SUPPOSING for instance, SONY were to consider a BRAND NEW Betamax built SLV RECORDER,(similar in perfection to the 950 ), how many people, world wide, would be interested in buying such a machine. Answers please.

Ray Glasser is now on you tube,type in Betamax and there he is

Paul: The SLS-600 uses a toothed belt from the idler to turn the spools. You might want to check them out. Also check to see if the idler motor has died.

I have a Sony Super Betamax SL-S600. I bought it new and used if for a couple of years. I think it was working fine when I put it up but recently got it our to review old tapes of children and the tape spools do not turn now. Does anyone know if there is a repair service out there for this?

Kristian you can find manuals on Ebay.com by posting a WANT IT NOW link, or you can search categories like ebay stores;

http://stores.ebay.com/Secured-Data-Online_Sevice-Manuals_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ610122QQftidZ2QQpZ4QQtZkm

good luck.

Greets,Boby

Hello!

Can someone tell me where to get/find the usermanual for the sl-hf 750/ 950es?

Olive I'd say that's a boggie trap.

Tom; a price that American must pay, and I hope there'll be no more mistake. (Alan Grenspan gives a lot of story in his book.)

BTW I found this;

http://www.betamax-video.de/

that guy also offering file for download.

Cheers,Boby.

Downer, You should posting this on a American Forum somewhere.....I can say he is right about one thing, Our president, BUSH in the United States...He has really screwed this country up big time, and peoples' lives misrable, and what I'm afraid of, is that he is capable of doing alot more within the year he has left..........

Looking at the bidder list and even though its heavily disguised, i can still discern traces of shill bidding. That it's heavily disguised is pretty much a sign of shilling.

Speaking of vintage electronics, I just can't believe my eyes;

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/THE-ORIGINAL-BRICK-VINTAGE-MOTOROLA-DYNATAC-8000X_W0QQitemZ110169070862QQihZ001QQcategoryZ3312QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

That could be Ebay-maps/scammers;

a newbie can make a high selling price? come on......

Regards Johny

I have finally lost my last remaining Beta machine, given away or sold all my beta tapes and have rebought everything in DVD format. What I have not given up though, is my entire Star Trek collection. I have the whole series of the classic show on beta. Does anyone know where I can sell it? I had watched only a few tapes and they are all in excellent condition and nicely boxed with two episodes per tape. I'm not a seller on ebay or anything, so don't want to go through all that just to sell this one item if I don't have to. Thanks for any help anyone can give me. Zephyra

Theres a new magazine being launched that is right up our street

http://www.vintagetechnology.co.uk/

Hi, I found a page a while back which although is directed to vhs, is still very useful for beta, particulary in the general fault and head cleaning areas.

http://zeus.eed.usv.ro/misc/mirrors/cc/vcr.htm#VCRFAQ_148

The Value of home recordings

Do you have tapes full of old TV shows you recorded in the seventies? Don't throw everything away without looking!

This may come as a surprise to some, but TV studios until recently did not keep tapes of everything. The tape was expensive and so it was recycled, or thrown away. Some well-known examples of series with episodes gone missing are "Dad's army" (one or two episodes missing) and "The avengers" (first series missing) and "Doctor Who" (over a hundred missing episodes).

If you are about to junk your early tapes, check http://www.missing-episodes.com first. Just to make sure.

I TOUGHT MANUALS ARE NO LONGER EXISTS BUT IT DOES.

Ebay item 280153680297

Ray would love it ...LOL, I supposed.......

Best,Boby

Stuart,

Re the UK HF950 parts - Sadly, I cannot help you with the parts you mentioned.

cheers Noel

Hi, Can anyone out there tell me if my SL-F1 could cause the TT -F1 to loose all power and be completly dead or would it be a definate cause of a fault in the TT -F1? it has a mains feed as far as the box of tricks in the centre of the unit marked Model SR-12E. Part No1-413-096-12, is that the PSU? if so how do I check it and are they repairable? Or would I need to use a hammer on it!!! Thanks for any advice.Brian

Hi Noel, The first thing I would be after for a 950 (ub model for uk pal) is a ta-37 tuner board with working t901 :) Then possibly a good example (with plenty of life left in it) complete head drum assembly.

