Hey Betaphile! Does this wee beastie bring back any warm and fuzzy memories?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1950079825

Saw one once in a junk shop. Once wished I picked it up. Still wish I picked up the SL-5800 I saw all the way back in some odd 1995 or something... complete with remote and so forth... there'll be others. Now I have the SLO-260 to sattisfy my need for turret tuners....

Jesse, the Aiwa and Akai are both HI-FI decks. AS I said they both need a little something, but let me know if your intrested.

Gosh, D.D., always liked that show.. Fish heads fish heads rolly polly fish heads, eat some YUM. And Pencil Neck Geek. Its got me to wondering if I still have some old 7 inch reels with the good Doctor on 'em. Late '80's. I will have to ask my son if he still gets it in his part of Wisc. I know at least a year ago he said he was listening to D.D.

As for Weird Al, I am very sure I got about 2 or 3 hours, on Beta, of a show he did on MTV on April 01, of '85 or '86. Basically he got to be the VJ for about 4 hours and play what he wanted to.

AS for the Sears deck, I got a Zenith Video Director that would be about a year newer (with electronic tuning) for the cost of shipping. It was fully functional when I put it in storage about 7 years ago. IIRC it is X II.

Later. Pepse.

If you have a VCR with front A/V inputs watch out that the cables don't drag across the front of the piccy tube. Those little static zap noises as the audio cables drag the dust off the tube may be the last sound those inputs record. Fortunately the electronic attenuator reset after VCR was unplugged about 10 mins but I won't be trying that again.

Front inputs are tacky anyways.

front inputs are VERY tacky which is why I like machines like the SVO-140, SL-2410, SL-HF-1000 and so forth that hide them behind a door but they are still there if you need them...

Decks like the SL-5000-series *Big Beastie" front-loaders have front inputs only. I have two SL-5200's and could only see using those inputs for easy connection of a Handycam or something.

I have no convictions one way or the other on the aesthetics of front inputs but I figure they are only usefull if you have a camdorder or digigam and want to input to the VCR. Otherwise they're best left in the backso you can connect to your A/V grid. Ideally you get a front and rear input and they're uniquely addressable so you can pick from two A/V inputs.

Can anyone tell me why they bother making mono VHS machines anymore? Now that HiFi is so cheap that you really don't save any money with mono why even offer them? Especially '4-head' mone decks. If you're putting in the extra heads you might just as well go all out and throw in HiFi for the extra 4 or 5 Euros it'd cost you.

Madness:

Did you see my earlier post about Dr. Demento taping??? :)

Yuck, I SOOO agree about the mono 4-headers. But what's even more tacky is that they have "DIGITAL PICTURE" plastered on some of them, AND they have the front inputs. Sean is rite about them being hidden by a door... It's better that way. I'd accept front ins only if they were hidden by a door.

The only thing that I have with un-hiddedn front in's is my reciever but I couldn't be too picky since it was the best one SOny made and it was on clearance. it was supposed to have one of those silly screen remotes but it didn't so I got the guy down an extra $75 AND got him to throw in a regular remote that works just fine AND controls my CD player! It's just as well since even the most expensive Marantz or Onkyo reciever I could still fill all the inputs.

Hmm 8-tracks sounds interesting where can I get one?

Just like someone else, I entered the word "Betamax " in the search thing expecting to get one or two or nothing! Up came thousands - lovely, sensible, quality-loving people just like me! I am a television director - and Betamax was the industry standard in Australia for previewing, program prep and the like in the 80's. When I left the 7 network to join 9 I was given a SL-C7 as part of my package. I returned to 7 and aquired a SLHF-150. Still use Betamax every day. I use a Sony Tuner VTX-100EC with a SLO-1700 and the SLHF-150. My daughter was looking at some old music award tapes the other day - still great quality! We will have to think about archiving to DVD soon! I admit I went out a bought a Sony VHS (-there I said it!) a couple of years ago but it just doesn't come anywhere near the Betamax standard. Just great to read about other Betamax experiences - well done you lot!

