Hello !!! I´m wanna bay a betamax video . A PAL model becuse i´m living in Denmark..

You'll probably need a video card with S-video inputs and an RGB-out to S-video adapter on the Betacam player. Or just a BNC to RCA adapter on the Betacam deck. Hard to say for sure as this is the Betamax chatpage. You want the Betacam page next door...

http://www.chat-page.com/betacam/

How do I connect a Betacam SP player to my computer and transfer the video across for editing in ADOBE Encore and Premier Pro as MPEG2. I then need to transfer this to DLT.

Cheers!

You know I've always thought those VHS-C cassette adapters were what everyone takes to be the mythical Beta -> VHS adapter.

And my nominee for the worst tape winder is one that went by the 'Mustang' brand. It's an overall racid POS that rewinds tapes in such a bad way that you tape looks like some geological cross section of a fold in the earth's crust about to turn into a fault line. (and this is the perfect geological stratum to find trapped natural gas...)

The tape counter runs backward in wind mode and forward in rewind mode and at tape end theres one of those annoying musical greeting card tunes played because Kim Lee at the Mustang factory had a brother at the greeting card music chip factory with a batch of surplus chips going dirt-ass cheap (or something like that).

Hi all,

I have only seen and purchased one rewinder and it's not that good. It is mains powered and was obviously developed for world wide market as the case has 110/127 and 220/240 on the label but is supplied as 240VAC (only) in Australia. Its VHS or Beta. It is labelled as VHS/Beta combine rewinder. The name on it is JinSun model VB-999. It does FF/RW and looks as though it could be optioned for erase but didn't come with it. The shut of pop up mechanism is very dodgy and led to this one being thrown on the shelf to catch dust. The case is grey over black and would be about the same vintage and colour as a Sony C7.

The non technical consumer could be forgiven for assuming it is a Beta/VHS adaptor.

cheers - Noel

JSP..that is interesting. I guess the Sony rewinder doesn't come with an AC adapter like the other rewinders use.

Actually the Sony rewinders are nice to use, how ever chew through AA batteries like you wouldn't believe, and the erase head sits on a plastic arm which breaks fairly easily, and I have had to fix two of these rewinders for this fault.

On the subject of Beta Rewinders, which came up on this site a week or so back, here are some comments:

1. The best Beta rewinder I have is a Solidex model 3001 from the 1980s, which also does FF, is smooth and fast, and has nice lights. It is the most robust of the rewinders I have seen.

2. The most versatile rewinder I have is the Hanna model that can REW, FF and ERASE both Beta and VHS tapes. I also have a Realistic model, which is identical to the Hanna model except it does not have the ERASE capability. It is my opinion that these units may be responsible for the notorious myth that Beta tapes can be adapted to play in VHS machines. Of course, we all know that we'll see the Loch Ness monster before we see a VCR that can play both formats.

3. When all you want to do is rewind a Beta tape, I like my Solidex model 829 rewinder. It is very fast and well-built. I think this is the model on which Kinyo based their much more cheaply built plastic model 63B.

4. The Solidex and Hanna models are fairly rare nowadays, so the Kinyo models predominate on eBay. In addition to the model 63B mentioned above, they also have a rewinder-forwarder, but this model is really poorly built. I had two break within the first 15 minutes of use. My advice here is, unless you really need to have a FF winder, go with the cheaper model 63B (about $10 on eBay).

Of course, the rarest of all is to find the original Sony BV-50, which can REW and ERASE. These show up once in a blue moon on eBay, and can fetch up to $75. I've never used one, but they look beautiful and if it is built like a Betamax, it probably works perfectly!

Could be one of those scammers that offer to (or 'accidentally') pay you a lot of money over the price and ask you to wire them the overage, They pay with a forged cashier's check and you're left holding the bag. They do a lot of that on eBay which is why a lot of people refuse to do business with overseas people.

Proof the Nigerian scammers will turn over any hidden corner of the internet to scrounge up e-mail addresses...

hello

my name is Jane,On my way searching of web i discover that you a Toshiba eta model # VM 401 forsale and i am interested in buying the Toshiba eta model # VM 401 that you place for sale ,so let me know the well condition of it and price of it including shipping because my shipping agent company will come for it it will be my appriciate if you will send the price of the Toshiba eta model # VM 401to me so that we can discuss about the price .

Best regards.Jane smith...--

I had listed and sold that VCR way bay in 2000 and the site I listed it on had gone under during the great dot.com crash of 2001.

I almost thought it was a real inquiry and was going to reply to it but the language seemed fishy. My guess is that it's probably a fishing expidition looking to confirm my address so they can sell it to all their Nigerian buddies as working. I wish I knew how to spoof Mailer Daemon returns through that account.