Attention!!!!!!!! to Betaphiles;

another chance of a lifetime ebay item no 230171817744 for sale and very cheap,

Why bother telling you this?

I have the spare Rotary disk Assy for sale too.

Take your best shot,cheers.

Regards,Boby

Stuart,

I don't think that would be a cost efficient way of doing things.The cost, then postage for a machine that is probably less than 50% useable.Mechanicals and perhaps the drum motor might be the same. The power supply and tuner are completely dirrent. The reel motor is similar but you need to change the connector wiring.I have never had a 750 but I have a spare reel motor board for one. (bought off a Sony dealer) What bits are you after? I have a couple of spares machines.

cheers Noel

Whats going on with all these irrelevant stupid posts recently from certain individual?

Anyway this is directed at Noel, I am looking at buying an hf750 with bad vid heads from the usa. Question is how much of it can be used as spares for uk 950s? Obviously not the tuner, but other parts like the skate? Any advice appreciated. Cheers.

Thanks to Matthew and Boby.

I am looking into why the site is down with someones help already. Have a request in with the provider.

cheers Noel

Ya, I was just going to tell the same.

I can help you with that if you don't mind.

Thanks,

Best,Boby

Hey Noel, how come your website is not working. All I get is page not found.

Well isn't that special?

Hi all,Having just purchased a SL-F1 and TT -F1 I was happily playing a tape when I stopped it and put it in rewind and there was a pop and I lost all power to the TT -F1. There is power reaching the unit and the fuse in the back where the power supply comes in is fine. Can anyone out there help with some advice on where else to look next. unfortunatly I have not got a power unit AC -F1 to power up the F1. Thanks Brian

Das Imperator, was so happy to hear that the old 7300 worked as well as the day it was made.. Sounds like the VW beeetle in the woody allan movie that started after a 100 years.

Were you drinking when you first plugged in the 7300 because im sure it worked even better than the computor you bought on eBay ath can hold one picture on the HDD.

Also stop the ANTI semitisms posting under my name--wont work.. Not my style..

Thanks and get many minutes of use with your new HI FI

I'd archived that page on my site a few years ago thinking it had gone off to 404-land...

http://uk.geocities.com/olive_e_thomas/BetaInfo.html

My creaking old Beta page...

http://uk.geocities.com/olive_e_thomas/Olive_Garden_of_delights.html

another good interest on betamax feeds;

http://www3.telus.net/kfedirko/beta.html

Cheers,Boby

Some initial operational notes on the VCR-7300. It loads the tape onto the reel and keeps it there like Sony VCRs do. Belt and idler assemblage differs remarkably from any of the other Sanyo VCRs I've owned over the years.

The Beta Hifi switch has 3 record mode settings Mono, a middle switch that has the effect of lighting the HiFi light (can't imagine this has linear stereo perhaps mono HiFi?) and a separate Stereo Audio mode. Has auto and manual record level switches and stereo mic jacks and an "editing" switch. There's an audio dub capability.

Don't know what sort of clock backup this has but the clock was still running when in the course of looking this thing over I'd removed the power brick. It was flashing 12:00 when I'd initially taken it out of the box so I'm guessing there's some sort of battery backup or a slow-draining capacitor somewhere inside.

All in all a nice little luggable VCR - handy for hooking up to the DVD recorder's front inputs. Our neighborhood has an annual street festival and for a few years has had a live band. If they're there this year I'll see if they'll let me plug into their board and/or power strip in exchange for making a DVD copy of their show.

That VCR-7300 came today and works pretty nicely. Came with its original box and the battery-box power brick and a wired remote. Records and plays back pretty nicely on the cursory run check I gave. Will have to take it out for some video taping to see how long it'll go on an NP-1 battery.

BTW typing this post on that PowerMac G3 I bought - which is why the VCR-7300 has only had a cursory run-check. Seems that since I had RAM, hard drives and some other bits I could save money by buying a cheap bare-bones Mac which is surprisingly still useful after 10 years. Added Firerwire, USB and Video cards for a pretty nice basic ePuter that when I feel the need to upgrade to something more modern I can get the stuff off of. But then this is a Betamax forum and not a Mac or model railroading or miniature aviation or model car collectors forum.

