Howard, I am 99% sure it is your voltage regulator. The one in my HF 750 went south a couple years ago and I took one from an HF 400 and it has been great ever since. So, if you want to save a few pence and have an HF400 or probably any SuperBeta parts deck you have the voltage reg. Otherwise IIRC MCM Electronics has them for less than $20.00 (I think $15.00). Radio Shack does NOT have them. Later. Pepse.

I still have these good used Beta tapes, free to a good home. All you pay is the shipping. I can ship Priority mail (fastest, not all that much more expensive), Parcel Post (slightly less, but can take a couple months), or Media Mail (cheap, but can take up to 10 weeks) from 96205. Sorry, I can't ship UPS or FedEx from my location. I have added a few more tapes to the batch, there are now 40. E-mail me if you want them, and I can figure shipping costs. :)Take care, and stay well.

Hmm, someone telling us to trash our beta decks and go digital? Seems to me that history is about to repeat itself. Only that it's video instead of audio. To elaborate, let's turn the clock back about 14 years when CD's were really taking off and the analog LP market was starting to plummet. Even then there were those diehards and audiophiles who stuck to their claims that vinyl could sound just as good or better than digital w/ the right equipment (and I know as I still have a pretty large collection of records). But today of course, facing an (IMO) rather uncertain Digital/HDTV future, we're the quality-video diehards holding onto and still enjoying our beta machines. As far as I'm concerned, I'll stick to my passion until my last beta is one step from the grave! Also, digital sources like DVD and SatTV only make me want to make more "new" beta tapes (and make no mistake, superbeta-hifi tapes have never disappointed me!). I just had to say my peace to the "go digital" crowd.

Regarding Franny's last post...my problem with digital is that even though it's (somewhat) better than analog, is that every time I try to do anything even remotely complicated like download clips from a capture card and make a video CD out of them or capture audio clips from the sound card input there's always some conflict or error message or freeze waiting for me. My computer LIVES to make me p'oed and that's why I no longer bother trying to do either video or audio editing with my computer. Digital may be superior quality but with analog at least I know it will WORK right 100% of the time. Also I think consumers have been stuck with the crappy quality of VHS for so long and that's why they're jumping right to digital. Without even giving the better analog formats much of a chance. When you think about it,VHS is the WORST of all major analog formats, Beta, 8mm, S-VHS, Hi8 all give better quality than VHS. ED Beta is as good as DVD and Mini DV, and S-VHS and Hi8 are almost as good.

I recently got hold of an old Beta version of the groundbreaking Blondie 'video album' of 'Eat to the Beat'. It was put out in 1979 so no HiFi stereo. But the odd part is that it seems to play best on my old SL-2000 or SL-5400 - my HiFi decks either play it a bit jumpy or with a lot of dropouts. Even odder is that if I'm playing it on the SL-2000 or SL-HF 300 and have the SL-HF 360 tuned to channel 3 (like if I was going to dub it) it can pick up the video but the audio is missing - like some crude sort of copy protection? This is the only tape I've come across with this quirk.

In addition just above the picture from time to time you can see a bunch of numbers come down. A truly strange tape...

Hi, Ive just got a betamovie 500P but I have no charger or batteryIwas wondering if anyone has any spare to sell.Also I have managed to power it up with a 10 volt psu from an oldvhs/c (eeeerrrrr) camcorder but when I press start it just clicks abit but wont go into record. Could this be because the psu isntpowerfull enough, how many amps does it need?

Regards

Clint Watterson.

Hi all. I am interested in purchasing a Toshiba VX340 portable beta machine. Preferably working, but may consider ones with problems. E-mail me at [email protected]!

OK all you SONY SLC9 owners particularly in Australia. I will provide a repair service for DC/DC convertors. (Both Mk 1 & 2) They provide the display and tuner voltages for these machines and as many of you would know, they are the bane of an SLC9 owners life. I have just refurbished five of them for my machines so I fairly confident of success. I can now source or rebuild all the parts.

Some of my replys to original enquiries timed out so I am adding the following for those who want to know the details. The cost is $50Aus plus postage for units not requiring a tranformer rewind and $75Aus plus postage for those that do require rewinding. (It's not much fun rewinding them but I have only had to do it twice.) Unless they have been "charcoaled" to death. Yes, I have seen one the results of one that caught fire!

You can also send the DC/DC on its power supply mother board if you are not confident at desoldering. Email for address details

-regards B1

For those interested in respooling their damaged or worn out beta tapes I've found that Maxell GX-Silver T-180s make a great L-750. I've had excellent results with those! Also as an experiment I modified the reels of an L-750 and spooled on a Memmorex T -200 HS. With that I got 2hrs 5 min in BI(s)! Only trouble is with rewinding. It gets really sluggish when it's nearly done so instead I just eject the tape at the very end and then run it through my rewinder. A new Betamax would be a dream come true! But how 'bout a machine that accepts VHS tapes, automatically disassembles them, melts all the plastic down and then pours it into molds, threads the tape back in and then spits out a brand new Beta tape!

