"A Betamax head is 20% larger than a VHS head the tape speeds are about 20% faster than the equivelant (umm that’s equivalent) VHS speeds (and thus the signal is 20% better than VHS) "

well here in Australia, the $2 coin is half to two thirds the size of the $1 coin, then again a hi8 head drum is a third the size of a Betamax head drum, need I keep going?

In the PAL system (NTSC's and especially super beta's are rarer than hens teeth over here, those in NTSC land don’t know how lucky they are, even though this is the PALSITE, I love the NTSC units I look at them and think wouldn’t it be nice if they ever made a PAL unit like that, or even a Betamax deck with multiple speeds instead of just the one....anyway, back to the discussion topic which is welcome relief to the days of Christmas) the head drum is larger than VHS yes, but the tape speed is slower, yet due to the large drum Beta has a slightly higher head to tape speed. But the key is the luminance carrier deviation, on VHS is a measly 1MHz, whereas Beta has a deviation of a meager 1.4MHz. Now this doesn’t mean the resolution jumps by 40%, it translates into less video noise, which gives, upon playback a seemingly truer color rendition and cleaner picture as opposed to a standard VHS recording.

Also I don’t know the total truth behind it but I do know its fact, Betamax tapes are thicker than VHS tapes, thus theoretically a stronger wider bandwidth signal can be recorded onto them, I am told a standard Betamax tape is in the area of 22 microns wide as opposed to a typical VHS tape at about 15 to 16 microns.

Just an observation

John

Here's a speed comparison of the specs on NTSC VHS and Beta decks. These apply to NTSC standards and are not be applicable to PAL tape speeds;

VHS SP = 33.35 mm/sec Beta I = 40.0 mm/sec

VHS LP = 16.67 mm/sec Beta II = 20.0 mm/sec

VHS EP = 11.11 mm/sec Beta III = 13.3 mm/sec

When compared for each equivelent speed Beta runs a bit faster

A Beta tape would need 1000 feet to equal the time of an 830 foot T-120 VHS tape.

Hey, does any remember me mentioning my SLHF-550 w/ the dead video output? Well, after bit of experienting and tracing connections on the circuit boards, looks like I've isolated it to one resistor that seems to be open! Here's how: I began touching the center of the video out cable to a few solder areas around those for the actual video out jack and got video! So following the traces I isolated this: R364. Video on 1 side, dead on the other! Well then I went a bit extreme: I took a flashing mini Xmas light bulb and shunted it across the resistor's connections. It lights up brightly and the picture returns; then it starts to flash and the video goes on and off w/ it!!!! I did this to indeed verify that there was an open in the circuit. So, if anyone has a service manual for the 550, could they please give me the value of resistor R364? I can't really see it well enough to read the color code. It looks to me like a trip to RadioShack for the part and a soldering iron will get my 550 back in perfect order!! :)

I need to get the sound heads replaced on my Sanyo VTC-M40 but can't find a repair shop to touch it. I live in Ramsgate in South East Kent in the UK. Can anyone out there advise me of a repair shop in Kent or anywhere in the Uk that deals in Beta machines?

Thanks and Happy Christmas.

An apology too all...You may have recieved Emails I have sent to you wanting to buy this and sell that. Then never got back to you.

I have been very very busy for the past 2 years. And I offer my deepest apology to all those who think I am a waste of time.

I hope you accept my apology

And Have a Happy Christmas and New Year!! :-)

To above post: The glue you'd be talking about is Epoxy cement.

Would just like to wish everyone a merry Christmas.

Happy Christmas Everyone!!:-)

Will,

I think it is unfair to talk about crap when finding out that a part has just broke off of a 15-year-old VCR. I also think Sony used to produce remarkably reliable machines, which many are still alive and well nowadays.

I've seen a quarter-century old SL-7200 work without any interruption since its birth (it eventually died when the heads almost turned into dust when I tried to clean them). Also a SL-2710B alive and well for almost 18 years.

The longest I went with a model of the other format is 8 years. Including two repairs.

Since a Betamax can run at least twice as long as a VHS, that's twice for your buck, without talking about picture quality.