You would think that long time email address would be the ones they'd want to avoid seeing as how everybody and their brother in Nigeria (and the rest of the third world) are trying to pull these scams.

hi any body there

Noel you have never seen the famous ebay photo and reason why you should wear clothes while taking pictures of reflective items for ebay auctions? Especially if your a big guy?

My guess is that F30 is either the charcole grey or champagne with a green back light. They didnt make them in green. I have seen one blue unit otherwise all red.

I am happy to spray one up for you olive, I just finished a projector, was cream, now pitch black, although allot bigger than a beta.

geez my spelling is bad.

I found a new 950 pinch roller assembly and those dihedral head screws in my shed this aft I forgot I had them.

Hey,I have some ntsc movies incl top gun,cannot play them,my trust vcrs are all pal,any offers,just pay postage,regards

i have s 1983 sanyo beta recorder 4500 in excellent condition. works great but the rewinder sometimes acts up. also have many movie tapes. can anyone tell me if this is worth anything and what i might expect to sell for. thank you

Olive,

The SLF30 on eBay certainly looks green, but so does the surface to the right. Could be you need to provide more photographic advice. I suspect that natural light filtered by green roof sheeting of a shed/garage has given this appearance to an ordinary silver/grey unit. If it is really green, I want it to contrast with my red one from JSP. (By the way, I never did find that stainless steel kettle photo you were referring to above)

regards Noel

Hi, I have a zenith vr9500 camera, and a vr9550 player with tuner. The whole bunch was in my home when I bought it. I want to get rid of the vcr and I want the machine to go to use. The three pieces together are heavy and I live in the Midwest(USA. I have gathered from this site that there is a use for these machines. please respond and let me know how I can get these machines to someone who needs them.

Greetings, earthlings. Green betamaxes were produced for intergalactic export only, since any civilization that would settle for VHS could not be considered worthy enough to possess such esoteric perfection. However, using a cheap digital camera without auto white balance under a 40-watt cool fluorescent tube might give your more ordinary silver unit the illusion of being our export model.

ps. You should see what my Illudium PU-36 Explosive Space Modulator does to Emerson 2-head mono VHS space dung.

Could it be? A green Betamax?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6341064735

SL-F30 PAL deck in what looks like a green casing. I know Sony made a lot of red VCRs and some other colored units but this is the first green one I've ever seen...

I have a 2400 which records OK (tapes look good when played back on another machine), but when I try to play back on this unit, there is video noise approx. every 2 seconds - rest of the time the picture looks great. Can anyone tell me what the problem might be? Thanks for your help.

hi there!!!!!!!!!!!

Lesson #1 in eBay item photography - turn on the f-ing lights!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5732070707

And lesson #2 in eBay item photography - if it's a digital you don't have to use the first shot out of the camera. If it clearly sucks, go ahead and take another picture. That's what digital photography is all about!

Oh and if yer nekkid (or close to it) and not a hottie, don't go and take a picture of some teakettle that clearly shows your hideous carcass in the reflection or you'll be the laughing stock of the internet...

Found a very nice magazine spread for the SL-2000 "componant Betamax" system.

http://members.aol.com/dasimperator/sony82betamaxcomp.jpg

I have a betamovie that does work that i am willing to sell ( BMC-200 ) Make a offer. I live near Toronto Canada

BETAMAX tapes transfered to DVD free of charge, you cover postage both ways for tapes and DVD but i will transfer for FREE. All I ask is for you to supply the Blank DVD media (DVD- any brand) and I will do the rest. all tapes returned if required.Email me for contact details or phone 0774 3058021

I have about a hundred or more recorded beta format movies for sale... make me an offer? JOE

Got £600 lying around? Need to service some PAL Beta VCRs?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3852844788

Repair kit with carry case £600 BIN

Hello friends; i need an Betamax Sony SL3000 schematicview. Thanks for the help.

jkhk

I wonder if anyone has the promotional information on the Sony SLF60 features? PALSITE says it is basicaly the same as the F30 but a non-working F60 I have picked up seems to have the same heads as an SLC9. There is an extra videohead and associated amplifier so I presume this added a noise free pause function. The machine does not seem to have a slow motion mode.

Hi!Does anyone have a pic of the Sony SL-T20?If yes please e-mail me one...Thanks!

On 10 Nov. 04 I saw a Canera on TV, called a Drive Camera in a bus, can anyone where they are available, what company. Tnanking you in advance for the help.

