Yeah, Olive, I agree. I had wondered if anyone else had similar problems in the past with any of their beta decks. But I ordered some new pinch rollers for about 5 bucks each from here: http://www.mcmelectronics.com . The have the exact replacements so I thought it couldn't hurt for that machine as well as my other 500 & my 300.

Can't wait for Olive's response to 'Harry' above!

Barry.

I've got a SL-HF2000 and I need some good new tapes for timeshifting. Can someone tell me some good safe tapes to use? I've seen some on eBay, but I don't want to damage this machine with the wrong kind of tape. (The last good tape I bought was a SONY Dynamicron L-750UHG but they don't seem to be available here in the USA anymore).

Thanks.

To Julian; Two words;

Radio Schack

To Barry in reference to 'Harry';

Two words; La-hoo Za-her...

To Casimir; well you can try looking up broadcast supply places in the 'yellow pages' or call up one of your local TV stations and ask where they get their tapes. Just be sure you ask for the 'small' betacam tapes. BC -30 = an L-750

Have you looked at this video? Japanese Sony models are strange, but this unit is vey interesting. Look.

http://www.betamax.to/archive/SL-HF1000D.shtml

Regards

Casimir.

In english (using altavista babelfish).

http://world.altavista.com/urltrurl?lp=ja_en&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.betamax.to%2Farchive%2FSL-HF1000D.shtml

NOTE: If it doesn't work Go to the following URL and paste the original language address I specified before. Be sure to select "Japanese to English"

http://world.altavista.com/tr

I was just thinking. If I get a (240-min) S-VHS tape and put it on a betamax PRO-X or compatible with PRO cassette, will I have a longer-duration tape and superior quality compatible? I thought this could work well on a 950. I've assumed that PRO-X tapes are impossible to find near and this can be the better way to use the beta in PRO mode, as in PAL thereisn't hi-band.

Thanks and regards,

Casimir.

I have a sony slf 1 portable with tuner and hvc-4000p camera to dispose of. if interested please contact.

Julian: Yeah, RadioShack is a still sells new beta tapes as do places like http://www.tapeworld.com . Cost can be a bit high tho. Used beta tapes can be fine as long as they're not ED-Beta or Betacam SP tapes. These are metal and can ruin your video heads. Normal oxide betas and regular Betacams (non-SP) work great. I'd steer clear of Ampex tapes, however, cuz these have a tendency to shed oxides all over your tape path. I highly recommend betacams tho, they do a great job, have excellent storage cases, and can often be had for cheap, too. Of all the used lots I've bought ( 30 -50 a pop in some) off eBay, only maybe 1 or 2 tapes were bad (creased or eaten tape). Just a thought. ;)

Wow, didn't know there was still an active beta crowd out there!! Currently, I own two Sanyo betacord top-loaders, model # VCR4400. They both work as they should even after all these years! One I bought new back in '84, the other I bought used several years later. What I'm in need of are either new or used corded remotes for one or both of them. I still have the original remote for the deck I bought new, but it stopped working God-knows how long ago. Still plugs into either machine, but does nothing when the buttons are pressed (the machine I bought used had none with it). So, is it possible to still purchase replacements? Or what about fixing my broken one? Thanks in advance.

To San-YO; I have a spare VCR-4400 remote if your VCR-4400 takes the 3/32 plug and not the 5-pin mini DIN plug. If you can plug your remote by mistake into the [REMOTE PAUSE] plug, than mine would be good for yours.

If you did plug your remote by mistake into the [REMOTE PAUSE] plug, it won't work there. Try plugging it into the [REMOTE] plug and see if it's still good.

Sorry newbie question coming up:

Would anyone please point me to somewhere I can get hold of a Betamax video recorder within the London area. My father has a lot of tapes that are sitting around collecting dust. Ironically, we had both a Sony SL-8000 and a SL-C5 or C7 I can't remember, both of which packed up one us and where thrown out ages ago. I would desperately like to find somewhere or someone that would sell me a Betamax player !!!

To Alek,I have just seen a Sanyo Betamax on ebay (www.ebay.co.uk) It looks like a VTC 9600 have a look here http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1324613500Cheers Rob.

Sorry, did I say 9600, I mean VTC 9300 :)

Cheers Rob.

Hi GuysMy situation is virtually identical to Alek Kenton earlier this evening at 7.19pm.

I'm keen to buy a second-hand betamax VCR because all the early footage of my kids is on beta, and since our old Sanyo packed up a number of years ago we haven't been able to view them. My daughter is getting married later this year, and I'm keen to be able to do her a copy of her early life. Any help would be greatly appreciated. We live near St Albans.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Hank, the picture is a bit dark, but that looks alot like a VHS-C adaptor for camcorder tapes. I just couldn't see how a beta adapter could be possible since VHS heads can't even read a beta, let alone match the tape speed.