Slowly, though, I feel this last issue to become more and more useless as better formats appear.

I have a couple of hundred used Betamax tapes I would like to dispose of. Free to a good home. Recipient collects or pays postage (W Essex/C London)

Hello folks & Happy Holidays...Does anyone know of a beta vcr head cleaner tape (if one exists) OR if it is possible to take apart a vhs dry cleaning tape and "gut" a beta tape, insert the dry cleaning tape into the beta spools, put it all back together and play it- or will this completely destroy the heads on the beta machine? The width of tape is the same so in theory it should work...any ideas??? I've cleaned it with "conventional" methods BUT the tape will track fine for a time then it snows like Buffalo,NY in winter on my picture screen...any suggestions would be highly appreciated...thanks

I would like to wish all you Beta Fans a very happy new year

To Tonto (Kemosabi?) Yeah, you can use a VHS head cleaner's tape in a Beta shell but there are still some Beta tape cleaners available if you check on E-bay.

I have inherited a number of Betamax tapes and have no player. Can anyone give me the name of a service, preferably in the Northwest or West Coast, that can transfer these to VHS?

Hi thereI'm a fan of beta Pal system VTR's.I'm looking for a remote control for a 83/84 SL-C30E, maybe you can help me on this.Regards to all.

Why is a HVC-2000p video camera in ham radio section of ebay??http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1314569439

My uncle's a ham radio enthusiast and noted that LP-TV operators find them usefull for low powered TV 'broadcasting', especially when coupled with an SL-2000 (or SL-F1 )...

Anyone interested in an old Sony C-6 MkII. I'm not sure yet of it's operational state but I'll check this out for anyone who's interested in it.It's in OK cosmetic condition but the flap that covers the tuning controls is missing.

Cheers, Keith

Also I've got a Sanyo VTC6500 front loader I no longer require.This one does work for playback and plays recordings from a number of different machines. So this would be ideal for someone just wanting to copy old tapes onto VHS etc.It can't be used for recording due to a slight fault with the tuner, the E-E picture goes b/w when tuning is spot on (or AFC switched on), the only way to get colour is to slightly off-tune it. I guess it will still record through it's AV inputs fine.As for it's cosmetic condition - the rubber keys are a bit worn and the play key has been repaired with black insulating tape and there's a cover missing that should be over the clock/timer controls.

Cheers, Keith.

Looking for PAL B/G SL-HF 950

I'am looking for a betamax to transfert a lot of digital sound to CDThank you

Looking for a beta video recorder and playback machine.

HiI'd like to know where can i get a remote control for a SL-C30E betamax 1983? model.regardsMiguel

Hi,you can sell a RMT231 on http://www.telly-parts.co.uk/.The RMT231 ist the Remotecontrol for the SL-F30PS. With the RMT-231 i can control SL-F1 - TT -F1 and SL-C9E /ES. Better ask "telly-parts" if the Remote match to yur Beta-VCR.

Stephan.

If anyone's looking for a Sanyo Betamovie there's one on E-Bay UK

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1314372910

id just like to say im really pleased to of found this beta site - from reading the information on this chat page and the main PAL site we've managed to restore my beta player (a car boot purchase this summer) to pretty much top condition.

i was just wondering if anyone had any old pre-1985 television recordings on beta (or any format really) they didnt want or could do copies off (ill pay for any costs) because i love all that retro stuff. Drop us an email...

Chris

I recently dug up a SL-2700 from my garage and tried to view my old collection of movies but I could not get the unit to play. I took the cover off and noticed that the loader is messed up and when I press play it just about starts but then cuts out and after trying to eject the cassette, the tape is stuck around the heads (or whatever they are called). Is this machine scrap or would this be something worth getting fixed???

Dear fellow Beta users:

My TOshiba Beta Hi fi VCR will ot rewind and is eating my tapes. ANyone know where I can locate a good Hi Fi beta Vcr so that I can play my family movies. PS. they are not adult. They are of my children growing up! Thanks for any info or leads. Happy New YearA despartae father!

