Sony 9-Pin Remote Protocol 
This is not the offical Sony 9-pin protocol. It is a summary for reference puroposes only. To obtain the protocol document, contact Sony directly. 
Updated 6/16/96. Fixed the Prog Speed formula. Added Tables. Added all group 20 descriptions, more info on status bits, and most of the group 40 commands. 
Communication Format 
The protocol is based on the EIA RS-422-A signal standard, usually at 38.4 kBit/s. The data are sent as 1 start bit + 8 data bits + 1 parity bit + 1 stop bit. Parity is odd: the bitwise sum of data bits 0 -7 and the parity bit is an odd number. 
Command Block Format 
The controlling device and the controlled device communicate through the interchange of command blocks. The bytes in each command block are assigned as follows: 
•	CMD-1/DATA COUNT. CMD-1 is the upper 4 bits, DATA COUNT is the lower 4. 
•	CMD-2. 
•	DATA-1 up to DATA-N, where n is the value in data count 
•	CHECKSUM 
CMD-1 
Indicates the function and direction of the command, according to: 
0 	System control (Master->Slave) 	
1 	Return for 0,2, or 4 of cmd-1 (Slave->Master) 	
2 	Transport Control (Master->Slave) 	
4 	Preset/Select control (Master->Slave) 	
6 	Sense Request (Master->Slave) 	
7 	Sense Return (Slave->Master) 	
DATA COUNT 
Indicates the number of bytes ( max 15 ) inserted between CMD-2 and CHECKSUM 
CMD-2 
Designates the command. Refer to the command table for definitions. Ex. CMD-1=0 and CMD-2=0C means LOCAL DISABLE. 
DATA-1 to DATA-N 
Data which correspond to those indicated by the command. Refer to the command table for data formats. 
CHECKSUM 
Lower eight bits of the sum of the bytes in the command block. 
Communication Protocol 
The protocol is initiated by the master. The slave should return a response within 9 msec. The response may be: 
•	NAK + Error Data: Undefined command or communication error 
•	COMMAND + Data: if Command requested data 
•	ACK: if Command did not request data 
The master should not send another command until receiving a response from the slave device. The master must also insure that no more than 10 msec lapses between bytes in a command block. The master must immediatly stop sending data when it receives a NAK + Error Data message. If the Error Data contains "Undefined Command" the master may immediatley send another command, otherwise it must wait at least 10 msec before sending another command. When the master does not receive a response from the slave within the 10 msec timeout, it may assume that communications have ceased and take appropriate measures. 
Cabling 
The pin assignments for the 9-pin cable are as follows: 
Pin 	Master 	Slave 	
1 	Ground 	Ground 	
2 	Rcv A 	Xmit A 	
3 	Xmit B 	Rcv B 	
4 	Xmit Common 	Rcv Common 	
5 	Spare 	Spare 	
6 	Rcv Common 	Xmit Common 	
7 	Rcv B 	Xmit B 	
8 	Xmit A 	Rcv A 	
9 	Ground 	Ground 	
Auth - this varies alot: contact individual manufacturers for pinouts. 
Command Table 
This is the command table for the DVR-2000/2100. It is summarised here for reference purposes only. If you want to order it from Sony call the Kansas City supply center and hope you get someone who knows the part number for the recorder whose protocol you want to use. 
	Command 		Response 	
00 0C 	Local Disable 	10 01 	Ack 	
00 11 	Device Type Request 	12 11 	Device Type 	
00 1D 	Local Enable 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 00 	Stop 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 01 	Play 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 02 	Record 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 04 	Standby Off 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 05 	Standby On 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 0F 	Eject 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 10 	Fast Fwd 	10 01 	Ack 	
2X 11 	Jog Fwd 	10 01 	Ack 	
2X 12 	Var Fwd 	10 01 	Ack 	
2X 13 	Shuttle Fwd 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 20 	Rewind 	10 01 	Ack 	
2X 21 	Jog Rev 	10 01 	Ack 	
2X 22 	Var Rev 	10 01 	Ack 	
2X 23 	Shuttle Rev 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 30 	Preroll 	10 01 	Ack 	
24 31 	Cue up with Data 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 34 	Sync Play 	10 01 	Ack 	
21 38 	Prog Speed Play + 	10 01 	Ack 	
21 39 	Prog Speed Play - 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 40 	Preview 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 41 	Review 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 42 	Auto Edit 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 43 	Outpoint Preview 	10 01 	Ack 	
2X 54 	Anti-Clog Timer Disable 	10 01 	Ack 	
2X 55 	Anti-Clog Timer Enable 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 60 	Full EE Off 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 61 	Full EE On 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 63 	Select EE On 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 64 	Edit Off 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 65 	Edit On 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 6A 	Freeze Off 	10 01 	Ack 	