Brenda: I'm looking for them in my huge record collection. You want them duped to Beta?

Secondly: Yeah, why bother on mono VCR's these days? OK, so they sell a mono 4-head at Wally World for like $50 -- and like $65 for the hifi model. Live a little -- buy a few less Extra Value meals this week! ;)

Madness:

Yes, oh yes.. :) You do have Hi-Fi, right? ßIII works great for Hi-Fi audio.. :) I have tons of new blanks, and can send you some to replace what you use, plus something for your trouble. :)

Doing my own every once in a while web search for Betamax and found this article.

http://povonline.com/COL289.htm "The Betamax"

"In the last dozen years, we've seen amazing advances in the world of home entertainment, particularly video.Ê All around the globe, men and women of great genius have invented, developed, improved and otherwise brought forth new means by which an image may be recorded, disseminated and ultimately viewed in your very own living room....

Many people believe that this technological surge is motivated by a primal, human longing to better that which already exists.Ê This is not so.No, the reason for all this progress is that someone wants to see how many times they can get me to buy Goldfinger."

"My interest in home video began early.Ê I was around 11 when my Uncle Aaron died and I inherited his 8mm movie projector and the home movies he had taken of our family.Ê I still have them -- an extremely extensive collection of films of Jews waving at the camera."

"In an actual court of law, top executives of Universal, Disney and other studios testified that they would never, under any circumstances, sell copies of their old movies and TV shows on tape.Ê Never, never, never.Ê It would be financial suicide, they said, which would irrevocably destroy the movie industry by triggering the closure of theaters, the bootlegging of their product and the end of mankind as we know it."

"Recently, I purchased a DVD player and, of course, the obligatory copy of Goldfinger on DVD.Ê This is the last copy of Goldfinger I will ever purchase...until the next one.Boy, I wish I liked that movie.Oh, it's not that bad.Ê It just feels like it's missing something.Ê Like, you know the scene where Mr. Goldfinger is about to blow up Fort Knox?

The bomb is ticking away, counting down.Ê Bond is sweating, trying to trace the jumble of wires...desperate to find a means of disarming the nuclear device.Ê He is just about to break a wire that he thinks may do it when a hand reaches in, stops him and switches the bomb off.Bond exhales, then looks over to see who has rescued him.Ê And there they are...Aunt Dot and Uncle Aaron.Ê Waving at the camera.

funny article...

Got $1400 and you don't need another Betamax VCR? Why not buy http://www.betamax.com ? It up for bid!

In my searches found out that the evil JVC minions of Micro & Soft has found a way to stick advertising in every page on the internet whether the page owner likes it or not unless you put this line of code on top.

<meta name="MSSmartTagsPreventParsing" content="TRUE">

I have approximatley 15 beta machines and 3000 + beta movies for sale and 1 beta max sony video recorder. If you want something specific please email me and i may have it.

Found another Jappy §eta page...

http://www.wup.jp/~poyopoyo/betamax.html

two pix of his §eta units

http://www.wup.jp/~poyopoyo/betamax3.html

more stock Sony §etas... some nice ones in the bunch

_@_<-eeep! JVC's take on the Great Format War...

http://www.jvc.co.uk/profile/format-war.html

In the JVC article it mentions that a japanese filmmaker has recognized the VeHoS-Beta battle in a recent film. Does anyone know which movie it is?

probably "The Great History of Japan Victor Company", circa 1979, still in factory sealed package in your library's media centre. Let's buy Betamax.com and make it into a really cool beta page, hee hee where snalies are allowed! :)

"Although many believed Betamax to be better quality, very quickly JVC was able to overtake Betamax in quality, and establish a powerful alliance of manufacturers and distributors wishing to support the VHS format." whaaaatttt?!!! Overtake Beta in quality?! NEVER! "The machines were also mechanically simple and very easy to repair." Well DUH its nothing but PLASTIC,...