To Carl and Mark, barring any other unmentioned mechanical damage, you may be able to get your machines working with a simple change of belts, especially in the case of that Toshiba machine, which used a fairly large drive belt for the capstan drives. Studiosound electroincs at URL http://www.iglou.com/studiosound/index.htm#video sells belt and repair kits for all sorts of VCRs (VHS & Beta)

If you just want to buy another Beta there's always E-bay

Hi ThereJust a quick line to say that i have 50 old beta tapes with possible old programming and the like currently for sale on ebay....sorry but due to heavy box its only possible to post within the UK

Happy new year

Mike

To Chris ([email protected]),

I don't think I've got any Betamax recordings that pre-date 1985, but I do have 3 x Video2000 format cassettes that would have been recorded no later than around Easter 1983 (that's when my grandparents stoped renting V2000 and bought a VHS).

I've also got a box full of N1700 (VCR-LP) cassettes - I've not idea of the contents of these or when they were recorded but the format did come out back in 1975 so there potentially could be some really old recordings on them.

Happy New Year for everybody! I tried to spool VHS tape into a Beta shell. I took a BASF/Emtec E-300 PHG tape. As a result I obtained a Beta cassette that is approx. L-870 i.e. it runs 3 h 55 min in PAL. There is interesting feature with my SL-C44PS which I recovered some time ago. In manual it is said that tape counter won't work with blank tape. From this I made a conclusion that counter readings are somehow connected with CTL signal pulses. Counter reading may be considered as a "quasi real time". The response between counter and time is: 1800 = 1 hour. (Sometime ago Olive mentioned about counter on Aiwa machine that shows readings in feet.) It appears that there are used same remote codes in SL-C44PS and my Pioneer LD player because this Beta machine responds to some commands from LD player remote. However I am going to continue to work on this.

Hello all. Is anyone interested in a Sone Video Cassette recorder, SL30 Betamax. Located in Southern Ontario Canada.It was in good running condition last time it was used. I have just disconnected it from my regular system setup.MAC, Ont. Can.

Does anyone know something about Sony SL-F45 model? I need to buysome BETA video to transfer my tapes to DVD and I don´t knowthe quality of this video. The seller says he rarely used it andit´s totaly new???

I have a BETA video SL-F1 and I can´t get rapaired here in Spain because Sony official repair service tell me that there are two pieces that Sony doesn´t manufacture. A6749058A (Solenoid OSB)and X36693090 (Arm assy, press pinch OBS). Could I buy a completepiece that could include them or there is no easy way out? PleaseI would be very pleased if someone could help me!

Dave

Hello fellow Beta freaks. In desperation I traweled the internet and look where it got me. Four or five years ago my young son managed to jam his hand inside my hallowed C9, managed to miss the VHS completely just to rub salt in the wound. As a result it's been out of commission for far too long, although luckily I think I have found someone to repair it. If not I now know where to sound out for further advice. Having been through a few VHS rubbish machines and now own a DVD, I still hanker badly for the quality of picture that only a good Beta machine will give, so cheers to all you Beta freaks and thanks for helping me realise that this obsession is not a lone one. While I am here can I pick your collective brains? I seem to recall that the C9 could be fitted with a PCM Digital interface or somesuch that allowed it to function as digital recorder (audio only. Is this readily availiable?, or is it widly expensive? Or just a figmant of my imagination?

thanks and keep the flag flying, Chris

To Chris [above]

Yes, there was a unit which matched the C9 [and would work with any beta - and prob any VCR] that converted analogue audio to a PCM digital stream, then somehow built that into a video signal. You connected your beta machine to the PCM unit with the BNC video in and out leads, then your audio equipment to the PCM unit with phono leads. THe record levels and VU meter are on the PCM unit. I only know one person who has one of these boxes, and he's keeping it, because he has one hell of a lot of early recordings of his band on the format [prob should transfer them to DAT] but like everything else it's finding the time. YOu might be able to get a hold of a PCM unit, but I'm looking for one too and as yet, have not come across one. Trouble is, you can't record PCM sound and picture at the same time, so it really just made the C9 into a big DAT machine. I'm also not sure what the sample rate or number of bits of resolution the PCM signal was. I know the HI8 PCM sound system is only 8bit 15KHz, hopefully the beta one is at least 16bit 20KHz like DAT.