20 6B 	Freeze On 	10 01 	Ack 	
44 00 	Timer-1 Preset 	10 01 	Ack 	
44 04 	Time Code Preset 	10 01 	Ack 	
44 05 	User Bit Preset 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 08 	Timer-1 Reset 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 10 	In Entry 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 11 	Out Entry 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 12 	Audio In Entry 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 13 	Audio Out Entry 	10 01 	Ack 	
44 14 	In Data Preset 	10 01 	Ack 	
44 15 	Out Data Preset 	10 01 	Ack 	
44 16 	Audio In Data Preset 	10 01 	Ack 	
44 17 	Audio Out Data Preset 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 18 	In + Shift 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 19 	In - Shift 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 1A 	Out + Shift 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 1B 	Out - Shift 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 1C 	Audio In + Shift 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 1D 	Audio In - Shift 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 1E 	Audio Out + Shift 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 1F 	Audio Out - Shift 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 20 	In Flag Reset 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 21 	Out Flag Reset 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 22 	Audio In Flag Reset 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 23 	Audio Out Flag Reset 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 24 	In Recall 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 25 	Out Recall 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 26 	Audio In Recall 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 27 	Audio Out Recall 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 2D 	Lost Lock Reset 	10 01 	Ack 	
4X 30 	Edit Preset 	10 01 	Ack 	
44 31 	Preroll time preset 	10 01 	Ack 	
41 32 	Tape/Auto Select 	10 01 	Ack 	
41 33 	Servo Ref Select 	10 01 	Ack 	
41 34 	Head Select 	10 01 	Ack 	
41 35 	Color Frame select 	10 01 	Ack 	
41 36 	Timer Mode Select 	10 01 	Ack 	
41 37 	Input Check 	10 01 	Ack 	
41 3A 	Edit Field Select 	10 01 	Ack 	
41 3B 	Freeze Mode Select 	10 01 	Ack 	
4X 3E 	Record Inhibit 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 40 	Auto Mode Off 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 41 	Auto Mode On 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 42 	Spot Erase Off 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 43 	Spot Erase On 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 44 	Audio Split Off 	10 01 	Ack 	
40 45 	Audio Split On 	10 01 	Ack 	
4X 98 	Output H Phase 	10 01 	Ack 	
4X 9B 	Output Video Phase 	10 01 	Ack 	
4X A0 	Audio Input Level 	10 01 	Ack 	
4X A1 	Audio Output Level 	10 01 	Ack 	
4X A2 	Audio Adv Level 	10 01 	Ack 	
4X A8 	Audio Output Phase 	10 01 	Ack 	
4X A9 	Audio Adv Out Phase 	10 01 	Ack 	
4X AA 	Cross Fade Time Preset 	10 01 	Ack 	
4X B8 	Local Key Map 	10 01 	Ack 	
42 F8 	Still Off time 	10 01 	Ack 	
42 FA 	Stby Off time 	10 01 	Ack 	
61 0A 	TC Gen Sense 	74 08 	Gen Time Data 	
		79 09 	Gen User Bits Data 	
				
		74 00 	Timer-1 Data 	
		74 01 	Timer-2 Data 	
		74 04 	LTC Time Data 	
		74 05 	User Bits (LTC) Data 	
61 0C 	Current Time Sense 	74 06 	VITC Time Data 	
		74 07 	User Bits (VITC) Data 	
		74 14 	Corrected LTC Time Data 	
		74 15 	Hold User Bits (LTC) Data 	
		74 16 	Hold VITC Time Data 	
		74 17 	Hold User Bits (VITC) Data 	
60 10 	In Data Sense 	74 10 	In Data 	
60 11 	Out Data Sense 	74 11 	Out Data 	
60 12 	Audio In Data Sense 	74 12 	Audio In Data 	
60 13 	Audio Out Data Sense 	74 13 	Audio Out Data 	
61 20 	Status Sense 	7X 20 	Status Data 	
61 21 	Extended VTR Status 	7X 21 	Extended Status Data 	
62 23 	Signal Control Sense 	7X 23 	Signal Control Data 	
6X 28 	Local Key Map Sense 	7X 28 	Local Key Map 	
61 2A 	Head Meter Sense 	7X 2A 	Head Meter Data 	
60 2B 	Remaining Time Sense 	76 2B 	Remaining Time 	
60 2E 	Cmd Speed Sense 	7X 2E 	Cmd Speed Data 	
61 30 	Edit Preset Sense 	7X 30 	Edit Preset Status 	
60 31 	Preroll Time Sense 	74 31 	Preroll Time 	
60 36 	Timer Mode Sense 	71 36 	Timer Mode Status 	
60 3E 	Record Inhibit Sense 	72 3E 	Record Inhibit Status 	
60 52 	DA Inp Emph Sense 	71 52 	DA Input Emphasis Data 	
60 53 	DA PB Emph Sense 	71 53 	DA Playback Emphasis Data 	
60 58 	DA Samp. Freq. Sense 	71 58 	DA Sampling Frequency Data 	
61 AA 	Cross Fade Time Sense 	7X AA 	Cross Fade Time Data 	
Command Formats 
00 0C Local Disable 
Disables operation of the slave device from its control panel. 
