a vidicorder!!!!!

Yes, that's a videocorder, a Sony trademark. That one is very good, it is color, the only problem you will have is only 1 hour can be put onto a tape, I don't think that model can take a larger reel. They are fun to have, though.

Sean

Ya I know, I just like to call em vidicorders. Hmmmm.. What format is its quality closest to? Anybody got any Laserdiscs for sale so I can feed my Lasermatic ( :P )? I'm hunting a 8mm camcorder on ebay that looks like that betamovie prototype. Olive has the piccy if you dont know what I'm talking about. Hah.. That camera looks like a beefed up JVC-super-mini-DV-cam.

I think I know what 8mm you are talking about, but I would like to see it anyway. I alwyas prefereed the shoulder-pack cameras to the handhelds anyway. Moreover, I can reccomend a laserdisc place that will keep the lasermatc quite well fed: http://wwww.discountlasrdisc.com/The discs start at $7.50 and go all the way up into the hundreds of dollars but they are good. Mean price is about $20.

Sean

Ooop.s I misstype another URL... discount laser is http://www.discountlaserdisc.com/there ya go!

This 8-mm camera?

http://ebay0.ipixmedia.com/abc/M28/_EBAY_aee36618ae9e7ef5a687f0bded0fb3a6/i-1.JPG

This Sony Betamovie prototype?

http://www.hypernova.co.uk/total_rewind/photos/sonymovie.jpg

or this one?

http://www.hypernova.co.uk/total_rewind/photos/bmc_prot.jpg

http://www.hypernova.co.uk/total_rewind/photos/cam_girl.jpg

The camera girl who walks into a party like she just stepped onto a yacht...

Just something that came to me...

I think the second one is the prototype. That girl is the JVC girl! go to http://www.labguysworld.com/ for mor info on that stuff and see under video cassette recorders for some competitors to beta (they lost!) and an early proto 8mm job.

Sean

http://www.labguysworld.com/PV-4800U_010.jpgFull size of the JVC girl for anyone who wants to see how big that setup she has is!compare it to the much more manadgable Sony version shown here:http://www.labguysworld.com/cam002.jpgbut maybe presentation is something... The JVC girl is much more appealing than Rich here...Sorry Rich! He he he...

I have that 8mm camera, also have some origional Sony filters and a teleconverter lens, the big lens attachment off my BMC-200 fits great and makes it look a bit more beefy.

The smaller of hte two prototypes is an 8mm proto. The large one with "cine camera" handle is the betamovie proto.

Sean

eww what a yukky betamie (the second [white] one). This betamie http://www.hypernova.co.uk/total_rewind/photos/sonymovie.jpg prototype looks like this 8mm cam http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1371297477&rd=1

Hee hee.. JVC gurl.. Wonder where she is now? I think she was probably barely keeping her balance. :) I wonder what Sony does with its prototypes... Wish I could get ahold of an Aibo and some other things!!!

Aibo??? What's that? A friend of a friend of mine has some early sony prototypes that were supposed to be destroyed, but we can't find him to work them out of him! Maybe he dissapeared with the stuff, not that its any good anymore.

Sean

For sale : Sanyo VRC100 camcorder. Complete, in original box. Comes with AC-110ME powersupply/charger, Dead NP1 battery , owners manuals. Works great, camera in overall great condition, sold as is. $25 + shipping.The VRC100 is a clone fo the Sony BMC110 Camcorder. Andy

Andy, what's an NP1 doing with a betamovie?and how are my VCRs doing :)

Oops, I meant NP-11. The small battery no one can not find. I am repairing a cracked SS-53 servoboardon your SL-HF900. It will not rewind correctly, you hit rewind , VCR rewinds for a couple of seconds and then stops.It is lots of fun too, doublesided PC board. Andy

OH dear dear dear me!!!!!!!!(Overdramatic, isn't it?)A cracked PC board. Oh well. That's not bad. Could be worse, I suppose. Is the BIs done?Thanks!

Actually, a cracked SS-53 board is a total nightmare to work on, it has a spider crack in the center of it,which has taken out about 30 -40 traces. It is not a simple repair when this happens. I may just end up replacing it,as I have a spare SS-53 board. BIs conversion turned out fine. Andy

Yeah. I will leave this up to you to replace or repair. You are the tech and I trust you. Did you get a chance to look at the SL-2410 or an SLO-340?