Good luck in finding one! and how did you find spares for the loader on the C9? I need some too!

Speaking of DAT and digital audio - is anyone interested in a Sony DTC60ES home DAT deck for 100 pound?

For sale: Service Manual for Sony SL-C5E. Any offers are welcome.

The various PCM processors for vcrs allow 16 bit linear digital recording. My recollection is that the same unit will work for PAL or NTSC. Some numbers are PCM F1, PCM 701, PCM 501, and PCM 601. The last is desireable because it has SPDIF i/o for compatibility with modern digital machines. I see there's an F1 on evay right now.

Hello and Greetings to all in the Blessed Land of Betaphilia! I just returned from my Christmas/New Year break, and in terms of Betastuff it has truly been a rewarding and happy holiday season for me. Through various circumstances I got a bunch of beta-related stuff for free; can't beat that! These items include:

-My good friend's younger brother wanted to clean out his closet, and out came a Sanyo model 4650 Beta VCR, which he gave to me for free. Tried out the 4650 a couple of nights ago, and this darn thing still works like a charm! The 4650 is a mono machine, and is a solid little workhorse with a pretty decent picture. This particular machine is missing the flip-down cover for the front button panel, but otherwise in excellent condition. It also came with about thirty beta tapes (mostly Scotch) that is in good enough condition to reuse. Neat!

-Purchased an old 1978 manufactured Sony SL-8600 X-2 Beta unit for $1.50 on ebay. This is an antique classic, and although the ebay seller did not test the unit and was selling as is, I figure it would make a nice collectible, if nothing else. Since I live in Maryland and the seller was in upstate New York, I figure the shipping charges would come to about twenty-five dollars for this very heavy and bulky unit. The good Lord must have been smiling on me that day, because when I contacted the seller and told him I lived in Maryland, he informed me that he was coming to Maryland to visit relatives that holiday weekend, and his relatives lived only about five miles away from me, so he was going to drop off the SL-8600 in person! A few days later, the very nice seller dropped off the SL-8600 at my house, refused the $1.50 I offered him (he was just happy that someone was willing to take this VCR off his hand), and I found this antique SL-8600 to be in fine working condition, happily chugging away with the Beta II pre-recorded movies I was playing in it! You can't beat that!

-Yesterday, while taking some trash to the condo complex dumpster, I happened upon an old three-shelf A/V tower unit someone had thrown away. The unit is stable and solid, although the metal frame shows some surface rust, and the wood shelves are a bit worn. The unit nevertheless is completely functional, and a similar unit would have cost 400-500 dollars brand new. The thing is incredibly heavy, and my arms are still sore from lugging this shelf unit from the dumpster area to my condo, but it's now sitting in my living room, where it's holding nine of my Sony SuperBeta Hi-Fi units that used to sit on the floor. This find certainly saved me a bunch of money and a trip to the furniture store. I ain't going to complain!

Anyway, I had a great Christmas and New Year when it came to Betastuff. I hope everyone else had a great holiday season too! Howard :)

dear folks, is there anybody who is able to give me a hint??My SL-C9ES never failed in 18 years, but now it doesn´t record on neither of the stereo channels - except for a very, very weak and utterly distorted signal. At the same time passing the signal(to be recorded) through to the amplifier and playback of formerly recorded tapes are o.k. as well as the video section.thanks a lot for any helpmax.beta greetingsdh

Dirk,

Check out the HF950 repair info page. Its probably an open circuit primary on the bias oscillator transformer which is a common fault on the SLC40E but its not exactly the same transformer in terms of pin spacing.

regards B1

Selling this C7 on behafl of the school

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1317617033&r=0&t=0&showTutorial=0&ed=1010923656&indexURL=0&rd=1

I've managed to repair the mad HF-100P, there was a very small crack on the power supply board causing the output of one of the transistors to fall to low voltage (about 2v instead of 9v). But it seem to have another fault (or maybe 2 faults). Whenever a normal linear audio (non -Hifi) tape is played, or when normal audio is selected on a Hi-Fi one all I get is the incoming sound (E-E) rather than the playback from the audio heads. It plays back Hi-Fi sound perfectly.