00 11 Device Type Request 
Slave Responds with 
12 11 Device Type 
message, with 2 bytes of data: 
Model 	Data 	
BVU-800 	10 00 	
BVW-10 	2X 00 	
BVW-11 	2X 02 	
BVW-15 	2X 03 	
BVW-35 	2X 10 	
BVW-40 	2X 01 	
BVW-50 	2X 30 	
BVW-60 	2X 20 	
BVW-65 	2X 21 	
BVW-95 	2X 22 	
BVW-96 	2X 23 	
BVW-70 	2X 24 	
BVW-75 	2X 25 	
BVW-D75 	2X 46 	
BVW-9000 	2X 47 	
PVW-2600 	2X 40 	
PVW-2800 	2X 41 	
BVW-35PM 	20 18 	
BVW-65PM 	20 29 	
BVW-95PM 	20 2A 	
BVW-75PM 	20 2D 	
BVW-85P 	21 26 	
BVW-70S 	21 2C 	
BVW-75S 	21 2D 	
WBR-700 	21 2D 	
DVR-2000 	3X 10 	
DVR-2100 	3X 11 	

Where X=0 for NTSC/PAL-M (525) models and 1 for PAL/SECAM models. 
00 1D Local Enable 
Enable operation of slave device from local panel according to the local enable map set by the "4X B8" Local Key Map command. 
10 01 ACK 
Slave Sends this when it receives a command from Master. 
11 12 NAK 
When a communication error is detected, the slave sends this command with a "1" in the following position indicating the appropriate error condition: 
7 	6 	5 	4 	3 	2 	1 	0 	
Time Out 	Framing Error 	Overrun Error 	Parity Error 	X 	Checksum Error 	X 	Undefined command 	
20 00 Stop 
Slave stops current motion. 
20 01 Play 
Slave Starts to play from current location. When the "Sync play" mode is selected from the System menu on the slave, "Play" has the same effect as 20.34 "Sync Play". 
20 02 Record 
Slave begins recording. Exactly what happens depends on Auto Mode, record lockout, and edit presets. 
20 04 Standby Off 
Turns off standby mode. For VTR, this causes the machine to unthread in stop. Affects EE/Tape selection. Available only in Stop mode. 
20 05 Standby On 
Turns on standby mode. For VTR, this causes the machine to stay threaded when in stop. Affects EE/Tape selection. 
20 0F Eject 
When this command is received, the slave will eject the tape. 
20.10 Fast Fwd 
When this command is received, the slave device will run in fast forward mode. The speed depends on the VTR; for the DVR2000 series it is 50 x play speed. 
2X.11 Jog Forward 
2X.12 Var Forward 
2X.13 Shuttle Forward 
When these commands are received the slave device will move forward with the speed indicated by DATA-1 and DATA-2. 
When only DATA-1 is given, the speed wil be given by 
                Tape Speed = 10^((N/32)-2) x play speed.
where N is the value of DATA-1. Some sample values are: 
Speed 	Speed Data 	
0.1 	32 (20H) 	
1.0 	64 (40H) 	
2.9 	79 (4FH) 	
48.7 	118 (76H) 	
When a more precise speed value is required, then DATA-2 will be added. The speed formula for this case is 
     Tape Speed = 10^((N/32)-2) + N'/256*(10^(((N+1)/32)-2)-10^((N/32)-2))
where N is the value of DATA-1 and N' is the value of DATA-2. 
auth - in more standard terms, the formula says that DATA-2 is used to linealy interpolate between the value given by N and that of N+1. 
The maximum jog speed is set in the System:System menu. The maximum Var speed is 3X play speed. The maximum shuttle speed is 50X play speed. 
auth - There is considerable controversy over the minimum speed. For a speed value of 0, the above formula with only DATA-1 gives 10^-2, or .01 x play speed. The standard states that when a speed between 0 and the minumum is given, the slave moves at minimum speed. In fact, many editors and control systems intend a "Shuttle 0" command ( 21 13 00 ) to pause the device and have it stop without disengaging. Devices which fail to do so will creep about 1 frame/second in this situation. 
20 20 Rewind 
When it receives this command, the slave runs in reverse at maximum speed: on the DVR2000, this is 50xplay speed. 
2X 21 Jog Rev 
2X 22 Var Rev 
2X 23 Shuttle Rev 
When receiving one of the above commands, the slave will start running in accordance with the speed data defined by DATA-1 and DATA-2. For the maximum and minimum speed see the 2X.12 Shuttle Fwd command. 
20 30 Preroll 
When this command is received the slave will search to the preroll position defined as the value obtained by subtracting the preroll time set by the 44.31 Preroll Time Preset command from the IN POINT data stored in the IN ENTRY memory by the 40.10 In Entry command. 
24 31 Cue Up With Data 
Cues the slave to the indicated time. Time is formatted as follows: 
        data-1      data-2      data-3     data-4
      | Frame | | Seconds | | minutes | | hours |
      | 10  1 | |   10 1  | |   10 1  | | 10 1  |
auth - this is how time is represented in all commands and responses using a time code. The numbers indicate that the 10s value is stored in the high nibble and the 1s value in the low nibble. This is not to be confused with the 80-bit SMPTE timecode which is present in the analog timecode track on tape, or with the VITC timecode. 
20 34 Sync Play 
Prerolls the slave for the preset preroll time, then enters play mode. 
21 38 Prog Speed Play + 
21 39 Prog Speed Play - 
These commands play back the slave device in steps of 0.1% within the range of +/- 25.5% of play speed. DATA-1 contains an 8-bit speed value. The deviation from nominal play speed is 
        Deviation(%)=0.1 x speed value
20 40 Preview 
20 41 Review 
20 42 Auto Edit 
When one of these commands is received the slave goes into the indicated mode. 
