Sony List

Notes

This page lists ONLY Sony-brand Betamaxes made for the U.S. market.

This list does NOT include the player-only models (such as the SLP-300), since they did not record and were mainly used by schools and institutions.

This list does include some, but not all, of the industrial models (SLO-xxx).

In some cases, a Japanese Betamax equivalent is noted (made for the Japanese market only).

When a model number is underlined, it is a link to a picture of that unit.

SEARCH BY YEAR!
CLICK ON A YEAR TO VIEW THAT YEARS' MODELS.

1975 1976 1977 1979 1980 1981 1982

1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

1990 1991 1993

YEAR	MODEL	S R P	COMMENTS
1975	LV-1901	$2495	THE VERY FIRST Betamax; included a 19" Sony Trinitron TV plus an SL-6200 X-1-only Betamax in a beautiful teakwood cabinet. Had a built-in 24-hour timer, a second TV tuner, and a camera input! (Still makes for an attractive piece of furniture!!) It could be said that this unit started the home video industry.
1976	SL-7200	$1200	First stand-alone Betamax; had no audio or video inputs, only outputs. The clock/timer was an option for $45! One-event, 24-hour timer. Had removable RF converter that was for Ch. 3 or Ch. 4, depending upon where you lived!
.	SL-7200A	$1260	Essentially the same as the SL-7200, but added audio and video inputs, and a microphone input which overrode all other audio input sources.
	SLO-260	$1600	First of the "SLO" industrial models ("O" stood for "Office"). The 260 looked like an SL-7200, but added an audio VU meter, manual audio level control, and audio dub. Oddly enough, the Pause button didn't lock like it did on the 7200!
1977	SL-8200	$1055	A remodeled SL-7200, with a double-wide RECORD button. Introduced the X-2 speed, which allowed for 2-hour recording that required the newly formulated L-500 tape.
	SLO-320	$1495	Improved and completely redesigned industrial "X-1" unit; had solenoid buttons with full logic control, programmed playback operations, optional full-function remote control (actually made for Sony's U-Matic units), audio limiter switch, audio VU meter with level control, and random-access search feature using ANOTHER optional remote! Had a strange quirk in the record mode, where the picture would become unstable and lose sync (fixed in the follow-up model, the SLO-323.)
1979	SL-8600	$1150	First Betamax with a built-in digital clock, wired pause control, and semi-solenoid buttons. Biggest drawback was the fact that it only handled the new X-2 speed in both play and record.
	SL-5400	$1250	Groundbreaking machine! Introduced: BetaScan search mode; 3X fast play; BIII record/play speed; Express Tuning (14 electronic pre-sets); audio dubbing; remote control with scan and pause; multi-programming (3-day, 1-event); freeze frame. Played back all 3 speeds, but the B-I playback switch was on the rear of the machine! Renamed record and playback speeds Beta II (or BII) instead of X-2. First unit to use the new Greek Betamax logo. JAPANESE EQUIVALENT: SL-J1.
	SLO-340	$1395	First portable Betamax; white in color; rec/play X-1 only.
1980	SL-5600	$1350	Improved SL-5400, introducing 14-day 4-event programming, electronic indexing (called "Tab Marker System"), and 10-minute battery back-up. *JAPANESE EQUIVALENT: SL-J7 (first Japanese Betamax to offer 2-track linear stereo)*