If Beta was the dominant format, recent machines would be as dirt cheap and plastic based as VHS ones. And these disposable units are obviously very easy to fix; they're just not worth it.

Visiting the JVC history page is sorta like visiting Bizzaroworld in Superman where good is evil and all that...

Here's their "75 things you didn't know about JVC" PDF

http://www.jvc.co.uk/profile/75th-anniversary.pdf

Good for a laugh. They come off like the flatulant fellow whose actually proud of the smells he makes...

Do you know if it's advisable to protect the drive mechanism in a Betamax VCR in any way before shipping it in a mail system, e.g. by carefully packing it with soft cardboard, bubble wrap or suchlike? I ask this because I just received a Sony SLV-715 which arrived with numerous plastic cogs and other plastic components floating around inside. I assume the damage resulted from the parcel being dropped by Parcelforce, the UK carrier. Any thoughts?RegardsArthur

Yes Olive I agree..

Jesse: checked out the VCR from the trunk of my car, it turned out to be a basket case with multiplpe problems. I"ll go back tomorrow to the skip to find more and see if I can't get you a runner.

Excuse me did anyone see what i said?

Hello??tsk

Bump for MadBetaCollector

He's looking for an 8 Track machine.. dunno if he's wanting a player only or a recording deck..

trade it to you for a Millenia S?

Universal answer: "e-bay". the quality of 8-track machines varried widely so only go for a good name otherwise, pioneer, Sony, Marantz, Realistic, etc.

I've got mine its an Audiophase 3850 or something. It has menthol blue track indicator lites and VU metre lites. But, its head is misaligned (gotta switch trax a few times really fast, and give it a tap or two for it to align) and its motor is a bit dry [penisonique motor]. Plus I need $$$ for senior (e-)prom and the Senior ski trip.

I don't like Ebay

I really don't know... you're in England, aren't you? I could look but over hre I'd need to find a multi-volt moden AND you'd have to pay the post...anyway, I guessjust look in the usual places, flea markets, junk shops, the trash, etc.

_@_v-eee hee hee! Somebody's selling an old Betamax ad cut from a National Geographic Magazine for $5 bux!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1950535543

Now old National Geographic from the 80s would set you back maybe a quarter or 50¢ apiece tops at some used book store. In Albany (New York) there's this really cool old shop down on Broadway that has stacks of them dirt ass cheap. It's one of those bookstores just tumbling with books and old magazines in no particular order run by some ancient fellow almost as old and run down as the building he operates from - the best kind of course...

The best place for electronics is in lowell on Broadway (Weird!) called Hank Garrity's. He doesn't like to keep electronics around because they attract thieves so he prices them ultra low ($40 for a projection TV, anyone? I kid you not) so that is where half my stereo comes from. got my SL-20 there, and my lot of horrid beta tapes (reminds me, gotta pay that guy for the case!)

Have that Beta ad. I've only found three or four ads for Beta VCRs in National Geographics for the SL-5800, SL-5000 and SL-2000 as well as for a Sears Beta. Other amusing ads iI've found include a Penisonique one starring some baseball player named Reggie Jackson "I call it 'Reggievison'" promoting a portable VHS deck.

Saw an ad for Akai's portapacks featuing a guy videotaping a Playboy Playmate he somehow got into his apartment (LUCKY "&@$^@%)" ). Akai video tape decks are pretty rare, they had two in-house formats of their own! Later they made some oddball VHS portapacks of good quality.

_@_v-eee I remember this Akai ad featuring this ditzy 'valley girl' looking dreamily in space "so I said like Akai okay?"...