Funny that someone so obsessed with "shame" that they'll resort to waggling someone's eBay purchases about like you were at the Democratic Underground or Daily KOS - where the politics of personal destruction and snide insinuation are the norm - doesn't have the courage to use a real ID on a chatpage.

Funny that no-one on this forum ever sent me an angry eMail (email address is only altered to throw off Nigerian scammers) denouncing my "evil" eBay purchases given the stridency to which someone have apparently dedicated their very reason for living to expose.

Oh well. In a society that reacts to the growing belief that its own government deliberately attacked them on 9/11 with a collective "meh..." can put up with the likes of me. I'll just have to remember that, running a dog fighting operation, tapping the next stall with my foot in the Minneapolis Airport mens room or uttering the phrase "knappy headed hoes" on the air.

Or stab my ex-wife and some dude and get off because I'm an ex-football player. Man do people get sore about that sort of thing...

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

Getting closer to the 10,000 hit mark. Meh...

Ron,

Hello again. Regarding the SLC40 capstan speed problem. Have you performed the capstan x1 speed adjustment as per the service manual. The capstan servo control circuit is a pulse width modulator and you have to set the ratio of "on" to "off" pulses to be 50%. You machine seems to have gone into the permanently "on" mode meaning the feedback circuit is out of lock. You need a CRO to check this out but its simple enough.

cheers Noel (betaheaven.com)

I've seen that ads, need lot of bandwith to see active movie. Really sux for a dial up netters. ADSL class bandwith minimum requirements. Nice info from Garymax thou.

Best,Boby

Hey search You Tube for Betamax, theres loads of old adverts on there for Beta!

Hi Folks,

I am seeking help with a problem I am having with a Sony SL-C40 - the problem is the capstan motor is running way too fast in play mode - hence the tape is bunching up just past the pinch roller as the take up spool cannot take it in fast enough. Fast forward & rewind function ok when in play mode as well as out of play mode!

Have changed C323 & C325 on the SS16 P.C.Board as suggested in EFIL Manual which made no difference.

Has anyone come across this fault in either a C40 or C30 /35 etc - I can't find any reference to this problem/fault on this site - any idea's suggestions, sites or remedy's would be greatly appreciated

regards

Ron

For those interested, I have posted the SL-HF100UB Service Manual here:www.stagesafety.com/Stuff/ SLHF100UB. pdf (6.5MB). If you are only interested in the operation manual, Section 1 which shows how to set up the machine, you can get that from here:www.stagesafety.com/Stuff/ SLHF100UB op.pdf (653kb). I will leave them there for a while - but not indefinite!

Hello,

I writing to let you know I have just caught my dad getting ready to take up the dump a Sony C6 UBmark II Betamax recorder, it is in excellent condition looks-wise and I'm pretty sure works resonably well if not perfectly. It even has a wireless infra-red controller.

I think I may be able to stall him for a couple of weeks if any interest is shown in him being able to sell it. He has given me permission to try to get rid of it for him before I'm sure he'll just give up and dump it.

Seems such a waste, Its a lovely piece of technology.Let me know if you are interested at [email protected].

Simon.

Hi Garymax and Roderick:The service manual has been sent to both adresses as requested.Hope it's of use.....Kevin

To Garymax,

I just emailed you a pdf of the Sony SLHF100AS owners manual which is the Australian version of the SLHF100UB machine.

cheers Noel (betaheaven.com)

Hi folks,

I got this SL-C7 years ago from my uncle, it's in working order except that it doesn't make color picture. Would you give a brief description where to begin with(boards assembly)?

Many thanks in advanced.Best,Boby

K Lambert,

Any chance of posting a link to the manual? I am sure there are many people on Palsite who would be interested!If you can't post it somewhere, please send me a copy (just remove all numbers from the address) and I'll put it behind my website and post a link.

Cheers

K Lambert,

Yes please send the manual, it will be interesting no doubt.

Thanks

Hi all, I have just put up some sony slf1 spares on ebay uk, in vintage video section, a complete head drum, ace assembly with erase head and threading motor. Also when it appears on ebays listings I have put up a lower drum assembly for a c9 (no head disk as the tips were damaged) Also have a c9 in full working order listed.