Earl...here is my opinion (for what it is worth) regarding buying a Beta on eBay:1. If you don't need SuperBETA, consider an SL-2710. It is HiFi and built to last.2. If you want SuperBETA, but not HiFi, consider an SL-HFR70 (lots of nice features)3. If you want SuperBETA and HiFi, consider an SL-HF400 (lowest price), SL-HF450, or SL-HF650.4. Another way to get everything is to buy an SL-HFR70 with the HFP-100 (or HFP -200 ) HiFi processor5. Regarding eBay sellers: --1ziggi1 knows alot about Betas and refurbishes them, and his prices are consistent--someko appreciates Betas and has nice ones, but is overpriced and doesn't work on them--redding1 finds Betas and has decent prices, but doesn't work on them--lled133 has nice Betas, but is even more overpriced than someko--pervue is a newcomer who seems to flip Betas he buys on eBay for a huge profit6. Regarding other sellers:--AbsoluteBeta is an overpriced "business" run by a jerk--Mr. Betamax remains a bit of a mystery person, but clearly knows more about Betas than anyone else I've seen out there. His prices are not cheap, but I know he completely refurbishes a machine and backs up his work. If you want to be happy and price is not an issue, then go with Mr. Betamax (at least you will find out where he is located).

Dave - there is no Beta -> VHS adapteras it is not possible to make one.

My best guess at a solution - I haven't had that problem with my tapes and I'm sure there are people here who have a better idea - to your tape mold problem is to carefully dismantle the tape - make sure it's totally rewound and clean the mold out.

To get it out of the tape reels a method to try is soaking an index card with a little isopropyl alcohol and when it's absorbed running that between the shell and edge of videocassette spool.

If you don't like that idea you can try winding and rewind the tape a few times. That should disperse the stuff into the shell where if you insist on cleaning, it won't risk the tape media as much as trying to clean within the spool.

If you still have your Beta VCR and it's a Sanyo if might just need new belts and idler tires. http://www.iglou.com/studiosound/betatune.htm has the parts you'd need.

Of the Beta dealers, the only one I'd consider doing business with if I had more money than time and if I were in the market for more Beta stuff is 1ziggi1, redding1 or even The Snail himself (someko) as their prices have stayed comparitively low while Mister Betamax and lled133 seem to be playing the game of "can you top this?" in pricing.

But then I have more time than money so I can shop around for the lowest bid price.

I AM SO LUCKY TO FIND THIS SITE. I AM DESPERATE ON MY BETA CASSETTE WHERE I SAVE MOST OF MY CHILDREN HOME VIDEO. THIS CASSETTE ARE FULL OF MOLD. I DONT DARE TO TOUCH THEM SINCE I DONT WANT TO DAMAGE THEM MORE. MY OLD BETA PLAYER IS BROKEN. QUESTIONS: WHERE CA I FIND A BETA-VHS ADAPTOR? HOW CAN I CLEAN THOSE PRECIOUS BETA CASSETTES?

I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR EXISTENCE, WHOEVER IS RESPONSIBLE OR PART OF THIS SITE.

THANKS, DAVE.PANAMA CITY, REP OF PANAMA

I've read some of the posts over the last couple of months concerning overpriced Betas. I'm one of those 'one-time' beta buyers looking for a machine to transfer home videos.... a machine that will play well and not eat tapes! I've seen the websites of both Absolute Beta and Mr.Betamax. Absolute Beta has been around awhile but gets an 'unsatisfactory rating' from the BBB. Mr.Betamax has an excruciatingly detailed web site but there is absolutely no information about who he is or where he's located.....scary.

So my question is --Have any of you had any contact with or heard anything about these guys? Do they do good work (even if overpriced)?? Or are they selling crap?

I may end up buying multiple VCRs on ebay before I find a good one. (Though I could afford to before I reached their prices...I know.) --Thanks!

Now here is another that I know we all love:Take a look at these two eBay links:

1) A guy buys a VCR on eBay for $90 + $20 Shippinghttp://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=67831&item=5728925904

2) Same guy adds a remote and manual, and puts up a listing with a starting bid of $350 (or you can Buy It Now for $400) + $ 30 for shippinghttp://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=67831&item=5730796815&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

So here is my question: what sap will pay this guy $320 for a remote and manual? Oh, one more question: where do these people get the nerve to blatantly rip people off like this with such flagrant unethical practices for all to see? Nice scam for people with no talent or skills to get a real job.

I've bought the Star Trek Original Series on DVD. I have 20 tapes (40 episodes, just over half) of the series on commercial release Beta tapes. Make me an offer on the lot, plus shipping (can ship Media mail for cheap shipping, Priority for fastest shipping). Most of these tapes are still factory sealed, I think two have been opened for viewing here.