One other thing: Does anyone have a source to buy the Sony loading belts? The thing that looks sort of like a yellow rubber band w/ gear teeth in the inside. I wanted to see if that would fix a sporatic loading/ejecting problem. Looks like the current belt is stretched quite a bit seeing how it wobbles as the gears turn.

Hi Everyone! - I had the good fortune to get some BRAND NEW SONY HG L-750 Betamaxtapes from one of my company's videotape distributors. And I pickedup an extra 10 tapes I don't really need. I would like to sell the whole box (10 tapes) for $60.00 plusshipping by UPS or FedEx. I'm in Portland, OR and hoping to find awest coast buyer. USA orders only, please. There is also the possibility I can get more new Betamax tapes -so if anyone is needing new tape stock - please let me know. Also, my company - Abel Video - is doing transfers from Betamaxand SuperBetamax to DVD and digital video formats including Mini DV,DVCAM and DVCPRO. Rates to DVD start at $22.50. Please note that weare a 12 year old business and accept all major credit cards.

A friend just gave me her SL-HF500. I'm going to use the Beta Hi-Fi feature to record radio programs. I've got plenty of tapes, but Ireally would like a manual --- I'd be happy with a PDF or page image file.

I am in need of a used beta vcr that at least plays, I have found about 35 beta tapes at my parents house and want to convert them to vhs or at least be able to view them. Does anyone know where I can get one for a reasonable price. I also was wondering if anyone has any pre-recorded football games on beta that they want to get rid of, or any nfl films beta tapes. I am a football nut and have tons of football videos I love to watch. Please email me.

To Madness

what's the machine you're trying to sort out?

most of the later UK decks [with single reel pendulum] have a tension adjust arm on the top of the lacing assembly [arm has a small cog wheel on the end of it, which the belt goes round] release the screw, and swing the arm to take up any slack in the belt, but be careful not to make it too tensioned, as the whole mech will suffer.

What is this? Beta to VHS adapter!http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1505100344

To Dennis;I have a copy of the manual for the SL-HF 300 which is virtually identical to the SL-HF 500. The only difference I know of is the SL-HF 500's ability to frame advance and decline while in pause mode so the manual should largely apply. Send me your address and I'll mail it for you at no cost.

By the way if you want to HiFi record with the SL-HF 500 you'll need to hook it up to a VCR or cable box with a stereo tuner via the A/V jacks. The 500 like some of the early Beta HiFi's could record in stereo but because the FCC hadn't finalized standards for stereo broacasting yet, Sony could only put in a mono tuner and offer an MTS decoder (the MLV-1100) some time later.

Check out this chewy Beta nibblet from the files of E-beta! This is a 'Rent-a-beta' player unit that you could hire for the evening/weekend to play some movies or tape if you didn't have your own VCR (or if you needed an extra one for dubs)

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1323794668

At last we can see the mythical Beta to VHS adapter in reality...

I have a Sony SL-C7 that works pretty well except the timer module is totally shafted. Does anyone know of anywhere in the Hampshire area that would be able to do a cost-effective repair? Alternatively does anyone have a C7 that doesn't work *except* for the timer module and would let me have the timer part?

Any help gratefully appreciated.John

To: Steve Whelan

The deck in question is an American HF550 (my 3rd one). Loading or ejecting is a bit flaky; so thought maybe the belt need to be replaced.

And regarding the "Rent-a-Beta", that's a very interesting one. That musta been from a video store somewhere. I know that Blockbuster, for example, used to offer small portable VHS players for rent. But that beta's a new one on me! And hey, add a small mobile TV and you could watch your beta tapes in the car! ;)

Well it looks like that guy with the 'Beta to VHS adapter' got an angry letter or something. He changed the item description....

In other news, I was listening to some late night program when they were talking about the forever 'imminant' conversion to digital TV Broadcasting when they mentioned how the competition of different Digital formats would make the Betamax/VHS war look like child's play.

Well I can tell you that digital broadcasting is an idea whose time has come and gone. Just about the only people watching broadcast TV exclusively can't (or won't) afford the equipment need to recieve off air Digital TV. The people who can afford digital TV already either have Cable TV or Digital Satellite (or Digital Cable) and thus don't need off air signals digital or otherwise. Most cable systems won't pass the digital signal down to the end user. In the end the price for Digital TV is just too high and the benefits too small to justify the expense. The whole thing reminds me of the failed attempt to switch the US to the Metric system in the 70's...