Also possibly a 2nd fault or related to the first - I don't think it's erasing old recordings as there's colour flicker on the picture and it's not wiping or even recording new linear audio. When I play new recordings made on the HF-100P on my C-9 I get the new pictures with the old original sound.

So basically no linear audio record or playback (even on known good recordings) E-E sound during linear audio playback off all tapes, Hi-Fi OK. Also erase head not operating.

Any ideas ?

Thanks, Keith.

Oh yes and don't forget this is the duplicator model so it's has slightly different circuitry, especially for linear audio as it has seperate linear audio record levels where I guess the tuning controls are on a standard HF-100UB/ES.

Thanks, Keith.

What's this?

http://www.duster.u-net.com/

hello

Heyas! Happy 2K2! Scouring thru the local Wantads, I got my first new addition this year: a Pioneer VX-90 w/ remote. Am I to understand that this baby is basicly a Sony HF900? If so, seems alot nicer looking to me w/ that Pioneer golden trim and such. And works perfectly, too!

To Madness: Not only is the Pioneer VX-90 an SL-HF 900 clone, it can be modified like the SL-HF 900 to record in the BIs speed. You'll have to talk to Ray Glasser about the conversion specifics.

If I'm not mistaken though, Pioneer used it's own remote codes for their Betaclones which would mean you can't use standard Sony Beta remotes. But if you have more than one remotable Beta it would be nice not to get their signals crossed up...

Madness, congrats on finding the VX-90; they are rare birds. I recently lucked out and picked up a Pioneer VX-50 for my collection. The VX-50 is the Pioneer clone of the Sony SL-HF400, and supposedly is even rarer than the VX-90. I have not tried out the remote yet, but I think Olive is correct that the IR codes for the Pioneer are unique and not compatiable with Sony IR codes. Howard

Wanted: Sony SL-HF950 dead or alive. Thanks.

I saw a Pioneer VX-50 a while back on E-bay. They'd lost the cover plate and replaced it with one form it's Sony OEM the SL-HF 400.

http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Thinktank/1935/beta/pioneer/vx7.jpg which looks most like a Sony SL-2710.

http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Thinktank/1935/beta/pioneer/vx9.jpg the SL-HF 900 clone.

are pix of the Pioneer units at this gallery page http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Thinktank/1935/beta.html

Here's the pic of that VX-50 from E-bay http://www.terabyteme.com/~andysbeta/vx501.jpg

guy still has it posted...

I AM SELLING A PORTABLE BETAMAX PLUS PCM ADD-ON AND I THOUGHT I WOULD TRY THIS SITE FIRST WHERE THE EQUIPMENT WILL BE PROPERLY APPRECIATED. THE PACKAGE CONSISTS OF THE SLF-1 RECORDER PLUS TUNER TIMER UNIT TOGETHER WITH THE PCF-1 DIGITAL ENCODER. ALSO INCLUDED ARE A REMOTE CONTROL HANDSET AND AC POWER ADAPTER; THERE ARE ALSO ALL THE REQUIRED CABLES TO HOOK THE PCF-1 TO THE OTHER TWO UNITS. ALL ARE IN VERY GOOD WORKING ORDER AND ARE HOUSED IN TWO DEDICATED ALUMINIUM FLIGHT CASES. I HAVE HAD THESE ITEMS FOR 5 YEARS AND THEY HAVE ONLY BEEN OUT OF THEIR CASE 3 OR 4 TIMES DURING THIS PERIOD; THE LAST TIME JUST A DAY OR SO AGO TO MAKE SURE ALL WERE FULLY FUNCTIONAL. IN CASE YOU WONDERED, I AM STILL VERY COMMITTED TO BETAMAX BUT HAVE RECENTLY AQUIRED 2 MORE WORKING SLF-1'S PLUS A COUPLE OF SPARE NEW HEADS. I ALSO HAVE A COUPLE OF SLHF-100'S AND AN SLF -30 (BOUGHT FROM THE LONDON REPAIR CENTRE ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO AND STILL GOING STRONG !) I AM LOOKING FOR £400 FOR THE LOT BUT YOU COULD TRY MAKING ME AN OFFER. I WILL ONLY SHIP TO THE UK AND EXPECT THE PURCHASER TO SHARE THE COST.

