Hi there :) About 20 years ago I recorded some important music onto a Sony Beta HiFi (not sure if I used a SL-HF100 or SL-HF150 ). I was living in France at the time and the machine was probably compatible with French TV.What I am trying to find out is whether I can play back the HiFi audio on both a SL-HF950 UB and ES, or if the mcahine has to be the same format as the original recording (UB or ES). There is no video, so I purely need to know about the HiFi audio. Any suggestions or hints would be much appreciated. Sincerely - Jim.

Of course, I meant NP-11, not NP-1.

Powering BetaMovie Camcorders:

In my opinion, it is no longer worth the effort or expense to rebuild an NP-1 battery pack to power a BetaMovie. A much easier approach is to use a 9.6 volt battery pack for radio-controlled cars and planes. These RC battery packs are available at Radio Shack, eBay, and elsewhere. They are light, rechargeable, and because they are NiMH rather than NiCd, provide considerably more amp-hours than the NP-1. For example, you can get two 9.6-V 3000 -mAh battery packs (including a charger!) on eBay for less than $60 bux US :

http://cgi.ebay.com/Two-9-6V-3000mAh-NiMH-Batteries-With-Smart-Fast-Charger_W0QQitemZ6014100061QQcategoryZ34056QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

All you have to do is make a simple adaptor wire to plug it into the jack on the BetaMovie (pay attention to the polarity!) and you are in business. The only caution is to check the output of the battery pack with a voltmeter BEFORE you connect it to the BetaMovie to make sure that the polarity is correct.

For Ron HUMPHIS. Ron, I thank you for your intrest in my poblems as I do not seam to beableto get to your E-Mail I will try this way, no joy the player is as dead as dodo is there a fuse in the player? or any more suggestion, John Davies.

Ron I do not seam to beable to get to your E-mail, so will try this way Tank you for intrest in my prolem but no joy is there a fuse in the player as it is as dead as a dodo, John Davies.

I have a brand new boxed HVS-2000P which is a camera selector and effects processor. Also, a VCR-4 Telecine adaptor, boxed, new and with manual. Any interested parties, please email [email protected]

To John G Davies

RE; Sony SL3000 - TT3000 I have a Sanyo VTC3000 - VRF300P tuner which I believe are identical to your Sony units With the sanyo units batteries are not required to run the tape deck - there is a DC power cable with a 4 pin socket coming out of the back of the tuner unit that you will need to plug into the side of the tape deck [DC in] then plug the male camera plug also attached to the tuner unit into the front of the tape deck unit [camera in] - once you have connected the tuner unit to a tv with the appropriate cables etc and have all the switches in the correct positions you should be able to play tapes through the tuner unit onto the tv screen and also record from the tuner unit - all this is a lot easier to perform than it is to put down on paper!Hope this is of some help regards

Ron

Paul - Dragon User,

Try hooking up 8 "C" batteries instead of using 8 "AA". The NP-11 uses 8 "Sub C" NiCds.

The NP-11 has been hard to find for years now, but I have heard several people successfully rebuilding them using new "Sub Cs". Take care not to ruin the pack case if you try to open it. Good luck!

joplinbeta

I have a BMC-100p. Now you cannot get batteries for it anymore is there a way how to keep it running? My dad created a battery pack of 8AA batteries plugged into the dc socket.. It didn't last long after power up. What does anyone else do if they wanted their camera to work without power adapter?

Paul

Hello,

I'm lookin for Michael Jackson / Jacksons Beta tapes : Triumph, Victory and Bad tour most wanted,thanks for any help and information you can provide ;)

Iown a SL3000, and a tunertt3000 a camera hvc3000p. the camera works so i assume that the tuner also works. The player do not the two batteries cycion 60 are flat and will not take charge dos the camera depend on the tuner for power or the batteries? eny will be gratfuly excepted, john

Iown a SL3000 also a tuner TT 3000 AND A CAMERA HVC3000P.The camera works as it seems so I assume that the tuner also works but the player dos not the two batteries that came with itare as flat as possible and will not take a charge, I would like to get it going as was willed to me by a very old frend now dead any help would be glady receved I do not know anything abowt Betmax John.