Well to make a statement to an older chat; I have seen, from time to time, complaints about Ampex broadcast tapes. Is this an assumption or did anybody have problems with these tapes?? I have bought new and used Ampex tapes off of Ebay and I haven't had any problems with them. I started using them when I had my HF400 and use them now on my HF750. I mainly archive(d) Star Trek NG, Babylon 5, and I would continue to use them as, like I said, I've had good luck with them. Oh, and I still watch what I have recorded on them so it's not like I taped and didn't look at them again. OK, now I feel a bit better. But I will say that I wouldn't by Rat Shack tapes unless they were clearanced. As I've said before, the newer Rat Shack and Sony tapes are just as good (sic) as the newer vhs tapes. MHO. And as a side note, I am persuing a life of Linux and if I don't have too many more problems with it I will be hooking it up to the 'net soon. And of course either way I will try to get here more often so my replies ain't too old. Later. Pepse.

Madness,

you could gently hold the belt between your fingers and see if it easily skips. Then, on some models, you can move the gear and maybe add the missing tension on the belt. Also look for a possibly cracked gear anywhere in the loading process as it could slip on its shaft. I think this is more likely to happen than a worn timing belt.

Can anyone advise how to physically remove a tape which loaded normally to a Sony C9 but which won't eject? Tape isn't tangled. I don't want to force or damage anything? Is all load-eject movement 'supplied' by the small motor and plastic gears on the side of the head/cassette/drive assembly, now removed from machine? I'm baffled!

Pepse, I have indeed have had problems trying to play old Ampex beta tapes. One lot was from a box of old beta tapes given to me by my favorite VCR repair shop. It included about ten Ampex L-500 tapes in there, and everyone of them was bad, and completely clogged up the heads of the SL-HF450 I was playing them in. The second experience was about eight months ago, when I bought a used SL-30 from someone in the area, and he included a batch of Ampex L-500s with the VCR. I tried a few of these Ampex tapes out, and they immediately clogged up my VCR again, like the earlier batch. After these two experiences, I stay away from Ampex tapes like the plague, although the cassette shells are probably useful if one wants to splice new tape stock into them. Howard

Thanks for the tape advice, everyone. I don't need many, but 2-3 good ones would be nice, for spares. I have checked out eBay, the problem is telling which Betacam tapes will not harm my Betamax, as Madness said. This lot is currently on eBay, it says they are BCT-20K or 20G. Are they the right stuff or the wrong stuff?

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1326247112

Julian, Sony BCT-20K and BCT-20G Betacam tapes are oxide tapes (NOT metal), and are fully compatible with Beta VCRs, including yours.

The metal tapes are identified as Betacam BCT-20M or -30M SP tapes, and those are the ones that should be used only with Betacam or ED-Beta VCRs.

Good luck. Howard

Thanks Howard,I went ahead and bought them , 30 tapes for $9.99. Hopefully there will be some good ones in there. :)

Julian

Hey The United States is on the metric system President Carter signed it into law way back when he was in office!

When you get, say a speeding ticket, what does it show, miles per hour or kilometers per hour? The doctor weighs you in pounds. With the exception of pop bottles, we may legally be on the metric system but it's not what we really use. As with digital TV, government mandate cannot inflict a standard agaist our will.

Hi Everyone! - I'm sort of amazed that none of you have taken me up on the High Grade Betamax tapes I posted for sale a short time ago. Keep inmind these are Sony High Grade L-750s - You know - the ones that J&RMusic World never has in stock. And I ship at actual UPS or FedExcost. So if I don't hear from anyone in a few days the tapes go oneBay. I'm also a little amazed at the number of Betaphiles who buy usedtapes to put in their Beta machines. Do you have any real idea whatsort of equipment these tapes were used in ? It might have been amis-aligned junker; or even worse a VCR given to young kids that putwho knows what inside the machine. Please keep in mind that yourBetamax or SuperBetamax is part of a videotape recording system. Inorder to get the best possible picture you need a decent quality tape.Not something that has made 50+ passes. I might also mention - as matter of information - that if youare buying used Betacam Oxide tape to use in your VCR - you carefullycheck out the source. Most of the top 50 market TV stations have pretty much abandoned using Betacam Oxide tape. And virtually noonein the post-production industry uses the format anymore. The onlyplaces using the old Betacam Oxide tapes are small market stationswho can't afford anything else. And they tend to dump it when theimage quality starts to suffer. So if you're buying this stuff - your best bet is one of the tape recyclers who typically check thetape for dropouts and condition.