THANKS

Was just scanning the wantads and came across an ad for a "Pioneer VX-90 VCR." Didn't even mention that it was beta, but I knew better. I was on the phone so quick. A C-note later, it was mine. :)

I just took a look at Ray Glasser's website for the pic of the VX-50. Looks more like the SL-2700 or 2710 to me. Still a nifty-looking unit, however. Maybe I'll get lucky someday and find one of those babies, too. <g>

gee that previous post look familiar, I thought that person was banned

certainly not banned. however, I realise on re-reading my previous that it suggests I am including the other machines. This was not my intention and they are definitely not included; I am still heavily into the format and need them.

Yeah, the VX-50 looks almost exactly like the SL-2710, the one where the level meters are built into the same window as the display (vs. being under it as in the 2700). A VX-50 would be nice to add to my lot. But then I wouldn't even mind having this Japanese SLO-1500 either: http://www.betamax.to/archive/photo/SLO-1500.jpg ! Now that baby looks like an industrial SL-2700.

I had my VX-90 and HF900 side-by-side and except for the trim, they look nearly exact. Haven't tested the remotes for cross-compability yet, but will soon. :)

Madness and Howard; as it is stated somewhere on Ray Glasser's site the Pioneer remotes had there own IR codes. I also recall, Madness, Ray states that the only diff between the VX-90 and the HF900 is the gold trim vs silver trim. It's good to hear that you guys got a couple rare decks that still work; and especially with the remotes. Now, on a slightly different note. I posted a while back about my HF750 being slower than my HF400 on rewind and FF; I recently found the owners book for my HF750 and it states that an L-500 will take about 3 min to either FF or REW. So, tonite I put in a L-750 and it took 5min 10sec. So, I would think everything is fine with the deck. Tho I think it sucks that they set it up that way. But then too they probably had good reasoning for it. Later. Pepse.

Madness, Ray and others made a boo-boo when the inserted the photo of the SL-2710 clone and called it the Pioneer VX-50. I recently purchased a VX-50, and it is an exact clone of the Sony SL-HF400. It looks exactly like the one in the bottom photo from Andysbeta posted above by Olive. I think it is very possible that early on Pioneer DID market a clone of the Sony SL-2710, calling it the VX-7 or some other designation. But I am sure the VX-50 is a clone of the SL-HF400, as I now have both a VX-50 and a SL-HF400 in my collection, and they are exact copies of each other (like the VX-90 and SL-HF900). Howard

Looking at the "VX-50" postewd at Ray Glasser's site - it's clearly a piccy of the VX-70 posted at the Betamax Photo Gallery site. In fact, it's looks to be the same picture a little more compressed and artifacted for it's journey onto Ray's page.

Keith ...

I am unfamiliar with this particular model, but the principles used are usually the same.

I would suspect a failure of the 'bias oscillator' or associate circuitry.The bias signal (probably 80KHz) would normally feed both the full erase head (to wipe everything on the tape) and also be added to the audio signal (as bias signal) prior to the linear track head.

Hence, failure of the osc. will produce the symptoms you describe.

Hi Betaphiles, has anyone successfully adjusted a C9 (electrical or mechanical) to overcome the problem of slightly low output/poor quality sound as a result of a worn ACE unit? The section on the ACE unit on this web site is rather vague to say the least when it comes to specific instructions. What about adjusting the sound output level using the electrical adjustments - has anyone tried that? does it bring up the noise floor too much? Any hints, tips or experiences would be gratefully received. Does anyone know about current price and availability of new ACE units for the C9? Thanks.

