Sony VO-6800

Description

The Sony VO-6800 is a portable U-matic Lo Band field recorder. This page documents the PAL version (VO-6800P). An NTSC version (VO-6800, without the P suffix) was also produced for the North American market.

The VO-6800 features a four-tip video head drum enabling simultaneous playback of material while recording (video confidence). Sony's improved video processing circuitry reduces "cross-colour" effects historically characteristic of the U-matic format, making for cleaner, clearer pictures that optimize the quality of the input signal from the camera. The unit records PAL or SECAM colour video at 250-line horizontal resolution with a signal-to-noise ratio better than 45dB. Audio inputs include a switchable camera microphone input (-20dB/-60dB, 3kΩ balanced), a balanced line input (+4dB, 10kΩ), and a separate microphone input (-60dB, balanced). Outputs are provided via BNC for video and balanced XLR for monitor audio, plus an earphone jack. The VO-6800 uses KCS small-format cassettes only, providing up to 20 minutes of recording time. It operates on 12V DC from NP-1 "candy bar" rechargeable batteries that are slim enough to be stored in a trouser pocket, with approximately one hour of continuous operation using two fully charged batteries powering both the recorder and a DXC-M3 series camera.