Sean

I imagine if the 'JVC girl' (imagine having to live with that as one's moniker - I think I'd rather be called a crack whore) if she ever used that camera more than once probably has had hip and/or knee replacement surgery by now....

There are worse things than to be the JVC Girl.

You could be Frau Snailie...

[ ==¼¼¼¼O]_@_° ¼¼_@_ - how come we can never have the same VCR in the house for more tham five damn minutes? you always have to go a poach another one and sell this one for a jacked up price!

_@_¼¼ - What if Snailie is a she-snail? Wouldn't that just blow yer mind...

_@_¼¼ - Or is that Ms.LUCREZIA ALL-CAPS (remember her?) returning as a gastropod...

_@_¼¼ - I know Andy actually had a close encounter with snaile and knows so don't spoil it for the rest of us...

_@_¼¼ _@_¼¼_@_¼¼ _@_¼¼ - we snails wanna gossip a bit

________@_¼¼SNAILBUCKS_¼¼_@_________

_@_¼¼uu¼¼_@__@_¼¼uu¼¼_@__@_¼¼uu¼¼_@_

all the snails gather for a Koffee Klatch

Anyone else having trouble getting into their My Ebay??? I can get into the home page, even log in, and do searches, but can't get to my items.. :(

Yea I know what you mean, ive had trouble with mine all day! :(

I have no trouble at all...Try again...Good luck and keep the snails off your bumper! ___________ * _ |==========|%|B __oo---------00----o__________eeeeeee!-_@_¼¼

Well that stank... I can never get it to work... It was a semi-trailer truck going for a little snailee...I am sending it out by Email...the "Snail" crowd should get it soon...Then I wil try again...

___________ * _

|==========|%|B

__oo---------00----o__________eeeeeee!-_@_¼¼

Close enough...

I will be working on some more!Sean

No dice, still can't get in there. :(

All I can say is try reebotting but that is probably not it... I have no more suggestions.

Sean

Sleeech_______@_¼¼ - My E-bay is coming in OK!

snaggin all them tasty Betas...

Two SL-HF 400s

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1372729247

$9.99 start $100 BIN

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1372709106

$99 start $215 BIN

Guess which one the Snail is selling

_@_¼¼ - snap at this beauty!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1372713153

SLO-383 editing system

Two SLO-383s and an edit controller

_@_¼¼

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1372072774Anyone have a clue on this one?It says it only plays back and records B&W, I wonder, did someone mod this unit or is it faulty or dies he have it hooked up wrong (He seems to have the 12V version of the "Man Killer" cheater cord going there... so we have no idea if he knows the polarity of that jack and if he has it hooked up correctly. I know earlier Sonys had no polarity protection and don't know if this one did...

Sean

snailie sez_@_¼¼ - grrrrr!

I hate when you point out a Beta that I was watching...

The SL-HF400 offered by Someko for $215 would appear to be every bit as good a deal as Andy Sanchez's 300. I know it's not my place; I just stop in here from time to time for information, and far be it from me to alter the dynamic of this board, but it seems to me that Someko's auctions are not too far out of line regarding models, prices, etc., from anyone else's. As for Someko's entrepreneurial MO, how is that any different from what Andy does - in this case buying one 300 and selling another? I mean, if he Someko snipes an auction, under any name, to get an item, that sounds to me like what eBay is supposed to be about - who is willing to pay the most for an item. And if he sells at a price you consider to be absurd, then you do not bid. I just cannot see what it is that Someko does that is so offensive to so many of you.

Well it would be like if the manager from store A saw that some in-demand item at store B was for sale so he sends his employees over to buy up all of that item and put them in his store at an inflated price. Customers are cheated twice by be denied a sale item and presumable having to pay for the priviledge because now store A has the only supply. Store B is also cheated from getting the full market value of the item and the value of the customer goodwill.

Snaling is in effect a ticket scalper needlessly putting himself between people who want a Beta and Betas. The whole point of E-bay was to get rid of middlemen like him and let sellers and buyers get the full value of a transaction.

As for Andy, presumbly he likes to fix Betas and is selling off a good one to be able to get one that isn't working. One would assume he's factored in the cost of replacement parts and his labor in his asking price and given Andy's dedication to the prolonging of the life of Beta equipment, he's more than entitled to try and outsnail the Snail...

and if you don't want his Beta you don't have to bid for it

Well said Olive!