This is all the spec states here. What actually happens is determined by the edit presets, in and out point selections, and ee/tape settings. Basically, all three set the device to the preroll position, and run at play speed up to the in point. In Preview, the slave switches to EE mode at the in point, and out at the out point, simulating the edit without disturbing the recording media. In review, the slave simply continues to play at the in point and rolls to the outpoint. In Auto Edit, the channels indicated by the edit presets are put into record at the in point and the recoding proceeds to the out point. 
20 43 Outpoint Preview 
Sends transport to preset out point if insert mode is preset. 
2X 54 Anti-Clog Timer Disable 
Disables the anti-clog timer. This timer is responsible for unthreading the tape upon timeout to save wear on the heads. If a system disables this timer, it should take responsibility for head wear avoidance itself. 
2X 55 Anti-Clog Timer Enable 
Enables anti-clog timer. 
20 60 Full EE Off 
Clears all channels from EE mode regardless of EDIT PRESET channels assigned by the 41.30 EDIT PRESET command. It takes the slave 5 frames to perform this operation after it receieves the command. 
20 61 Full EE On 
Sets all channels to EE mode regardless of EDIT PRESET channels assigned by the 41.30 EDIT PRESET command. It takes the slave 5 frames to perform this operation after it receieves the command. 
20 63 Select EE On 
This command sets only the preset channels assigned by the 41.30 Edit Preset command to EE mode. The EE mode is cleared by the 20.64 Edit Off command. It takes the slave 5 frames to perform this operation after receiving the command. 
20 64 Edit Off 
This command will stop recording without affecting the state of motion of the device. Any channels in record will come out in response to this command, after 5 frames of delay. This command also clears the Manual Edit Record mode and the Select EE mode. 
20 65 Edit On 
This command is used to actually initiate recording. When the device is playing, and the edit presets set by the 4X 30 Edit Preset command are in place, the preset channels will enter record a fixed delay after this command is received. The slave will enter Edit Rec mode at this point. It takes the slave 5 frames to enter Edit Rec after receiving this command. 
20 6A Freeze Off 
This command un-freezes the output of the device. 
20 6A Freeze On 
This command freezes the output of the device. There is usually a 2-5 frame delay associcated with the actual freeze. 
44 00 Timer-1 Preset 
Sets the Timer-1 value to the time code indicated by DATA-1 thru DATA-4. For the time format see the 24.31 Cue Up With Data command. 
44 04 Time Code Preset 
Sets the Time Code Generator value to the time code indicated by DATA-1 thru DATA-4. The data format is as per the 24.31 Cue Up With Data command, with two additional bits to indicate Color Frame and Drop Frame mode as follows: 
Data-1 Bit 7 	CF 	Data-1 Bit 6 	DF 	
0 	Off 	0 	Off 	
1 	On 	1 	On 	
44 05 User Bit Preset 
This command presets the value given by DATA-1 through DATA-4 to the User Bits of the Time Code Generator 
DATA-1 		DATA-2 		DATA-3 		DATA-4 		
MSD 	LSD 	MSD 	LSD 	MSD 	LSD 	MSD 	LSD 	
Bin Grp 2 	Bin Grp 1 	Bin Grp 4 	Bin Grp 3 	Bin Grp 6 	Bin Grp 5 	Bin Grp 8 	Bin Grp 7 	
40 08 Timer-1 Reset 
Clears Tape timer 1 to 0 
40 10 In Entry 
Sets the video in point to the value displayed on the slave. This is the value of the selected tape timer. 
40 11 Out Entry 
Sets the video out point to the value displayed on the slave. This is the value of the selected tape timer. 
40 12 Audio In Entry 
Sets the audio in point to the value displayed on the slave. This is the value of the selected tape timer. 
40 13 Audio Out Entry 
Sets the audio out point to the value displayed on the slave. This is the value of the selected tape timer. 
44 14 In Data Preset 
Set the Video In Point to the value indicated by DATA-1 thru DATA-4. The time format is as per the 24.31 Cue Up With Data command. 
44 15 Out Data Preset 
Set the Video Out Point to the value indicated by DATA-1 thru DATA-4. The time format is as per the 24.31 Cue Up With Data command. 
44 16 Audio In Data Preset 
Set the Audio In Point to the value indicated by DATA-1 thru DATA-4. The time format is as per the 24.31 Cue Up With Data command. 
44 17 Audio Out Data Preset 
Set the Audio Out Point to the value indicated by DATA-1 thru DATA-4. The time format is as per the 24.31 Cue Up With Data command. 
40 18 In + Shift 
Increments the Video in point by one frame. 
40 19 In - Shift 
Decrements the Video in point by one frame. 
40 1A Out + Shift 
Increments the Video out point by one frame. 
40 1B Out - Shift 
Decrements the Video out point by one frame. 
40 1C Audio In + Shift 
Increments the Audio in point by one frame. 
40 1D Audio In - Shift 
Decrements the Audio in point by one frame. 
40 1E Audio Out + Shift 
Increments the Audio out point by one frame. 
40 1F Audio Out - Shift 
Decrements the Audio out point by one frame. 
40 20 In Flag Reset 
40 21 Out Flag Reset 
40 22 Audio In Flag Reset 
40 23 Audio Out Flag Reset 
Turn off the In Entry, Out Entry Audio In, and Audio Out lamps. 
auth - do these have any effect on the status bits? 