My SL-C30UB exhibits the following features... FF/Rew usually stops after a few seconds but occasionally works ok after using in review mode. I think it may be drag from the take-up spool rotor, 'cos when in Play, there's not enough tension on the tape and it starts to loop into the mechanics. but here's the wierd bit. When I press Record, the tape immediately ejects! - properly wound up into the cassette (erase tab intact). Anyoneout there ever come across this one before? Also, I can't get a test signal to tune it into the TV. Any tips gratefully received before finally committing it to Boot Hill.

hey

I have an SL-HF2100 which has not been used for a while. Now when I try to play a tape thepinch roller engages for a second and then the heads spin down and all transport functionsexcept eject are disabled until an eject/insert cycle (or power cycle). If I do not tryto play then other transport functions (ff/rew) work fine. It appears that it is detectingsome sort of fault condition (spill?) but the service manual doesn't mention this kind ofbehavior. There is nothing obvious mechanical wrong. Anything quick to try? I'm notsure I want to put a whole lot of time or money into it at this point...

Hi Everyone,

I have a Sony HVC-3000P with case and manual and Camera Adaptor CMA-1010E, I am based in Dublin and am open to offers if it is of any interest. To my knowledge it is working, it was the last time it was used and has been stored in Clean, Dry environment for the last couple of years

Homer: Thanks for your input. I think it is more than a worn reel assembly. The sevice person talked about the motor rubbing the windings and using a shim to correct it. Another mentioned using a higher supply voltage for the motor, except that it's controlled by a microprocessor. Judging from your comment, you haven't actually worked on that problem yourself. I don't have the expertise, so I'm looking for someone to fix it. I'm willing to consider creative solutions such as a separate power supply for the motor.

Miguel,

If you still need a manual for the SL-HF860D, I can scan mine and send it to you. Please let me know. I will need a valid e-mail address so I can send the scanned copy as an attachment.

Best regards,

Juris

For anyone else looking for manuals, the following are still avaialble online from Sony

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/BMC110.PDF

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/SL20.PDF

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/SL2300.PDF

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/SL2500.PDF

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/SL2700.PDF

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/SL390.PDF

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/SLHF2000.PDF

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/SLHF2100.PDF

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/SLHF300.PDF

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/SLHF400.PDF

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/SLHF360.PDF

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/SLHFR70.PDF

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/SLHF870D.PDF

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/SLS600.PDF

Miguel. Sony still has a PDF manual for the nearly identical SL-HF 870D.

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/SLHF870D.PDF

sorry, I'm mean SL-HF860D

Hi people I'm looking for the Betamax SL-HF869D owner manual, thanks

Hi I have a SL-HRF50 that I am selling on ebay now check it outhttp://cgi.ebay.ca/Sony-Beta-SL-HFR50-w-Remote-HiFi-Processer-HFP-200_W0QQitemZ5828868331QQcategoryZ39830QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Get a Video Capture Card into your Computer and start Editing the Beta Movie. This require less money for making a small Recording studio.

Hook the audio/video out of the Betamax VCR to the audio/video in of the DVD-recorder.

i am trying to get information on how to get footage from betamax tapes (sony sl-c20ub )on to dvd format anyone with information on this subject your knowledge would be greatly aprietiated thanks

One of the world most dangerous terorist suspected to be dead.

MY SONY 400 loads but won't play. Anyone who needs it for boards, parts, etc. can have it for $10.00 plus shipping from Wisconsin.

Hi everyone,

I'm finally going to put all of my Betamax stuff on sale on ebay: can you help me determine what's a reasonable starting price?

This is what I've got (all PAL of course): SL-F30EC SL-C88ECBMC-200PK

They are all in v.good conditions (there's even the original packaging and manuals) and everything is working perfectly (just tested).