Hi again Garymax:Actually i made a mistake it's the SERVICE manual , but still informative all the same:).................Kevin

Hi Gary:Yes i have it in PDF format.Where would you like me to send it.................?...........................Kevin

Mr Jim

I think your the guy who just bought a Sanyo Betamax off me, yes its a BNC you can buy an adaptor that attaches to it and turns it into an RCA which you can then use to connect to a camera, tv set, vhs machine or whatever you like (scart to rca cable)i've a spare in a toolbox somewhere if i find it i'll pop it in the post. or you can get a cable

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1047&criteria=component%20cable&doy=8m9

catalog number L47BA

Has anyone got a pdf of the user manual for the Sony SL-hF100ub? That doesnt want money for it?

Mr Jim, it is a bnc video connector. If you have a stereo machine, the following link will provide the lead you need to connect to a scart tv. http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?TabID=1&ModuleNo=4702&doy=8m9 It is a two way lead, meaning you can also connect from a scart vhs vcr ot the inputs on your beta as well.

I just bought a Sanyo Betamax and it has a video input which I have never seen before. Can anyone identify it and maybe let me know where I can get the corresponding lead or adaptor for it. You can view a photo I've taken of it at this address www.anime-games.co.uk/images/mystery-input.jpg

I'd swap it anyway if you already have a spare.

Hi! I have solved problem of my non remote responsive c9. .I was about to swap the tu24 board when I noticed cn101 and cn105 were connected the wrong way round. Swapped them back and it now responds to the remote. Also though I noticed the board is damaged around the screw nearest cn101 - the corner is broken off and has damaged the print in that area, however all functions do work. Should I replace the board anyway? Obviously someone has tried to lift the board and forgotten or not seen that particular screw.

To 'Downer' and any other potential idiot that comes onto these boards to make negative derogatroy remarks or slam others...............get a life!!!!Your comments are'nt appreciated and ,if you read the rules to posting on this board,you've just about broken most of them.Racist comments too are NO GO and certainly not welcome here.The site moderator has been informed. So please move along and leave this site to those who offer advise/help and appreciate the Beta format............................

Das Perado

Nice computor (you can store 2 mp3's tops) you bought on ebay, I take everything back that I said..

Im sure when the Meds wear off you will be fine..

Nice toys too..

NOW i SEE why you bought the Sanyo.. Enjoy your buying cause I sure do!

Will keep this board a breast of ALL your BIDDING practices

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110161249689

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110141623666

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330076859646

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140112002125

To 119585 119574/1189032320 cache-dtc-ah11.proxy.aol.com

I guess I hit a nerve, but I don't really understand what you said.

You reference to anal-rectal kind of sums up what you are and what you buy.

In the future try to purchase items that don't cause you shame and cause you to

use filthy language. /////Thank you

to 1 / 1189025554 / cache-dtc-ah11.proxy.aol.com

"How could you even let people know you bought it?"

You see, there are these things called "computers" that have a device called a "keyboard" attached to it that lets you type "messages" onto what are known as "chatpages". Seeing as you have mastered the task despite a chronic case of cranial-rectal occlusion it's a very easy one indeed.

I see our resident loser troll is back from his TV appearance with Chris Hansen.

Das Imperator:

it's apparent that you haven't aquired any Betamax in some time.

The market is strong on working Betamax's.

You must not have read that the seller only "sucessfully powered up the unit, but we have not tested."

Sounds lke a lovely project and lots of fun trying to get belts and getting this portable ash tray to even load a tape..

it's a shame that people put this type of grabage on eBay and others who know nothing thinks it's fun to purchase this refuse..

I saw this and thought what a shame if someone gets this dissapointment. How could you even let people know you bought it?

Best of luck and please, stop crowing about this thing..

Hi guys, need a little bit of advice on a c9 problem. I have a c9 bought off ebay recently which had a tape stuck in it and consequently a knackered loading mech. I have replaced it and also cured a rumble on the audio which was nothing more than loose connection on the ace leads on the pcb. However I have found that the vcr will not respond to the remote in any way at all. My other two c9s respond as normal, so the fault is with the c9. Any ideas?This c9 has the original fault label from a repair shop still on the bottom panel, dated 2nd december 1988, and no wear line across the upper drum is evident! Also there was no flaked oxide in the usual places round the threading rung. I would say it had very little use before the loading gears broke and somehow it has survived 19 years since in storage somewhere and is in remarkably good condition. It just won t respond to the remote and other than this is perfect.I intend to sell it on but would like to resolve the remote issue if possible. I do have a spares donor c9 I can swap the relevant board from, I just need to know which board handles the ir processing. Or maybe it could be the ir sensor itself?