40 24 In Recall 
40 25 Out Recall 
40 26 Audio In Recall 
40 27 Audio Out Recall 
Turn on the In Entry, Out Entry Audio In, and Audio Out lamps. 
40 2D Lost Lock Reset 
Resets ( sets to 0 ) the Data-8/Bit-6 Lost Lock bit in the 7X.20 status data . The LOST LOCK staus will be set when the servo is unlocked in the Play, Rec, or Edit mode. 
4X 30 Edit Preset 
This command is used for selecting the edit mode and selection of preset audio and video channels. These values are used by the Edit On and Edit Off comands. 
Byte 	7 	6 	5 	4 	3 	2 	1 	0 	
DATA-1: 	X 	Insert 	Assemble 	Video 	X 	TC 	A2 (Cue) 	A1 (Cue) 	
DATA-2: 	X 	X 	X 	X 	DA4 	DA3 	DA2 	DA1 	
when the 41.30 command is used, the audio channels are set as per the table in the Edit:Setup menu. When the 42.30 command is used and Bit1 or Bit0 of Data-1 are "1", the Cue channel is selected. 
44 31 Preroll time preset 
Presets the preroll time given by DATA-1 thru DATA-4. Only the seconds digit int DATA-2 is used, and must be in the range of 0-59. The time format is as per the 24.31 Cue Up With Data command. 
41 32 Tape/Auto Select 
the Tape/EE mode is seleted by DATA-1 as follows: 
 Data-1  Mode 
-----------------
00      Auto ( Tape/EE )
01      Tape
FF      Follows the mode set in the STATE MAP on the SYSTEM menu in Local.
41 33 Servo Ref Select 
Selects the SERVO REFERENCE signal according to DATA-1: 
 DATA-1  State 
-----------------
00      Auto
01      External
02      Input
FF      Follows the mode set in REFERENCE on the SYSTEM:SYSTEM menu in Local.
41 34 Head Select 
auth - this command is not implemented by the DVR2000, but many other systems use it to to select playback/record heads. On the DVR2000 the selection is automatic. 
41 35 Color Frame select 
Sets the COLOR FRAME mode of the servo system according to DATA-1: 
 DATA-1  State 
-----------------
01      2 Field
02      4 Field
03      8 Field
FF      Follows the mode set in LOCK FIELD on the SYSTEM:SYSTEM menu in Local.
41 36 Timer Mode Select 
Selects the TIMER system used in AUTO mode, and for display of the IN ENTRY, OUT ENTRY, IN PRESET, OUT PRESET, PREROLL, and CUE UP WITH DATA, etc. according to DATA-1: 
 DATA-1  Mode 
-----------------
00      TIME CODE
01      TIMER-1
02      TIMER-2
FF      Follows the mode set in F6:CRNT TM on the HOME menu in Local.
41 37 Input Check 
Switches the INPUT CHECK mode on/off as per DATA-1: 
 DATA-1 Mode 
00    INPUT CHECK off
01    INPUT signals sent out VIDEO and MONITOR AUDIO OUTPUT connectors.
41 3A Edit Field Select 
Assigns the field on which to start the EDIT as per DATA-1: 
DATA-1   Mode
-------------
00               Field1/Field2: The edit will start on the field the command
                 was received on 
01       Field 1
02       Field 2
FF       Follows the mode set in F4:TIMING on the EDIT SETUP menu in Local.
The following commands use the field selection: 
•	20.60 Full EE Off 
20.61 Full EE On 
20.63 Select EE On 
20.64 Edit Off 
20.65 Edit On 
4X.30 Edit Preset 
41 3B Freeze Mode Select 
Assigns the contents of the freeze picture to be field or frame as per DATA-1: 
DATA-1  Mode
------------
00      Field-1 or Field-2 ( not fixed )
01      Field 1
10      Field 2
11      Frame
4X 3E Record Inhibit 
40 40 Auto Mode Off 
40 41 Auto Mode On 
These commands switch the AUTO mode off and on. 
40 42 Spot Erase Off 
40 43 Spot Erase On 
These commands switch the spot erase mode off and on. 
40 44 Audio Split Off 
40 45 Audio Split On 
These commands switch the audio split mode off and on. 
4X 98 Output H Phase 
Sets the output Horizontal phase. The 40.98 command sets the H Phase to 0, whereas the 41.98 command sets the H phase according to 
        H Phase = DATA_1 * 148 nsec
where DATA_1 is interpreted as a twos complement binary number in the range of -127 to 127. 
4X 9B Output Video Phase 
Sets the output sync phase. The 40.9B command sets the output sync phase to 0 whereas the 41.9B command sets the output sync phase according to 
        Sync Phase = DATA_1 * 74 nsec
where DATA_1 is interpreted as a twos complement binary number in the range of -127 to 127. 