	SL-5800	$1450	First Betamax with a name: "Time Commander." Introduced unique features such as variable-speed scan, frame-by-frame picture advance, variable speed slow motion, crystal-clear freeze frame, all accessible from the remote control, plus automatic rewind at end of tape. Had a BetaStack changer as an option. *JAPANESE EQUIVALENT: SL-J9*
	SL-3000	$850	Second-generation portable unit; recorded BII, played back both BI and BII.
	SLO-323	$1595	Vastly improved SLO-320; added two-track stereo sound and variable-speed playback, from slo-mo to scan. Fixed the instability record problem of the SLO-320.
	SLO-383	$3750	The ultimate X-1 editor, an improved SLO-323 (there was another SLO model between these two, the SLO-325). The 383 offered true audio and video insert editing using flying erase heads, programmed operation, linear stereo audio, 2 mike inputs, headphone jack, and a video tracking meter. Original cost was an incredible $3750, making it the most expensive Betamax ever!
1981	SL-5000	$899	First front-loader; stripped-down, 1-event, 1-day timer. *JAPANESE EQUIVALENT: SL-J10*
1982	SL-5100	$995	Slightly improved SL-5000; 7-day timer. *JAPANESE EQUIVALENT: SL-J20.*
	SL-2500	$1000	Ushered in a new generation of "slim-line" Betas, using the newly designed "711" transport; this one was only 4" tall! Had an optional changer, first one made for a front-loading unit. Ushered in many great playback features that are common today, such as frame-by-frame in forward and reverse (then called "Swing Search"), etc. *JAPANESE EQUIVALENT: SL-F11.*
	SL-2000	$700	First lightweight portable unit; had the first linear time counter (hours/minutes/seconds [actually, 10ths of seconds]); weighed in at 9 1/2 pounds. Had outboard, matching tuner-timer unit, the TT-2000, with 14-day programming. The Zenith models were re-released in 1983 as the Sony SL-2005 (see story below) JAPANESE EQUIVALENT: SL-F1.
1983	SL-2200	$700	No info, sorry!
.	SL-2400	$500	First of the "E-Z Beta" line; extremely stripped-down machines, simple to use and program. 3-day, 1-event programming. JAPANESE EQUIVALENT: SL-F3.
	SL-2005	$800	Unique story here: these were really SL-2000 portables that Sony bought back from Zenith after Zenith dropped the Beta format; Sony painted them black, changed the model number to SL-2005, changed the tuner from TT-2000 to TT-2005, and sold them off as their own!! *JAPANESE EQUIVALENT: SL-F1B.*
	SL-5200	$900	First Beta Hi-Fi unit which offered near-CD quality stereo audio, a vast improvement over the 2-track linear stereo available on Sony's Japanese Beta units. Same physical appearance as the SL-5000 with as few features. Had 3-day, 1-event programming. Early users discovered that tapes recorded in Beta Hi-Fi played back with small irritating horizontal lines in the picture when played on a non-Beta HiFi machine. Notice that the first few hi-fi machines didn't have the "HF" designation in the model number.
	SL-2700	$1500	Second Beta Hi-Fi unit, loaded with all the high-end playback features missing from the SL-5200, plus had the slimmer styling of the SL-2500. Had 14-day, 4-event timer. *JAPANESE EQUIVALENT: SL-HF77*