Thanks in advance

Luca

David, I would suspect a worn supply reel for your eject problem. These are used either in direct coupling mode or clutch mode. When used in clutch mode, the rotation is transferred by friction and wear could make this friction weaker, eventually losing torque to the point of not being able to wind the spool correctly. Now I don't know which mode is used for the reel in the eject function, yet this behavior sounds similar to the situation when this happens to the take up reel and the tape isn't wound back on the spool, creating a slack and making the machine go into emergency mode.

I might be completely off track though.

When not considering the recording system, which one gives the best picture: tube or ccd ??

Oh yeah... I'm gonna buy a cell phone from some guy with only a Yahoo eMail address. Prolly selling a boxfull of stolen cells stashed in the boot of his clapped out 1983 Ford Escort...

I wonder if anyone has a suggestion on a tape unloading problem with my EDW-30F (apparently the same problem occurs with the SL-HF400, 450 etc). When the tape is ejected at the end of the tape, there is a tape loop and the tape is folded over. Apparently it is a combination of a weak motor and friction in the transport. My service person, who has done an excellent job on my other machines, declined to work on it saying that he's replaced the motor in other people's machines and still couldn't make it work.Thanks.

Speaking of F-1s this nice outfit just went on offer...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5827808696

FOR SALE: Sony SL-HF300 for parts. Loads but doesn't play, front door missing. $10 + Shipping (NH).

Olive,

I don't know which camera is better but interesting how the BMC110 specs do not quote lines resolution and video signal to noise figures. I suspect they are worse for the smaller tube.

I looked at the picture comparisons for cameras on the "Wagner" site and was impressed with the old tube camera/ F1 recorder results versus later record only self contained beta cameras.

regards Noel

I haven't looked inside an HVC-2800 but I've seen the tube in most of the other HVC-series cameras as well as the tubes for the BMC-110/220 cameras and there is a vast difference in both size and performance.

The tube in the HVC-series cameras was pretty large - about the size of a couple 'D' batteries laid end to end. The BMC-series tubes were maybe a single 'C' battery big.

In my opinion the BMC-110/220 trinicon tube is superior to the HVC-series tubes in terms of overall performance. They're not as 'laggy' in low light and a little less prone to burn-in.

Here are a couple Spec sheets on the two for comparison.

http://www.mrbetamax.com/SpecBMC110.gif

http://www.mrbetamax.com/SpecHVC2800.gif

Is the camera tube inside the Sony HVC-2800 the same one used inside the BetaMovie 110/220? Is the 110/220 tube better than the 2800? Thanks.

For common deposit material.........

http://www.crcindustries.com.au/crc/index.html

Juris; I'd sent you several mails._________________________________________________________//

We'd discussed very good and simple cleaner last time.CO aerosol is the best

A few wise words on head cleaners ....DON'T PUT ONE WITHIN 100 FEET OF ANY VIDEO RECORDER !!!!! . I thank you .

Evenin' all ! ...does anyone out there have a servo control board for a Sanyo 5300/5400 P ?This is the first case of terminal loss of servo lock I have seen on a Sanyo machine ! ,I have replace a load of caps but it has made it worse ! .... noticed the control chips are made by Sony ..... H'mmmmm ! ... what does that tell you LOL !?

I've used the 3M dry head cleaner tapes for many years with excellent results. They use videotape with a higher concentration of cleaning agents and cannot damage the heads or machine. I have stock of these for sale.

Sorry it's classified........

Boby,

What is the URL of the store in Japan that sells Beta machine?