Andy W, well the biggest problem you have is (I assume) WHINE-DOZE OS on your computer. I have heard great things about MAC computers for audio and video. And altho I am new to Linux I understand it is good for audio duplication, also. To me to own a MAC or use Linux would be similar to Beta; the better and somewhat forgotten media.

Later. Pepse.

Digital is good! But there are certain things that should not be left to die...

Digital=good?

Terrestial tv (UK) plagued with technical transmission problems (lockups and freezing etc)Video cameras - ever seen the pixelisation?Still cameras - OOh! those jagged edgesDVD - ever had a problem disc or player?DVB - will my tv work tomorrow if the digital platform completely collapses?

In any event my trusty HF950 and C9 continue to fly the analogue flag of RELIABLE technology(Binary code is over rated!)

Doh, My pc is binary00100011001100011001010

I'm not saying that digital is totally awful but it does still seem to have a few quirks. Pixelization which I've experienced on some more independantly-released DVDs (where sometimes it looks a bit like a mosaic-type pattern ["blockiness?"]). I think that's still one of the cons of MPEG compression. It occurs a lot on Video CDs that are done using MPEG1.

But I'm guessing that the manufacturers are all gearing up (US anyhow) towards the launch of HDTV so they prolly wouldn't go back to making anything like beta. Unless a digital beta was released. And let's not forget that we nearly have another format war going on between at least three incompatable rewriteable DVD formats. So it seems to me that the digital future is uncertain.

Also, it's coubtful at this time that I'd even consider buying a media-based DVR (vs. hard-disk-based. like Tivo). Prices for both them and blank media are way to high at time not to mention that they all have built-in anti-copy guards that lock out their record mode when the deck detects the anti-copy signal from a playback source (i.e. DVD player). This is not macrovision; it doesn't affect the video signal itself in any way.

I've messed around a bit w/ DVD ripping to my computer to make Video CD's but it takes quite a long time to encode to mpeg and still doesn't quite match superbeta and quality and clarity. So my betas will handle this for as long a they're able.

Another dropped 2¢ (or is it 2p?) for now: *clink, clink*

Madness

Good point madness, but I think the fact is we still haven't managed to harness this thing called 'digital'. Compression seems to be its downfall. As for DVD recording to disc, let's sort out a 'STANDARD', then perhaps we can work on the signal and then on the receiver. I'm talking UK Terrestial TV by the way (this is a palsite!). We need to learn the lesson that less is more (less channels is more quality) not quality of content, but more bandwith per channel. Only then can we make full use of the HF950, which in my humble analogue opinion, will give the best possible recording ( using prox on superbeta pro mode of course) from either DVD or DTT. By thev way, the best result I have had so far in recording DVD is Highlander - Directors cut (THX) region 1 (Widescreen) Cowabunga!!!

By the way I have disabled macrovision from my player to allow inferior SVHS recording!

Well I hope that when the inventors of copy protection schemes die I can have a chance to dig them up and rattle their bones around so they can't rest in peace as a reminder of how much I hate them and their copy protection schemes that interefere even with my legitimate right to just WATCH a damned video that I PAID for! Especially since the tape I can't watch is out of print as far as I know...

Damn, I wish I had the money to buy enough politicians to make copy protection crap illegal...

...after I reinstated a Betamax production line for the US and international market of course.

I would like to know if there is an adapter that would allow a BetaMax Tape to be viewed in a VHS vcr. If such a thing exists where would it be found. Thank you for your time.

Yes I have them. £1.99 plus VAT (inc delivery) They will fly to you directly under their own levitation powers and install automatically. I also have available digital tuner boards for the HF950 complete with rgb input/ouput £2.99 plus VAT.

Hi,

Can any one tell advise me a a Betamex repairer in the Kingston upon Thames, Surrey area.I have Sanyo VTC 5150 in need of a through overhall and minor repair.

Please reply to: [email protected]

Thanks in anticipation.

Regards

Tony.

I do have some rock videos somewhere i think also have skateboarding videos

Paul

I've moved on to video2000 and laservision nowI have a lot of betamax and videosso I'm ok abt it

Paul

It's just not fair!

It's impossible enough to find a decent Super-Beta machine in the UK, then when one appears on eBay (UK) it goes through the roof!!

See http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1358985180

This price relates to about 700 US dollars. Would any of our US members pay this sort of money for a S/H machine over there?

Best wishes.

Barry.

