Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!

Three Stooges Japanese Beta video!

http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h9144621

Wow! Lookit all those Jappy Beta remotes!!!

http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h9679312

hey homer are you going to buy olive's sl-5400? its a fair price. im sorta interested...

Oops the thrid pix should've been...

http://members.wnyip.net/lajoie/vcr3.jpg

A rare Beta model in that listing of sold SL-HF 400s

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3086503121

SL-400 SuperBeta-olny VCR almost identical to the SL-330 SuperBeta VCR.

Nice pix for Sergio to collect...

http://members.wnyip.net/lajoie/vcr1.jpg

http://members.wnyip.net/lajoie/vcr2.jpg

http://members.wnyip.net/lajoie/vcr2.jpg

Hi, I'm certainly happy to hear to hear of the good work Andy Sanchezhas done for many of the Palsite readers. I was the first to makecontact with Andy and after having him make repairs on my treasuredSLHF-1000, thought I should let the rest of the readers know of him andpassed along his name here.

Thanks Andy, for all the good work you have done for all of us andespecially thanks for making me look good for recommending you to thePalsite people.:-)

Dave in Wyoming

Pepse, your 450 most likely has a bad ACE head, it has all the symptoms. Perhaps you could extend its life for a while by tilting it closer to the tape with the alignment screws and a load of patience.

And for the record you had a 50/50 shot of getting an SL-HF 400 for the magic $100 price...

http://search-completed.ebay.com/search/search.dll?GetResult&catref=C3&st=0&srchdesc=y&query=400&from=R2&category1=39830&completedonly=1

The one that went to $187.50 bux had all the earmarks of rampant shill bidding...

http://offer.ebay.com/ws3/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=3085015424

Still waiting to hear from you on buying my fully functional SL-5400 with remote and manuals for only $43 bux and shipping...

OK Homer you want an SL-HF 400 at a "fair merket" price of only $100 bux?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3088637355

What you want it cheaper?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3088374400

OK, awhile back I posted about my HF 450 acting up (I don't feel like backtracking at the moment). I thought/think it is the pinch roller. I cleaned it up and I still have the same problem. When viewing tapes recorded off my HF 750, as well as tapes from a Sanyo VCR 7200, and a HF 300 and a HF 400, and some tapes from yard sales; they all play good. But when I record something on the HF 450 and play it back it tries to play but won't. But everything is fine on slo-mo, FF, REW, and pause. When putting the tape in my HF 750 it acts the same. Opinions??

Pepse.

My ßetamax web site at http://www.geocities.com/vespanidus/betamax.html has been revamped. The pictures will load much faster, and they include links to the full-size versions so they can be viewed in greater detail.

Ya got it Homer2!

Right to the point, and if I may add....

I can guarantee most of the people here that talks snail trash, are actually sellers in disguise.. waiting for the opportunity to run down the competition ( calling them terror snailies ) and selling their overpriced junk on ebay under a different userid. :)

How can I prove that?

How many snailies trashers here are willing to sell the following units for a " fair market price price.. "

no takes, I thought so.

sl-2401 --- fair value? according to most folks here , it should be 40 buckssl-hf400 , well according to people here, one in great shape and remote $100.00 most..I dont even dare want to know how much a sl-hf100 fair price is!!!! ( dont believe me? look at a previous message above this one.)

so.......

That is right, I do make fun of you from time to time, I do find these snail thingies ridiculous, and I do suspect some sort of identity spoofing to be happening in here.

Nevertheless, the described VCRs actually DO exist and could be yours. Since you surely won't send me any money by mail because you are afraid I might rip you off, you can even come over my house and pick them up yourself.

There are two basic options in Betamax, if it's an analog recording, you'll (most likely) need a HiFi Betamax to retrieve it.

If it's a PCM Digital recording you can use any Betamax VCR but you'll also need a PCM decoder like a PCM -F1 /SL-2000 combo unit.

Betamax education required please :)

Hi,

I have a friend who had a music project mastered to Betamax as a backup. Ampex L500 tape was used. She has no idea which machine was used, and I'm clueless when it comes to Beta technology and the machine required to retrieve this master tape. Is there a standard, or are there some different roads that I might end up venturing down?

Thanks for any help.

Larry

_@_oo - You make fun of us Homer, but I actually have a bunch of spare boards (and I think the PS) for an SL-2710 in storage and could probably fix that VCR of yours if it really existed. I'm pretty sure I have an SL-2700 power supply as well.

Looking for a shot 900 to fix mine. The board under the mechanical chassis got flooded at some point and is destroyed.

Or, that same 900 for sale, with that bad board and headless. Because the head disc has found a new life in a HF2000.

Also a severely injured 2700 f.s. It suffered a power surge. The power supply is ruined as well as the main board on which the copper traces are lifted up like burnt fuses. Very ugly and sad to look at. Could be used as a parts machine and it also sports a mint body so it could revamp a bad looking one.