In your scenario, I do not see how Store A, Store B and all the customers did not get exactly what they wanted at a price they were willing to pay. Secondly, there is no such thing as a transactional "elimination" of the middleman. The principals simply assume the role of the middleman, taking on the risk, inventory, capital management and other services that middlemen usually provide. Third, the comparative evaluation of someone's motives seems rather subjective, and therefore suspect. Finally, your explanation of the 300's price is based on an erroneous assumption that cost determines price. It's the other way around. Had he put a new lower drum in the unit, do you really think he could then sell it for $400? Besides, what makes you think that Someko didn't add value to the units he sells by replacing parts? In any event, I would assume that your position regarding the grossly overpriced SL-HF1000 offered here repeatedly would be the same. Because the seller is a member of your established circle, his/her motives must be honest, and therefore it must be a fair deal. I thought I might have been missing something about this Someko seller, but it's clear that I am not. It's just petty envy on your part.

Andy:

Can you do any magical incantations over my poor ailing (on it's death bed) RMT-148? The batteries were left in it over an extended period of time while it was in storage, and the leakage destroyed some of the composite traces, and so some buttons no longer function. I would be willing to pay to have it repaired, if it can be. Perhaps you have that upper board on hand from a broken unit? Send me an e-mail and let me know.

BTW, Frank, I don't know anything much about Snaling except for his voracious appetite for Beta machines (and yes, his way of doing business does deprive some Betaphiles of ownership of a machine, by virtue of placing the price out of reach [I know, I know, capitalism at it's best (worst?)]), but Andy Sanchez does a great service to those of us in the Beta community by being one of the best, if not THE best, Beta service techs in the US. And he does this while charging very modest amounts for those services. We don't begrudge him making a buck by buying broken machines and reselling them as operating machines.

Take care, all, and stay well. :)

MC Hammer said this once : "can't touch this". I would , but it would end up nowhere. There are good sellers and bad sellers. You have to decide who is being truely honest, and who is not. There is something called fair (unfair?) market value. Sure alot of you out there would like to have a 15+ year old Beta machine for as little as possible, that works like new. But thats is quite impossible. Why? The reality is, Beta VCR's, especially the SL-HFXXX series are highly sought after machines. If you can, tell me who else puts a true warranty on what they sell on Ebay that has an average age of 10 years old that is consumer electronic equipment. Who else cares about what they are selling. Tell me. I could probably count on one hand those that *truely* do. Now , if some want to compare me to Snaling then they are quite mistaken. I know who Snaling is personally. He is not a bad guy really, very nice to deal with, but his intentionsare to just make money , period. My intentions may be the same in some regards, but I do care about what I sell and I do not just put up any item because it is worth something and I want top dollar out of it. Heck, I could that would make me alot more extra money, but I won't. There is a big difference here but I could babble on and on why. So I won't . That is for you to decide. Andy

Frankly Im sick of logging on to find all this "snails on my beta" how stupid and childish is that?The idea of this page wasn’t to complain about people selling beta's on eBay, its called business! the idea is to make money. If you cant afford the price then you go without, unfortunately that’s the way the world is, the haves and have not's.It appears there’s a few jealous younger people upset at the fact there’s someone on eBay who can afford to collect machines he likes, so what if he sells them for much more, think about it, it raises the profile of the format, and increases their second hand value. If they have a high perceived value then there is a much greater chance a "new model" or "limited run model" might be produced by one of the big companies as they might see a niche market. Surely given the fact a decent VHS sells for well under $ 200 and a decent second hand beta sells for up to $400 shows that there is a potential profit to be made if someone began manufacturing them.But then again if all the companies see is banter about snails and crap as such they wont take a realistic approach.Frank I can see your point entirely, and to the others, grow up and accept the facts of life.

Brenda: You are welcome to send the remote , and I can look at it. I have been able to resurrect many a "hopeless" remote. I do not have any PCB parts for yours , but I may be able to rebuild the bad traces on it. Andy

Andy and brenda post so close, maybe the same person with brenda trying to sell machines? Snails everywhere!