1984	SL-2300	$500	Another low-end unit. 3-day, 1-event timer, this was one of the "E-Z Beta" units with super-simple operation and slim-line styling. Had front-mounted camera input.
	SL-2305	UNK	Same as the SL-2300 but had 14-button tuning.
	SL-2401	$650	A slightly improved SL-2400.
	SL-2406	UNK	Basically an SL-2400 with brown case; had front A/V inputs.
	SL-2410	$750	A 2401 with increased timer to 3-week, 4-events. Known as the "talking Betamax;" had synthesized speech messages!
	SL-2415	$890	No info, but suspected an improved SL-2410.
	SL-2710	$1300	A new top-of-the-line Beta HiFi that replaced the SL-2700.
	SL-3030	$600	2-head low-end model; 7-day, 6-event programming.
.	SL-9090	UNK	A low-end Beta featuring random-access tuning and linear tape counter.
	SL-HF300	$700	First Beta HiFi with the "HF" prefix. 7-day, 6-event timer. Available in silver or black!
.	SL-HF500	UNK	Step-up model of the SL-HF300, with linear timer counter.
	SL-HFR30	$650	Another ingenious Sony idea: make a Beta that's only Hi-Fi READY, buy the hi-fi processor separately, as an option, only if you want it! 7-day, 6-event timer; available in silver or black!
	SL-HFR90	$800	A step-up Beta HiFiReady unit, with 21-day, 9-event programming. Had linear time counter (H/M/S).
	SL-10	$400	Lowest of the low E-Z Betas. Had 7-day, 6-event timer. This, and the next 3 "E-Z Betas", had only Channel Up/Down tuning on the unit.
	SL-20	$575	Low-end E-Z Beta unit. 7-day, 6-event timer. Available in 3 colors!
	SL-30	$600	Almost the same as the SL-20, but had decent freeze-frame. Also had 7-day, 6-event timer.
	SL-60	$650	An SL-30 with perfect freeze-frame and frame-by-frame advance. Still had 7-day, 6-event programming.
	SL-90	$750	The King of the EZ-Betas; had 4 heads, perfect freeze-frame, 21-day, 9-event programming, and random-access tuning controls on the unit.
			NOTE: FROM HERE ON, ALMOST ALL BETAS MANUFACTURED WERE HI-FI STEREO MACHINES, AND HAD STEREO TUNERS.
1985	SL-HF400	$800	Enter the SuperBetas, which offered increased video bandwidth and slightly higher picture quality. The 400 was the entry-level SuperBeta, with HiFi audio, stereo tuner (118-channel cable-ready), and SuperBeta picture processing.
	SL-HF600	$1000	Step-up version of the SL-HF400. Had frame-by-frame and slo-mo playback, plus arrows showing tape movement and direction.
	SL-HF900	$1500	The 900 turned out to be the biggest-selling Beta of all!! A great machine for its day, and the top-end SuperBeta for 1985. Had 4 video heads, crystal-clear variable-speed playback, jog/shuttle wheel, pseudo video insert editing, audio dub, 21-day, 8-event timer, Electronic Tab Marker indexing (up to 9 segments on one tape), regular and slo-motion tracking controls, headphone jack with volume control, mic input. Also had little-known "animation record" feature, where you can record one frame at a time. VERY SOUGHT AFTER in the used Beta market! (Note: The Japanese version of this unit recorded and played back SuperBeta BIs; the American version could be modified to do this too....see the BetaTips page for details.)
	SL-HFR70	$550	Another Hi-Fi Ready machine; 7-day, 6-event programming, with 148 Ch. cable-ready tuner.
.	GCS-50	$1500	Industrial SuperBeta, cream-colored unit, with transport and electronics similar to the SL-HF1000, but the same soft playback as the SL-HF900. Had a locking jog wheel, linear stereo, flying erase heads, and insert audio and video editing.
.	SLO-1800	$2000	Industrial Superbeta HiFi duplicator, with VU meters for the audio levels and tracking level.
1986	SL-HF450	$750	An improved SL-HF400; now had linear time counter, frame-by-frame playback, and slo-mo playback. 7-day, 6-event timer; had single audio level control.
	SL-HF550	$900	A step-up SL-HF450, with 3 heads and perfect freeze-frame and slo-mo; improved fluorescent display with moving arrows showing tape motion; split audio level controls for L and R channels; 7-day, 6-event programming.
	SL-HF750	$1300	High-end SuperBeta; introduced B-I recoding in SuperBeta with great picture quality. Also had unusual "linear skate cassette loading" mechanism that loaded a cassette like a CD; frame-by-frame and slo-mo in forward and reverse; 4 heads; first Betamax to have a limited on-screen display; recorded and played back ALL 3 Beta speeds in SuperBeta; had EDIT switch to improve picture quality when dubbing tapes; Electronic Tab Marker Indexing for marking and retrieving up to 15 points on one cassette, and even has a locking Betascan on the machine! The remote control had all this, plus a jog/shuttle wheel for precise frame editing. 21-day, 8-event programming. VERY SOUGHT AFTER in the used Beta market! *JAPANESE EQUIVALENT: SL-HF705.*
	SL-100	$400	A rare monaural SuperBeta; 7-day, 6-event programming, mono cable-ready tuner (148 ch.), linear time counter.
	SL-700	$550	Low-end unit; 7-day, 6-event, mono.
	SL-HFT7	$1000	The unique "SuperBeta Theater", with built-in stereo amplifiers and different sound fields ("surround," "concert hall," etc)....all you added was speakers! Hi-Fi stereo, 148-ch. cable-ready tuner, 7-day, 6-event programming.