Finally, a 2710 with a bad power supply. IIRC, the 9v section is dead. Since this has a complicated switching power supply, I once managed to make it work using a linear regulator instead of trying to fix it and it would work fine, though the machine would shut off for no reason from time to time. Also there is a fault in the remote control circuit which could somehow be resolved by shorting some pins on the CHANGER connector at the back. Go figure. Finally its tuner could be more "in tune".

All these fine VCRs are waiting for the best offer.

Isn't Brazil weird inasmuch as they use some kind of 60-HZ PAL variant? If it's not Brazil I believe there is one country that does that.

A friend of mine in high school was BIG into Anime, and I wasn't surprised when he asked me to copy a Beta tape... Unfortunately for him, it wasn't a Beta at all, it was a PAL tape... I was thrown when he said he actually got it into his VCR and made it play. He said he could hear the audio and not see the video, so I knew right away that it was PAL. Just goes to show you that it is pretty common for people to call anything they don't understand "Beta". I've also encountered people who call VHS "VCR"; I don't even bother trying to explain that "VCR" is another format entirely from VHS and Beta...

Venezuela is an NTSC country.

Brasil Argentina Paraguay and Uraguay are PAL countries in South America

Hi, I have a Sony SL-3000 portable Betamax VCR with soft case (NOT WORKING, THERFORE USEFUL FOR SPARES) and a matching Camera that works perfectly and comes with its original hard carying case. Price: £50.00.

I live in Essex and buyer collects.

Regards,

Jolo.

Regarding above post on Beta cassettes taped in Venezuela, I think Venezuela is one of the few countries in the Western hemisphere that uses PAL format, so the gentlemen will have to bid on a Sony multi-format Beta VCR and get a PAL TV to go with it or one of those format converter outboard boxes to convert the video from PAL to NTSC. Howard

Why does the "CANCEL" button not work. I clicked "Post message" the first time, then wanted to go back and check for mistakes, so I hit "CANCEL". But it posted twice anyway!

To Alex-If the tapes are NTSC, than any NTSC or multistandard Beta will do. You might try the internet auction sites such as Ebay-they often have plenty of Betas for sale. Although, as you might guess from some of the previous posts on this page, you have to be careful who you buy from. Sean, Olive and some of these other people may be able to give you better advice than I on who exactly engages in shill bidding and other rip-off practices, but here are a couple guidelines to keep in mind: 1.) Know what you are bidding on. Many auction descriptions are sketchy when it comes to the features of the machine in question. This website: http://www.betainfoguide.com has a good description of each model and its capabilities. 2.) As a general rule of thumb, never bid more than $ 200 -300 for any except the following models: SL-HF750, SL-HF860D, SL-HF870D, SL-HF900, SL-HF1000, SL-HF2000, and SL-HF2100. These "marquee" models are the only ones that justify a starting bid and/or Buy It Now price of $300 or more (if in working order). If internet auction is not for you, you can try scouting garage sales, flea markets, and secondhand stores. It may take you awhile to run across a Beta machine, but here they are likely to be very cheap ($20 or less). They may or may not be in perfect working order, but often they only need minor repairs like having rubber belts and tires replaced. If you can bring a tape, cable and portable TV to test any machine you run across, that would be very useful. Hope this helps. Welcome to the land of the ßetaphiles!

Alex-If the tapes are NTSC, then any NTSC or multisystem Beta should do fine. E-bay has plenty, although as you can judge from many posts on this page you have to be careful who you buy from. Sean, Olive and some of these other people may be able to give you better advice on who exactly engages in shill bidding and other rip-off practices, but keep a few general rules in mind. 1.) Know what you are bidding on. Many auction descriptions are sketchy as far as the features of the machine are concerned. This website: http://www.betainfoguide.com has a good description of each model and its capabilities. 2.) As a general rule of thumb, never pay more than 200 -300 dollars for any except the following models: SL-HF750, SL-HF860D, SL-HF870D, SL-HF900, SL-HF1000, SL-HF2000, and SL-HF2100. These so-called "marquee" models are the only ones that justify a starting bid of several hundred dollars (if in working order). If internet auction is not for you, you might try searching garage sales, flea markets, and secondhand shops. The machines are likely to be very cheap ($20 or less), but they may or may not be in perfect working order. I myself have found three Beta recorders this way, one of which works perfectly and the other two have rewind and/or tracking problems. If you can bring a tape, cable and portable TV to test any machine you run across, that would be very good. Hope this helps. Good luck and welcome to the land of the ßetaphiles!

HI ALL ---WONDERING IF ANYONE COULD GIVE ME A LINK THAT WOULD GIVE ME A LOOK INSIDE PIONEERS AND SONYS AUDIO CASSETTE REPAIR MANUALS . THANKS ,JOE

Hi all !!!I'm... what u could call a newbie in betamax vcr's...But I have a problem, and it would be great, if one of you guys had tghe answer.Actually, here is my problem: My parents recorded loads of betamax tapes in the 80's in Venezuela (must be NTSC I suppose), and I want to find a vcr that could read these tapes, that's all.Thank you for your help,

Alex.