To Mad 8-Track Collector: That format is not likely to give decent results today. The rubber idlers were built into each cartridge. Idler quality and alignment to the deck's capstan was sacrificed for economical shell production. Many tapes had chew marks along top or bottom edge because of this. Also remember there are no take-up reels in the shell. The tape was just stuffed inside in one endless loop. There were 4 pairs of tracks, each ten mins long per 40-min tape. Ultra-thin 80 minute tapes were made also. Tapes were back-lubed to avoid snagging. Ampex made the tape stock for most of the pre-recorded stuff, so by now the back-lube has reacted with any oxides that didn't already fall off. The in-shell idlers have all turned hard and/or seized on their cheap rusty chrome pins, so expect major wow & flutter. Also the standard 10-min track often ended during the middle of every third or fourth song. The usual commercial solution was to fade the song before the click-clunk of the head repositioning and then fade back into the rest of the song after the track change.

The people who loved their 8-track car stereos are now the same ones who rent "extended length directors cut 2-DVD" classics and dub them onto VHS at the 6-hour speed (probably on their Wally World 2-head mono deck). Egad, I just described my own father!

yuck. the kind that watch everything through RF cable, too..

Yep. Much better hooking a 20-year-old VCR to a 20-year-old TV set with 24 awg interconnects. Optimal quality assured.

A 20 year old ßeta with worn heads STILL shows a better picture than a VHS!

Yeah... My friend Righ just got a 30 year old color Videocorder with matching monitor and it shows a very good picture! better than VHS!!! take a look! http://www.labguysworld.com/AV-8600_017.jpg

I went to a flea Market Couple years ago in Canada.. Bought a Toshiba Beta VMC-100 I think... Man said it works like new... I'm never going to buy a beta from a flea market unless I bring a tv and a beta tape to comfirm the seller is trustworthy..At least I have flash gordon on Beta...

eeeeeeeeeeeee!!! dammit! I want a Real-to-reel-vidicorder. Anybody got a working NP-11 (fresh)? I need to rent one for the month of March or April, because my calcium cell is hiding from me! I HAD it on top of my sony "STEREO" RealCorder but it's disappeared...

Saw a shiny trail leading out of my room towards the door... Think it means anything?

I know where one can buy an NP-11 NEW in box for $50... we're not sure it works but if you're up for it I'll gladly test it out for you.

can I put it on my Wards card? I'm strapped for cash... saving for Senior (e-) PROM and ski trip..... :(

Don't waste your time on Senio prom, Jesse. I skipped mine and it turned out to be a disaster. saved lots of money. get the NP-11 instead, it'll last longer!

no, because I missed last year's EPROM... I want to go in a millenia, dammit!! Besides, I'd rather have the memory (stick) of going to EPROM!!

well my prom was sucky...

got elected prom queen and when i took the stage somebody dumped pigs blood on me...

then things got really ugly...

ggghh sounds like something that would happen to me. Besides I want to drag Betamie along and I wouldnt want it to get dirty!

As much as I love my video gear I've found that something like a 'betamie' makes you popular when it comes out of the case and VERY un-popular as soon as you switch it on... not that I could've gotten any more un-popular but that is just what I have found.

I've been mistaken for 'The News' on more than one occaision with my portabeta and camera.

Optimistic eBayer...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2087423796

$700 start with a reserve on an SLO-1800....

Ugh... I wonder what the reserve is... maybe a new in box one would be worth that on the ending bid, but not one of wuestionable orrigins on the starting bid... how stupid people are...

for Olive,the site that sells beta repair kits does not send to Australia,damn them

HiI am blakee. Any on intersteed to take a info of the Black thing how they r black.Thanks

To above... This is a page for Betamax users, not for VHS losers...

Sony SuperBetamax. HF400. Original Remote. Roughly 30 -40 Beta tapes. Some Sealed blanks, Some Factory movies, Sony Head Cleaner, Beta Rewinder, etc. In Storage for many years. Plugged it in and it fired up. $150.00 + shipping or best offer. Have many betamax items which I would like to sell. [email protected]. Located in US.

yugg/....