Thanks and best regards,

Juris

Wahhhhhaaaaaaa,thanks Noel,after reading this site for a day,and taking note of your message I finally got the C9 out of the wardrobe ,it works at least mechanically,the only prob is that I have lost the connecting wiring,perhaps its a little deeper in the robes,but we're progressing.Regards Mike B

RichardI personally do NOT recommend any type of head cleaner wet or dry ( the dry ones are more abrasive ,the wet will leave residue and doesn't guarantee to clean every thing off and out).If your heads get dirty that frequently the tapes you are using are well worn, damaged or somehow the heads have become abrasive( i have heard this happen once before but is very unlikely).If the machine is a Sony or other of that ilk that keeps laced up for FF and REW then you have the answer , this will cause a lot more wear over the tape and heads, especially if the machine is older and not serviced...........You will also find a lot of magnetic particles around the guides and pinch roller area if the tapes are very worn................................Kevin

I have two boxes (10 tapes in each box) of Fuji Betamax L750 and one box of Sony ProXH L500.All of these are sealed, never seen the inside of a Betamax VCR. Anybody interested, before I stick em on e-bay.

Mike G

Talk about rewriting history for an eBay sales pitch!!!!!!!!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Sanyo-Beta-VCR-VTC-5005_W0QQitemZ5824754396QQcategoryZ3318QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Can someone give me a little advice about head cleaners. Are some OK to use and some not? Also, are the beta cleaners still available? I'm getting tired of manually cleaning the heads every couple of weeks. Those heads seem to get dirty fast.

http://www.high-techproductions.com/betamax.htm

Beta nowadays.......

http://www.sony.co.jp/SonyInfo/News/ServiceArea/Betamax/

Unfortunately there's a store in Japan wich sells Mint Beta machines at reasonable price

(URL availabel on requests)

Hello everyone, I have a couple of questions about some Sony gear I found, namely:-Sony video camera HVC-3000P Trinicon-Sony digital audio processor PCM -F1 -Sony portable video cassette recorder SL-F1E -Sony tuner timer unit TT -F1EC -Sony AC Power Adaptor AC -F1E -Sony AC Power Adaptor AC-700and an Auto Focus (no further specifications)What is the value of this audio/video-system?How can I use it for musical recordings? I have read on the net that this PCM -F1 is a great digital processor, but I don't know how to use it, due to my lack of technical knowledge.

Greetings and thanks a lot,

Dimi (Belgium)

Mike,

I was just indicating that they are worth something and stuff can go wrong in storage. Yes, put it on eBay if you want to sell it, but you are better to check it out and see if it works first. Most people dont believe the " I have not got a tape to test it with excuse". An honest and accurate indication of what you are selling is much better than getting a low return and poor feedback from the auction.

regards Noel.

Yeah, Homer, I'm gonna try a pinch roller and hope that does the job. If not it'll be a door stop, which is a shame because it's in great shape otherwise and a great machine. But my experience has not been good with Beta techs, and I've tried a lot of 'em, including those who are supposed to be the best. Not gonna go to the trouble and expense to pack and ship it and pay over $100, only to get it back either with the problem unresolved or finding that it has a new problem. That's been my experience. I own over 20 working Betamaxes (most top-of-the-line machines), and I now regard them as disposable. If they break down, they go in the garbage because nobody out there is able to fix 'em.

Oops.. I meant to say it needed a new pinch roller, not a capstan !

Rick,

I've had a similar problem with my own 1000, with the exception that the tracking got so much offset when reverse-scanning that it would lose the picture completely when resuming normal playback and it would take several seconds to get back to normal. In my case, it needed both a new capstan and a tape path cure.

I guess if you have the parts ready it would be a good idea to try a new pinch roller. I am no expert neither but I heard tape path adjustments on the 1000 are quite a PITA.

thanks Noel,do you mean put it on ebay? regards Mike B

Thanks, Noel. For the moment, I've swapped out the problem 1000 and have replaced it with another one I have. The problem machine is now sitting idle, but I'll try changing the pinch roller soon.

Thanks again.

Rick

Rick,

Sounds like pinch roller problems. You can soon tell quickly enough if you take the top cover off the machine and observe the tape path around the capstan area when you throw to reverse scan.

regards Noel

Mike,

The SLC9 is a great machine but it might need some maintenance depending on whether some capacitors in the power supply have dried out or there is corrosion. Give it a try. It is still worth a bit to the right person.

regards Noel

A follow-up to my earlier post and question -- I just examined a tape where I'm having this problem and it's creased down the middle and in another spot has some diagonal creases running through the middle of the tape about 1/8" in length. Should I try changing the pinch roller? Or is it unlikely that that's causing the problem?