For some odd reason this seller put the word "Betamax" in the description for a TV/VCR-8mm combo.http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3806627938&category=21168

I have a sony automatic editing controller unit RM440 in first class condition and working order ...offers please ....happy to ship anywhere or you can collect if you wish I am based in Tamworth Nr Birmingham UK

I can't say for anyone else, but for me I'm not "angry" per say at people who set high prices, they're just foolish and that's that, but the people who do get to me are people who engage in scam practices like shill bidding, rip-offs, etc.

Sean: Very poor response. Weak.

Olive: Excellent analysis. You explained the price dillema that plagued me in a very concise manner.

Now, my only remaining question, and then I promise to drop this, is why do people get so pi--ed off when a seller lists a machine at a high price (starting bid or take it)? I see these auctions and it amuses me to no end. I just grin and shake my head. Anger or hostility never enters the equation. I even get more of a kick when they actually sell their Betas at a ridiculously high price. Why the anger and hostility? Mike

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3086849455&category=39830&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBBI%3AIT&rd=1

look who's the high bidder on THAT nummy accessory!

If the last 10 SL-HF 450s went for an average of maybe $125/150 bux on open bid auctions it would be reasonable to consider that a snail "auction" that has a start, reserve and BIN at $350/400 bux is a scoche on the high side.

All in all very little discussion has been given to the idea that SL-HF 1000s should go for $50 bux. Indeed, the marquee prices have actually stayed fairly stable while the also-ran Betas have been rocketing up in price. $ 200 for an SL-2300? Nuh-uh!

Jeez! You can overcharge on Ebay by setting rediculous starting bids, or reserves, or sometimes high Buy-it-now prices. Asking too much to begin with is one thing, having an auction simply run high is another.

I cannot price a deck without seeing it. I certainly can't provide "fair" figures for hypothetical decks. Besides, "Fair" depends heavily on what you are willing to pay...

This is for SEAN. I think we can resolve this entire situation.

You said on 27mar04: "I can't say if you charge what is generally deemed a fair price or not, but that's another point entirely."

Who the hell are you to determine what is a fair price? That's like these liberals defining who is "rich" in this country by setting an arbitrary figure on their income.

Just for the record, please set a "fair price" for the following Betamax vcr's: SL-HF450, SL-HF550, SL-HF900 and SL-HF1000. This way, using your well thought out figures, we can all determine which sellers are honest and which sellers are gouging the buying public.

It seems odd how sellers can overcharge people in an auction venue. Maybe your skewed logic can also explain that situation. That's all for now. Mike

As a Canadian who has bought stuff from Americans and Canadians, I have had good treatment from both except once, and it may not have been her fault (Canadian: old Kodak with iris stuck at f/16 after working ok for half a roll). I had service above and beyond from a guy in Montreal who, after auction ended, discovered he did not have the 256 meg sdrams advertised and obtained correct items before shipping to me at the bargained price (below wholesale). I have never sold anything through eBay -- anything that enters this house never leaves.

Well I have problems with dealers who take your money and never deliver like Jim DiNicola of DeKalb Illinois who owes me an SL-2410 that I've paid forlast October and have yet to see hide nor hair of it.

That's Jim DiNicola 109 North 7th St. Dekalb Illinois 60115.

And Canadians suck too.

The people we "bash" here are scam artists, shill bidders, and other such undersireables. Since I have no idea who you are, I can't say if you charge what is generally deemed a fair price or not, but that's another point entirely. Lots of well-known scammers (Snaling is one) give things like remotes and sealed tapes. One of the more reputable (in my experience) dealers, VCRGary, does not give anything like that, and, while his prices are high, I've lots of good experience with his stuff...

I am seller of high end Betas on eBay. Someone told me to see this chat-page. I was shaken by the knocking of high end Beta sellers. I give a remote (sometimes two!), sealed new tapes, and free shipping with buy-it-now. I am not a crook. I buy nice looking betas with problems and turn them into gems. I would give my name but I am afraid you would trash me. Let’s stop this bashing of honest sellers.

PEPSE, Try holding down cassette door while operating eject button, let go after operating noise stops. Should open, try a couple of times.

Just became another victim of Murphy's Law of Clusters: If you watch for an item on eBay for months, and you buy-it-now regardless of price when one finally shows up, 3 more at lower prices will pop up the next day.

OK, you peoples that seem to be able to get around Sony's website. I was given an old Sony CCD F70 Video8 camcorder, with owners book and weak battery and power supply. Anyway the problem is that the tape door won't open when sliding the eject button. I can hear the motor whining but nothing else happens. I tried using a thin blade to help open it when sliding the eject button but no luck. Anyway, I can't find any FAQs on Sony's site for older camcorders and when I did a Google search there are about 4000 hits and the first 110 sites is 99% batteries or some language that is unreadable. Anybody have an idea what I can do, or where on Sony's site I might be able to get some help?? There is no tape in the unit.

Pepse.

I bought my SLHF100UB in 1984,best thing I ever bought.The heads are now worncausing black lines on the picture.I need to transfer some treasured recordingsto my DVD recorder.Question is do I try to get it repaired or sell it for partsand then try to find one that plays back ok? I cant tell you how much I haveloved this machine-it has never needed attention even though used constantlyfor 19 years.