Well said Frank!Ebay are a free marked open to all. Snaling and Mrbetamax and maby others pay a price noother would pay,this for sure they have the high bid.But no problems in this,all auctionswork this way.the good point are! if you need a beta or maby collect betas you can buy on ebay

Andy:

E-mail me your address, in case I don't have it here anymore, and I'll have that remote in the mail to you tomorrow. :) Thanks.. :)

Well Snailie brings to mind the way that Enron company was able to artificially inflate energy prices in California (where there was a price cap on in-state produced energy) by selling energy from California plants out of the state to it's own subsidiaries to create a 'shortage' of in that state so that it could buy the same energy back at inflated prices and pass that onto the hapless California energy consumer.

Snaling is in effect doing the same to Betamaxes. He is in effect competing with his own customers for the same product and with his ability to pay any price and bear any burden of time he generally has the advantage over someone who's looking for a Beta and doesn't know the market conditions or the time to get up at 03:00 on a work day to fend off snails. By these postings it is hoped that potential buyers should know that there is some rigging involved by dealers and that a VCR the Snail is selling for $500 US was obtained from the same sources at $50 US. If enough people realise this and don't buy from Snails than maybe the prices for Betas can find their true level.

As late as 2000 a new Betamax was available in the US market and for reasons of it's own choosing Sony opted to pull out knowing that they were still in high demand. To say that Mr. Snail might somehow revive the Betamax format by his price manipulation is a bit or a reach.

I think a closer parallel to the snails is the DeBeers diamond cartel which controls about 90% of the diamond supply and can set the price of diamonds to whatever they choose. (DeBeers claims that by fixing prices they can 'protect the value' of a consumer's purchase - and of course they protect their capital investments in diamond mines, stock and what not.)

The snails have the buying power to snap up any low priced betas from legitimate bidders and in theory can undercut anyone who sets a higher price than them. They can also control the supply by releasing whatever they want when they want to. Now as a consumer, it is my general disdain for anything that raises prices artificially or otherwise. I find no value in a rigged market. At any rate I've still been able to get HiFi Betas at around $75 even with the snails snapping around me so any novice looking for advice on getting a beta should take heed: don't buy from dealers because you can still get what you want cheaper by buying direct...

Ewwww! Collector, let us have our fun. Why does the Snailie have to control the market for Betas? Snailie's trying to create a Beta monopoly. Ohhh.. So if we stop 'acting like children' and talk as 'adults,' is Sony going to build us Betas again? Keep dreaming, buddy. Vcrgary is doing the same thing with U-Matics. I can't even get a decent VO-1600 for $50 or so. Things were a lot cheaper on ebay before the snail and vcrgary started snapping up everything. So leave us alone! ¼¼@____ I'll get you!!! ¼¼@___ no I will!! eeeeee!!

Oops! I didn't mean VO-1600! LOL! I meant VO-5600. And an Aibo is some $1500 artificial intelligence dog that Sony built. Try searching for it on their 'website.'

I DID NOT POST THIS.Name: Sean MeskillEmail: [email protected] 11th August 8:05 am U.K. Time Andy and brenda post so close, maybe the same person with brenda trying to sell machines? Snails everywhere! SOMEONE ELSE DID.WHOEVER DID THIS< DO NOT CONTINUE OR I WILL BE FORCED TO CONTACT THE WEBMASTER.

Fond a couple of betas:http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1372824288andhttp://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1372807330

I never thought that I would see trolls on this forum.. :( I have to deal with a lot of them in some newsgroups I read, but have heretofor enjoyed the comaraderie of this forum. I hope it doesn't continue to deteriorate.

Take care, all, and stay well.

Trolls serve the purpose of reminding elitists that their countless hours in a particular forum do not confer upon them any birthright to dictate the conduct of the forum. You folks have a huge problem with the fact that a lot of people share what you consider to be your private, provincial little hobby. They enjoy it more than you do, they know more about it than you do, and they are open to sharing with anyone who is interested, not just those who toe your myopic, paranoid little philosophical line. One need look no further than the derisive reference to a legitimate eBay seller as a snail to see what childish, vindictive brats you are. Oh, and Andy - if you really are about more than just money, why are you sending out a black 300 without a panel door, and still asking $160? That sounds like someone out to make a quick buck to me. By the way, I have seen your "work" first hand. It's not impressive at all.