As an aside, I also have several episodes on LaserDisc (also two per disc). If anyone's interested in those, I'll take $5 each plus shipping.

I am looking to purchase a dvd hardrive recorder. My aim is to transfere several betamax tapes onto dvd.I am therefore looking for a suitable betamax machine to carry out the work.Alan (uk only please)

Beta rewinders show up a lot on eBay.

I have the Kinyo rewinder but I'm not real happy with it. Sometimes leaves a little slack tape at the end of the winding so you hafta hold it down for an extra few seconds.

looking for a re-winder for bata tapes

The Macintosh computer (with built-in A/V inputs) I use can't see any difference between the Betamax and any other analog signal I've ever fed it. I would be exteremely surprised if any issues of compatability ever cropped up in your situation. Analog is pretty much analog.

If you're inputting Hi8 video make sure your prosepective A/V card has S-video inputs or you won't get the full value of a Hi8 recording.

I have a number of mid 80's family videos on Betamax which I'm about to transfer to digital on my laptop (with Maxtor One Touch external drive)and then do a simple edit. Am considering getting a Canopus ADVC 100 for capture and wondered if anyone had any experience with using this (or other capture kit) with Betamax which - not surprisingly I suppose - seems never to be mentioned in specs or reviews. Analogue is analogue so I don't foresee difficulty with either Betamax or Hi8 to which I moved around 1988 but am I being naive?

Thanks

This has got to be the oddest catagory mis-listing for a Betamax VCR...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5729849526

An SL-HF 750 listed in the catagory cor car stereo receivers. Even has a link to check and see if this will fit in your car model!

Was the Sanyo VTC-9300PN PAL Beta toploader ever a stereo VCR?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5730313104

This fellow wants you to thinks so....

I love how eBay now 'translates' overseas English language pages for us Americans and even offers us the option of viewing it in our own language!

Hi all, After along time of inactivity the capstan motor wont move.Any idea?

Regards,Boby

Thanks Noel for providing me with the information regarding hi-fi and taping in (new) VHS vs (old) Beta.

For anyone interested in the new Star Wars trailer, they have it available at http://www.beforethedarktimes.com

I have an SL-HF 750 with dead videohead but was otherwise OK. I could use the head and drum assembly if they're still good. Otherwise my unit is available as a parts beast.

Mono record and playback should be OK on a HF100 but if its not, it is usually because of low back tension or poor head/tape path alignment.

I did not see DasImperator's earlier reply because the page wouldn't refresh.

Ian, there is an old Phillips format called V2000 that used a double-sided video cassette:

http://v2000.palsite.com/format.html

Betamax cassettes are single-sided same as VHS.

why is the mono rec and playback on the pal sony hf100 so bad?

Alan,

Another thought, If the problem is plastic mounting pins (which mount into the metal chassis) breaking off the plastic slides it may be possible to drill and pin/screw them to the metal at another point. Sony's repair policy probably doesn't allow them to do other than fit a replacement part. (I know they are not allowed to repair the SLC9 DC/DC convertors to component level.)

It may also be much cheaper depending on the access available to drill holes. Such measures are much more drastic but better than giving up on the 750 machine all together.

Alan,

Sad to hear about your 750. This is probably the same reason plastic load gears are splitting on many of the Sony slim line front load machines I see these days. ( SLC30 to HF150 ) Until now the most common one with gear problems was the SLC9, but they are smaller and suffer greater strain. Pretty much a design fault. (Which Sony pretty much acknowledged by bringing out the replacement metal gear set.) At least there is the possibility of metal or plastic replacement gears for the other machines where your problem sounds more terminal.

The deteriation of plastic seems related to the climate you are in. Warmer high humidity climates seem to make the plastic go brittle quicker. I have seem this effect in the gear sets of Hewlett Packard 8640B radio frequency signal generators used in different climates around Australia.

If you can source a good 750 machine from a cooler climate area, you may get it to last a bit longer.

regards Noel

More bad news.

Wound up taking one of my 750s and a 1000 into the shop last week and got both back. The 1000 had a bad power supply regulator and was easily repaired. The 750 however was not so lucky and has a problem that may wind up dooming a lot of machines out there. It seems that the plastic pieces that are used to mount the tape transport mechinisms on are starting to crack and dientigrate and thus are no longer holding things where they are supposed to be. The plastic part which is more or less attached to the metal plates are no longer available from Sony and was told that even if they were they would also have been molded 15-20 years ago and would be subject to the same problem. I was also told that the tech replaced these on a machine once and charged $ 200 for labour and would never do it again for that cheap- it took him about 16 hours of bench time and the VCR was never quite 100% compatible with the rest of them. Was told that the older tank VCRs wont suffer from this problem since they were all molded in cast aluminium which does not break down over time.

