VCRs that will last forever

[breetie]

--waltchan:

I just finished restoring a Mitsubishi HS-U80, HS-U82 and an HS-U65. It took some doing, the HS-U80 had suffered terrible indignities at the hands of someone who attempted to fix it, but apparently gave up half way through disassembly. I had to buy an HS-U51 (it may have been an HS-U52 now that I think about it) to salvage the parts from. In any event, it just got a new head, so the machine is amazing, for what it is. I had a few S-VHS tapes some friends made of my R/C races. I had no idea the image was as clear as it was in S-VHS. I was impressed, I honestly didn't expect that from it.
At any rate...are there any notable differences between the HS-U82 and the HS-U80 from your perspective? And, would you happen to know a website or forum post that deals with the various technical capabilities of both as an itemized list? I've been looking for a history on Mitsubishi's machines, as well as production dates and various changes in design that might have occured with these models.

[breetie]

Oh yeah, I forgot about another VCR I inherited some time ago. Have no idea what's wrong with it, didn't even bother to check it. It's a Sony SLV-750HF, seems like a mid-range unit, probably mid-90's (just a guess). Any opinions on these middle-of-the-road Sony's? Worth spending time to fix?

You know, I don't even know why I ask that question. I fix stuff, whether it's worth it or not. I'm sure there's a psychological explanation for it, but I can't help it. My wife asks me why I fix stuff I could never use...

"Honey...I dunno. I like it fixed." Er...actually that's, like, response number 6 or 7, really. I have a few, but they all amount to the same statement.

[Ed in Tx]

Originally Posted by breetie

Netflix has taken a huge jump in this direction by teaming up with Microsoft on their broadband Xbox Live! Netflix video rental system. This all spins the direction of movies, television and even the local news itself in digital-only mode, where eventually it would be possible to view a movie or the news only through a networked device that could download it directly from the internet..

I wonder how that will conflict with ISP companies like Comcast and Time Warner limiting monthly download amounts to as little as 40 GB? Comcast has limited to 250 GB which should be fine for most, but Time Warner is talking 40 GB limits. Others will probably follow that trend if they are successful.

[breetie]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

I wonder how that will conflict with ISP companies like Comcast and Time Warner limiting monthly download amounts to as little as 40 GB? Comcast has limited to 250 GB which should be fine for most, but Time Warner is talking 40 GB limits. Others will probably follow that trend if they are successful.

While true, the actual trend of the market is greater and greater end-user speeds, both upload and download, so while this could be their policy right now, it won't hold. The internet and people's need to use it for almost every form of information gathering are here to stay, and likely will become more and more intrinsically linked. So, I wouldn't bank on imposed bandwidth limitations by various providers to hold out. At first, they may raise them, but as time goes on and more optics are laid in the ground, speeds will go up, as will the number of users purchasing it. Time will tell, however, if they drop the limitations altogether (which seems unlikely) or if they raise them to allow unencumbered streaming of high definition video.

[waltchan]

Originally Posted by jfrog1983

It's gonna be a little tougher because studiosoundelectronics does not seem to have the rubber parts for this VCR, unless maybe I can get generic ones...

Studio Sound Electronics carries all belt sizes, tires, and rollers for every old VCRs. If a page shows no photo and no kit to add to cart, you will need to contact him by clicking "Parts Finder," and he will find you the right sizes.

[waltchan]

Originally Posted by breetie

At any rate...are there any notable differences between the HS-U82 and the HS-U80 from your perspective? And, would you happen to know a website or forum post that deals with the various technical capabilities of both as an itemized list? I've been looking for a history on Mitsubishi's machines, as well as production dates and various changes in design that might have occured with these models.

There are many differences between Mitsubishi HS-U80 and HS-U82. HS-U80 was introduced in 1988 and ended production in early 1990, while HS-U82 was introduced in late 1990 and ended production in late 1992. Mitsubishi made a similar model of the HS-U80, which is BV-1000, for professional field. HS-U80 uses more belts than HS-U82, but HS-U80 will probably last longer than HS-U82 due to larger caps sized used on the circuitry, no plastic gears break, weight, and original MSRP cost. The HS-U82 has more features not found in HS-U80, which includes twin flying-erase-heads, improved picture and sound quality, and sleeker, modern exterior that will "wow" young people more.

The only place to find discussions (all archives) about HS-U80 and HS-U82 is at groups.google.com. Type in "Mitsubishi U80" or "Mitsubishi U82" at the search box.

[waltchan]

Harman Kardon's only VCR ever made. Made by Mitsubishi in 1985, but designed by Harman Kardon. It's a Hi-Fi unit. Worth adding to your collection as it stacks beautifully with your Harmon Kardon audio system. Looks to be very rarely used. Needs service, however.

http://cgi.ebay.com/HARMAN-KARDON-VC...3A1|240%3A1318

[Ed in Tx]

I've seen a couple of those in past years. They have a proprietary HK audio board inside.