Haven't acquired anything Betamax for a few years now so this ought to be fun...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160152180015

Just won a VCR-7300 HiFi porta-beta for the start bid of ten bux - the eBeta market must be cooling off. It's fairly complete and includes the NP-1-shaped AC power brick so even if it's otherwise a dud I'll at least have an extra power pack for my portabetas.

In other news, My Betamax page is less than 120 hits from the 10,000 mark...

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

I really ought to work on some updates...

Hi AdamIt would seem by your query and the machines you have you are in the US.Myself and Noel are in Australia and the UK so in effect not much help with your models as they are NTSC and our's PAL 1.The resident US advisers don't seem too previlent on here at the moment but rest assured WILL help if they can.Don't fell you're being ignored.....it is'nt that way , more knowone on here at the moment IS ABLE help you.Be patient and you will be assisted............Good luck..............Kevin

I guess I'm just talking to myself on here, I have a few issues with a few beta vcrs and no one ever replys.

Question last asked, a few messages ago....Looking for parts in the US for a Sony SL-5200..

Problem two. It seems that the SL-5100 and 5101 have common problems. I have two and both seem to have the same problem. Vertical problems. Picture on both vcrs are not stable if the signal from the tape or antenna is not perfect. the V-hold goes nuts. The SL-5101 has a noise bar a the top of the screen with the picture bending when tape is playing, If I hit play and stop, after a few times it will play without the noise bar. I tried to replace the IC001, as this site says (board says IC1 where the chip is) nothing changed. All blue sanyo caps have been replaced too...

Please let me know.....

Hi Matthew:No i'm afraid not i reside in the UK.I'm sure Noel can sort that out for you though:)Good luck with the racing too..................Kevin

Thanks Kevin.It plays perfectly but for $50 bucks, I'm really happyAre you in Australia?

if not, when I have some spare cash to put aside for it, I'll send it to noel who I could of dropped into on the way home from phillip island raceway yesterday morning. We were racing our MG Midget as the MG B's new 180 hp 4 cyl engine wasn't ready in time

Hi Noel:You're very welcome my friend..................Kevin

Kevin,

Thanks for the info on colour problem fix for that machine. Sounds like I will have to get the guy to send it too me so I can replace the chip as you suggest.

Cheers Noel

Firstly - , let's talk NEC BETAS!

Up for discussion, the NEC VC-739E, is my 4-head Beta HiFi that has lots of nice features (e.g., 3 slow motion and 2x speeds). I also happen to have 3 others, two of which had the same problem as the last one I won. In other words, here is a machine that I know very well, know exactly how to fix, and even have an extra remote and manual to use with it. The machine is cosmetically excellent, so clearly there is no particular reason to believe that the machine has been dropped or been abused.

I’m sure you all will be delighted to know that within 20 minutes of opening the box, without spending another penny I had the machine working like the day it was made. It was cleaned, nicely aligned, and every function worked perfectly. The extra VC-739 remote also worked it perfectly.

Some on this site have commented that the VC-739E made by NEC is the best non-Sony Beta HiFi ever made.

Oh and by the way,I also just bought a Sony SL-HF900 for $49.99 from the Cleveland Browns football team in perfect shape along with a dozen L-750 tapes. I wonder what you all must think of the buyer who just paid more than $380 for the same machine tonight?

That's it for now, back to scouring the auctions for SCUMMY sellers of Beta so I can let you know about them. Doc/MaxBeta/Grace

They are books about bygone items!