Well, David A., not to disrespect what you are selling but like I said, I won't spend the money on the newer Sony/Rat Shack tapes. Unless the Sony tapes are at least 7 years old or older. And as I mentioned I have had good luck (yes I knocked on wood) with Beta SP tapes, new and used. So, if these tapes are at least 7 years old I might be interested. Obviously I missed your earlier post when you had it up and when I got back on last nite I didn't want to go to the archives to see what else I missed. Later. Pepse.

Dave:

Regarding the Sony tapes. Well, I think it mostly comes down to price. The price you're asking comes to $6 per tape. That's the same price as the tapes at RadioShack (their tapes are simply relabled Sony High Grade L-750's). When you add in the shipping it really is about the same price with tax as they'd be at RadioShack. And, there's no need to deal with shipping and dealing with someone they've never met over the internet. Now, if the price was lower (say in the $40-50 range) I'm sure the tapes would've been bought up pretty quickly.And, also, here's my view on new versus old tapes. I've been using both recent Sony standard grade L-750's and the RadioShack high grade L-750's for some time now for both archiving and time shifting, and have had no problems whatsoever with them. I will say the high grades do last better (ie less dropouts) when you have many, many passes from time shifting, and have a slightly better picture. At any rate, they don't seem any better or worse to me than older Sony tapes. FWIW, I use both a Sony SL-HF860D (SuperBeta Hi-Fi) and Toshiba VS-443 (Hi-Fi) VCR's, and have used an SL-HF300 and Sanyo 7250 in the past. All of those VCR's worked well with the tapes.

Julian: Regarding those betacams, I've bought several lots off that very seller. Haven't had a bad tape, yet! And he erases them, too. The Sony BCT-20G & 20K tapes are pretty much the same except for the style of the cassette shell. The 20G's are the one pictured on the auction w/ a ½-window over the supply reel, wider top label area & a retractable anti-erasure tab; the 20K's look pretty much like a normal betamax cassette (round supply-reel window; knockout erasure tab), but are blue. Both are equivalent to an L-500 tape.

To Pepse & BeefJerky: Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me about Betamax tapes. I will, in fact, be lowering the price on the Sony HG Betamax tapes a bit. I also found it of interest that some of the older Beta tapes are considered to be of better quality.

On another subject - I had the good fortune to buy from one of my clients a Sony SL-700 - in very good working order. It had been in storage for several years; and needed a good cleaning inside and out. But I've run it continuously for several days here at my studio and everything seems to work just great. Very clean SuperBeta recording & playback - only wish it had Hi-Fi audio! Mostly what I need at this point is an operation manual. If anyone out there has an SL-700 manual they can copy for me it would be seriously appreciated. Many thanks!

Hi all! I have some good betamax news for anyone fortunate enough to live by a Fry's Electronics. The Fry's here in Houston now carries Sony betamax tapes, both the High Grade and Standard Grade L-750's. The HG's are $5.49 each, and the standard grades are $4.99 each. I'd assume other Fry's locations would carry them too, but no guarantees :)

Any body have the pinout of the LF jack on the GCS-50 or the SLO series Betamax I'd also like The LANC that's on the D8 camcorders

Thanks A.Choate

I hear every now and then about people who bought Japanese Beta VTR and said they ran NTSC tapes fine. Is this really worth the trouble and/or cost effective? How dose one come across one of these units if they don't want to go to Japan? Thanks A. Choate

I am a beta user but have a non beta question that some one may be able to answer. I have some 5" gold cdv discs for which I am trying to find some software to enable me to play them on my pcs cdrom. Any ideas if this exists. (they will play on a laserdisc player). Thanks for any help.

Many thanks for your site. The list of machines was just what I needed in getting back into Beta. I have just bought a Sanyo VTC-M11. It is not shown on your list but I think it is the European version of the VTC-M10. I want to use it save my old Beta tapes onto VHS. There is one problem. When it is first switched on, the picture is terrible; it keeps breaking up and it flickers from side to side, particularly in the top half of the screen. After about half an hour, it settles down and the picture is near perfect. It even records. Should I be worried? Or should I just remember to start it playing 30 minutes before I want to use it? Second question; It came with a big box of old tapes; some of them are marked "3M Master Broadcast Betacam SP". Do I understand right from the earlier messages that I should not use these with this machine? Thank you for any advice you can give me.

To Mark: I remember those CDV disks - 20 minutes of audio & a 5-minute video. As far as I know the video portion will ONLY play in a Laserdisk (although the audio portion will play in any CD player). The video is analog just like a laserdisk. So I went and tried the only one I have left from the 1st edition of David Bowie's "Sound + Vision" boxset. Only get the audio on my CDROM or DVD player.