Well an SL-HF 950 is equivelant to the SL-HF 750 in the US and they've been known to hit the $700 mark and plenty of US models like the ED Beta and SL-HF 1000 go into the $1000 range just for openers. Sadly, Sony was pretty stingy about making as wide a variety of PAL/SECAM models as they did NTSC models considering that there were at least as many potential PAL customers as there were for NTSC.

It could've been worse - how many SECAM Beta models ever got released in France? Was there ever a SECAM HiBand/HiFi model? If it weren't for the French SECAM would Sony have had a larger consumer base to justify more Betas for Europe? Is this yet another reason to hate the damned French?

Here's a little eBay tidbit: A guy whose selling working SLO-1400's. He says he got *20* of them and the buyer can get as many as they want for the bid price each. Is $125 BIN a good price?

Barry - thats a fair price for a good 950 Franny - as far as I have seen, the HF950, HF99 , HF77 were al secam capable units, there was also a heap of secam compatible units such as the c9 's , c40 's c80 's f30 's f60 's etc. Basically almost every model was released in secam/pal and there was a few pal/secam models. The SL-S2000 is a good superbeta mono secam/pal for example.

Hi,

I have a Toshiba VT-8600. The drive belt, one of them has disintigrated. Does any one know where I could get a replacement from?

Cheers,Nick

I am looking for a SONY SL-800ME (issued in 1985) in perfect condition / working order, in either gold, black or silver - must have instruction manual and remote control. Also, wanted Betamax pre-recorded tapes of horror / cult and trash movies (preferably pre-cert if in the UK)from any country.

That's a very good price for an SLO 1400. It records BII and plays BII and BIII. Not Superbeta, no tuner/timer; mechanical counter. I use them for PCM.

What Happened To Edward IV?

I dont think the price on the 950 from ebay was all that out of line, since there seem to be more people who want the units than are willing to part with them. I got the one I own for 500 pounds from an advert in a free ad paper about 3 years ago. My currnet back up PAL deck is a SL HF 100 which I wound up picking up second hand in Orlando FL (it had been a rental unit at a shop there- no idea who the intended customers were!)

Alan

Hello everyone. Don't know if you remember, but this is Scott Veazie, former editor of the Beta Informer. I am very sorry for the abrupt stoppage of the Informer. I guess I was becoming a bit bored with the notion, and feeling a little under-appreciated. I am, however, thinking of restarting publication very soon. I just need to find my mailing list. I have since gotten a new pc, and moved, so I will hopefully have everything together soon. Please email me with any ideas for a new and improved Beta Informer. Also, on a side note, I finally have my EDV-9500 in the shop, and hopefully with be getting it back fully functional soon. I am also seeking a SL-HF2100, willing to trade my SL-HF1000 and some cash for one. Thanks!

~Scott

Very cool Beta website...too bad I can't read Japanese! Some English though.

http://www.betamax.to/

IF it is any consulation to (i know

Heya Scott, translate the site thru Babelfish: babel.altavista.com

what do you think an original copy of the E.T. vhs still sealed in the sleeve would be worth i have been searching everywhere and can not seem to find outif you have an idea please email me

I hate to be the Antiques Road Show 'spoiler' Jamie, but given the tens of millions of prints out there a VHS copy of E.T. even in it's shrink wrap isn't going to be worth any more than what a brand new one printed today is worth. Even a Beta copy wouldn't be worth all that much as movies were still being released in Beta around the time of E.T.'s release on video. I picked one up for about 75 Pfennigs a few years back off a flea market rack marked down from DM 1,50.

E.T. is such a laugh around the 'Dilberts' I work with who can't understand how any self respecting creature with the engineering skills to cobble together a satellite phone from odd scraps could act through most of the movie like such a 'ninny'...

Re: SLO 1400: All eventually need capacitors replaced. Sony used to have a kit for that. Also the heads may be worn, since they are duplicators.

David: Yeah, I get ya there regarding the caps. I had to replace all the caps on the servo board of an SL-5200 (and the belts) to get it to play properly. I would assume minus the tuner and timer, that the SLO-1400's innerds must be similar.

I JUST PURCHASED A BETAMAX OFF OF EBAY. THEY DIDNT SEND ME ANY CABLES WITH IT AND I CANT FIND ANYONE WHO KNOWS ABOUT BETAMAX TO ASK THEM WHAT CABLES I NEED. I TRIED TO JUST HOOK IT FROM THE BETA TO MY TV BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. IF SOMEONE COULD PLEASE WRITE ME BACK, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT.

Brandi:

What model Beta did you buy? What country are you in? What country is the Beta from? These are all valuable questions you need to answer before anyone can help you with your problem. As for the cables, unless you are in the US, and the machine is PAL (or vice-versa) then all cables will be standard, and available at any store that sells consumer electronics.