I found those Dr. Demento records. They're what were given to syndicates to air the show. But there's two dozen shows (2 records [4 sides]/show; 48 records in all). That's gonna take alot of tapes; even if I put 8 sides on an L-750 @ ßIII. I guess the SL-2710's "line audio" option will work best.

hi is there anyone out there that can help me locate a set of video heads for a sony SLHF950 vcr used pbut(good) or complete machine for spares as i do not want to spend over £250 + vat for them new many thanks in advance i can also be contacted on my mobile number 07903390957

anyone want to contribute to the ePROM 2003 fund? ;) I've noticed that old "Dynamic"ron tapes get better as you use them... loosens up the arthriticon particles I guess

I would think that if you can get SL-HF 950 heads for only £250 it would be worth it, rather than take any chances with dodgy second hand heads. The 950 deseves nothing less.

simon:contact sony parts at 1 -800 -488-7669 in america,or try links on their website . price should be under $ 200. that's about price of 2100 or 900 heads{1 year ago}.

Madness..

Wow, that is a lot of shows.. :) What would you want for your trouble to dub them? I have a couple cases of new tapes on their way to me right now, I could easily divert one to you. Please e-mail me with any details.

Oh well.

Bored today... Think I'll cause a stir...

http://page2.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b30543007

How many yen are in a dollar?

I have for sale from Sony AC Power Adaptor AC -F1E I am from Germany.

Sean, there are approximately ¥100 to the dollar, so when I looked at that auction this morning, it was over $1000.

yuck. Now if someone would kindly make a donation of 9 times that to the Wards Home... :) Hee hee!!!

Yes Franny I do have fond memories of that unit however I recall it didn't give the steller performance that one is listed for but ours got plenty of use that could explain the less than perfect response ours gave after six years of heavy use I think thats what killed the SL-HF450 A. Choate

Hey if you want a hard one to find I'd like to know if anybody here has a copy of the live performances at Marketplace Mall (Rochester N.Y.) broadcast on WOKR 13 in the mid 80's

A. Choate :)

does anyone remember their first car? LOL.. Or their first beta?

You've all heard about my first car but my first beta is quite a story. The guy down the street had an SL-HF-1000. He gave it to me. It was always a little funky, but I fixed it and the clock worked OK. I made several tapes on it until one day a combination of several issues and a dead RF unit caused me (Not knowing then its value) to throw it out... To this day I could kick myself for that... I still want another one to this day. Well don't we all...

My first car (that I didn't get to keep) was a 1956 Pontiac that I worked at a junkyard for in 1968 (I was 13). My first car that I got to keep was a 1959 Chevy BelAir that I bought when I was 17.

My first ßeta was an SL-HFR70 without the convertor. I replaced that shortly thereafter with an SL-HF550 (which, though it's totally dead now, I still have).

First car was a '76 Pacer I snagged for about $600 in '90 (@17). Was kinda "cool" for a year or so after seeing Wayne's World. Well, it wasn't a nice cosmetically as Wayne's - needed some body work, but it ran well.

My very first Beta was an HF300 bought from a garage sale around the same time ('91; think I payed $15 for it!). Ran well for quite a few years and enticed me to buy a GE VeHoS hifi deck, which I did for a whopping $275 (even after an employee discount I got for working at the department store where I bought it at the time). It was to dupe rental tapes, of course! :)

The local mom & pop video store went under about that time when a Blockbuster opened. But the former had a load of ex-rental beta tapes I was told I could HAVE if I could haul them away (before they closed)! I borrowed a pickup truck and hauled 'em home.

Greetings, Can anyone please help. I'm looking for a 9v dc to dc converter for an SL-C9 Sony Betamax. I tried to get it repaired but I was told the transformer is burnt out. A new transformer or a new module will do. Thanks.Anthony

my first superbeta was an slhf400. used it day + nite for 1 1/2 years till it died.when the local sony service center couldn't fix it,sony gave me a new 600 for about $150. the 600 now has about 40 hours on the heads, and occasionally pinch hits for my better units.

igh.... If anyone has any dead VeHoS lying around, can you check if it has the halle-motor mounted on top of the drum? Can you also tell me if the little ribbon cable leading out of it has six terminals? my spamsung has that motor, but with six terminals on the ribbon cable. My 300 and surround processor are keeping my equipment rack quite warm!!!!