Howdy guys, I'm not really good at this but can you tell me what's this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/DO-YOU-REMEMBER-TV-PONG-8-TRACK-BETAMAX_W0QQitemZ160151579883QQihZ006QQcategoryZ378QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Greets,Boby

Hi Dennis:I'll also add, it's appreciative individuals ,like yourself, that make helping and giving guidance/advice, all the more worthwhile.CONGRATULATIONS too on all YOUR successfull efforts...............Kevin

This just a thank you to Colin for suplying spares and info, and special thanks to Kevin Lambert for all his guidence, and pacience for a novice, i had two VTC 5000 about to think i would have to scrap them now have two working im over moon, will be able now to transfer my movies to DVD, hopfully get some of my money back on Ebay for one of them, so say thanks to Colin and Kevin two great guys

Hello, I have a Betamax SL-5200 that needs a Idler Assy, and Two IC1 chips for the HIFI..I took it to a Tech to fix it and he says he cannot find any parts. Does anyone in the USA to get replacement parts, other than taking parts from another unit, or is it impossible to find new parts, or kits....Please let me know....

Thanks....Adam

Hi all,

I have the following problem with my Sony SL-C7E. A white broad horizontal line appear on the screen about every second second or so. The sound is also distorted (cracking). Picture is also not stable and jumps a little. I have cleaned the heads and thats all I have done. Before I spend hours with the technical manual, anyone have any hints?Goran

Hi Noel:Yes i do,it's normally the main processor chip M51436P.It's the largest chip on the main board.I hav'nt had this trouble with any of my machines but i know of two other over here ,one with a Sanyo M20 and the other a M30, that both had this problem and this replacement cured the fault.Good luck..................Kevin

Kevin,

Thanks for that. I was also wondering if for a sanyo M10 there is a common fault /adjustment that results in loss of colour in playback of tapes? I know potentiometers sometimes get increased resistance in their contact points but I don't want to check/change any settings unless they are likely to be the problem. I am trying to help someone in another state who has no test gear to check waveforms, to try and save them postage costs to me.

cheers Noel

Matthew.:It sounds as though your Sanyo M10 could do with a service and replacement of reel drive idlers and belt.When in top shape they will remind a L750 cassette in around 3.5 to 4 mins, certainly not slow compared to their time.

Noel: Thanks for the update...........i'm still checking...............Kevin

Hi everyone from Sunny South Australia

What a joy it is to have two working betamax machines.The only drawback is that I don't have a beta speed winder, the trusty VHS is there thoughMy latest acquisition, a 1984 Sanyo M10 machine is a damn slow rewinder and I don't want to wear out my Sony C6 PAL machine rewinding every tape I want to watch

I might be getting a U Matic machine and tapes for peanuts soon and maybe another Pioneer Laserdisc player to give my CLD 2950 a rest

Hello, I was looking up 3CCD camera’s on cnet and whilst reading a review noticed this link to format wars. Was nice to read that even today, Beta is still recognised as the superior format.........

http://digitalliving.cnet.co.uk/specials/0,39030785,49291589-2,00.htm

Kevin,

It was a faulty preamp board. In the Sony you can adjust that parameter.

cheers Noel

Kevin,

No problems - will do. Thanks for getting back to me.

cheers Noel

Hi Noel:I'm sorry but i've never come across that problem.I would start by changing out the board you believe responsible and go from there( that's if you have a spare?).I'll take a look at my fault guides to see if they have any sollution................Kevin

To Noel and Boby,the crc26 worked,the machine is back to normal,watched a great movie yesterday,A Bridge too Far,regards

To Kevin Lambert.

I am fixing a Sanyo 5000II at the moment and it has a strange video output waveform as observed on an oscilloscope, with a large DC offset as it switches between the A and B video head signals. Is there an adjustment for this or is it the result of a preamplifier fault?

Any ideas?

cheers Noel

Stuart; that's a very lovely item you've got. Possibly it'll go more than that if you have a match. Someone would dare to purchase 950E for 1000$, again as I said if you have a sync.The longer you keep it the more valuable it'll be.

Bill; I think in basic you know what to do.

Let's say you have a full screen TV casts on you VGA monitor and you have a REAL-TIME tv-out signal from your VGA display adapter, you can enable TV set as your computer-monitor;from then on it's easy to use that signal for recording/capturing to your BETAMAX

The URL I meant was only a Satelitte receiver on a PCI-card for watching Satelitte broadcasts.

I also have a capturing device wich can do outputting to a tape but that's not a real time transcoding.

Speaking on the quality of Transcoding, it's all depend on how good you choose a device and compose them not how much fund you spend for a device.