Greetings from Montreal too !

While original heads are probably unavailable from Sony nowadays, you could get a set of cloned heads which might work quite good. There is a place in Lachine called SIDNAP where they sell these heads. Look for them in the yellow pages.

To John Paul: If you don't mind a drive down the Northway why not have your Beta serviced?

This guy does Betamax VCR servicing:

Karl Kosower Electronic Services575 East Line Road Ballston Spa, NY 12020 518-885-7606

Hi and Happy New Year!

I have a SL-HF360 which seems to have a terminal head problem. Is there a way of getting the machine back up and ruuning or is it a write off. Everything else works flawlessly and I would hate to scrap it. I'm in Montreal.

Thanks for any help

I have some family video tape on betamax. I don't have a beta player any longer. Is there any way to copy that to cd rom or vhs tape?

Hi I have an SL C7 of about 1980 vintage.Which I bought new. It was working fine then one day some years ago just would not switch on any more. Can I get it repaired in the UK,if so where? I live in Dorset. Or is it likely to be a simple fault that I can fix. I had given up hope of it ever working again until today when I found this site.

FOR SONY,SANYO BETA PARTS AND REPAIR CALL: MERCURY KELLER TV 1452 E.LIVINGSTON AVE COLUMBUS OHIO 43205 PH 614-258-9577 AND ASK FOR BOB OR CHUCK KELLER THANX

To Olive,I tried the firm you advised Mark to try,they did not recognise my machine Sony SL-HF100e, what would you call this machine in the States or Canada?

To above; the machine most like an SL-HF 100e seems to be our SL-HF 400. Hope that helps.

Has anyone ever tried or does anyone know if it's possible to bypass the Y/C mixer in a VCR so to connect S-video equipment ?

To Olive & Others: I didn't know they had a VX-70, but the caption says that it's a VX-50 in the SG's gallery description. Could be a booboo? But if I made a booboo and the comparisons, than I stand corrected. ;)

The Betamax Gallery page I was refering to http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Thinktank/1935/beta/pioneer.html lists a VX-7 and VX-9 (they dropped the end 0's in their captioning). It is Ray Glasser's site that is more in error by calling the VX-70 a VX-50.

Yup, I see the distinction now.

I would like to get a pair of bookshelf speakers for my HFT7 and was wondering which ones are pretty good. Anyone know of the Lanzar BX448, and how are they?

To Richard, If you want small speakers withg impact you should probably go with Bose as they seem to be the experts in the field. Radio Shack had a comprehensive line of stuff but they seemed to have turned much of their store over to RCA. I'm not sure if they bought the name of RCA from GE or that RCA/GE bought into Tandy but they have some pretty decent speaker systems there all the same.

any one interested in a sony betamax in good working condition in the uk? please contact me asap! price negotiable. i can give you more info upon news of interest. Thanks.

To Richard: If you are looking for some really decent speakers -skip the Bose stuff - and look into some of the smaller speakers madeby Paradigm and B & W. Both brands are well known in both audiophileand recording studio circles - and the small models are very com-petitively priced with "mass market" brands such as Bose and Polk.

Hi - funs beta system !!!I,m from Prague. Here beta leaving. I need Betamax 950. Is possible save this recorder? Please write me e-mail adress.Thank you.

Hi - just wondering if anyone knows where I can get a SLHF-150 Beta machine repaired in Sydney, Australia?

Thanks,

Drew.

Hi, I've just seen this Betamax head cleaner tape and cleaning solution on ebay! Snap it up, before some one else does. Must be a sort after item.http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1318585664

Cheers, Rob.

Hi AllThought you might be interested in these Beta tapes I've just see on Yahoo.co.uk Auctions, have a look athttp://page.auctions.shopping.yahoo.com/uk/auction/59911203There's 20 tapes made by Sony and Fuji CheersRob.