Re: "Market price" for Betas - I believe an analogy may help set the snail debate in better perspective. If I want a 1957 Chevy, there will be various prices depending on condition. However, because that type of car has a great deal of "respect" in collector circles, it is almost impossible to find an acceptable one without outbidding collectors. If I can't inspect it I can at least get a standardized independent appraisal before purchasing a '57 Chevy. That way top money only goes for top grade restorations. A quick shine job does not deal with the original crumbling rubber bushings and worn gearbox. That is why snails are not reselling automobiles. If a snail can honestly say "rebuilt with all belts, idlers, heads, electrolytics inspected and replaced" then I will pay rebuilt prices for his wares (close to original list) but I'm not holding my breath for that day. I've been interrupted 3 times composing this so I hope it still makes sense.

Gee, "trollomatic" When was the last time you ate any prunes... We do not see ourselves as "elite". To be honest we wish Beta would have been the dominant format. Tell me, have you ever done trading on Ebay? if you have, then you understand our frustration at someone like Snaling, who buys equipment, throws a quick shine on it, sticks it with a useless remote, and maybe some balnk tapes, and jacks the price up to as much as three times the normal street value. All he has done is kept decent VCRs out of the hands of people who otherwise could have had them. Whoever wins his auctions is being shafted. Andy asks a fair price. It is not as low as someone who looks very hard and buys an "As-is" unit will find, but, Andy offers a real gaurentee. If you do not expect him to honor it, then you do not understand Ebay. If he did not honor his conditions, he would get negative feedback. Even one or two recent negatives stand out like a sore thumb, tell me, would you trade with someone who's last transaction was not pleasing to the other party? It seems to me that you spent your entire message putting us down. Of course there are people who know more than we do, ut if snaling were one of them why would he copy, sometimes verbatum, from the Betamax infoguide, instead of writing his own descriptions? Chew on that for a while.

I always find it interesting that those who choose to hide behind their indentity (aka "troll") are the ones who are most likely full of *!@!$. I do not really feel the need to be defending myself here really. I have come to learn, that there are alot of fickle people out there who expect too much for too little. You can not make everyone happy. That's life. Well I am outta here. I'll be only posting things in the future that may be helpful to others. This post sure was not. Andy

It makes a lot of sense for someone telling it like it is around here to use a pseudonym. For openers, that is common practice in forums and newsgroups, and reflects the recognition that it is an anonymous public forum where anyone of any motive can go, and not just some private club where the membership can be limited. I have already been flamed once in E-mail for what I have posted here. But I don't post anonymously because that account was set up for that very purpose. Beyond that, the regulars here have shown no reluctance to collude or discuss collusion regarding eBay auction behavior. Combine that with the air of spite that permeates this board, and a seller or buyer can be adversely affected by such activity.

Maybe I'm naive.. but I kinda thought we were just folks here enjoying the things we have in common, and having a little occasional fun. Colour me red!

:)

Hey - that's what we are, too - just folks here enjoying the things we have in common, and having a little occasional fun! So lay off, you meanie trolls!!!

As much as you trolls don't like us, I'm with Brenda on this one. I admit this is not a Private thing or anything, but, it seems, all of a sudden, that people who have done nothing useful, friendly, or otherwise "nice" are now jumping all over us? I understand anyone has the right to post here, but why is it that people who have done nothing for this board now decide to offer criticism alone? We try to help eachother, we post links to auctions for hard-to-find items, we help solve eachothers problems, and we are neighborly to one another. The fact that we share a disdain for people who resell Betas to make some fast cash is our own bussiness. What are you going to do now, go and stir up the MAC and LINUX forums by saying Microsoft is just trying to make money and there software is fine and this and that? Are you people deliberately pushing hotbuttons just ot see responses?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1371438543*Sigh* some poor sap was convinced that this is a superbeta unit. I suppose this type of thing could be reported to Ebay as fraud, but, I guess it's sorta on par with the legions of morlocks who list old 8mm Film movie cameras as video cameras...

Ugh! Goshdarn you all talk a lot. Why did the trolls start visiting? Leave us alone! I agree totally with Sean. And leave Andy alone, he seems like a nice guy. At least he's not like the Snail...

haha! Oh god! I went to that http://www3.sears.com page and looked up my 300, it has lots of parts available! LOL! I didnt know that. I was lookin through the chat page archives and saw the link! Yay! Oh well.. I guess I have to start liking Sears again. Darn! Can't find tha cassette door. Anyone got a spare cassette door that says "SuperBetaHiFi?" I want the 300 to match the SLS-600 with the "super" designation even though it really isn't.