This does not relate to Betamax, but it does relate to VCRs. Recently I purchased an old VJP-900 RCA portable VHS with audio/video dub as an editor for my home videos(of course I'd love an SL-HF900 or 1000 instead, but I have to be realistic). Unfortunatly, it doesn't work right. It runs the tape at the wrong speed, and while it's running tape a loop of tape gradually forms behind the capstan and spills all over the inside of the machine. I think it needs a new idler tire and belts, but I don't know of any place that sells stuff like that. Does anyone here know where I could get replacement VCR parts? Brandi, does your TV have audio/video inputs(usually a set of 3 plugs, yellow for video and red and white for stereo sound, or 2 plugs if it's a mono TV)? If so, you'll need to buy a 3 or 2-wire RCA cable(They're available at just about any electronics store, and are color-coded to match the jacks)and connect one end of it to the A/V out on your VCR and the other end to the A/V in on your TV. To watch the playback from the VCR, you'll need to set the TV to its A/V input(usually a button labeled TV/VIDEO,INPUT SELECT or something like that) If your TV doesn't have A/V inputs, you'll need to buy a 75ohm coaxial cable with F-type connectors(again available at most electronics stores)and screw one end of it to the VHF/UHF out jack on the VCR and one end to the VHF/UHF in jack on your TV. Then set that little channel 3/4 switch on the back of your VCR(if it's not on the back, look around for it, some makes and models put it somewhere else) to whichever one is not broadcasting in your area (I'm assuming here you're using NTSC, I don't know if the setup is the same for PAL). Then turn your TV to the same channel to watch the playback from your VCR. If you have an old TV, sometimes it might need to be fine-tuned to get a clear picture. Hope this helps.

NP-11's still available?

http://www.ecat.sony.co.jp/camera/videoacc/cate01.cfm?B2=34&B3=219

If you already have a C9 then how about this matching system : Sony KX-20PS1 colour monitor,VTX-100B colour tuner,SS-X1A speakers,RM-615P remote and matching stand.All in good condition with a very nice picture. Can be seen working. £175 - Buyer collects only E4 London - (Mark Tel 07712737976)

Sony PAL/SECAM videos (older versions includig beta) have a screw in the rear part which mades able to select from chanels 30 -39 (aprox.). Newr versions have got a digitalized modulator chanel selector, like the SLV-T2000 which lets select from chanels 30 -55 I think.

FOR SALE!!!!!Sony Beta HI-FI SL-2710 Near Mint Condition. All original documents. Remote hardly used, a little bit of dust that is it for imperfections.

I just got a Nice Grundig Teletext TV with remote In excellent Condition for free.It goes nicely with my Grundig 2x4 Video2000 VCR:)A Nice Birthday Present

Open to offers, 5 various Sanyo betas (some faulty) including VCT5300p,VCT5000 and Betacord. Also lots of tapes. Ring 01708437116

Since no one got around to claiming my tapes, I have put them up on (ugh) ebay. Opening bid is $5 US for 41 tapes. I wish someone had claimed them for just the cost of shipping.

Geez,you Yanks have it good re ntsc Beta vcrs on Ebay,was looking last night,a mint super 750 up for sale,$us.320.0 so far

Seeking an SL-HF2100 in trade for a SL-HF1000. Unit in excellent condition. Also seeking Sony SL-5800 with AG-300 BetaStack. Thanks

~Scott

I bought a SL-HF300 at a garage sale the other day....it looks fine, very little use apparantly and does everything but play...when I press the play button it makes a clicking noise and locks up...needs to be turned off and on again for any functions to work. It fast forwards and rewinds fine and even does betascan both directions. I've got the case off and haven't been able to spot anything.....Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Rich

Hi

Hi can anyone help I have a Sony C7 , ever since I have had it I have had problems with the rewind I gave up with it years ago.When I moved I found it in the loft with about 100 videos I would love to see them again.Does any one know where i can get it repaired I live in Harrow Middlesex,

Has anyone got a copy of the 950 ES and the C9E service manuals?

Please contact me

I want to ask you how I can to watch the channels witch are code ?So my question is how to decode the channels on one of the systems?

Well it looks as if they're starting to phase out movies on VHS with news that Circuit City is now planning on selling only DVD movies. Which makes the one VHS VCR I use as a cable box for my SL-HF 360 that much less usefull for anything else...

For sale: Sony KX-20PS1 colour monitor,VTX-100B colour tuner,SS-X1A speakers,RM-615P remote and matching stand (all silver).All in good condition with a very nice picture. Can be seen working. £175 - Buyer collects.E4 London - (Mark Tel 07712737976)

That article I mentioned

Some Retailers Phasing Out VHS Movies for DVDs

By LARRY O'DELL.c The Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (June 21) - Some national retailers, including Circuit City and Borders, are hitting the eject button on VHS movies in a nod to the growing popularity of DVDs.