4X A0 Audio Input Level 
Controls the audio input level. The control mode is assigned by bit 7 of DATA-1. , and the channel to be controled is assigned by bit 6 to bit 0 of DATA-1. When the 41 A0 command is received, the audio input levels of the channels assigned by DATA-1 will be set to their reference levels. When CMDLEN is not 1, the level data will be composed of two bytes per assigned channel in the order DA1, DA2, DA3, DA4, CUE. The DATA-1 bits look like: 

Bit 	7 	6 	5 	4 	3 	2 	1 	0 	
Value 	Mode 	X 	X 	Cue 	DA4 	DA3 	DA2 	DA1 	

For Example, when the DATA-1 is 0x11, the command looks like: 

DATA-1 	DATA-2 	DATA-3 	DATA-4 	DATA-5 	
11 	DA1 LSB 	DA1 MSB 	CUE LSB 	CUE MSB 	

The level data are interpreted as per the formula: 
Input Level = 20 log [(Level Data)/(4000h)] (dB)
Which gives coverage over the range of +12dB to -infinity. 
4X A1 Audio Output Level 
Controls the audio output level. When the 41 A1 command is received, the audio output level of the channels selected in DATA-1 will be set to the reference level. Otherwise, it operates as per the 4X.A0 Audio input level command. 
4X A2 Audio Adv Level 
Controls the audio advance level. When the 41 A2 fixed doc error here command is received, the audio advance level of the channels selectd by DATA-1 will be set to the reference level. Otherwise, it operates as per the 4X.A0 Audio input level command. 
4X A8 Audio Output Phase 
Sets the autdio output phase. The 42.A8 command determines the audio output phase according to the 16-bit value encoded with the low byte in DATA-1 and the high byte in DATA-2. The values are interpreted as 2s complement binary, and currently have a range of +/- 80 samples. When the 40.A8 command is received, the slave will set the audio ouput phase to its nominal value. 
4X A9 Audio Adv Out Phase 
Sets the Advance audio output phase. The 42.A9 command determines the audio advance phase according to the 16-bit value encoded with the low byte in DATA-1 and the high byte in DATA-2. The values are interpreted as 2s complement binary, and currently have a range of +0/-50 samples. the 40.A9 will set the audio advance phase to its nominal value. 
4X AA Cross Fade Time Preset 
4X B8 Local Key Map 
When the slave receives the 00.1D Local Enable command, the control panel may be used according to the local key map that was set by this command. When the slave receives the 00.0C Local Disable command all the keys, buttons, and adjustment controls on the control panel are disabled. The Eject button can always be used. If the slave receives the 41.B8 command, the local key map is preset by the block level in accordance with DATA-1. IF it receives the 4X.B8 command ( X > 2 ) The local key map is preset by the Switch level. 
Block Level switches: 

        Bit 7 Bit 6 Bit 5   Bit 4   Bit 3   Bit 2   Bit 1   Bit 0
                          Tracking Monitor  Audio   Video Transport
                          Control  Control Control Control Control

"1": This function will be enabled when in remote
"0": This function will be disabled in remote.
When DATA-2 or more are added, control data with two bytes per each block assigned by DATA-1 are added following DATA-1. 
At present the transport switches are defined as follows: 

Bit 	7 	6 	5 	4 	3 	2 	1 	0 	
1st Byte 	Execute 	Preroll 	Search 		Rec 	Play 	Stop 	Standby 	
2nd Byte 						Var 	Jog 	Shuttle 	
None of the other blocks have any switches assigned, but rather operate as follows: 
Video Control: Video phase and Sync phase can be adjusted on the system menu in remote mode. 
Audio Control: Audio levels and output phase can be adjusted on the Audio:DA out menu in remote mode. 
Monitor Control: the wfm monitor output selection on the system:wfm monitor menu and the montior level adjustments and monitor out selection on the system:audio monitor menu can be adjusted in remote mode. 
Tracking Control: Tracking adjustments in the system:tracking menu can be made in remote mode. 
42 F8 Still Off time 
42 FA Standby Off time 
61 0A TC Gen Sense 
60 10 In Data Sense 
60 11 Out Data Sense 
60 12 Audio In Data Sense 
60 13 Audio Out Data Sense 
61 0C Current Time Sense 
Requests the TIME DATA or USER BITS. Slave responds as per DATA-1: 
      Bit 7   Bit 6   Bit 5   Bit 4   Bit 3   Bit 2   Bit 1   Bit 0
                       VITC    LTC   TIMER 2 TIMER 1   VITC   LTC 
                        UB      UB                     TIME   TIME
That is to say that the response follows the bit set in DATA-1 as per the following table 
Reqest 	Response 	
DATA-1=01 LTC TIME 	74.04: LTC TIME DATA 	
	74.14: CORRECTED LTC TIME DATA 	
DATA-1=02 VITC TIME 	74.06: VITC TIME DATA 	
	74.16: HOLD VITC TIME DATA 	
DATA-1=04 TIMER-1 	74.00: TIMER-1 DATA 	
DATA-1=08 TIMER-2 	74.01: TIMER-2 DATA 	
DATA-1=10 LTC UB 	74.05: UB (LTC) DATA 	
	74.15: HOLD UB (LTC) DATA 	
DATA-1=20 VITC UB 	74.07: UB (VITC) DATA 	
	74.17: HOLD UB (VITC) DATA 	

Now, when requesting timecode, the results depend on the tape speed because at very low speeds ( less than .25 play speed ) it may not be possible to recover timecode. However, if VITC is present, that may be used instead. To automate this decision process, Sony has provided the special 61.0C.03 command which will return the best source of time code as per the table below. Note that when both LTC and VITC are not good you get back the 74.14 corrected LTC data. In this case, the time is actually the last good LTC time corrected by the tape timer. 