((composite out on today's VGA adapter can produce color not like AS400-composite=monochrome))

Hope I'm not out of topic on this.....Greets,Boby

Hi Boby,

Before I risk my sanity - not as young as I used to be - typing in that enormous address, what sort of thing is it? If it relates to WEB TV which actually works all the time and which provides a decent range of channels I'll be delighted. I have - and actually paid for - two such applications which aren't worth the proverbial hill of beans.

Curiously. my old Packard-Bell computer's TV outlet was composite and no S, my new Hewlett-Packard computer has S out and no composite! This means that to record WEB TV on Betamax I have to use a transport-defunct S-VHS machine as a converter, with inevitable loss of quality. Aren't standards wars wonderful? What I would really like would be a WEB TV application which would enable direct hard disk recording. You could then bring it out to any device you liked - in my case using transfer between computers via my network if necessary, and you would be able to get a direct transfer to Beta with only one analogue stage. Has anybody come across one?

Regards, Bill

Bobby, I have two sl-hf950ub, one in full working order and one is having (hopefully) successful repairs. I don t use my working one, but use a hf100 instead. Besides the 950 I am having repaired has better heads than the other one. They don t come up on ebay uk very often but when they do they usually go for £300 or so ($600)

I have watched this betamax (SLO-325) on ebay for the last 3 months and I feel that its too much for this unit ($99) this seller keeps on relisting it and no takers, I have this machine also and its very heavy and its really only good as a player, I just use it as a back up unit in case my other one goes (SL-HFR70)here is the link to the ad on ebayhttp://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=270113233338&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=017

PS;

There's another solution for making Betamax recordable worlwide (regardless color system & signals)

http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/fr/Products/Consumer+Products/PCTV+Tuners/PCTV+Digital+PVR+(DVB-S_DVB-T)/PCTV+Sat+Pro+PCI.htm

Tune in your favorites channel, plug the TV-OUT RCA channel from you PC display adapter into BNC connector in Betamax.(only minor software setup necessary)

I've been doing this accasionally in many years, worth to try.

Cheers.

Kevin you're absolutely right about the seller.

I'm sure HF950UB is worth to hunt for....and I believe someone owns it and still alive.

I also have NTSC Beta, where all people in my country don't want to have.

By all means I had collected multistandards Beta for my hobby & few of them are unknown series.

Keep on Betamax......

Best,Boby.

From Wikipedia...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_release_cycle#Beta

Beta version software is likely to be useful for internal demonstrations and previews to select customers, but unstable and not yet ready for release. Some developers refer to this stage as a preview, a prototype, a technical preview (TP) or as an early access. As the second major stage in the release lifecycle, following the alpha stage, it is named after the Greek letter beta, the second letter in the Greek alphabet.

Hi Boby: I remember that seller, he had them all stacked up and i also recall hime stating one or two were UB spec.I believe PAL B/G is the reason you cannot get sound from them in you part of the world.Why all countries could'nt be the same beats the hell out of me...........it makes things 'tricky' to say the least.I can assure you UB IS the model designated for the UK and it's definetley PAL 1 , no doubt about that................Regards...Kevin

Hey Beta friends good to see Betamax still live on, to Dave ! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_stage Best Regards Jan H.P

Just a thought does anyone know when the term "BETA" became the word for new software before it is released, why not just call it prereleased softwarejust asking

I've seen HF950UB in Ebay UK 2 years ago, usually I record some interesting Ebay item into Hardrive/hardisk. That guy had lots of 950ES and plenty 950UB so I assumed K.Lambert is right about Pal I.

Correction to my previous post about PAL B/G-H I, that system was displayed on my old Sony Trinitron wich I'd sold/trade already. Maybe Sony put the wrong text in the TV-ROM.

I tried my Sony TV last night with a PAL-1 system to receive PAL B/G broadcast, the picture is a OK except I cannot get sounds from the speaker so I think PAL B/G or 1 is just an audio carrier differentiation.