	SL-HF1000	$1700	Considered by many (including this author) to be the #1, all-time BEST Betamax ever made! The list of features is endless: 4 heads; 21-day, 8-event programming; 181-channel cable-ready stereo tuner; jog/shuttle wheel on the unit as well as on the remote; new B-I Super High Band 6.0 mhz record mode; Time Search; Black Screen; EE mode (which lets you view a momentary live picture during tape playback!); 8-segment Automatic Assemble Editing (when used with two SL-HF1000's); true insert video editing using two flying erase heads; audio dubbing; full on-screen display showing hours/min./sec./frames, as well as a monthly calendar for setting the timer; a built-in character generator with 4 font sizes, 8-page memory, complete alpha-numeric alphabet and two backgrounds (plain white letters or white letters against a black background); 19-segment indexing; Time Search feature on the remote (lets you search for an exact spot using hours and minutes); Time Remaining Indicator (you set the tape length for L500, L750, L830 tape), mike input; headphone jack w/volume control; and an EJECT button on the remote!! Probably THE most sought-after Betamax ever!! *Japanese equivalent: SL-HF3000.*
1987	SL-300	$400	Low-end SuperBeta; monaural; 7-day, 1-event timer.
	SL-HF350	$550	Low-end SuperBeta Hi-fi; 7-day, 6-event timer.
	SL-HF650	$850	Newer version of the SL-HF600; 7-day, 6-event programming, 148 channel cable-ready tuner.
1988	EDV-7500	$1950	One of the first two ED-Betas to bow, the 7500 was the low-end model; required special metal tape to produce a dazzling picture of 500 lines! Had 7-day, 6-event programming, one flying erase head, digital effects on the remote, digital scan on the machine (a digitized but visible picture in FF and REW), new Shuttle Edit Control, S-video inputs/outputs, cable-ready, stereo tuner.
	EDV-9500	$3300	The high-end ED Beta editor; had all of the 7500's features (except the Digital Scan button on the unit -- was only on the remote), plus many of the great features of the SL-HF1000, such as true video insert editing, Time Remaining indicator, on-screen display, audio dub, Automatic Assemble Editing, indexing, 21-day, 8-event programming. Also had some digital effects, such as strobe, still, etc. One of the Dream Machines, and heavily sought after on the used Beta market! *JAPANESE EQUIVALENT: EDV-9000.*
	SL-330	$450	Another low-end SuperBeta; had 7-day, 1-event programming; monaural.
	SL-HF360	$600	Essentially the same as the SL-330, but with hi-fi stereo audio; 7-day, 6-event programming; 2 video heads.
	SL-HF810D	$550	Digital Effects Beta arrives! This model had 7-day, 6-event programming, with an array of tacky digital effects, such as picture-in-picture, strobe, stop motion, etc.
	SL-HF840D	$750	Another digital ("D") machine, with 14-day, 4-event programming.
	SL-HF860D	$110	Top-end digital Beta for '88; 2 heads, full complement of digital effects (PIP, mosaic, strobe, still picture art, multi-strobe, digital zoom, recall, digital scan, digital slow, etc.),151-ch. cable-ready tuner, 7-day, 6-event programming.
1989	EDW-30F	$3300	The industrial ED Beta version of the EDV-9500; differed only in features, and had no tuner, timer, remote, or RF unit.
	SL-340	$450	Supposedly an improved SL-330, low-end unit.
	SL-390	$500\	Another low-end SuperBeta; 7-day, 1-event. Had "color switch" to increase color intensity of tape playback.
	SL-HF870D	$1100	Successor to the 860D, with a Tape Stabilizer System and wooden rosewood sides.
1990	SL-S600	$450	Only American Betamax with the "S" designation in the model number; was SuperBeta but non hi-fi; has 2 heads, slo-mo playback, and locking BetaScan (a feature found only in a few latter-year model Betas).
1991	SL-HF2100	$1700	The much-awaited 15th Anniversary Betamax, also known as the "Buttonless" Betamax; had huge front-panel swing-down door that ran the width of the machine, with unique touch-pad with all the machine functions; unique LED readout with scrolling messages; the first Sony Beta to ever have automatic tracking (which was defeatable); recorded B-I Super High Band like the SL-HF1000; had video and audio insert editing; 4 heads; S-video inputs and outputs; 1-month, 8-event programming; lacked a headphone jack Had the most high-tech but impractical remote control ever conceived, again with no buttons, just a long touch-pad with 13 different menu screens and two-way communication with the unit. Setting the timer was a nightmare!! Heavily sought after on the used Beta market and, the last high-end, full-featured American-market Beta produced (sigh!).
1993	SL-HF2000	$850	The last American Betamax model made. Extremely stripped-down version of the SL-HF2100, with none of the frills; 2 heads, a standard remote control, no B-Is record, normal buttons, etc. JAPANESE EQUIVALENT: SL-HF200D.

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