''The people who are buying movie titles these days want to buy them on DVD,'' Circuit City spokesman Jim Babb said Friday. ''People have embraced the technology in a big way, and we're responding to that by increasing the space given to DVD titles.''

Some of the Richmond-based electronics chain's stores already have cleared their shelves of all VHS movies. The company will continue to sell VHS movies on its Web site and stock blank tapes and videocassette recorders in its more than 600 stores, Babb said.

Borders is largely phasing out VHS tapes except for sports and exercise videos, said Ann Binkley, a spokeswoman for the book and music seller.

''For a big title, like Harry Potter, we'll bring a limited amount of VHS along with the DVD,'' Binkley said.

Best Buy, the nation's leading consumer electronics retailer, ''has no plans to stop offering VHS movies,'' said spokesman Jim McManus.

But the Minneapolis-based chain is expanding its DVD selection and reducing its videotape inventory, and the company's DVD titles now outnumber its VHS titles by more than 8-to-1, he said.

Consumers continue to spend more on videotapes than on DVDs, but the gap is quickly narrowing. Figures complied by the industry research firm Alexander & Associates show that DVD sales more than doubled to $4.1 billion last year while VHS sales remained flat at about $7.6 billion.

Greg Durken, an analyst for the firm, said the company is projecting 72 percent growth in the DVD market and a 10 percent decline in VHS for this year. The VHS figures include sales of previously viewed videotapes, which are booming as rental stores like Blockbuster Inc. join the DVD trend.

Blockbuster announced last September that it was paring its stock of older videotapes by 25 percent to clear shelf space for more DVDs and video games.

Despite the rapid growth of the DVD market, the president of the International Recording Media Association, a trade association based in Princeton, N.J., said Circuit City's move is premature. Charles Van Horn noted that about 90 percent of U.S. households have at least one VCR, while only about 30 percent have a DVD player.

''Circuit City will disappoint the 60 percent of consumers who have a VCR but no DVD,'' Van Horn said.

He said that while the DVD player is ''the fastest-growing video product ever,'' it will take time to catch up with the VCRs. And even after it does, the two products will coexist in most homes for years to come, he said.

That's one reason some of Circuit City's major competitors are sticking with the aging but still widely used VHS format.

''At this point, DVD is nowhere near the sales of VHS in Kmart stores,'' said company spokesman Dave Karraker. The Troy, Mich.-based retailer does especially well with videotapes geared to children and families, he said.

Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, also will continue to carry VHS movies because of ''strong customer interest,'' spokesman Tom Williams said.

Chip Eastman, manager of a Circuit City in suburban Richmond, said the store was able to expand its DVD selection by about a third after it shipped the last of its VHS movies to a company warehouse two weeks ago.

Shoppers browsing the rows of DVDs said the move makes sense.

''I haven't bought any VHS in at least two or three years,'' said John Reeves, 27, of Midlothian. ''This is probably the way most stores will go in the next year or two.''

The store has been able to significantly expand its selection of DVDs, said Mike Colvin, 31, of Chesterfield County.

''There's stuff in here I haven't seen anywhere else,'' he said, holding three music compact discs and a DVD of ''Dune'' to replace his VHS copy.

AP-NY-06-21-02 1742EDT

Makes our loyalty to the Beta format seem not so bad now...

I am looking for a SONY SL-800ME (issued in 1985) in perfect condition / working order, in either gold, black or silver - must have instruction manual and remote control. Also, wanted Betamax pre-recorded tapes of horror / cult and trash movies (preferably pre-cert if in the UK)from any country.

LOOKING FOR HORROR, SMUT, EARLY CLINT EASTWOOD,ACTION MOVIES; ANY OUT THERE PLEASE EMAIL. BETA ONLY. ORIGINAL BOXES WOULD BE NICE.

Olive: That's intersting information. I've certainly noticed growing selections of DVDs in stores. And I think our local Blockbuster has more than doubled it's selection of rentals in the last year or so.

Don't get me wrong, the DVD format is one of best things to come out in recent years. Heck I love the extras and stuff mostly. But I still sometimes can't justify some titles costing up to twice as much as their prerecorded VHS counterparts. I've read somewhere that in actual manufacture costs, it's actually cheaper per unit to press a DVD vs. having to dupe a video tape in real time. Makes me think.

Hell I've added some DVDs (and VCD's) to my video collection in the last few years. I mostly try to get deal on them by buying off places like Half.com. Doesn't mean my beta collection is going anywhere soon, however.