Greets,Boby

Hi Bill: Indeed you are correct in your assumptions.The Sony SLHF950 UB was for the UK market and utilised PAL 1.I used to own one in MINT condition but sold it on.I've also purchased a couple of Sanyo M40 's in Australian spec(PAL 1 but their TV transmission spec is different than ours) but with which i changed the tuners to UK spec (i had spare boards for these).I also obtained a PAL/SECAM spec Sanyo M10 from Germany and did the same as their TV sound system was also different to the UK and the machine was PAL 1 too.Most vcr systems in Europe are fairly similar and the main boards for each function are usually easy to change over.Getting a mutlistandard owners/service manual for said model helps a lot too as it will tell you exactly what you can or should avoid doing by looking at the specs.I have most for the Sanyo models but not many for Sony.Good luck in your endeavours...............Kevin (UK)

Boby,

I haven't heard of an SLHF950UB. Do you have any specifications, what colour and audio system(s) does it do, what differences from the ES, where it was marketed. I can't imagine it would have been aimed at France. When the 950 came out France was totally SECAM, unlike the present time when most VCRs and TVs are atleast PAL/SECAM L and of course all DVD equipment is PAL. Ironically, since you can't actually record SECAM, the old VCRs transcoded to PAL, recorded it, then transcoded back to SECAM on playback with no PAL output!

For some reason Sony used the term "UB" to mean the UK channel settings, and my 950ES has a switch for UB to "E", i.e. the channel spacing for the rest of Europe. I think it may also activate the VHF section of the tuner. Perhaps the suffix UB might have been used to describe a UK-only 950, with only PAL I and no VHF. I've never had one, so I can only speculate.

Thanks, Bill

Bill,

I guess you'll have to find a SL-HF950UB for your need.

Regards,Boby

Hi there can anyone tell me on a sony c9 when switched on it wont take a tape and the left hand reel is turning also on another machine it play s and records ok but when you press stop it will not unlace and you cannot eject the tape if I switch off and turn by hand the loading ring will unlace then I can turn with my fingers the carriage gears and get back the tape (2)I am looking head s for a C9 and also Sony C7 which capacitors the 2.2microfarads in the drum or capstan circuits picture shaking sideways like a wobbly jelly Davyrocket2

Sorry to come back again, but something just occured to me. Does anyone know if it would be possible to convert a 950ES from SECAM E to SECAM L? Presumably the first step would be reversing the modulation, but from then on I haven't a clue. Any ideas?

Regards, Bill

I seem to have started a subsidiary topic here! Thanks to Boby and Noel for your very interesting and informative contributions.

Re Ireland: They used a different and I think unique set of VHF channels, but their UHF is PAL I exactly as in UK.

The Australian bit was interesting, Noel. I had thought that you used NICAM, not the German two FM channel system. I think it's known as "Planar"?. My Loewe TV could deal with it, and when the DX weather was happening I sometimes got films on WDR with dubbing on one channel and original dialogue on the other. I know nothing about it. How is it fitted in, especially with your narrower bandwidth? I don't think my Thomson can handle it. You're absolutely right about the slightly different mainland European UHF channel steps, but in practice I've never had any problems receiving them. The British VHF channels were different, but VHF was abandoned here many years ago.

Sadly, the SECAM on the 950ES is not SECAM L, but SECAM East, or DDR as you probably more correctly call it, Boby. This is very annoying, as from time to time I can get the main French channels from Caen and Boulogne on UHF, and it would be nice to be able to record them in colour as well as just watch them therein. SECAM East seems to be dying. I know that most Russian national channels now do everything in PAL and then transcode to SECAM E for broadcast.

Your HF99ES was never marketed in the UK, and I've never even seen one. Unless it was perhaps meant for the South African market, that would suggest that its tuner would be unlikely to receive PAL I, unless it was intended to be marketed as a multistandard.

On my Loewe, all the other standards were switchable. However, if you were tuned to PAL B/G and a strong enough SECAM E signal on that channel was detected, the receiver autoswitched to it. I assume this was not unconnected with the Cold War, and being German they probably sold quite a few sets in Berlin!

I'd still very much appreciate any answers to the questions in my original posting.Regards, Bill

Well, despite the several replies, I managed to get it running, all I did was try another battery which I got with a pair of BMC500Ps and charged that up, and hey presto it's working!!! The Erase head needs attention as it doesn't quite wipe the audio off at the beginning of the tape, so some audio I recorded on the tape the other night is still there but fades out as the recording progresses. If only my 500Ps would work, but I think they're in Betamax heaven as they wouldn't power up at all...