



Sony SL-F1UB Betamax Portable Video Cassette Recorder (PAL)
Before DAT, studios had another route to a digital master: run a Sony PCM-F1 processor into a Betamax video recorder and store the audio on video tape. Paired with a PCM-F1, the SL-F1UB could record and play back high-quality digital audio on Betamax cassettes. It is Sony’s portable Betamax video cassette recorder, a slim silver unit with a top-loading cassette bay and a full set of transport controls on the front.
The front panel carries the power and eject switches, an earpiece socket, and a tape counter with light, reset, and go-to-zero buttons, alongside rewind, play with picture search, fast-forward, stop, swing search and slow motion in both directions, record, audio dub, and pause. A battery compartment with its own eject button sits on the side, and the cassette lid is badged Betamax PAL. This is the U.K. PAL model, made in Japan, and it comes in its original box. The casing shows light scuffs and age-related wear, with some marking to the buttons. A PCM-F1 processor is not included.
The SL-F1UB can be powered in three ways:
- 12V DC battery: The recorder was designed as a portable field unit running on 12V DC, and it can operate from a rechargeable battery pack.
- TT-F1 Tuner/Timer Unit: At home, it connects to its companion TT-F1 tuner-timer and power supply/charger, which converts mains AC into the DC and control voltages the recorder needs. The matching Sony TT-F1UB Tuner Timer Unit from Chris Allison’s collection is offered as a separate lot.
- AC-F1 power adaptor: It can also run directly from an AC-F1UB adaptor that plugs into the mains and feeds the recorder’s DC-in socket.
From the studio collection of Chris Allison.
Pairs well with
Provenance
Disclaimer: Use of Recorded Material or Photography
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WAX POETICS LIMITED PRINT: MAVIS
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