Hi there again, Amend last message it,s a SL-HF 950 Betamax. OOP's JohnnyD

Hi there, does anyone have a working SLF950 Betamax? Willing to swap a for Video 8 Pro camera, complete with case & insts etc. Perfect condition. E/mail if you need any further info, photo's etc.. JohnnyD

Make that $43 bux and shipping. I went back checked the BlueBook price. Wouldn't want to rip you off.

Don't have an Sl-HF 750 at any price but if you wanna put your money where your mouth is wigger I do have a fully functional SL-5400 with fresh new idler tires, the remote, owners manual AND service manual (and even the sheet of little number thingies for the channel presetters) for the grand sum total of $50 bux and shipping to your door.

Put up or shut up beyatch.

_@_oo - Amazing the number of bidders with less than 5 (or zero) feedbacks show up in the auctions with more than say 20 bidders. Simply astounding.

_@_oo - But there certainly can't be anything fishy/snaily about that, can there?

Olive E thomas,

having said the above, could I buy one of your betas for a few dollars? eg...a SL-HF750 for 100.00 bucks? if not why not? if I cannot purchase it from you, someone here must have a mere sl-2401 SUPERBETA hifi for sale , at the very least? For a gooood price of $50.00 bucks. Oh yeah, almost forget. It must work as well! I believe at a earlier post, you mentioned that a SL-HF400 is worth 100.00 in mint condition with remote. Well, if you find one let me know. Buying anything on ebay is like buying at the stores. The same merchandise can be found for a variety of prices.

I wonder whats your real Ebay user ID is. I am sure you have one?

Its not that I care or anything, but I think the whole ebay business goes bizarre over here. I think the fun should be getting people to know how to fix their machines, get parts etc.. more so than just bi-tch every second post with ebay this, ebay that... lots of DOUGH.. but not enough for MINE.. etc..... seller this , seller that.....Canada this, Canada that, 9.11 this, 9.11 that.. EBAY TERROR this, terror that!

Nobody puts a gun to anyone's head forcing that person to bid at an item. If you dont like the price, dont buy it. I cannot see it being much more simple to explain. For instance, I am trying to purchase a battery for my laptop. I watch the auctions. I dont want to pay over 40 bucks for a good working battery. My laptop is old, so its not worth investing too much. Do I get into a price war? No, hell no. I dont want to bid over 40.00. If I win the auction, great if not oh well. Theres always a next auction anyhow. If I am desperate to buy the battery I can click on the buy it now option for 70 bucks, and If I do that. .. its my responsability, my choice. Its not the seller fault. If you post an ad at the local paper with " wanted, beta vcr " I am sure you will get someone. Living in a city with an average population, someone must have a vcr up for grabs for a few dollars. I am sure the so called snails gets their beta from local sources as well.

One need only look at the list of eBay Beta completed items...

http://search-completed.ebay.com/search/search.dll?GetResult&combine=y&ht=1&sacategory=293&satitle=%28beta%2cbetamax%2cbetamovie%2cbetacord%2cbetavision%29&socolumnlayout=1&sorecordsperpage=100&sosortorder=2&sosortproperty=3&sorecordstoskip=0

...to see that the majority of Betas can still be had below $ 200 and even the marquee Betas can be obtained for under $300 without going to the snails.

In fact $80 will still get you almost any decent HiFi unit. That's what the snails usually pay for theirs.

And it's not like you're just one of the dealersnails trying to sell Betas for ten times what they're worth instead of going on the open market buying them at the price you paid is it Homer? Wouldn't want them to know they're getting rooked paying $700 bux for your "SuperbetaHifi" SL-2300

eBay auctions actually have more or less reasonable prices and with the exception of said SL-2300s (which seem to go for way more than their utility value justifies) we don't have all that much of an issue with the auctions. Since they're auctions we have a say in what we think something is worth.

It's the dealerssnails like LLed133, Someko, Southern Advantage, Absolute Beta and 1ziggi1 that sell their Betas at fixed and extrordinarily high prices. They don't get their Betas from some magic outside source, they bid against the same Betas you or I might want to bid on with no more assurance of quality so there's really no point in buying from them.

And then there are the (mostly) Canadian eBayers that shill bid their own auctions to drive up prices or close the auction because they didn't get the price they wanted. That's against eBay policy and wrong.

And finally we have the optimistic sellers that think the word Betamax magically means that their VCR/Camcorder/box of tapes on offer will be able to put their kid through college. Those are just amusing and good for laughs. Nobody has to be here so lighten up and let us have our bitchy fun.

That brings me up to a question that has not been answered before.. me thinks.

I am starting to wonder, why there are among us " Ebay cops ". I mean, why waste hours and hours looking at auctions just to come over here and bit--h about it? Now lets look at it from a different view.

If the lamb is actually the wolf but trying to make you think otherwise... for instance.. trying to portray itself as being the good guy but is actually the bad guy...... OK, I will make it even easier.