On a side note, i think a DVD is only as good as the sources that were used to master it. For example, I've rented DVD's of some popular 80's movies (which I own on beta) to compare (Weird Science, Ferris Bueller, Breakfast Club, etc.). And I found that some of them were badly mastered having pixellation (artifacts?) throughout the film. Also, very few extras or bonus material that would appeal to me & justify buying to replace the beta copies I bought off eBay for $3 or so.

I think one noteable exception was the special 20th double-disk edition of Tron. The bonus disk alone was worth the cost. But I also own two beta copies of the film. From what I can see: released a few years apart, in slightly different cases and one hifi, one mono.

Finally, we can't forget the incredible results that (super)beta brings when recorded from a good DVD. But I didn't say that. ;)

Hello all! Just scored an SL-HF-900! Only $80, not bad sight-unseen. Needs a remote. I have two remotes for Beta, one for an SL-2410, basic functions only. THe other is a fabulous command-mode-switchable (1,2,3) RMT-V373A. This is from the equally impressive SVO-140 Comercial VHS machine. YOu can see it on http://www.replacementremotes.com/sony/index4.htmdoes anyone know if this has all the features the 900 had on it's remote? I know later in it's life they paired the 900 with an RMT-143 but I can't get those anymore (Of course if someone would sell me one...)If you have either 900 remote ahndy could you list the features and/or recommend another remote from the above site? (there are multiple pages)

Happy beta-hunting!Sean

Hello agian, just thought I'd say this about the much-fabled Beta/VHS combo machine. I heard this from a friend and it has about a 60% chance of being the truth. Apperently some guy designed one and Sony (I think, maybe JVC and ther cohorts...) wouldn't let him produce it, so he went on to make the Combo Beta/VHS rewinder, and we've all seen those on E-bay a few times. There may be a working prototype, that's all. It's probably gone. Not sure how it worked. no other details.

Sean.

beta es otro pedo para mi y siempre seraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

HiI just received a AIWA AV-50M Portable unit,with separate VCR and hi-fi processor unit (no remote control)I do not know if it is working (lights come on when it is pluged)I am considering putting this unit for sale on e-bay.Any suggestion about pricing.Thanks

To iliasz with the AV-50 Beta; Before you go and sell it on E-beta or someplace like that invest the $6 bux or so on a Beta tape from Radio Shack so you can properly check the unit out. There's no redder a flag than the "It powers up but golly-gee-willikers I don't have a tape to test it out" cop-out you see on practically every other listing in the Beta department. Amazingly enough, I've seen that people selling VHS decks are trying that line too...

I did a little experimenting. When copying a DVD using the Pioneer 414 DVD player and theGCS 50, I get some evenly spaced red lines, but not always. When I tape ascene again I may or may not get the lines the 2nd time. Strange.When I copy the same DVD played on the APEX 600 (without Macrovision), no lines. I turned on theMacrovision and the lines appeared! So Beta can cope with the "lite" version ofMacro used on VHS tape, but not the heavy duty version on DVD. I have notrouble with ED Beta copies.

Leonard Plotkin wrote:

Sounds like you're experiencing level 2 macrovision. Check out the scc color corrector from Sima. After getting one of these I've had no trouble with lines or color streaks when dubbing dvds to Beta or vhs. http://www.simacorp.com/scc.html

Regarding that Aiwa AV-50: I think that one is even rarer than the AV-70. And even kind of an interesting concept: Use as a mono portable (w/ camera) or a hifi base unit. The only thing I couldn't never find is a preprogrammed universal remote than would control my AV-70 (none of the Aiwa VCR codes worked nor did the "code-search" feature)! And god knows I've tried quite a few. I could only use a learning type (my Sony AV-2000) w/ the OEM remote. Dunno if that same issue exists w/ the AV-50, however.

WANTED: BETAMAX VIDEO RECORDER, PERFECT WORKING CONDITION, ANY COLOUR

anyone who has one of the above to sell, please let me know

can beta tapes be transfered to vhs format?

Out of curiosity put in a search for "Sony VCRs" at Ebay and came up with not only VHS and Beta but a few U-matic, quite a lot of 8mil/Hi8/D8, some SVHS...and some neat Hi8+SVHS dual-well machines that according to the seller were released only for the Japanese market and one of them would have been really handy for me for editing my Hi8 home videos onto VHS. Will someone please tell me why the #&@! Sony continues to release certain products (usually it seems the really neat ones) to the Japanese market only and not to the U.S. market(or the PAL market, for that matter)??!! Apparrantly they've done this with some Betas too.Ok I'm through raving now. But that still bites.

Herschelh, if you like you can transfer Beta to VHS, 8mm, DVD, U-matic, V-2000....

any format with a A/V ins.