Oh, wanted to add a comment to Olive's post about Digital TV a few days ago: I was reading an article similar to that concerning rewriteable DVD's. There's currentlt THREE different contenders: DVD-RAM, DVD/RW & DVD+RW (none slash vs. plus sign on latter two). All of these are incompatable w/ each other and have different manufacturers supporting one or two of them (but not all). The article even mentioned comparisons to Beta vs. VHS! So far, only suggestion by the author was to make multi-compatable recorders.

Okay, this guy needs a breath of reality:http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1326232331http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1326232900

Bwahahahahahahah! I guess that's what those Enron stock promoters are doing now...

"Better snap it up without thinking about it! This is ultra rare and valueable! There's no other way to get this stuff..."

Meanwhile thirty posts in a row have the same damned thing for a nickel...

I was kinda wondering what that dude was smokin' 'til you mentioned ENRON; Ghetto joints. (For those of you that don't know, it is weed dipped in gasoline and smoked when dry). Nuff said for that Joe. Later. Pepse.

I remember seeing a Marantz branded "Rent-A-Beta" ina 1982(?) copy of uk magazine What Video?, I'm also sure I remember seeing a Currys (A British electrical retailer) own label Beta VCR in their 1983(?) Christmas broch with either the Triumph or Carlton brand name, I think it was another Toshiba V31B or V33B clone like the Lloyds VCR I mentioned a few months ago. Can anyone verify this? I would like to see pictures of non-Sony Japanese Betas on the net - anyone know where? I also see an Australian Beta site (the name escapes me) mentioned here sometimes that I can never get the links to VCR lists/pics to work, anyone had any luck with it? Best wishes to all Beta users and I wish Sony would do the decent thing and give us a new PAL machine at any price.

broch should read brochure on the above.

Where's the command mode switch in the 950?

Do you know how can I use the EURO-AV IN? I switch the input select switch to "Line/PCM" and it doesn't receive any signal, nor video or audio. If I try the separate audio/video connectors (except the old video jack, a strange one which I can't use. Is it possible to change it for a standard one?) it works well.

Casimir,

The HF950 doesn't have a command mode switch, it command mode one only. The 950 was only originally supplied with a single command mode remote, but when VHS came out I think the 950 markII or the HF99 came with a standard 3 command mode remote with the idea you would have a beta and a VHS and use one remote for convenience. I don't know for sure, but the HF99 might have a command mode switch, MIGHT. I can find out if you need to know by going for a drive and looking at one.

As for the euro AV or SCART socket, sorry it only works as an output, and only composite at that, no SVHS. I guess you could take the cover off and solder links from the rca and bnc sockets to gain input if you must use the euro/SCART as an input.

Damon Shaw,

To use that website you need java enabled on an IE4 compatible or later browser.

-----------

As for the tape brand slanging match, for my two bobs worth I haven't had a single problem with any of the betacam oxide or metal tapes at all, and my stock dates back from the mid 80's. Some of my early Sony dynamicrons are starting to go bad, and I wont touch Scotch 3M as almost everyone without fail has gone to the dogs on me, but then again they are nearly 25 years old with recordings dating back to 1978.

Just out of curiosity, is there many copies of “Viva Sonyland” about?

I hope this is of some help,John

PS: Ullo B1!

That Aussie Beta site is at this URL

http://users.bigpond.com/jsparkin/

The last time I'd checked, it had crashed my computer with some bad javascript...

hey folks if anyone is interested i've got a betavision video cassette recorder plus remote, over 70 films including your favorites such as Willy Wonka, Spinal Tap, 2001 A Space Oddessey, the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Petes Dragon, St. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band, Kiss if the Spiderwoman, PeeWee Hermans Big Adventure, Kool and the Gang:TOnight....and the list goes on. I've also got over 50 tapes with stuff recorded on them....from another recorder..A Sony sl 5600 ready reference guide manual, operating instructions and a betascan control unit...i live in Amsterdam but i'm in Seattle for another month and i need to travel light...if anyone is interested in purchasing this stuff i'll give you a decent deal.if interested contact me by email or call me at 253 9310120..jara

Have a problem thought maybe I'd try here for some insight on the matter regarding my sony 900. When I put the machine in record/pause mode the tape goes slack. S reel dosn't retract the tape but I can see it trying. Checked the back tension and it fell within range 45 gcm +/- 4. Forward torque looks fine. Head drum dosn't look horrible but is has slight signs of wear. Trying to do some editing but it's kind of hard to get really clean cuts with the tape going slack every time I go into pause mode. When I resume recording I can hear and see the tape crinkle a little bit as gets back on the path. When I place a finger on the tape guide and back it away just a little as it's going into pause mode the S reel goes into reverse thus no slack on the tape. I'm using new tapes. Any ideas or suggestions? Thanks.Bill