I don't get it. Sears wants $32 for a Betamie 100 replacement tape lid? OMG! They want $880,14 for a new Trinicon tube! It says it's available!!!!! Ouch ouch ouchhh ouchiiieee!!! Why can I still buy a Trinicon tube but no NP-11s. Damn it. Not bad: $15,21 for a belt job (Capstan,.

Dangit! Sorry guys for posting so many messages, just wanted to say some more things I'd found out. I promise this is the last message for today. Anyways, sears only wants $15 something for a capstan, loading, and drum belts. Bah! They've got parts for a BMC-100 but not for a poor SL-2000. It even has "SHOULDER STRAP" but when I add it to my cart it says "SWITCH." $60,95 for a strap? Wonder if it's the "rainbow" one I like so much. Oh wow! Even parts for a HVC-2200? I really like sears now! LOL! Sorry for rambling..

Jesse: I might be scrapping an SL-340 soon and it has a superbeta cassette door, just like the SL-S600. I will be putting in my 900 as sson as it comes (Updates, Andy? anything new?) and trhe SL-340, which has slowly developed more and more problems, not it seems to be playing far too slow, will become parts once I get the 900 bacm and the 600 can take over the roll of 2nd Beta. Much better for it because it is stereo, too. Also I have a Stereo JVC SVHS to hook up in place of my Mono Sony that will become an edit partner to my 900, because they both have controll S. I wish I had the SL-HF-2100 with two controll S outputs...

Sean, I seriously doubt that SL-340 has much of anything in common parts-wise with an SL-HF 900. I've offered a spare SuperBeta HiFi lid to Jesse if he wants it (I just have to lay off E-bay long enuff to spare some cash to send it to him - there have been just so many movies on Beta I want to get lately ...:>)

As long as you're scrapping the SL-340, I might have a use for the carraige assembly as a backup replacement should my SL:-HF 360 ever need it.

And one more thing...

sleeeeeeeeeech!___@_¼¼ - I'm M.C. Snailie and I'm here to say, I'm gonna snag all the Betas and make U pay! Word!

sleeeech! s-s-s-sleeech! s-s-s-sleeech! s-s-s-sleeech!

Hope that pisses all the snail luvin' sucka D.J.s out there...

Sigh...Olive, the carriage ass'y (That's how they say it in Sony service manuals :) is one of the problems. It does not fully eject tapes any more. I do NOT think this is actually the removable carraige mech. with the gears and all, it is probably the cariiage motor or some such, either way, I will let you have it. I will accept any reasonable offer, cash or trade. I DID pay a tad bit more than this is worth, so I do want to recoup a little of that. Basically I'll accept any trade, fairly well, or $5 or more. That sound fair? Of course if yours is actually faulty, I'll give it to you, I can't stand to see broken equipment...

Sean

I'm on hold with Sears Parts right now...according to their web site, they have replacement remotes for the SL-HF1000!!!!! If's it's a real RMT-148, I'm gonna sh*t...and then I'm going to order every one they have in stock, and be the Snailie of remotes...and you'll all have to come begging to ME!!!!!!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!(in my best Vincent Price voice...).

Seriously-if they ever answer the phone, I'll post a follow up and let you know about availability-once I get mine...:-)

Uh...never mind...my quest for world domination was shattered by a Sears CSR named Vince...whose question/comment "This is an old Beta? I didn't think anyone had any of those anymore..." pretty much summed up the whole experience.

Dey ain't got none o' dem...bummer.

Ah, well, the best laid plans of snails and men... ___@_% -sigh....

A dejected snail...

Phil,

Don't give up your quest just yet.. most customer service reps haven't the foggiest idea what they warehouse actually has in stock. I would be more tempted to believe the computer.

:)

In all honesty, so would I. Try again. It took me a while, but A few years ago, I was able to find out that SOny did still stock SL-HF-2000s (Not that that was much help...) BUt several people said they had none... I wonder if they still do... NOt that anyone would buy one, at that price you could score a beter beta, even from the Snail __@_¼¼ -Yipee!

Sean

This guy always seems to have an SL-HF2000 for auction.. seems like every time I do a search, I come up with one of them from him..