Name: IanEmail: [email protected] 3rd November 2004 10:38 am U.K. Time

Can anyone help?

I have a double sided video cassette (A and B) with precious family recordings on it. PLEASE what type of video recorder do I need? Is this a Betamax format? If so, there aren't too many of these in UK!

What you have is a Phillips Video2000 format cassette not a Betamax and it's a rarer format to find.

PALsite has a chatpage...

http://www.chat-page.com/v2000/

And a website for that particular format

http://v2000.palsite.com/

hey all how r ya

To chickasmith,

You can't get back more than you recorded from a tape. HiFi sound must be put on the tape at the same time as the picture information. The linear sound track is recorded in mono or stereo near the edge of the tape.

From my experience you are better off taping your current programs off TV on VHS. The quality of the later 1990s VHS units such as Sony SLV757, SLV777 and SLV815 is very good. The big plus is you can get VHS tapes new and cheap. Using old beta tapes, even in good condition, is risky because the tapes eventually break down (25 to 35yrs) and so will your older Beta machines eventually. It is a toss up quality wise. I use an SLV777 to time shift programs now and it looks good even through a projector. The electronics in the later VHS machines managed to compensate somewhat by sharpening the recorded image up.

regards Noel

Can anyone help?

I have a double sided video cassette (A and B) with precious family recordings on it. PLEASE what type of video recorder do I need? Is this a Betamax format? If so, there aren't too many of these in UK!

To: Madness, regarding your post of Oct. 24th. Regarding the Sony SuperSaver tapes you bought: I bought a load of theseSuperSaver tapes, they came out sometime in the mid 1980s I think. It seems that the duplicating houses had an overage of the odd-length duplicator Betatapes ( L435s, 530s, 625s, etc.), so Sony packaged them with the standardlength tapes closest to the duplicator length and sold them as two-packs. Igot a bunch of L625/L750 combinations, because an L625 at BII is 2 :30, greatfor those movies that run over 2 hours but under 3. Hope this clears thingsup! --> Ray Glasser (www.betainfoguide.com) Best, Ray Glasser betainfoguide.com

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=39830&item=5728703766&rd=1

Whole lot of the old K-60 tapes. I wonder if they still contain X-1 recordings?

Whoever was looking for a late-model Multisystem Beta VCR should check this puppy out...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5729134068

SL-T700ME SuperBeta Multisystem VCR.

5tytyt

oh by the way it would preferably play s and l beta tapes, thanks again

I am new to this (hence no favourite model) but hav some tapes i NEED on dvd. i am in australia and need a working australian specced (i.e. 240 volt, australian plug) Beta player for less than a hundred dollars. (inc shipping if at all possible) thanks for your reply.

In case there are any vintage betamax collectors out there, the very first betamax which was sold originally only in a console with a 19" trinitron monitor- model LV-1901 is up for bid on ebay (US) This was history in the making- it is the Great Grandparent to all the Betas, and Sony really went all out with a beautiful teak console and lots of features. Check it out if you've never seen one. Item number- 6128644158

Hello again - a few questions today.

Stupid question to start with. I guess that if I have recorded a show 20 years ago with a non-hi-fi Beta VCR, it will not therefore instantly turn into (and play) as hi-fi on a hi-fi Beta? If so, does that mean I need to tape on an hi-fi as hi-fi so that the audio quality will be superior?

I am still using my VHS to record footage from TV. I recently have acquired an SL-HF 150 in Australia. I plan to keep on using a VCR to record before I transfer all recording in the future directly to DVD (too expensive at the moment - maybe within three years time?) Has the VHS quality 'caught up' in recent times enough for me to be recording on the VHS (with new tapes), or would people recommend that I use the Beta still (where Beta tapes are rare although some pop up on local ebay in recent times)

Take Care and Many thanks :)

can anyone tell me where i can get a betamax video tape transfered to a VHS tape?in the uk?

Hey guys, know I haven't been here for awhile. Just been busy helping Setting a new POOL STATION for a friend.Glad to be back.........................☺;;☺;☺;☺;☺;☺;☺;☺;☺;☺;☺;☺;☺;

Take a blank tape and record and play it a few times to make sure everything is OK before trying your valuable tapes.