User A: Complains about ebay prices.. wants to be able to acquire a well sought machine for a few bucks and nothing more. UserA complains to ebay, complains to us, and bi--th all over the place... Finally Usera manages to acquire the well sought machine at a low EBAY market price...... then like voodoo magic.. usera transform itself into a dreaded , well known ebay power seller and sells the machine for a " good price "

My point is. If its your machine for sale.. nothing wrong with acquiring, demanding, a huge price for it. In fact, userA could have a secret indentity away from this club. If its someone else getting big bucks.. you complain, report to ebay as suspicious activity, etc.. in order to take out the competition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hence, you spent hours, hours, looking at ebay market prices, reporting suspocious activity ( as if you are getting paid for it. I mean, hell, its a hobby, but taking it too personal... theres gotto be something loose up there. )

My two cents worth

Well sadly, the price people seem to be willing to pay for Betas falls dramatically whenever you try to put your extra Beta on the block but if someone wants to take my busted NEC VC-N65EU of my hand for $35 and shipping I'd like to hear from them. It's the only non-Sony that can record and play BIS tapes.

It'll take in a tape, load the tape, rewind and fast forward the tape, but if you press play the capstan works but the reel drive doesn't want to advance the tape. Drop the -snail- and figure out who AlmostOnLine is and you have my address.

To Homer, your are precisely correct in your assessment. I disagree with people who call Ebay's Beta prices inflated. I believethe old prices we got used to were abnormally low due to the sellers'being unable to cheaply market there machines to the nationwide audiencethat exists. Also, the fact that high-end machines consistently sellfor big bucks shows that the prices aren't inflated. Sometimes atauctions, prices are too high because a few people are determined tohave something no matter what it costs. I don't see that with thehigh-end Betas since new people keep popping up to try to snag a 1000.Lastly, I don't think prices are inflated because I don't see the usedBeta market being very attractive to speculators. I bring this up sincespeculators can cause huge price swings in a market but a person wouldhave to be pretty nuts to think they could make money on a 1000 theyjust paid $1300 for.

I do want to add that there is a ceiling for Beta prices. Since you canimport Betas from Japan, the prices won't go far above what it wouldcost to get new Japanese Betas here. Somebody, maybe even one of us,would bring over some new grey-market stuff if used prices got highenough. They might not be 1000s but a new ED-beta close enough for alot of buyers.

KC

The problem with ebay is the following.

The powers to be on this site, cry if they cannot bid to an " overpriced" SL-HF750, 500, 1000 vcr!... eg if the SL-HF400 is going for 300 bucks, they cry , complain, knuckle drag all over the keyboard. If you approach them with 50-100 bucks for their well abused, used, old vcr ( 750, 400, 1000 sony beta ), they will Sh--t all over you, since they think their machine is worth so much more.

So, the million dollar question. If ebay prices are so outrageous, please let whom among you is willing to sell their old, busted machine for a few bucks?

Hi there ,Help!!,I need a good power supply for my c9 !,I dont need the DC-DC converter board just the rest of it,or some original switching transistors as I have replaced them with new ones of a close spec it starts but it runs too hot now.Cheers Craig.

Mike/walrismak notes correctly that eBay is an open auction. Nobody is forced to impulsively bid without doing any research first. They should. They don't. It's not just a Betamax problem. It's not just an eBay problem. Department stores barely break even on the items you go in there to buy; it's what impulse buyers grab without thinking on the way to the checkout that feeds the staff. If an impulse buyer finds a box of Beta tapes in the basement an eBay snail gets a meal that day. It's a market economy, not a state-run schedule of permitted prices. Which way would you really want it?

More on the optimistic eBay sellers...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3087540001

Wants $ 200 bux for a BE-V50 rewinder. Brand new rewinders are only a tenth the price and show up all the time on eBay.

The problem with buying Betas on eBay is that most of the bidders are other dealers snapping up the cheaper betas to flip them for the higher prices in order to soak the people who are desparatelly seeking a Beta to transfer their tapes and don't knoe the market well enough.

Your best bet is to look for what the dealers bid for and outbid them. I was able to snag an SL-HF 750 for a little over 200 bucks because I was willing to take on the dealers and beat them at their own game.

One only has to look at the prices that Absolute Beta and Southern Advantage are trying to get for Betas on their non-auction pages and the median of Beta sales on eBay to realize there's some major price gauging going on.

Your PAL VCR speed averages the NTSC speed BII. Now if the sound pitch is higher on your particular tape, this means it runs faster than it was when recorded. Therefore, this tape is probably recorded in BIII.

On another subject, I'm trying to get some quotes from the Orion Blue Book but they will ask for $3.99 for a single quotation. If I remember correctly, back to a few weeks we could get them for free. Am I doing something wrong ?

No NTSC can't play in a PAL-only VCR. You need a multisystem Beta (there were several of them) like the SL-T50ME which can handle NTSC PAL and SECAM.

Can't help with finding a multisystem in Oz....

Hi again. Just had an addition to my previous post. I tried to play the NTSC video and besides the screen not showing anything clear, the audio was playing in probably double speed. Now that must mean that the tape is in BI and my VCR is BII (or should that be the other way around?)

Many thanks againchickasmith(au)

Hello from Australia.