Of course you can also transfer any of those formats to sweet tasty Beta ;-)

I have a SANYO VTC6500 videotape recorder, which needs a new tape loader elevator (more precisely, the 2 small white nylon wheel drivers that transfer the movement to the main shaft of the elevator). Does anybody know where can I find spare wheels, or a complete elevator (new or used pieces)?

To Olive: Thank you for posting the news article that Circuit City is phasingout VHS movies from their shelves. These people are also the "brightlights" that invested heavily in the failed DIVX disc format - losingmillions of dollars in the process. (And no doubt with a warehousesomewhere filled with DIVX players that noone wants!) As has already been mentioned, DVDs typically cost several dollarsmore at retail that VHS movies of the same title. Yet they are probablycheaper to buy at wholesale; as there is currently a lot of overcapacityin the commercial video duplication industry. Lots of big VHS duplicatorsinvested two years ago in DVD maufacturing lines - but the volume ofDVD work has NOT lived up to expectations. This has been further compounded by companies such as Sony and Panasonic doing much of theirDVD duplication in house - and not farming it out. In any event - I've always regarded Circuit City as a place foryokels and clueless consumers. Their prices can usually be beat withoutlooking too hard - and I won't even talk about the worthless trainingtheir sales people get.. Also - they tend to promote only a few modelsof a limited number of electronic brands. God forbid you might want toget buy something made by Aiwa or Mitsubishi - you won't find it there!

Oh geez, that DIVX format was the biggest joke in video history (IMO)! I wonder how many people got talked in buying one of those @ CC w/o even reading the fine print to find out what they were getting themselves into! I remember the ads well: You buy this player ($300-400 @ the time), plug it into a phoneline, register w/ CC# (!!!) and then buy these DIVX disks for $4-5 dollars apiece that were good for ONE viewing! It cost an additional $3 a pop for additional viewings or (on most disks) the option to make it "unlimited" for $20 -30 (I think). Gee, a grorified pay-per-view! I think I would've just bought the original DVD in the first place! If I remember right, I think the DIVX company itself went bankrupt (hahaha!).

I think I remember that when DIVX went under (gee, who'da thought that people didn't want to go to the store and plunk down good money for a product they were only going to be allowed to use once) people were able to snap up the players cheap because while there weren't gonna be any DIVX movies anymore the machines could still be used to play regular DVDs. Which makes me feel sorry for the Laserdisc industry which spent 15-20 years in the shadow of the VCR...

It does slay me every time the recording industry comes out on a new format they slap on an unnecessary and counterproductive 'tax' on the new format (like the way CD cost more than cassettes even though they're way cheaper to make) and then wonder why people buy used CDs/DVDs or rip bootlegs or download off the net or any of the other ways people try to stick it to the weasels in(of?) the recording industry...

Are betacam SP cassette shells (I'd change the metal oxide tape for new vhs oxide tape) suitable for betamax?

Thank you in advance for responding.

Watched a very funny Woody Allen movie on my SonySLHF 100 and rewound the tape on my Sanyo .VTCM10, aint Beta life great?

Hi Beta people i need a little help from all of you who can tell me if i can find an accessory connector called sony VMC-330 or VMC-110C for connecting sony pcm -F1 and sony SL-F1E .Please i'd like to use this immaculate video cassette recorder...u knowThanks a lot for all the things u can tell me about it Nik

In case anyone is interested in a Betamovie camera;- http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1362476155

Barry

NEWS: The Beta Informer is alive and well, awaiting your submissions. We will be returning to the weekly Sunday-Sunday format, with almost the same content. There will be some new sections, which I'm sure everyone will enjoy. Please send your submissions to:[email protected]. Issue #180 (following the last issue of Oct. 2001) will be released as soon as enough content is obtained. I also wanted to propose another writing campaign to Sony requesting a Betamax available in the US (The japanese SL-200D would be fine, or the re-release of the 2100, 900, or a SL-HF2000 mk II or something) seeing as older and lesser models on ebay are commanding high if not sometimes retail prices. Some of these decks really shouldn't go that high. So there is still a demand for Betamax in the United States. Unfortunaly, I don't think there would ever be a chance of a new PAL Betamax, which is a shame. On a side note, I'm still seeking an SL-5800 with or without AG-300 BetaStack. Also seeking SL-HF2100. ~Scott

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1360399414QUICK! AN SLP-305! just thought you'd want to know!

Sean.

Here are the results of copies performed from a Denon DVD-1000 to different Beta models.

SL-HFR70: Fine picture, but it has the thin red lines you might be seeing.

SL-HF1000: Excellent picture, no lines, no artifacts (at least, no more than the source!)

SL-HF2000: Very bad picture, going from very dark to very bright.