Thanks again.

I hope someone can help me with a problem I'm having with an SL-HF1000. It records and plays fine as long as I don't reverse scan. If I reverse scan (not rewind, reverse scan), at times (it's intermittent, and varies from tape to tape... some tapes seem to be more inclined to have the problem than others... on some tapes, I have the problem, on others there is no problem at all) I get a band of video "noise" at the bottom of the picture that won't track out when I play back the area I reversed scanned through. I'm not a technician, but I do have some knowledge of electronics in general. I have some new pinch rollers. Does this sound like a pinch roller problem? Or a tape path alignment problem? If the former, I can probably fix it myself. If the latter, that's beyond my capabilities. Or is it something else altogether? If so, what? If you use baby talk, I might be able to fix it myself. I'd appreciate any help/suggestions/advice.

Thanks for your help.

Boby,

I was using the hotmail.com e-mail. Also, I just hit reply to the e-mail you sent me earlier today.

All the best,

Juris

hi,I have a sl-c9ub in the wardrobe with remote and operating intructions,its been there for 15 years in a poly bag.It was in working order when put away,but probably not now.Is it worth 'owt Regs Mike B

Juris ;What email youre sending to ?My USA email wont be active in few days so I'll send you my office email.

Regards

I'm looking for the schematics and the opreating istruction for an "Sony" Betamax SL-C7E V.C.R. (the model that works only in P.A.L.)If some one can send me the scanings on the e-mail.

Some images of hurricane §eta.

If you look at the satellite pix, you can almost make out a ''§'' shape in the cloud formation...

http://www.11alive.com/assetpool/images/05102782915_Untitled-1.jpg

http://images.usatoday.com/weather/_photos/2005/10/28/inside2-beta-fri-am-closeup.jpg

Duane: It would help to know what model Betamax you are attempting to play back your tapes on but it has been my experience SuperBeta HiFi tapes aren't very compatible with most of the older non-Super HiFi VCRs.

Since the VCR you described is a linear stereo unit I'm guessing either the SLO-420 the SLO-383 or the SLP-305. None of these were made for SuperBeta HiFi or plain old HiFi for that matter.

There's a (surprise surprise) Japanese fellow who hacked some of his Betas to be able to handle HiBand recordings...

http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/urltrurl?lp=ja_en&trurl=http://homepage1.nifty.com/Sony/MainTenance/MyMainte_4.html

You'll have to cut and paste that link to get it in English...

I have a Sony professional Betamax that I purchased on eBay. I am now attempting to transfer some of my old stereo Beta tapes to DVD, but I am having trouble properly adjusting the tracking on this old style pro machine. When I recorded these tapes, I had a newer stereo Super Beta machine many years ago, so might that be the problem? The tapes were recorded meticulously and had great picture and sound, but don't seem to play back properly on this machine. Anyone else encountered a similar problem, or have any suggestions?

I think it's just krep gotten into the lens.

With my BMC-550, in the upper left hand corner, there is like a 'smudge' which kind of slightly blurs the image, and makes it look 'milky'. Is the CCD starting die out on me? The rest of the image looks vibrant with color, its just the upper left hand corner that is bothering me. Thanks.

I heard now there is a hurricane Beta, so whats the next one going to be called Hurricane VHS? But you all know what will happen to that one, it will break down and die just like all good VHS machines do

Well it looks like tropical storm Beta is heading for Nicaragua...

Latin America was a pretty strong Beta holdout...

To Oliver. I think that warning against recording with an LC-25 cleaning tape is not to save the tape from damage it's basically a warning that the tape is not to be used for recording stuff. Since the 550 is a record-only machine running the tape through it is going to necessitate recording on the tape.