I have a Sanyo VTC-M20 (PAL) Beta VCR. I bought some Beta tapes from the US expecting them to work on my VCR but of course they do not because they are NTSC. I guess I have a few questions (haven't looked around much here, so please excuse me if these answers are staring me in the face)

A. Is there any way that I can get these NTSC tapes to work (ie me being able to see the picture) through my PAL Beta VCR?

B. If question A is NO, then are there any dual player Beta VCRs around (ie both play PAL and NTSC)?

C. If question B is YES, then does anyone have one in Australia that they would gladly like to sell to me ;) ?

Hope I can be helped. I want to bring back those nostalgia days!

Best wishesChickasmith(AU)

Been reading past posts. I disagree with people who call Ebay's Beta prices inflated.

Inflated? HELLO PEOPLE, IT"S AN OPEN FORUM AND AN AUCTION!! If therewasn't SOMEONE willing to pay that much, items wouldn't go for what theydo! Though we might all prefer to pay less, and we DO stumble on dealsfrom time to time, if SOMEONE else is willing to pay more, they get'em. I think that a SL-HF360 recently brought $250.50 (more than _I_think it's worth), but if the deal went through, I must be wrong). I'dlike to get a SL-HF1000 for, oh, about $ 200. 00 - anyone here want tosell me theirs for that figure? I thought not. One just brought$525.00 at eBay, another one brought $645.65, a third one brought$700.00, and a fourth one brought $775.00! A SL-HF750 went for$450.00 (where were you all then?), another one brought $595.00. TheSL-HF900 went for $710.00!

There's currently a broken 1000 at $211.11, or a working one at$566.00. A SL-HF900 is at $355.00, and there's a SL-HF300 at only$87.00, but it hasn't met reserve. Get in there and bid!

A big THANK YOU to all those who contributed the information I requested. Hong

Howard. Might have that board floating around. Will look for it.

The SLO-1400 doesn't play B1. I have all the manuals. They had a capacitor problem and there is a service bulletin about replacing a dozen or so.

Hello all out there in Betaland. If any of you out there have a useless broken non-functioning SL-HF450 that you would like to get rid of, please let me know. I am currently in need of parts from a SL-HF450 to repair a 450 that suffered a smashed left front power on/off IC circuit board. If anyone has a trashed 450 they would like to get rid of, please let me know. Thanks. Howard

He's baaaaaaaack!

http://cgi2.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=betavcrs

Introducing "betavcrs," formerly "betavcrguy" formerly "bluewater-tennis-company," well known shilling seller. Stay tuned for for future auctions featuring creeping, small increment bids from "vintage-motorbikes" and "willijames," and we may see a few new faces in the process.

Boy - eBay really looks out for its members.

Having had an SLO-1400, I can summarize its operation fairly well... There should be two meters, head and running hours. They're largely meaningless since they can be reversed and replaced. The remote switch, I believe, controls if it comes on into record mode when power is applied. If you put a blank tape in it (Not sure if it cares about record inhibit tabs) and power it up, it will start recording if this switch is set for it... That way several of these could be put together off of one source and make several copies at once. The exposed electrical contacts on the front are only for diagnostics with a scope. Since these saw service as duplicators, the machines could be set up in stacks/racks and checked without removal. They all had to be calibrated the same. I know that, unmodified, it can't take a wireless remote. You'll have to plug something into the 20-pin in the back. Otherwise it's pretty much a normal deck, nothing special to its general operation. It records in BII only. Plays back all speeds, though.

I don't think the SLO-1400 uses an IR remote. I think you need something like an RM-440, but I don't know for sure if that's one that will work. The 1400 was built for tape duplication more than anything else. The external contacts are for testing various performance aspects of the machine and was probably a necessary feature due to the continuous heavy duty use for which these machines were designed.

On The T-50, I believe that you need to be consistent in broadcast standard throughout in order to play something. VCR, tv and tape all have to be the same standard.

One note of advice - eight decks becomes 30 before you know it!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

I bought an SLO-1400 recently on eBay. Can anyone summarize its operation or make me a manual copy (presuming I can't buy one from Sony. I haven't asked yet). On the front there is a switch "remote", but it didin't come with a manual or remote, so I don't have clue what it's for. Will it respond to a remote? I've tried unsuccessfully with VTR-1, 2 & 3. Another puzzle are the exposed electrical contacts. What are they for?

I bought an SL-T50ME recently on eBay. That came with a remote (missing red lens), but no manual. Will this play a Secam or PAL tape on an NTSC monitor?

I also bought an SL-HF550 on eBay, but that hasn't arrived yet. That will bring me to 8 Beta decks when it arrives. If the $25 Sanyos I ordered from Future Productions in February ever get here, I'll have 11, and only two not Hi-Fi.

Eat your hearts out. Just kidding, love this Palsite. Hong

Harry. I have an SL-T50ME myself (even have the service manual) and it will play the B/W signal of a PAL or SECAM tape on an NTSC monitor. You need a multisystem monitor to be able to play the color signal. Good computer A/V input cards should able to handle multisystem signals.