I have a Sanyo 4400. The quality is severely crappy. I bought it because I thought beta quality was supposed to be way better than VHS. Could it just be the machine? Is the quality actually better on other machines? I have a screenshot so you can see how it is, there are the "video scratches" all over the place and there is a ton of video noise. I'm just wondering if it does this on all beta players. I've tested atleast 20 tapes and they all act like this. Below is the address to the screenshot from a tape

http://members.aol.com/h2obum6/beta.jpg

The answer to your question is most definitely NO. A properly working Beta machine produces a better picture than VHS. What could be causing your problem? Well lessee...heads could be dirty or worn, tracking could be malajusted, or worn rubber parts could be causing the VCR to display lines in the picture. Or, maybe you just got unlucky and got a load of crappy tapes. Replacement parts for the Sanyo Betas are available at http://www.studiosoundelectronics.com and http://www.diyvcrparts.com

Is the crease line in the same place on all the tapes? Did the tapes come with the machine? If the crease lines show up on different parts of the picture it may just be crappy tapes. If you lift the little lid that protects the tape in it's shell and look at thee tape, check to see if there's not a visible line in the tape itself.

Judging by the screenshot the picture otherwise looked OK so I don't think the heads would be a problem but it looks like the tape path and pinch roller need cleaning. If the pinchroller has developed a hard or crust or uneven surface it needs replacing, otherwise rubbing it down with a cloth soaked in alcohol should revitalize it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1949466096Has anybody ever seen one of these before...a Navco time-lapse Beta format security VCR?

Never. And I wish I could have been there to snag it, too. It looks like it might be very loosely based on another model...

yucko. nasty looking beta.... I wonder if the tape looks as crappy as security video does today like they show on the news.

_@_v - eeee! that Navco 2500 never showed up on my e-beta lists!!!

looks like an NEC VC-731E toploader Beta VCR...

My first beta was a Sanyo VTC5000 along with some 1970s porn... how unusual

I have a Sony SL-T7ME multi system VCR. The unit is not working (no transportation or re-wind of tapes), the electrnoics seem to be OK.Where can I get technical info or or a service manual for this unit??

Anyone can help Many thanks.

Eric

The idler tyre and drive post on that SL-T7ME probably can be cleaned and sanded (to removed the top crust) if they haven't cracked or disintegrated. Just remember not only to clean the tyre but also the post that drives the tyre. That has rubber too..

First Beta I ever owned is a SL-2710B. So far the only VCR I ever owned which never required service. Still works today but I barely use it anymore.

Ynnow, I've seen a load of really interesting PAL beta films on eBay lately. Some horror & adventure tapes from the UK that I don't think I've ever seen in the States (or are very rare). Almost makes me wanna acquire one of those multi-system decks, like a T-50ME. ;)

Well, my first car was a 1950 Ford "Woody" wagon. I had to pay my brother $10.00 for it; he only paid $5.00. And yes it ran and whatever else. Bought in 1970. My first Beta was a Sanyo VCR 6400 4-head mono. Bought new in Jan., '84. Played/recorded the livin' heck out of it. Completely wore it out in about a year-and-a-half. Not worth the cost of repair vs. buying a new deck. That deck cost Around $450.00 in '85.

Later. Pepse.

To the guys in southern Wisc., if in your trips to the discount stores you come across a 4DTV "C" band satellite receiver let me know how much and email me with other details. Reformatted and don't have your addy's anymore.

Later. Pepse.

P.S. Anybody from around the twin cities (MN), also.

I just happen to have a perfectly good SL-T50ME. . :) Even has the remote with it. :)

_@_v - hey brenda! you mentioned looking to get an SLO-325 or similar industrial §eta?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3000519745 lists an SLO-325 recorder - by coincedence, it's fairly near where I live....