I need your advise. I have 10 Betamax cassettes of home video of my children, taken 26 years ago and never looked at for that length of time. I live in Northern California, near San Jose. The tapes have been stored in the garage. I have purchased a Betamax player from E-Bay. It will arrive in about a week. The Betamax is guaranteed to work so it has been tested. Do you think I should just put in my old tapes and start viewing? Would it be smarter to first take off the cover of the Betamax player and carefully remove the dust and lubricate the mechanism first? Also, I have to tell you I have spotted some very small spots of mildew on the spools of tape as you look through the window on the cassettes. What will happen if I play such a tape? I would greatly appreciate any comments you have on this situation

A lucky confluence of ebay auctions...

This fellow inn Pennsylvania has a nice SL-10 VCR on offer but he doesn't have the remote...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5729016592

But if you're really keen on getting a remote? Whappah! This fellow in New Jersey had the good fortune to be listing the RM-85 remote to go with it right under the Pennsy guy...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5729012273

If no-one bids against you, the whole lot is yours for a mere $15 bux.

I was wondering If other Betamax users have the following tape storage problem? Of about 250 originally new Sony Beta Dynamicron L-750UHG tapes in my possession since the mid-eighties, 8 of them with recorded material have tracking problems (frame sync problems, horizonal line rippling top to bottom early in the tape, and white streaking). On most of these tapes the problems go away later in the tape but not always.

Some of the problems are associated with subtle ripples in the tape, especially just after the leader. Sometimes I can find these ripples at other areas of the tape. However, I have 2 tapes that look pristine and still have the same problem. Re-recording on these tapes does not fix them. Recording on new tape with the same Beta machine has no problems.

Has anyone tried rewinding tapes with a Beta machine adjusted for higher tape tension to assure that the ripples are smoothed out and left tightly wound for some time before checking them again?

Have a good day! William

Hi .....Could someone tell me the shipping weight of the Sony LV1901 console ?

My tapes check out ok, no dust or flakes, In the play mode the screen is black no snow, the other problem is these are transfers from 8mm films so there is no sound. does beta require different software or settings different from vhs? I've tried movie maker, arcsoft and sonic.

I just popped the top off an SL 2710 NTSC machine. It only puts out diagonal lines. It was working okay the other day.

Is there an adjustment out of whack? What are the 5 trim pots for?.

I have one more tape to transfer and then off to the dumpster (the tapes only play back on this machine).

Is this something easie to fix?

cd / resonator00 You might have dirty heads. Sometimes old tapes will shed a bit of their oxide layer due to the age of the adhesive. It has been mentioned here that Ampex was the worst major brand for this but I cannot confirm it. If a tiny flake gets on one of the two video heads then fast-forward will show a picture and regular play will be a snowstorm. Once I saw a cheap bargain tape with a friend's wedding on it do this. An inspection of the inside of the inside of the tape's flap revealed dozens of little flakes on it! Now I look inside the flap of every tape before inserting it. If you find flakes it's too late to view that tape.

Now about cleaning the heads -- many Beta video heads are no longer available so don't just go in blasting around in there with weapons of mass destruction. If you don't know the proper way find somebody who does or track down a Beta head cleaning tape.

I have an old sears betavision home movies that I am trying to copy over to dvd. I am having a problem capturing the video.It comes through when I high speed the tape forward or backward but won't display in play mode. Do I need to adjust a frame rate or other setting?

Hello all,I have just accidently found this page and want to say that I just loved Betamax video way back in VT evolution.I have a pristine 1985 Sony SL-HF 950 PAL Betamax video in Black,with original remote and a large selection of video tapes.The recorder had its heads changed in 1987 at an astronomical cost for the time (£ 200 ),but the quality was light years ahead of its rivals and stands up well even today.This model was recently given a workout with an 80 s recording of Shogun,and performed perfectly despite years boxes up in bubble wrap and forgotten about.Was this the best Betamax model ever?,I dont know but Sony was the brandleader and inventor.Anyone intrested in giving me a good price?Look forward to hearing from you all anyway regardless of intrest.cheersBruce

Looking for service information on the Toshiba V-8600. I have one that works OK, with the exception that it doesn't play. Reason seems to be that the pinch roller is not making contact with the capstan, but I can't see how it is adjusted, or what would move it to the correct position. Anyone able to help?

