10x, 1/28 normal speed, both directions
AUDIO
System
FM stereo hi-fi, mono linear
Main facilities
NICAM stereo, insert edit, audio dub, quick-start deck, 16:9 record
& replay, NTSC replay, unified VCR/TV remote control, auto head cleaning,
index search, intro scan, child lock, on-screen displays, auto recording speed,
date recording, blank portion search, encore replay, time search, front-AV
terminal, next function memory, one-key timer programming, edit control &
pre-roll (with compatible Mitsubishi VCR)
GENERAL
Sockets
rear: 2 x SCART AV in/out, stereo line audio output, edit control
(phono) S-video in, RF bypass; front: S-Video in, composite video and stereo
audio in (phono), headphones and microphone (minijack)
Size (mm)
425 x 100 x 354
Weight
6.7 kg
PERFORMANCE
Resolution
>400-lines (S-Video), >250-lines (composite VHS)
Colour fidelity
excellent
Trick play stability
excellent
Colour bleed
none
Audio performance very good
Edit functions very
good
VC RATINGS
Value for money 9
Ease of use 8
Performance 9
Features 9
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(c) R Maybury 1993 1105
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