Originally Posted by waltchan

Harman Kardon's only VCR ever made. Made by Mitsubishi in 1985, but designed by Harman Kardon. It's a Hi-Fi unit. Worth adding to your collection as it stacks beautifully with your Harmon Kardon audio system. Looks to be very rarely used. Needs service, however.

http://cgi.ebay.com/HARMAN-KARDON-VC...3A1|240%3A1318

[breetie]

Originally Posted by waltchan

Harman Kardon's only VCR ever made. Made by Mitsubishi in 1985, but designed by Harman Kardon. It's a Hi-Fi unit. Worth adding to your collection as it stacks beautifully with your Harmon Kardon audio system. Looks to be very rarely used. Needs service, however.

http://cgi.ebay.com/HARMAN-KARDON-VC...3A1|240%3A1318

Oh wow, that is nice. I'm holding out for a Canon, though...I'm allowed only so many toys at a time. LOL.

[breetie]

Originally Posted by waltchan

There are many differences between Mitsubishi HS-U80 and HS-U82. HS-U80 was introduced in 1988 and ended production in early 1990, while HS-U82 was introduced in late 1990 and ended production in late 1992. Mitsubishi made a similar model of the HS-U80, which is BV-1000, for professional field. HS-U80 uses more belts than HS-U82, but HS-U80 will probably last longer than HS-U82 due to larger caps sized used on the circuitry, no plastic gears break, weight, and original MSRP cost. The HS-U82 has more features not found in HS-U80, which includes twin flying-erase-heads, improved picture and sound quality, and sleeker, modern exterior that will "wow" young people more.

The only place to find discussions (all archives) about HS-U80 and HS-U82 is at groups.google.com. Type in "Mitsubishi U80" or "Mitsubishi U82" at the search box.

Oh, sorry, waltchan. I forgot to thank j00. So, uh...thank you. Reason I ask is because I now only seem to have the manual for my HS-U82. I can't seem to find my HS-U80 booklet...I know it was around here somewhere...

At any rate, my HS-U80 is my pride-and-joy, I have this nasty habit of finding b0rk3d stuff on eBay and then buying it and then spending more than I should to fix it. When I bought the HS-U80, I got it as a bundle (that's where I got the Sony SLV-750HF), got 'em both for $30. When I opened the HS-U80 to see what was what, it was missing a series of parts. Someone had attempted to fix it, only to ship it to me minus the parts they took out...

I ended up buying a beat-up HS-U51 to salvage parts from. Funny thing, at the same time I saw my HS-U82 on eBay for, like, $25, so I bought it too. It needed a capstan idler tire and the belts replaced...

I can't help it! If it's a nice machine, it should be fixed!

[waltchan]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

I've seen a couple of those in past years. They have a proprietary HK audio board inside.

Does it get really awesome Hi-Fi audio sound quality?

[Ed in Tx]

Originally Posted by waltchan

Does it get really awesome Hi-Fi audio sound quality?

There's mention of it here in this old thread too

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=36395


As I recall the unique audio board had less ICs a lot more discrete components and better overall audio specs.

In adition to the VCD 1000 there was also VCD 2000 and VCD 4000 HK VCRs.

[jmm83]

i just got the Canon VR-HF800 off of ebay for $40 and it works great

[waltchan]

Originally Posted by jmm83

i just got the Canon VR-HF800 off of ebay for $40 and it works great

That's great to hear. Enjoy the Canon.

[Whirled One]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

BTW, what on earth does "Omnivision" mean as applied to Panasonic VCRs?

It's just a trade name / line identifier, much like the "Selectavision" name on RCA VCRs, or the "Chromacolor" name on Zenith TVs, or the "Thinkpad" name on IBM (now Lenovo) portable computers.

The interesting thing is that "Omnivision" is actually a bit of an overloaded term as a Panasonic product identifier. It originally referred to Panasonic's EIAJ-cartridge format VCRs from the early 1970's. When Panasonic (Matsushita) introduced their line of U-matic VCRs, those bore the "U-VISION" name instead. Then, when they introduced VHS-format VCRs, they re-used the Omnivision name for some reason. I suppose by that time, the EIAJ-cartridge was essentially a dead format, and someone in marketing must have decided there was enough brand value built in the "Omnivision" name that it would be worth hanging on to it. As for the origin of the name itself, it probably spawned out of the "Tape-A-Vision" name that appeared earlier on Panasonic EIAJ format open-reel VTRs.

Of course, the "Selectavision" name was just as much (if not more) of an overloaded term as an RCA product line. It originally referred to a prototype videodisc system that never made it to production, then ended up on RCA's VHS-format VCRs, and then also found itself on the CED videodisc players that grew out of the original videodisc R&D at RCA.