Thanks,

John

apologies i forgot to mention i live in the UK (south yorkshire to be exact) and i am a poor student with a somewhat scary obsession for video conversion :)

hi guys, just found this website and figured you lot may be able to help me out in finding a betamax player (i odn't know if there are models that don't record or not but it's not a neccessity) - for converting old betamax to vhs. i have seen some on ebay go for about £60 or so and i think this is a decent price but would like to get some opinions or ask on here if anybody has a better deal and how much i should be paying. i want one with stereo sound but not hi-fi as that will make the cost go through the roof! as long as i get a nice crisp and clear picture i don't care how the model appears on the outside or how bulky it is - i know i'm not gonna get the best thing in the world but i know betamax are great quality even at the low end of the scale so hopefully i can pick up a bargain.

only ideas or help - anyone have one they wanna sell? thanks for readingmik x

Navco security time-lapse recorder. $50 start bid.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5728429739

To John with the Technis stereo

This is a Betamax VCR page - you'd be better off looking for a page for stereo enthusiasts.

However I might suggest you make sure the tape deck is hooked to the right inputs. If there are are a pair of tape inputs try going from Tape 1 to Tape 2. Also make sure that the cables are hooked up properly.

Line Out from the tape deck should go to the Tape or Line In jack on the receiver. The Line In from the tape deck would then go to the Tape or Line Out jack on the receiver.

Also make sure only one tape monitor button is pressed.

Does anyone have a Service Manual for the C7 ? There is a problem with playback mode I suspect it's common.Also the buttons on the clock timer setting are damaged.. where can I get a replacement? (just the buttons not the board)Regards

Paul

I own a Technics Stereo Receiver (sa-gx770) and dual tape deck (rs-tr575). Can't find instructions and now having trouble playing the tape deck. Stereo plays fine, switch to CD, plays fine, but when I switch the receiver to tape monitor and I get no sound from the tape deck. Any ideas??? Where might I track down new instruction manuals???

I live in the sacramento california area. I would like to purchase a working Beta VCR. Please call me at 916-717-2218

Thank You

Oops, I meant SVGA!

Oh Olive.....You match maker!

William,

Great news, I have never had problems with the capstan area of a HF950 before and hope I never will. You may still wish to check out that last website I gave you because there are interesting comparisons showing the HF950 converted for SVHS recording and playback. Cuts out the chroma beat problems.

regards Noel.

Name: Chris GallonEmail: [email protected] 25th October 2004 5 :30 pm U.K. Time

Hi I have a Sanyo Colour VTC 5000 probably purchased around 1983/84. Is it worth trying to sell it or should I just take it to the tip? I am 'downsizing' my house and no longer have space for it. Chris ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name: Fredrick ThompsonEmail: [email protected] 26th October 2004 8:50 am U.K. Time

HI, i need a betamax player, i want to put everything to digital, but mine gave up the ghost a while ago. no particualr type but preferably rca outputs, thanks

Chris meet Fredrick - Fredrick meet Chris....

Hopefully you're both UK residents....

Noel,

I am crossing my fingers now but this morning I managed to correct the problems with my SL-HF750.

After starting the procedure to realign the S Threading Ring, I discovered that it was difficult to do without removing the Cassette Skating Drawer Assembly and the Cassette Tray which was more work than I wanted to do. So, I decided to see of I could play with the meshing of gears attached to the L-Motor Assembly and the gears that drive the S Threading Ring motion. On my good deck I eyeballed the S Ring position relative to what is called the Slider Gear Assembly and Remounted the L-Motor carefully to maintain the desired position. At first the engagement left the S Ring with excess slop but after cycling the tape threading action once, it locked in place. After numerous tape loads and unloads and play, stop, FF, and rewind motions it seems to be solid with no more tape ejects.

As a side note, my problems with channel up/down controls disappeared. I had spent a lot of time tracing and probing the signals back to IC401 (Tuner System Control). The signals are incorporated in the serial channels SI and SO but you can still see a change in the data stream on the O-scope when the channel up/down buttons are pressed. Some of the other signal levels (per schematic) did not look correct to me. In probing, I had pushed down a number of connector contacts that may not have been fully seated. Also, I may have caused a chip reset for IC401 when I was probing it. In any case, the channel select started working again as did other functions of the chip which I discovered were also not working properly. If I have problems with this again, I will propably look closely at the chip reset control first.

Thanks for your support, I learned a little more about my Beta machine today.

Have a good day! William

HI.MY ASK C20 SHOWS GREEN,CAN SOMEBODY HELP ME?

William,

In my handbook for the HF950 I found additional information I had sourced from John Parkin about conversions. Stephan Wagner is someone who may be able to give you more advice. His site is at http://www.sps-wagner.de/projekte.html and there is an English translation function on the site. He has complex modifications for the HF950 which leads to think he knows a lot about them.

regards Noel.