I thought the SL-HF2000 was the only beta model with macrovision enabled. (maybe the 2100 too) At least it only was part of the latest models.

Maybe there is another explanation for these bad lines

RE: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1360399414

whoops! there it ain't!

somebody got it already...

Hi all

I've gotten fed up with arrogant posters on the Usenet's alt.video.vcr newsgroup so I thought I'd pop in and state my fondness for Beta format.since getting on eBay/on-line, I've been able to go after some of the best Beta decks ever made (not to mention JVC and Mitsubishi's best VHS decks (sorry, I did say 'not to mention')I own currently a Sanyo 7200 (problems), Sony SL-HF870D (VERY slight problem), GCS-50 (tape fell apart in...needs a good cleaning now) and a recent addition: Sony SL HF750! (w/ the original remote!!)

I bought a boat load of Beta tapes off eBay for a steal, although some of you may know the quality issues of those!!Aside from the Beta, I've more then a few of each format in the 'majors' (DVD, SVHS, 8mm/Hi8)

I reside in Minnesota USA and have to contend with NTSC... is that a bad thing? ;:~P

Bill S.

To Bill re the Sima Color Corrector: It looks good, but has a resolution of 330 lines which would limit SVHS and ED BEta.

Hi!I posted the close-to-end SLP-305. Here's an SLO-325 that's supposed to work. Plays all three speeds, linear stereo and I think a 33-pin remote plug for all those cool edit accessories and RX-303 search controllers.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1360950034

Sean

Looks like somebody tried to pry the lid off that poor SLO-250. Curiously the seller never bothered to update the text of his listing. A month or so ago he was trying to fob off an old SL-5000 as a 'commercial grade' VCR (Betacam) like the TV studios use. As in...

"If you are into professional video recording, this commercial grade BETA VCR could be what you've been looking for"

That's what it looks like. But if it works you could fix the lid. I am still hoping someone can list the functions from an RMT-143 or the remote for the 900, or at least take a picture where you can read the button captions. Thanks in advance!Sean.

Thanks go out to DasImperator for a picture of an RMT-148.

Sean.

Well if you're really keen on an SLP-305 and you missed the last one http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1362826732 has another one up for bid.

I wasn't really keen on one, I just hear that they are popoular with some of us betafiles because they can play all three speeds. (can't blame them!) Personally I want the SLO-325 but I just bought a 900, A hitachi FP-15 broadcast camera, the GCS-1, and I have a U-matic in my sights (Mine is "nothing but trouble") so funds are quite scarce. There seems to be no shortage of the SLO-series machines, only the SLO-260 and the 1400 are by any means scarce from what I see, and witht that "VCRGary" with his lot of 20 or whatever we shouldn't have trouble getting one of those if one of us should want one. But really, guys, this was supposed to be a short post....

Sean.

Minnesota Bill (LOL), as for Not Twice the Same Colour....as I recall the US went with that lesser format because it was cheaper (moneywise) than using the much better PAL format. So, it was decided by our good friends (SIC) in the FCC that it would be better for us, and the way to go. But as I have heard NTSC is as good as PAL nowadays. Of course it only took about 50 years to catch up but then again that is typical in the US. By the way, I'm from 'sconsin.

Later. Pepse.

I have in recent months been trying to copy dvds to my SL-HF1000, with no sucess. The results are grainy and colors not right, telling me that the macrovision is doing its thing. I play my dvds with my XBOX, but I figure theres got to be a way around it. I haven't tried with my EDV-9500, but I will as soon as it is repaired. I figure maybe Superbeta on it or ED Beta might get around the problem. I'd much rather copy DVD rentals than VHS rentals. Any suggestions?

~Scott

Scott:Macrovision cannot stand up to a mighty Time Base Corrector! It's called a TBC. Try Ebay, of course. Don't spend too much, (I'd say keep it under $50, get an old used one) becasue I do not know as much about the macrovision on a DVD as to the kind on a tape which is obliterated by a TBC. I've also heard about a modification inside the DVD player that entirely disables Macrovision, but I do not know about it.

Sean

A TBC:http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1360956278

Sean.

NTSC is not worse because the FCC decided not to use PAL. NTSC was developed in the late 1940's and early 1950's and was put into use in 1953. At that point in time it was betetr than the 405 line TV in use in the UK. PAL is somewhat of a refinement of NTSC and was developed in the 1960's thus it has a good 15+ years of advances to make it better. The US had colour TV some 17 years before the UK and 22 years before Australia!

For sale: Sony Profeel KX-20PS1 colour monitor,VTX-100B colour tuner,SS-X1A speakers,RM-615P remote and matching stand (all silver).All in good condition with a very nice picture. Can be seen working. £175 - Buyer collects.E4 London - (Mark Tel 07712737976)