A. Choate: I came across my domestic Japanese SL-HF505 (equivalent to our SL-HF550) on ebay. Once in a while you will see domestic Japanese Betas on auction on ebay. I assume most of them were brought here by U.S. military personnel and their families who served duty tours in Japan and returned to the states with them. During the past year, I have seen domestic Japanese SL-HF3000, SL-HF705, SL-HF900, and the SL-HFR30 models on auction on ebay, in addition to the SL-HF505 I picked up. If you pick up a domestic Japanese Beta for use here in the USA, don't forget that you will need to use the A/V composite in/outs to receive and send signals (the r/f in/outs are different), and you will need to run the voltage through a step-down transformer, as Japanese Betas are 100V versus the 110/120V used here in the states. Howard

Two things:-

1:- I'm looking to get hold of a Tube camera (Trinicon, Saticon, etc, all fine), for the effects. I don't know why, but there's something in me which keeps shouting "these are better quality". I guess it's just my excuse for my love of cameras with lag (if only it's the tiniest bit!)

2:- I'm looking for a service manual for a Trinicon HVC-2000PE. My friend gave me this one, and it's been totally uncalibrated. I've taken off both sides, and got an image (which actually isn't that bad, and is better than I reckon it was originally. I've got it to be low lag and high contrast. Good colour balance too), but I'm not certian it's the best it could be. Only a service manual will help me. Any ideas?

Could you please reply by e-mail?? (I know it's a lot to ask, but this chat page isn't easy to navigate. It should be made into a YahooGroup)

To Samual Hunt: There are several Betamax site at Yahoo Clubs and Groups. There is mine at Yahoo Clubs at URL http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/thea7etamaxvideographer .

There is the Yahoo Betamax Group athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/betamax

There's the Yahoo Betavideo Group at URL http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betavideo

There is the Betamax Group at URL

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/betamax

I have a SONY SL-S600 Super Betamax with owners manual but no remote. Free to anyone who will pay shipping. E-mail me for details.

Thanks to John B2 and Olive Thomas for both your info regarding the Australian site!

Hi, I was just checking the web and found this site. I have a Sony SL-HF900 Super Beat Hi-fi edit deck for sale. The machine is in great shape. I also have about 35 tapes, industrial Maxell L500 and L750 still in the shrink wrap to go with the machine. I would like to get around $500.00 for everthing. Please e-mail me if you have any questions.

To Jeff: The SLHF900 doesn't have a flying erase head, so I wouldn't call it an editing deck.

Hi Everyone!

Okay - I'm going to try this again! I have a new box of ten SonyHigh Grade HG L-750 Videocassettes I would like to sell for theprice of $48.50 plus actual UPS or FedEx Ground shipping costs. Please note that I'm located on the West Coast in Portland, OR -so shipping costs will be lower for western states. Payment canbe made by check, money order, or major credit card (with properI.D. and matching shipping address).

Hi:

Thaks to B2. I have (luckyly) a three command mode remote from one top-spec Sony's first VHS (would be very nice to have PinP and digital picture effects in our 950 ). But about the S-VIDEO output I've tried an EURO-SACRT adaptor (with an input/output switch and S-VIDEO, video and stereo audio connectors) and when you connect ONLY the s-video a perfect image displays on another VCR which has a S-VIDEO input. Can it be a "trick" of the EURO scart adaptor or a real Y/C cable image? If not, how can I get the Y/C video out(I remind it's in the old chat messages)? And could be possible to get S-VIDEO IN??

Another problem. The 2dB right chanel led is failing, but sometimes it works perfect. Do you know where's the PC board which controls the VU meters to see if there's something badly conected or thgere's a chip or any part which I can replace? Sometimes it works but then it disappears as it appears aggain. It appears moslty when very bad audio reception.

Any ideas about all this?

Thank you in advance.

Any pix and close-ups of the HF99 to see how it is?

Hi all! I've just inherited a Sony SLC20, which doesn't seem to work. It powers up okay, but there seems to be a problem with the eject process. The "cassette inside" led keeps flashing, so I opened the machine up and had a look inside. The cog-thing towards the back of the machine (sorry for the lack of technical part-details) seems to make a whirring sound, but doesn't turn the plastic belt, which I think moves the loading mechanism. I've had a quick look at the repair guide, and I'm not really sure what I have to do to repair it? Can anyone give me any suggestions to what I have to replace / where I can get the part. Any help is much appreciated. I'm in the UK. Thanks.

