Two decades after domestic video recorders first appeared, some people still
have trouble programming them. So Sony is going back to basics with a machine
called Smart Dial. The new VCR has a supposedly idiot-proof push-dial on the
front. To set the VCR, you press the dial and turn it to set the start time on a
display. You press again and turn it to set the stop time, and press a third
time to set the channel. Another push confirms the setting, so you can happily
leave it and go out.
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