HI, i need a betamax player, i want to put everything to digital, but mine gave up the ghost a while ago. no particualr type but preferably rca outputs, thanks

HiI have a Sanyo Colour VTC 5000 probably purchased around 1983/84. Is it worth trying to sell it or should I just take it to the tip? I am 'downsizing' my house and no longer have space for it.Chris

William,

If you have a dual channel storage CRO it would be useful to compare the differences between the cam "sensors" relative to the states of pins 75 and 76 during load and unload to see if you can spot a difference in time alignment there.

I can't offer much more without actually pulling apart one of my working 950s which are in racks at the moment.

Position switches are a common problem in VHS machines so I expect this could be the problem in yours. It still sounds like an alignment thing to me baring dry joints in one of the boards. In those interconnecting boards it is always good to ensure with a magnifying glass that socket pins dont have cracks around the pins due to an accidental straining of the connector when removing a plug.

Noel,

You are on the right track now. My manual for the SL-HF750 is 233 pages and on page 180 is the 3-7-3. S Threading Ring Mounting and Position Adjustment with the same component flag numbers you refered to. It is one of four pages on Replacement and Adjustment of the S Threading Ring. I will have to romove the ACE audio head to access the alignment slot.

The L motor on the HF750 is connected via the LM-17 board mounted to it, then to board RE-4 mounted on back of the sliding chassis, to board SS-61 and Motor Drive IC903 and IC501 Mechanism Control Microcomputer pins 75(1) and 76(+).

The S902 Rotary Encoder is mounted over the S Function Cam and underneath the Chassis Block Gear Assembly connected to the L Motor Assembly. You can see the lower half of the Encoder and Cam in the diagram showing the alignment slot. The Encoder routes as does the L Motor to IC501 (pins 39 ENCR 0 IN, 40 ENCR 1 IN). I think that the encoder function is intended to relay position information on the CAM position for threading and unthreading. The Lock Arm Assembly is supposed to engage the CAM and lock it in position at the end of threading. Action of the Lock Arm is controlled through linkages that are not easy for me to determine how they are controlled. On my unit the CAM does not stop when it reaches proper position.

What do you think I should do first? I can check the Motor and Encoder signals back to IC501.

OK William,

I have stopped being lazy and checked the 950 manual. It is a lot different to the run of the mill Sony units so sorry if I mislead you with my comments on the pinch roller relay related to them. The L motor is controlled from IC101. It appears that polarity to the motor is reversed for either load or unload functions. IC101 pin75 (Cam-) goes low during threading. Pin 76 (Cam +) goes low during unthreading. In the 950 supplement 1 manual Pg23 there is a section describing S threading ring mounting and position adjustment.

Just along from the No 3 guide in the "Unloaded position" there is a long hole in the centre of which should appear a round mechanical hole. It mentions that at this point, to keep the T slider assembly (1) at the position the FLAG ASSEMBLY (2) should completely cover the T COIL sensor (3).

It seems to me that yours might not be quite right here. Maybe a tooth out one way or the other in alignment. I can email you a picture of the page if its not in your manual.

I am not certain whether this is your problem though. I am interested to know where S902 "the rotary encoder" lives and what its function is. It seems related to this area of the servo circuit.

regards Noel

Hey guys, know I haven't been here for awhile. Was out a few days ago and came across a garage sale in the neighborhood. Nothing I really wanted until a stack of "blue things" caught my eye. Looking closer, I found that these were sealed Sony "Super Saver" beta blanks in blue boxes. Figured I could always use more blanks, but what made these intriguing was that they're of odd lengths. There were a dozen @ 50‘ each, so I handed over six bucks and took 'em home. Total tally is seven L-370's, three L-435's and two L-625's. From the info on the boxes, it looks like these were originally intended to be sold to duplicating plants for the production of prerecorded tapes. I'm guessing Sony packaged them as a bonus in a two-pack w/ a standard consumer length tape (i.e. L-500 + L-370; however I only got the "bonus tapes"). But why? As a way to unload some overstock, maybe? At least the added a scale of recording times for these on the case-backs.

Noel, The SL-HF750 looks almost the same to me as the SL-HF950 on the outside. I have checked the power supply voltages and they are not loading down. I don't know where to find the limit switches you mentioned, they do not show up on my assembly diagrams or parts list. The load ring appears OK but it is not all visible without disassembly. I have tried not to do too much disassembly because the tape alignment seems to be excellent right now with good video and audio tracking when the unit is operating. In order to check the "S threading ring) position according to the manual, I will have to remove the ACE assembly and realign afterwards.

After the tape threads into position, the Pinch Roller is pressed against the Capstan. I would like to know what the transport is looking for at this point to make sure it is happy.

If you prefer, I could email you a few digital photos so you have the same view of the assembly as I do. It's too bad there aren't more open chassis photos on this website for common reference. I'd send photos if they wanted.