Awwwww! Those Surplex people went and changed their price from$849 to $49...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3805811678

Woulda been fun to see if some sucker would bite at the $849 price

I bought an SLO-1400 recently on eBay. Can anyone summarize itsoperation or make me a manual copy (presuming I can't buy one from Sony.I haven't asked yet). On the front there is a switch "remote", but itdidin't come with a manual or remote, so I don't have clue what it'sfor. Will it respond to a remote? I've tried unsuccessfully with VTR-1,2 & 3. Another puzzle are the exposed electrical contacts. What are theyfor?

I bought an SL-T50ME recently on eBay. That came with a remote (missingred lens), but no manual. Will this play a Secam or PAL tape on an NTSCmonitor?

I also bought an SL-HF550 on eBay, but that hasn't arrived yet. Thatwill bring me to 8 Beta decks when it arrives. If the $25 Sanyos Iordered from Future Productions in February ever get here, I'll have 11,and only two not Hi-Fi.

Eat your hearts out. Just kidding, love this Palsite. Hong

I was wondering how much I could sell some beta tapes for.The 2 titles are:The Godfather Part 1(2 tapes)The Godfather Part 2(2 tapes)They are all in GOOD condition.

Please e-mail me if you have an estimated answer. Thank you.

Oh my god it's already in his "hall of shame"!...

http://uk.geocities.com/dasimperator/ebayadvertpix/bmc-110-ad.jpg

And they pinched some the item description from what must be some obscure webpage that nobody in a million years will find....

Hi,

Here, I find in another shop italian a Milan for new videocassettes Beta (unopened):

Fabian Color S.n.c. (Agfa) Largo Brasilia/Via Panizzi, 12 2 videocassettes Beta Kodak L-500 - 5.16Euro one piece

Giudici Foto Via Sarpiother videocassettes Sony DX L-830 - 5.00Euro one piece

Photo Discount Piazza De Angeli (Gallery)other videocassettes Sony last model Betamax L-500, L-750 and L-830last pieces videocassettes Sony UHFG-HiFi (year 1985) L-250 - 2.50Euro one piece

UnionFotoMarket Cash & Carry Viale Certosa, 36videocassettes Sony Betacam Oxide for Beta, SuperBeta and SHB Beta: 10 (L-250)videocassettes Sony Betacam SP for ED-Beta only: 10 (EL-250), 20 (EL-500) and 30 (EL-750)videocassettes FujiFilm Betacam SP for ED-Beta only: 20 (EL-500)

Thank you and best regards.

NEW WINNER OF "MOST OPTOMISTIC SELLER... EVER"

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=711&item=3805811678

Way to go, Surplex ne Quecan...

Just some miscellaneous ramblings about the hobby: I remember Video Magazinearticles speculating that tape may have a mere 10 year life span. Thelubricant on the tape dries out, the metal oxide rusts, the mylarbacking breaks, thetape stretches.

When Music CDs first came out, many a recording studio was disappointedwhen they went into their vaults and they found their masters haddeteriorated. One story I remember was a Grateful Dead album where thefirst 30 seconds were unusable, but fortunately, the recording engineerwas able to grab a 30 -second guitar interlude from the middle of thefirst song that was a repeat of the song intro. Another example was someof Frank Sinatra's classic albums of the 1950s where the masters hadcongealed in their storage boxes. However, the original, unmixed studiotapes stood up better and the CDs were able to be remastered by remixingthe originals. There have been some classic older albums that have beenremastered from collector's copies of LPs because the tapes were beyondsalvaging.

So this is certainly something Beta users have to contend with. All ofour collections are aging and if your tapes were not stored under idealconditions, 5 or 10% of our collections may already be unplayable.

Interestingly enough, just because you never played a tape is noindication of its survival. In fact, a tape that's played once a yearor so may be in better shape than a tape that hasn't been played in 10years. The occasionally playing may have kept the tape from sticking toitself.

Hi,

Olive & Thomas wrote:

NEC and Toshiba made portable models but I don't have info on whether they released a PAL version.

Model NEC Beta portable, PAL version, was two models first PVC-2500 (clone from Sony SL-3000 ) and last PVC-P1040E (clone from Sanyo VPR-5800 ).

Best regards.

How can I Transfer betamax tape to vcd using my personal computer. My betamax tape have been stored for 6 years do you know some liquids or cleaner for my tape. pls email me.

Inside of older tapes, when the little flexible tab separates, do you re-glue it? The adhesive seems very sticky, almost as though pushing back against the shell might just work for a good long time. If you re-glue, what do you use?

Yes I have. They don't have the NEC parts.

Andy,have you tried Studiosound Electronics for replacement belts?

http://www.iglou.com/studiosound/index.htm

I am in the process of uploading home video clips to the Stoughton Piston Head Society website. The first one is now available at http://www.angelfire.com/mech/stoughtonpistonheads/SPHS_Video_Page.htmlIf you have Windows Media Player try it and let me know if it works properly for you.In ßeta news, I am considering getting rid of my NEC VC-739E ßeta Hi-Fi unit. The belts and other rubber parts are shot and I can't find new ones. Also the flap over the cassette insert slot is detached. I have the remote control and a service manual. If anyone is interested in this machine for parts or restoration let me know.