HELP . . . . ! Does anyboby knows or familiar with Sanyo VCR4000 model. Please help me with this. My player stops after operating it for about 1 minute. I thought there is a problem with the capstan motor so I replaced it a new one nad its cost . . . about 1/4 of its original purchase price. And to my surprise nothing has change. So please help me.

to Ramil Crisostomo;

VCRs have built in safety devices that shut down operation if they think the tape is in danger of being 'eaten' like if it's transoprting too slowly through the system. Check the reel drive and/or idler tires. If they're worn and cracked the reel wont turn properly. Also, Sanyo VTRs use an IR sensor under the take up reel to detect proper tape movement. If that is blocked or dirty it might be the source of the problem.

Have Sony SL HF400 which shuts down shortly after starting play mode at BEGINNING of tape, but functions fine when advanced to counter #260 or so. Any suggestions???

What is the size differance between a Beta tape and a VHS tape?

To previous poster: I assume by "size" you mean the dimensions of the cassette housings? Well, grabbing one of each and a ruler I get:

Beta: About 6 1/8" Long, 3 5/8" deep & about 1" thick.

VHS: 7 3/8" Long, 4" deep & about 1" thick.

I made these measurements w/ the tapes facing as they would when being inserted into their respective VCRs.

Bob K,

Take off the cover of your HF400 and see what happens just before it goes into emergency stop mode. I bet the tape goes slack between the capstan and the take-up reel. This problem is usually caused by wear of the reel table and could be overcome by increasing the forward torque level.

Want to see Sony's betamax tapes on Japan. Here they are. They have also ED-BETA cassettes!!

http://www.sony.co.jp/Products/R-ME/products/video_beta.html

I'm looking for a Sony SL-HF 2000 Super beta HI-FI. They were one of the last models made(1993-1999). If any one has one please e-mail me.

I have a Sony Betamax SL-C30UB video recorder which has just suddenly decided tostart chewing video tapes. On removing the cover when playing a tape I see that the right hand capstan is not turning as quickly as it should allowing the tape to jam around the roller at the right hand side of the machine. Can anyone please advise what the fix may be. Thanking you in anticipation

to Ghostrider; see Chas. Joly's post above. Fix sounds like it would apply to your situation

to Casimir; Figures those damned Nips would keep the good stuff for themselves. We should send a fleet of B52 Gs to 'persuade' them to release more Beta products to the US and the rest of the 'Gaijin' non-Japanese world.

If I may, a plug for the Betamax Videographer at http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/thea7etamaxvideographer

post pix, buy sell and trade, whatever...

Sanyo betacord VTC 9300PN and about 50 pre-recorded and taped cassetes for sale.Any interested parties please.

Looking for a converter(?) which plugs into the tape slot of a VHS machine and then allows Beta tapes to be inserted to be played on VHS. If anyone has ever seen these, I would be most interested in finding one.

Hey guys, could use help w/ this one: Just acquired another HF500 from a flea market. It plays tapes but seems to have one minor problem. It's creasing or serrating the lower edges of any tapes played in it. The tape looks it it has a pattern of connected shallow "U's" or half-circles embedded in it: UUUUUUUUU. Sort of like that, but shallower. I'm assuming that this is being caused by the pinch roller &/or capstan because I can't observe any damage being done as the tape approaches or passes over the head drum (playing w/ cover off). And the picture and sound is great. Is there an adjustment somewhere in the deck the controls the "height (azimuth?)" of the tape whilst it's in the path? Like is the lower edge of the tape darting out below the pinch roller's lower edge? Or should I assume the roller itself is bad and replace it? This machine seems excellent other than that.

To Madness. Try swapping the pinch roller with one you know is good from a similar unit. If the tape stops getting nibbled that was the problem. At any rate a new pinch roller is always a good idea.

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Dear RF,

Such a device exists but it does not plug into the cassette compartment. Instead it's hookable through either the RF input or composite input of the VHS. This device is called a Betamax VCR.

Does anone know where I can find betacam oxide tapes in Europe? I the U.S. there are some places in internet where they still sending tapes. I've adquired a 950 and I would like to have in PRO mode. Thanks. Please, if you post a message in the chat, please forward it to me, because I haven't much time to go to the chat.

Thank you in advance.