Tape speed > .25 
LTC Status 	VITC Status 	Return Data 	Return code 	
OK 	OK 	LTC 	74.04 XX XX XX XX 	
NG 	OK 	VITC 	74.06 XX XX XX XX 	
OK 	NG 	LTC 	74.04 XX XX XX XX 	
NG 	NG 	LTC(*) 	74.14 XX XX XX XX 	

Tape speed < .25 
LTC Status 	VITC Status 	Return Data 	Return code 	
OK 	OK 	VITC 	74.06 XX XX XX XX 	
NG 	OK 	VITC 	74.06 XX XX XX XX 	
OK 	NG 	LTC 	74.04 XX XX XX XX 	
NG 	NG 	LTC(*) 	74.14 XX XX XX XX 	
61 20 Status Sense 
When the slave receives a 61.20 Status Sense command, it will respond with a 74 20 Status Data response. The starting byte number and number of bytes requested are encoded in DATA-1, with the starting reg in the high nibble (bits 7-4) and the requested byte count in the low nibble ( bits 3-0 ). 
61 21 Extended VTR Status 
62 23 Signal Control Sense 
6X 28 Local Key Map Sense 
61 2A Head Meter Sense 
60 2B Remaining Time Sense 
60 2E Cmd Speed Sense 
61 30 Edit Preset Sense 
60 31 Preroll Time Sense 
60 36 Timer Mode Sense 
60 3E Record Inhibit Sense 
60 52 DA Inp Emph Sense 
60 53 DA PB Emph Sense 
60 58 DA Samp. Freq. Sense 
61 AA Cross Fade Time Sense 
74 00 Timer-1 Data 
DATA-1 thru DATA-4 contain the timer-1 data formatted as per the 24.31 Cue up with data command 
74 01 Timer-2 Data 
DATA-1 thru DATA-4 contain the timer-2 data formatted as per the 24.31 Cue up with data command 
74 04 LTC Time Data 
DATA-1 thru DATA-4 contain the LTC data formatted as per the 24.31 Cue up with data command 
74 05 User Bits (LTC) Data 
DATA-1 thru DATA-4 contain the LTC User bits data formatted at per the 44.05 User Bit Preset command. 
74 06 VITC Time Data 
DATA-1 thru DATA-4 contain the VITC data formatted as per the 24.31 Cue up with data command 
74 07 User Bits (VITC) Data 
DATA-1 thru DATA-4 contain the VITC User bits data formatted at per the 44.05 User Bit Preset command. 
74 08 Gen Time Data 
DATA-1 thru DATA-4 contain the Time code generator data formatted as per the 24.31 Cue up with data command 
79 09 Gen User Bits Data 
DATA-1 thru DATA-4 contain the Time code generator User bits data formatted at per the 44.05 User Bit Preset command. 
74 10 In Data 
74 11 Out Data 
74 12 Audio In Data 
74 13 Audio Out Data 
74 14 Corrected LTC Time Data 
74 15 Hold User Bits (LTC) Data 
74 16 Hold VITC Time Data 
74 17 Hold User Bits (VITC) Data 
74 20 Status Data 
When the slave receives a 61.20 Status Sense command, the following data will be sent back in response according to the request: 
Byte No. 	7 	6 	5 	4 	3 	2 	1 	0 	
0 	X 	X 	Tape Out 	Servo Ref Missing 	X 	X 	X 	Local 	
1 	Standby 	X 	Stop 	Eject 	Rewind 	Fast Fwd 	Record 	Play 	
2 	Servo Lock 	TSO Mode 	Shuttle 	Jog 	Var 	Tape Dir 	Still 	Cue Up 	
3 	Auto Mode 	Freeze On 	X 	CF Mode 	A Out 	A In 	Out 	In 	
4 	Select EE 	Full EE 	X 	Edit 	Review 	Auto Edit 	Preview 	Preroll 	
5 	X 	Insert 	Assemble 	Video 	A4 	A3 	A2 	A1 	
6 	X 	Lamp Still 	Lamp Fwd 	Lamp Rev 	Srch LED 8 	Srch LED 4 	Srch LED 2 	Srch LED 1 	
7 	X 	X 	Aud Split 	Sync Act 	X 	Spot Erase 	X 	In/Out 	
8 	Buzzer 	Lost lock 	Near EOT 	EOT 	CF Lock 	Svo Alarm 	Sys Alarm 	Rec Inhib 	
9 	Fnc Abort 	X 	X 	X 	X 	X 	X 	X 	
Description of Bits: 
Data 0: 
•	Bit 5: Tape Unthreaded (Cassette Out) When the tape is threaded, this is 0. When it is completely unthreaded this is 1. When threading or unthreading, who knows what it is. 
•	Bit 4: Servo Ref Missing When servo reference is absent this is 1. 
•	Bit 0: Local When remote operation is inhibited by the "remote/local" switch on the panel this is 1. 
Data 1: 
•	Bit 7: Standby When the tape is threaded and the scanner is locked but the tape is stopped, this is 1. 
•	Bit 5: Stop When the machine is in full stop, this is 1. The thread state depends on the tape/ee and standby settings. 
