Starting late in 1984, Sony's design ethic began to change. The videocassette recorder had come into its own and was now a staple that belonged in everybody's entertainment center. To promote this image the cabinet shape became more square, and the color became mostly black, or some dark color. They more closely match CD players, stereo receivers, cable boxes, etc. They were all SuperBetas, and they were available in all kinds of variations. You could go from the basic model with no frills (like this SL-250) up to the king of all Betas, the SL-HF1000. This last big diversity push from Sony didn't leave any room for excuses, to someone not wanting to try the format. If there was even a mild interest (because they had constantly heard by now that Beta was the better format), there was one in their price range. Maybe they'd buy one just to try it out and then get hooked. The best takeaway was that while these new higher scale units were good, even the inexpensive models were still excellent performers. Beta was perfected by now and models where glitch-free. The philosophy worked, and some of Sony's best, most popular, and most famous VCRs came after the earlier slimline Betas. It was a new type of ownership now, component video. By now there was also a good number of return buyers that knew Beta was more refined. They weren't swayed by the numbers VHS was racking up. Who cares…!? They wanted the better format, and loyal Beta consumers gave these newest models a warm welcome. Sales were good all across the entertainment industry, and Beta received a lot of love and attention. It was the shot in the arm that the format needed but its market share still continued to dwindle. The market became saturated. Plus Betas good machines from out of the past continued to compete with their new ones. The end was closing in on videotape recording. The DVD age was coming on. During this final era there were at least six SuperBeta monaural models of different grades plus that many and a few more with Betahi-fi stereo. There was also an impressive list of stunning new features to be had. It was the promise of better things to come. It was a good time to go Beta and these last models delivered the finest examples of the Beta format's promise. To always deliver the best.

In 1985, Sony publicly announced that they would no longer offer any standard Beta (picture) only VCRs. Going forward, all new Betamax models would be either SuperBeta or SuperBetahi-fi. Even the Betamovies would become SuperBeta capable. In keeping with Sony's compatibility pledge, the new models would still play back recordings made using the previous standard Beta (and Betahi-fi) machines. There also would be a switch provided for selecting between standard and SuperBeta for both recording and playback. This last statement turned out to not be entirely accurate. While it was true for most models, a few did not come with a switch. This was either done as an economy measure brought on by the pressures in the marketplace, or it could have been that these machines were sophisticated enough not to require a selection to be made (to obtain the best quality sparkle-free video playback*). The last standard Beta unit was the SL-HF500.
* Now what does this mean? For information on this phenomenon, click here.

To examine at the line-up of accessories that are available to expand your Betas versatility visit the "Betamax Accessories" section by clicking here.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS: The SL-HF450 can record and play SuperBetahi-fi in the and speeds. It can also play tapes recorded in SuperHi-Band Beta 5.6 MHz s and standard Beta . Tapes recorded in both Betahi-fi stereo and monaural will play. This VCR was made prior to 1989 and should be unaffected by Copyguard encryption. To examine a Beta format compatibility chart click here. The SL-HF450 MSRP was $750.00 in 1988, that's around $1560.00 in todays money.

I refurbish all the Beta VCRs offered through my Website. If you would like to examine how this is accomplished, I have composed a special section that explains how it's done. To go to the "Beta Refurbishing" section, click here. Read an important message about my refurbished VCRs by clicking here. Do you have one of these premium Betas that isn't working? It is eligible for repair along with a lot of others. To see the list of candidates, click here. For service, click on "Getting It Repaired" in the right button array or click here.

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*These rating numbers are comparisons between the Beta VCRS within this particular design group. Contributing factors are engineering quality, popularity, aesthetics, execution, repair frequency, and the number of features and their benefits. Analysis is subjective and should not be considered an endorsement.