[email protected]

Strangely enough, people actually bid on those pieces O' junk... I wonder why...Hey olive! Are you off breaking the cassette mech in your SL-HF-360??? he he he... Oh come on. I'll give it too ya for free. Broken deck or not. Just let me know.

Sean

I'm convinced that that [email protected] SL-HF 2000 that keeps showing up is the same one every time. They have such a high reserve price that nobody ever wins the poor thing so it goes back in the bin for next month.

Why dont we do it a private chat (with logname and password and the possibility to request it to PALsite registering requestor's IP and e-mail)?

Still thinking we must go to japan to get some hf3000s, hf2000s, hf1000s, edv9000s and lots of UHG L-1000 prototype tapes. Also EL-500 metal tapes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes. You guys can distract Sony security while I mess around and see what goodies I can rip off from their prototype labs (and "museum" area if they got one). Who knows, maybe the first thing I'll see when I walk in the door is a museum-pristine EDC-55 with all accessories in a glass case with a little eggshell-coloured card that says "The Last Of The Betas" or something stupid like that. Lord knows there will be snails plastered all over the glass. Hmmm... I wonder how much it would cost for a "field trip" for the members of this chat page. :) Let's all get together on a flight to Japan. Tee hee... Me and my iBook :) I wonder if we'd look out of place in Japan with our Betamies?

I think halfadozen people (A mishmosh of foreigners, no less!) sneaking around the Sony building with betamovies and portable VCRs (in Franny's case, or anyone else who chooses to use one) would be so inconspicuous that perhaps we would blend in... perfectly... HAHAHAhahahaha.... maybe we could find the handcart that the SL-2000 outfit went on and use it to make off with the loot... he he he....

Well, maybe we can pull into Tokyo harbour in an old U-bout and pass ourselves off as German intelligence looking for Beta technology to help with 'the War'. Just let me do the talking...

By the way I see a JVC man is top bidder on Andy's Beta...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1372072774

C'mon peoples this is a fully serviced Beta 300 with no snail goo on it! If Snailie can sell every Beta he snags surely one of our own can get a good price on his...

Whoops I meant http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1372472431 for Andy's Beta. The last one was for that broken "B/W" SL-2000 which the guy now confirms is broken...

I wonder if I replaced the board with a PAL board I could make an SL-F1 out of it...

Or was it an SL-F1 in SL-2000 clothes

OH yeah, someone's bidding on Andy's Beta and has met the reserve. AND it's not a snail... Or it doesn't look like one, with 0 feedback and a "shades"... Or it may be a snail using a new I.D. or it could be a new snail... OK, I'm getting paranoid... __@_oo(Snail wearing shades...)

See, and my reserve was reasonable too.. Someone was asking about putting a SuperbetaHIFI door on a SL-HF300. It can be done, but you also would have to change the nylon"spring" assembly on the SL-HF300 loader . Some SL-HF300 's have a revised loader that cantake the SL-HF400 Superbeta door without modifying the loader. I do have a spare door or two that probably would work.. On another note, since the mention has been made of putting a Superbeta loading door on a SL-HF300, it has got me thinking a bit. I am thinking the SL-HF300 can be easily modified to do Superbeta (HI-Band) recording and playback. The SL-HF300 has the *exact* same videocircuit processing as the SL-HF400 and SL-HF600. The means the chroma/luma process board is *exactly* the same, videohead amplifier, and also the servo board is the same too, when it comes to the SL-HF300 and SL-HF400 . I am sure either a jumper can be added, or remove, which would in effect be turning on Superbeta, that the SL-HF300 omits . So it could be very possible to modify a SL-HF300 to record and playback Superbeta. As you well know, the SL-HF300 is very tolerant of playing back Superbeta tapes,and sometimes I have wondered if Sony really just had Superbeta processing turned on in the SL-HF300 to start with. I'll have to measure video frequency response on the Silver 300 when I get it, I never have bothered to do that test on the SL-HF300. I'll look into this, when I receive the Silver unit. I have a SL-HF400 parts unit to compare the two boards directly also, to see if I can find any obvious omissions from the SL-HF300 board. If I am able to modify the Silver one to record Superbeta HI-Band video, I'd be more than glad to modify other SL-HF300 units too. Andy

Well whoever that snail is _@_¥¥ they prolly should retract their bid and do the BIN price if they really want it...

After all for a $15 price differential...