•	Bit 4: Eject When the tape is ejecting this is 1. 
•	Bit 3: Rewind When the machine is in fast reverse this is 1. 
•	Bit 2: Fast Fwd When the machine is in fast forward this is 1. 
•	Bit 1: Record This bit goes from 0 to 1 some number of frames after the machine starts recording. For the DVR2000 we measured 5 frames. Others have varying delays on the record status. 
•	Bit 0: Play This bit goes from 0 to 1 some number of frames after the machine starts playing. For the DVR2000 we measured 5 frames. Others have varying delays on the play status. 
Data 2: 
•	Bit 7: Servo Lock 1 indicates servos are locked. This is a necessary condition for an edit to occur correctly. 
•	Bit 6: TSO Mode Bit is 1 in tape speed override: in this mode, audio and video are still locked though speed is off play speed by +/- up to 15%. 
•	Bit 5: Shuttle 
•	Bit 4: Jog 
•	Bit 3: Var 
•	Bit 2: Tape Dir 
•	Bit 1: Still 
•	Bit 0: Cue Up 
Data 3: 
•	Bit 7: Auto Mode 
•	Bit 6: Freeze On 
•	Bit 4: CF Mode 
•	Bit 3: A Out 
•	Bit 2: A In 
•	Bit 1: Out 
•	Bit 0: In 
Data 4: 
•	Bit 7: Select EE 
•	Bit 6: Full EE 
•	Bit 4: Edit 
•	Bit 3: Review 
•	Bit 2: Auto Edit 
•	Bit 1: Preview 
•	Bit 0: Preroll 
Data 5: 
•	Bit 6: Insert 
•	Bit 5: Assemble 
•	Bit 4: Video 
•	Bit 3: A4 
•	Bit 2: A3 
•	Bit 1: A2 
•	Bit 0: A1 
Data 6: 
•	Bit 6: Lamp Still 
•	Bit 5: Lamp Fwd 
•	Bit 4: Lamp Rev 
•	Bit 3: Srch LED 8 
•	Bit 2: Srch LED 4 
•	Bit 1: Srch LED 2 
•	Bit 0: Srch LED 1 
Data 7: 
•	Bit 5: Aud Split 
•	Bit 4: Sync Act 
•	Bit 2: Spot Erase 
•	Bit 0: In/Out 
Data 8: 
•	Bit 7: Buzzer 
•	Bit 6: Lost lock This bit is controled by the Lost Lock Reset command. It is set when the servos are unlocked in the PLAY, REC, or EDIT modes. 
•	Bit 5: Near EOT 
•	Bit 4: EOT 
•	Bit 3: CF Lock 
•	Bit 2: Svo Alarm 
•	Bit 1: Sys Alarm 
•	Bit 0: Rec Inhib 
Data 9: 
•	Bit 7: Fnc Abort 

auth - here's a code snippet for you c-heads. 
char *StatusBitStrings[][8] =
{
        // Data 0
        {"         ","          ","Unthread  ","Svo Ref   ",
         "          ","          ","          ","Local     "},
        // Data 1
        {"Standby   ","          ","Stop      ","Eject     ",
         "Rewind    ","Fast Fwd  ","Record    ","Play      "},
        // Data 2
        {"Servo Lock","TSO Mode  ","Shuttle   ","Jog       ",
         "Variable  ","Tape Rev  ","Still     ","Cue       "},
        // Data 3
        {"Auto Mode ","Freeze On ","          ","CF Mode   ",
         "A Out     ","A In      ","Out       ","In        "},
        // Data 4
        {"Select EE ","Full EE   ","          ","Edit      ",
         "Review    ","Auto Edit ","Preview   ","Preroll   "},
        // Data 5
        {"          ","Insert    ","Assemble  ","Video     ",
         "A4        ","A3        ","A2        ","A1        "},
        // Data 6
        {"          ","Lamp Still","Lamp Fwd  ","Lamp Rev  ",
         "Srch LED 8","Srch LED 4","Srch LED 2","Srch LED 1"},
        // Data 7
        {"          ","          ","Aud Split ","Sync Act  ",
         "          ","Spot Erase","          ","In/Out    "},
        // Data 8
        {"Buzzer    ","Lost lock ","Near EOT  ","EOT       ",
         "CF Lock   ","Svo Alarm ","Sys Alarm ","Rec Inhib "},
        // Data 9
        {"Fnc Abort ","          ","          ","          ",
         "          ","          ","          ","          "},
};

The Status bits communicate much about the progress of a motion command. The precise timing of each signal varies almost from machine to machine, and many edit controlers expect certain timing behaviour of these signals. Herein lie many of the problems associated with edit controllers, edit timing, and just plain wacky transport behavior. 
7X 21 Extended Status Data 
7X 23 Signal Control Data 
7X 28 Local Key Map 
7X 2A Head Meter Data 
76 2B Remaining Time 
7X 2E Cmd Speed Data 
7X 30 Edit Preset Status 
74 31 Preroll Time 
71 36 Timer Mode Status 
72 3E Record Inhibit Status 
71 52 DA Input Emphasis Data 
71 53 DA Playback Emphasis Data 
71 58 DA Sampling Frequency Data 
7X AA Cross Fade Time Data