NEC 2000U (1987)
The NEC 2000U is written DX-2000U in NEC's own promotional material. It is a VHS VCR with a small place in video history. High Fidelity reported that it was the first VCR to use digital processing specifically to improve picture quality (April 1987, p.23). NEC's ad campaign ran in HiFI-Stereo (February 1987, p.31) and Audio (March 1987, p.107), and pushed the same idea. The deck could take a worn, snowy, glitchy cassette and make it look good again. The ads paired a bad tape played on an ordinary VCR against the same tape cleaned up on the NEC.
High Fidelity's April 1987 test report (p.39) supplied the hard details. It measured the deck at all three VHS speeds - SP, LP, and EP (SLP) - at the direct audio and video outputs. The 2000U listed at $820. It measured about 11 by 4½ inches at the front and roughly 10¼ inches deep. The warranty was "limited": two years on parts, one year on video heads, 90 days labor. A front-panel DIGITAL MEMORY button controlled the digital noise-reduction system, and the supplied infrared remote had the same button.
Beyond the advertising push and that one test report, little about the 2000U's production run or its place in NEC's lineup is documented. The record that survives comes almost entirely from early 1987.
- VHS VCR — SP / LP / EP (SLP) speeds
- Digital noise reduction ("DIGITAL MEMORY") on front panel and IR remote
- Dimensions: approx. 11 × 4½ in. front, 10¼ in. deep
- List price (1987): $820
- Manufacturer: NEC Corp.
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