By the way my SL-HF 360 is doing fine and there no need to replace anything for the time being. >> knocks on the chipboard of my desk ...<<

I think I'll sign up for that U-§oat trip to the 'mother country' of §etas. You'll need a good Irish 'mixer' to go up against the Sony Ninjas that guard their temple of ED §etas...

Sounds good. Definitely. Olive, when I scrap the SL=340, I will hold the cassette mech for you anyway. Send word if yours craps out. Then I will send it... I had the same problem with the Snails eyes showing up as "yen" too... had to use plains "o"s... Kinda ironic when you think about it... THe "B" showing up a the "S" for section is something new... Now I know, it was the same things when Franny typed "Highballs" intending to but the "beta" in place of the "b"... I will work on this...

The wackyness of the chat-page….

A “beta” symbol: âA “Section” symbol:§A “Yen” symbol: ¥Let’s see what these turn into, shall we….

Well, that was unexpected...

Wow! Wowie wow! An SL-HF 300 might possibly be HiBand enabled? I've played tapes recorded on my 360 on the 300 and you really have to look carefully to see any problems with HiBand overmodulation. If this pans out this could probably be the greatest revalation since it was revealed you could modify SL-HF 900s to record in BIs speed...

or that if you press the stop pause and audio button at the same time on an SL-2000 the poor thing locks up with the FF Rec Pause and Audio Dub buttons lit up.

I'm up for that trip to Japan... but I won't need the U-boat. I'm so close to there that I could practically swim (from Busan to the coast of Japan is something less than 100 miles). I've been looking for an excuse to see a part of Japan BESIDES Tokyo/Narita airport.. :) Maybe I can pick up one of the new Beta's they have for sale there (yes, they do have at least one model of SuperBeta and one model of ED Beta in their department stores).

Take care, all, and stay well. :)

Stupid Sony. Oh well, like I said.. you guys can distract security while I go off and see what I can find. :) Left a snail-trail all across Goodwill today. Picked up a Tripped-Dark (tripp-lite) UPS unit which appears to have NP-11 batteries (they're dead). I wunder how much it will cost to bring it alive again? It doesn't have battery power and the top cell looks bulged from one side (which brings me to suspect it won't charge no matter what I do). I also got an underPerforma CD model. Blech.. System 7,5,3. I

Andy: Did I read that right? You theorize that you could modify an HF300 to record in superbeta?? Now that sounds really awesome! I've noticed superbeta tapes played back on one of my 300's to be a bit bright and w/ a little overmodulation, but still fully watchable. I'll be on the lookout for your results. :)

Help again Please! The counter has stopped working on my Sanyo VTC-9300, when i swich from the clock to the counter the display just has [00 00] which does not go up when I play a cassette.The VTC-9300 has worked excellently since brought new, It has never been serviced although I use the head cleaning tape I have every 3 months or so. If someone can please tell me how to fix this problem it will be the first time since purchased the machine has had any repair!!

tee hee... time for the SL-HF300 to come outta the closet and tell us its a superbeta!

Mike; The failure of your tape counter could be because...

(A) the bit of rubber belting that connects one of the reel drives to the counter is gone (through decay or breakage). This is may not be applicable to your model as it uses an electronic rather than mechanical counter.

(B) On the VCR-4400 which is the model I can reference to most readily - though Sanyos have a fairly consistant internal design - the tape counter works by passing an infrared beam through a set of toothed notches under the right take up reel. Either the beam is no longer transmitting or recieving or dust and hair have worked their way into the area and are blocking the proper transmission or reception.

It's curious that your machine seems to operate normally otherwise as (at least on the 4400) there was a safety mechanism that stopped the machine if it couldn't detect any movement of the tape while transport functions were activated. This was to guard against tape damage. Either the 9300 didn't have this safety device or it's still working and it just doesn't feel like telling you the tape count...

The SL-HF 300 as the 'Will & Grace' Beta?

Anyway here's an optimistic seller of another one of those SL-2305 Super Betamax VCRs...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1373145671

and this ones "loaded with those HiFi Sony features"...

even has a snail named 'betamax_fan' attached to it already.

[ ==¼¼¼¼O]¼¼_@_ - i don't know nuthin 'bout betas but this one's MINE!

That's the second one passed off like that. take a look at this one!http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1371438543 I believe P.T. Barnum said something about suckers being born...

Sean