Technically speaking a CCD camera is better than a tube camera in terms of power usage (very low) and the general robustness of design - you won't nuke the camera accidentally pointing it into the sun. Mind you the Trinicon tube on a BMC-110/220 is pretty good.

Here is a German page with comparisons of the various cameras...

http://www.sps-wagner.de/Betamax/vergleichsbilder.html

And here's my page...

http://uk.geocities.com/dasimperator/My_Betamax_Page.html

To Boby,

I sent you an e-mail yesterday. Since you didn't reply, I am assuming you didn't receive it. Anyway, I previously told you where I live and was asking in this e-mail where you are located in the event I am able to buy your SL-HF860D.

Olive, can you answer my questions? Thanks.

Juris

Use the following URL then add the page you want to translate, if it doesnt work you can translate manually from the paragraph at the ALTtavist Home.

http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/urltrurl?lp=ja_en&url=

Since someone else took care of the BMC-550 question I'll note this interesting retrospective on audio compact cassette styling...

http://hanazuc02.ld.infoseek.co.jp/cassettes/cassettes.htm

Over 500 different cassette designs from various makers including a few Russian brands. Leave it to the Japanese to post that site...

A few of note....

http://hanazuc02.ld.infoseek.co.jp/cassettes/scotch_bx_90_a[1].jpg

Since the drug store I went to only carried these I bought a lot of these and regretted it. They shed mag particles like crazy and recordings had an intermittant 'crunch' sound in them.

I also have lots of Scotch tapes from their previous design (not covered on that site) that didn't have that problem. Just goes to show that "New and Improved" is often neither.

http://hanazuc02.ld.infoseek.co.jp/cassettes/teac_cobalt_52[1].jpg

Cute design making cassettes look like reel-to-reel tapes but these never worked well. Always jammed or locked up

http://hanazuc02.ld.infoseek.co.jp/cassettes/teac_open_cassette_extra_normal_loaded[1].jpg

http://hanazuc02.ld.infoseek.co.jp/cassettes/teac_open_cassette_extra_normal_empty[1].jpg

Perhaps the stupidest consumer electronic product ever released that doesn't have Bill the Gates associated with it. Combines the convenience of reel to reel tapes with the superior sound of compact cassettes.

You'd need to be a Ninja to be able to juggle the three cassette reels involved in a reel change. I can just see the hapless Japanese fellow fumbling with that on the Tokyo subway.

A few Russian brands. About what you'd expect Russian tapes to look like...

http://hanazuc02.ld.infoseek.co.jp/cassettes/kovinoplastika_loz_c_90[1].jpg

http://hanazuc02.ld.infoseek.co.jp/cassettes/mk_45-5_c[1].jpg

This one had a bit of styling to it...

http://hanazuc02.ld.infoseek.co.jp/cassettes/mk_60-1m[1].jpg

To joplinbeta:

Thanks, I just got mine today. I was surprised the NP-11 battery pack lasted a whole hour of video recording. I plan to make an external battery pack using battery packs from remote control cars =) Anyways, how do you clean the head with the Sony L-25CL cleaning tape? In the manual of the BMC550, it says to use it, but on the instructions with the video cleaning tape, it says 'do not record onto tape' so what do I do? The BetaMovie can only record...do you use yours? I have a HVC2800 complete with the SL2000 and TT2000, and I primarily use that for video recording...is the image quality of the BMC's CCD suppose to be better than the HVC2800, or the SMF Trinicon tubes?

To Oliver Re: Betamovie 550

The Betamovie 550 CCD is 250,000 pixels. Video quality is very good with sufficient light. Outdoor daytime shots are best. If you need more info about the 550 let me know. I have one like new in the box.

joplinbeta

WHAT UP HOMIES SD

Boby,

Those references might indeed be interesting. While I cannot speak for anyone on this chat page, regrettably I cannot read Japanese. Can you translate the text?