See what I mean, Andy? It sure is weird. On the repair front, I've found in myneighbourhood what might be a good source forrepairing Beta Vcr's. I took my Hi8 camera to a localrepair shop and while there I asked the owner if theyrepair Beta's. I have an SLHF-550 needing attention.He said they are old-timers who have fixed a lot ofBeta vcr's and invited me to bring the 550 in. I willdo so, and if they can repair it I will post theirname in the Informer. They certainly did a good job onmy Hi8, and at a reasonable cost. Cheers, Ronnie

Just thinking... anyone know what happened to Franny Wentzel???

The Russ@virtualhosts email sounded familliar to me (My good old somtimes-eidetic memory pays off again), so I checked the logged messages and it turns out it belong(s/ed?) to Leonard, who used to post here... Now the question is is this the same guy or someone else using the address? Furthermore, the two "Andy Sanchez" posts have different IPs attached to 'em, so we know ONE of 'em is telling the truth, and it's probably not the russ@virtualhosts one...

Would the real Andy Sanchez please stand up???

Olive:

Ah.. OK. I couldn't believe how fast we got ours.. less than 2 1/2 weeks from our electronic filing, it was in our bank account.. amazing.. if the rest of the government could be so efficient, it would save trillions of tax dollars..

Hi everyone. This is Andy (the real andy). I am quite confused as to the post made recently here. I did not post that, but yet its claiming to be by me. Please note the email address ([email protected]) is not my email address. What is going on here ? I was only tipped off by this by a fellow betaphile (Ron Hebb) and I had to immediately check on this. I am not moving, I am not going anywhere and am absolutely puzzled about that post. It sure was a nice post, I'll admit but I did not type that up!! I am absolutely puzzled , just plain PUZZLED. Andy, still here doing his thing.. Andy Sanchez . This is just too weird.

Yes I do. Waiting on refund $$$

Olive:

You still want that NEC ßetaMovie?

Need an NTSC TT3000 tuner timer unit for your SL-3000 portabeta?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3086523291

$10 bux start. I doubt you'll have a lot of competition for it...

Das Imperator:

I guess you don't seem to be receiving my e-mails, either, as I have not gotten any response from you or your friend.. being in Korea lately has become a major PITA for e-mail.. please contact me at [email protected]

Andy S.

Welcome back.. hope it's to stay this time.

How 'bout "this worked perfectly when I put it away..." forgetting to mention the all important "twenty years ago before the celler flooded..."

What's 1000 times the worse is that I've seen the "Can't check because I don't have a tape" excuse used for VHS machines...

Special to Harland!!!! I second everything you have said---I do not know how someone could bid 100 of dollars for any Beta with all the junk out there.One I think you missed is I cannot check because I dont have a beta tape.I have about given up ebay because of the junk and high prices,for instance check out---beta vhs tapes new---and see the prices you can buy SONY VHS TAPES 12 FOR 10$ at walgreen

A riddle:

What is in mint condition, perfect working order and has low hours onit?

Answer: ALL of the Betamaxes up for auction on eBay!!

Take it from someone who has bought a few Betamaxes on eBay and gottenburned: don't believe 'em!!

Oh. . .I left out my favorite: "I only used it as a tuner".

My complaint about eBay isn't the prices. It's the misrepresentationsabout the machines' history and condition that bothers me. (And theprices ARE getting out of hand!!)

Hi all fellow betaphiles,

I was just wanting to let you all know that my email address:[email protected] has been down for the last 5 months as I writethis, 3-21-04. Any emails sent to me possibly byyou (or anybody for that matter), I have not been able toreceive. I can not receive email or send out email usingmy current inet provider : Worldcom. I will be changing my primaryinternet provider very soon and will let you all know of my new emailaddress besides the one below I am going to refer you all to forthe time being:

[email protected]

Please send any correspondence to the above address.

I really appreciate all of the past business I have gotten from justthe Palsite members alone! You all are the GREATEST todeal with , and I am always honored to have the priveligeto work on your treasured Betamax machines.

Other news , just to let you all know:--------------------------------------I will be re-locating myself to a better residence here in thenext week, so please be informed if I have your machine inpresently I will be delayed only on these days: 4-13/4-16,the days I will be moving.

My mailing address, shipping address, phone numbers will remainthe same.

I will be having some special offers once I am settled in my newhome, just as a thanks for all your business! (and to celebratemy new home I am moving into)

Before I close out, I would like to ask If anyone has anybroken/unwanted betas they would like to sell pleaselet me know, as I can either use the units for parts , or to refurbish,and pass on to another fellow betaphile who may not be able to affordthe VCR at current Ebay prices.

Thanks a bunch for reading this! Andy Sanchez

I have a Sanyo VTC5000 that I am looking to sell. It gets power but keeps chewing up tapes. I also have 25 used tapes (mostly L750s) plus 2 head cleaner tapes plus the manual. £15 the lot + postage and packaging or could be collected from SE London area.