I have a Toshiba model#v-536 Beta hi-fi. I also have a rewinder and a box of about 40 tapes. Does anyone still want these or should I throw it all away. It's pretty old, in 1994 we took it to the shop and had it gone through and cleaned. It's free if someone wants to pay the shipping. Please respond to my e-mail address soon as we have a city wide trash pick up next week. Today is Jan 30, 2002 5pm California time.

I Am Looking For Beta Tapes That May Have Older Sports Recordings Such As Football Games And Old TV Shows. I have Many To Trade. Please Drop Me A line. Thanks...Mike

Thank you to those who responded to my inquiry regarding my Toshiba player/recorder and tapes. I shipped it all to the first respondant this afternoon. ~Lori

Here's an E-Beta listing for you Aussie Betafans...

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1329305681

A Sony SLF60AS VCR out of Adelaide

Another PAL unit up for grabs...

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1329665839

An SL-C6 from Heathrow (somewhere by the airport I presume)

WANTED SONY SL-C9. ANY CONDITION CONCIDERED

Does anyone know if the 950 has a clock backup battery/capacitor ?

Thanks,

Casimir

My loyal C7 has developed its first fault, total power fail. Trouble is I cannot find the internal fuse F006. I have 1,2,3,4,5 and 7, is it hidden away somewhere ? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

The fuse is on the LF-11 board... its a T 2A fuse...And the boards sits under the TM-10 board... or in the timer block... cant quite make it out on the Circuit boards location in my manual!

Good luck fixing your SL-C7. .. Its a great machine...!

Regards

Emil Jensen From DK

Can anyone help me? Please take a look at my post from a couple of days ago regarding my tape loading problem.Thanks, Clare.

Is Sony actually still supplying new Beta blank tapes for the UK market? Every time I telephone them I just get put through to a guy dealing with Betacam queries and get no real answer - I simply cannot find new tapes in the Manchester area!

i have a sony slhf 150 and my picture is black and whitei tryed videos with other vcrs to compare to see if it was maybe the tape or the t.v. , the tuner is in colour , its just when you playback or record , it is b/w ... ???? can anyone help me?

OK guys, check this out: About a month ago I went to the UK on business. I came across this guy selling an SLHF950 PAL deck and a load of rare tapes not available in the US (yes it works, he demoed it first)! I bought the stuff and had it all sent back to the US to myself. My TV is dual-standard (NTSC/PAL), so I figured it would be able to directly work. My DVD is also and I also have a sizeable collection of R2 disks. But my problem with the 950 is needing a 110/120v to 220/240v converter that is rated for continuous use. Those I could find at Radio Shack were for temp use. Any ideas on this one? I'm willing to bet that my 950 will work perfectly fine and might even be able to dupe R2 DVD's in PAL format. And a side note: I also own the SLHF750 and it's sitting on top my TV next to the 950.

I'll see what I can find for a power adapter. Also, what is the "Pro-X" mode? Is it the PAL version of Super Highband? The tape gallery on this site shows a Pro-X tape and states that it's metal (??).

i have many old records for sale i can send you a list if intrested

I stumbled on this site and I am from the United States. I own a Sony Betamax SL HF 400, Sanyo Beta VCR 400, and tons of tapes. I am seeking a market for selling these items other than e-Bay. Does anyone have any suggestions and can someone advise on the value?

Ken

To Remo:

PRO-X tapes are special tapes which where intended to work only with the 950. They're not the PAL version of highband which wasn't released in Europe. These PRO-X tapes aren't available at any price now. The near equivalent to them are Betacam oxide tapes and new Sony HG tapes. DON'T USE BETACAM SP because they'll damage your video heads (ED-BETAs are the only decks which accept Betacam SP tapes as mentioned lots of times in this chat). You're lucky to live in the USA because Betacam oxide tapes are available in some internet stores. In europe they're completely out of production and very very hard to find.

Also to tell Remo that PRO-X offers 280 lines and hi-band offers 360 lines :·)

Hi, I´m from Germany, so my english isn´t the best, but I hope someone can help me. I´ve got a problem with my "new" Sony SL-C7E. I got from a friend who stored it in his livingroom for more than 10 years. It was a bit dirty and dusty but after opening and cleaning for 2 afternoons it looks quite good again. The tuner works and all buttons are operable. It just sometimes needs a little "manual help" to eject the tape, cause the belt (the connection made of black rubber) from the motor from the left back side is a little weak. The only problem is the playback. The picture has no stripes and perfect colour, the sound is also good, but the picture kind of flickers all the time. I already tried the antenna connection on Channel 35 and the BNC conector and 2 TVs always with the same result, so I think its a problem with the player. Does anyone here know what this could be and how to solve this problem?Thanks for your help (and trying to understand what I call englisch :)

Thanks for the info Casimir. I was taken by "metal", but am wondering if Pro-X tapes are really "chrome dioxoid" similar to some of the BASF tapes? Still not exactly "metal" per se, but a similar formula to Type II audio cassettes. I'm also assuming betacam-SP are similar to Type IV.