Hi there.....sneek at this URL

http://www.bidders.co.jp/item/46474266

http://homepage3.nifty.com/jp1nom/betamax/index.htm#1

http://www.cjav.com.tw/product.php

http://www45.tok2.com/home/etoile/SL-F11.htm

there might be a usefull reference

Hi, I was wondering, how good is the Sony BMC-550 Betamovie CCD camera? How many pixels is the CCD capable of putting out? Thanks.

Hi,I'm looking for a Betamax Player that can read NTSC 5.38 format videos, I'm open to any proposition, can be PAL or NTSC betamax; I can use a converter as well with it...Thanks.

Alex.

BonjourJe suis en France et possede un betamax sl hf 100 pal secam,connaissez vous des personnes qui reparent ces appareils,ici plus personne ne le fait.Je vous remercie de vos reponses

Boby,

Thank you very much for your kind offer!

I am in El Paso, Texas (USA). I am not sure, but I was under the impression that the SL=HF860D was sold exclusively in the USA, but maybe not.

Best regards,

Juris

BTW have you tried IC comparison table (the same replacement item from different manufacturer)?

Many Thanks Noel for your information. John.

Juris Bergs

My pardon about your HF860DI got the same unit about a year ago it just work splendid up till now.I'm affraid the price to ship my unit overseas is outrageous.I can help to repair the your unit for free if we're in the same country.

Regards

To Alex: Sony made several 'multisystem' Betamax VCRs for playing tapes recorded anywhere in the world. I have an SL-T50ME myself and it's a pretty nice machine to use. Make sure you don't get a multisystem that only covers NTSC 4.43. More likely than not your, tapes were recorded in NTSC 5.38.

You can also buy any old NTSC Betamax, a voltage converter (a 240v to 120v stepdown transformer) and a PAL converter box and be able to view those tapes in that manner.

Xavier is one of the two names starting with letter X (the other one being Xina) used to name Pacific tropical depressions. The Atlantic depressions names stop at letter W.

Homer and Boby,

I didn't have a chance to read the postings in the past few days and thus didn't reply to your suggestions. Actually, I have extensively searched Google and have come up empty thus far. The distributors aren't interested in retail sales even if they have the part, and most of them don't. Boby, in answer to your question, my SL-HF860D is still in the shop and the technician told me the clock just keeps flashing rapidly. Are you planning to sell your SL-HF860D? If you are, I wish I could buy it, but unfortunately, I have already invested more money than I can comfortably afford in parts for my machine over and above what I initially paid for the machine. I wouldn't mind getting a parts machine with a good IC, but I couldn't justify the expense of buying another good-working machine. My wife would divorce me!

Hi there!I have some NTSC Tapes that were recorded in Venezuela a few 20 years ago, and I'dl ike to play them in Europe, what do you reckon guys?Actually, my mother is badly desperate to watch these videos because they are of me, baby;)Let me know what's the best solution.I'm currently living in the UK, if that has any kind of importance.

Thanks very much.Alex.

To Jayemp,

The Sanyo M40SA is most likely a machine destined for the South African market. I have had in the past a Sony SL-C30AS and a Sanyo M30AS and the differences were in the tuner. They don't seem to use VHF band 1 for their TV. (i.e channels 1 to 5) The tuners have higher VHF band and UHF. The videoheads would be the same for all pal M40 versions.

regards Noel

Interesting eBay auction. On offer is a nice little restropective of different videotape formats...

http://cgi1.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5822457499

One U-matic tape, one VCR tape, one Betamax tape and one Video Compact Cassette (V-2000) tape.

Has any one heard of a Sanyo M40SA.? If it is a Hi-Fi machine would the head disk/video heads,be the same part?.

I have a few hundere betaMax Movies Would Like to sell Ranging from Commedy,Horror,PG,Walt Disney,ETC..Some have their original Price tags still on them and some un-opened. I also have a Beta Machine that plays Wonderful.Please email me if your interested.We no longer watch them so,why keep them.Beta is the Best.

Can't figure out why they couldn't come up with names for the test of the alphabet.

I'm sure Xavier Cugats would've liked a 'nice little rainstorm' in his name...

what about vitc