If I can get a suitable power converter, I'll try out some betacam standard cassettes and see how they come out. Guess my DVD would be the best source to try a PAL recording from. I even checked the non-prerecorded tapes I got with the deck to see if any happened to be Pro-X type. No luck there.

An even bigger question to spike my curiosity: Why do PAL machines only have ONE recording speed? My 750 records at all three NTSC speeds, but it looks like the 950 has a single speed a bit slower than BII (example, L-500 tape: BII: 2H; PAL: 2H, 10M). No biggie, though.

Hi, I've got a Sanyo VTC-M20 recorder but can't see it listed on your site. What's it worth and is anyone interested in buying it? I've also got several video cassettes

I just dug up a used Sanyo Betacord 4650 and it seems to work Aokay. Can any one direct me to a page that will supply some info/specs.

Thank you

Re: my previous message. Does anyone have any info on NTSC sites.

Thanks again

Remo,

What you need for using you 950 off 110Volts AC is called a step up transformer. These are either a conventional power transformer with 110V primary winding and 220/240 secondary or what is called an “auto-transformer” where the primary is a tap off, or part of, the secondary winding. You will need one rated at about 100 Volt/Amps which is the power transfer needed worst case for a 950 I would estimate. You might have to buy the transformer and get someone with electrical (safety) knowledge to fit it in a box for you with input lead, fuse and appropriate three pin O/P socket.

Good luck – Noel Higgins (B1)

PS hullo B2

Thanks for the info Noel. That's exactly what I need; something that will allow the 950 to operate continuously. All the adapters I've seen are meant mainly for travel use -- to power things like hair dryers, electric shavers, etc., overseas for a brief time. I'm assuming using one of these with the 950 may cause overheat to the adapter.

I may just end up trying to have one built if all else fails, like you suggested. I can find converters that will fit the British-style plug, so that's no trouble. May have to check electronics catalogs for a suitably-rated 1:2 transformer, though.

If anyone is interested I've just posted an HVC-4000P camera for saleon eBay. It;s under Consumer Electronics/Video Equipment/Other.

Remo,I think it might be possible to use European 220(240)V to 110 V adapter and connect in reverse. Sure you need an adapter with proper power and a qualified electrician.

To remo:

I'm sure the HF950 will run on any voltage from 100 to 240 [autovoltage] - read the plate on the back - the switchmode power supply is just like any other sony design, so I don't see why not also, it doesn't matter about the 50Hz/ 60Hz difference either, because the mains is rectified and smoothed as soon as it enters the machine. Connect your 950 directly to a US outlet and I bet you it'll work hapily [the HF950 draws 36Watts thats 0.15amps at 240V, though at initial switch on I think it draws about 10 times that for a fraction of a second. So, at 110V it's gonna draw about one third of an amp under normal running. Another thing. The entire machine runs of 12V The PSU is made up of two parts. A mains to 12v DC, then a second stage which converts the 12V to 5v, 9V, 36V, 3.2Vac and -38V for the tuner. It uses another dreaded DC-DC convertor like the C9. Why did sony design them this way??

So if all fails, you can buy an off-board 12V DC laptop supply and mod the machine accordingly.

Another point you mention was the speed - we only have single speed in the UK - I dunno why they never did make a long play. But, I think it's got something to do with Beta HiFi. In the US, the HiFi sound is put on the tape with the picture by the same heads. In the UK, our machines have a second pair of heads just for audio. [The HF950 has 6 heads - to give trick modes] the sound is written on the tape in a completely different way, probably due to the fact that the PAL standard pushes the limits of tape 625 lines, not 525. I guess they didn't bother trying to figure out how to cram the same info on the tape at a slower speed when beta was dying out over here.

I've just looked on the 'specs' page for the 950 on this site and it does indeed say that it will operate on any voltage from 110 to 240 and 50 or 60Hz ... I knew I was right!

Toshiba V-s541I have lost all video and audio on this machine. Tape path appears to be working properly. My question, is there a common link (IC, power etc.) that would take both audio and video at the same time?

Hello there. I am in the UK and am desperate to buy or loan a Betamax video recorder. I have about 50 tapes which I have recorded myself and want to transfer them on to VHS but sad to say my old Betamax is long since dead. Having achieved all this I will then have 50 free tapes to give away. Can anyone out there help me.