Just picked up a Panasonic PV-1730 Hi-Fi VCR

[vortalexfan]

Greetings everyone, I was browsing around on FB Marketplace and spotted a Panasonic Omnivision 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR model PV-1730 from 1984 (from what I could see of the date of manufacture on the back) and its in really good cosmetic condition yet, but electronically I'm not sure of the operating condition (the person I bought it from said that it works but who knows what that means, because I know a lot of the Panasonic VCRs from this time period can have issues with the idler tires being bad which will allow them to rewind and F.Forward, but not necessarily play or if they do play, they play slower than they should.)

Anyways I know some of you guys on here have had some experience with this model or other similar models and I was wondering how this VCR Compared to Panasonic's later Hi-Fi Models from the late 80s and early 90s as far as repairability and usability goes.

Thanks for your help.

[Blast]

I looked at three of that model back in 1993 and '94 but for very minor problems like a loose RF input jack and "the remote doesn't work" (so, I put batteries in it).

Is the FCC ID# on the rear panel shown as ACJ927033A? If so, I can't cross that model to any others because I haven't seen any other models (of any brand) with that ID#. And, after 25 years the memory banks have run dry. Sorry...

[vortalexfan]

I believe so, I'm not sure though as the photos in the listing didn't have any close-up shots of the ID tag on the back.

I just know that from what little I could find in my research, Sylvania (N. A. P.), Magnavox (the same company as Sylvania), and GE (maybe others I'm missing as well) used their own versions of this model (they had different front panel arrangements.)

[Blast]

Oh, sorry, I thought you were in possession of it.

Yes, there may well be some very similar crosses but I never really knew my Panasonic model numbers well and would mostly rely on FCC ID#'s.

Idler tires shouldn't be too big of a problem. However, there WERE power supply capacitors that were going bad even 20 years ago so I would factor in replacing many/most/all in the secondary of the power supply when you get it.

Other than that and a few belts (and loose RF input jacks?) they were pretty solid and reliable machines.

[vortalexfan]

Originally Posted by Blast

Oh, sorry, I thought you were in possession of it.

Yes, there may well be some very similar crosses but I never really knew my Panasonic model numbers well and would mostly rely on FCC ID#'s.

Idler tires shouldn't be too big of a problem. However, there WERE power supply capacitors that were going bad even 20 years ago so I would factor in replacing many/most/all in the secondary of the power supply when you get it.

Other than that and a few belts (and loose RF input jacks?) they were pretty solid and reliable machines.

Ok, that's good to hear, the reason why I mentioned the idler tires was because I've worked on/owned a few Panasonic Linear Stereo VCRs from the same time period that did have idler tire issues (the VCRs played, rewound and fast forwarded, but when they played they had a tendency to eat tapes and when they rewind they would stall half-way through a 2+ hour tape, and fast forward was virtually non-existent speed wise.

[Ed in Tx]

If I recall correctly there are no belts or idler tires in the PV-1730 (other than belt on the FL mechanism). Reels are direct drive. If I could find a pic with the lid off I could verify. Biggest issue with those was the head cylinder bearing wearing out causing the upper cylinder to wobble when it spins.

When they came out I would have bought one except no MTS stereo tuner.

[vortalexfan]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

If I recall correctly there are no belts or idler tires in the PV-1730 (other than belt on the FL mechanism). Reels are direct drive. If I could find a pic with the lid off I could verify. Biggest issue with those was the head cylinder bearing wearing out causing the upper cylinder to wobble when it spins.

When they came out I would have bought one except no MTS stereo tuner.

Ok, thanks for the info, I think for my purposes (since we don't have analog TV signals anymore) it will work fine because all I need is the Hi-Fi audio for the video tape playback.

[Ed in Tx]

Originally Posted by vortalexfan

Ok, thanks for the info, I think for my purposes (since we don't have analog TV signals anymore) it will work fine because all I need is the Hi-Fi audio for the video tape playback.

As long as the drum bearing is good. You're out of luck if it isn't.

Similar mechanism was used in portables PV-8000 (non hi-fi) and PV-9000 (hi-fi).

I saw Quasar, Sylvania, Magnavox and GE branded versions of the PV-1730 back in the day.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

If I recall correctly there are no belts or idler tires in the PV-1730 (other than belt on the FL mechanism). Reels are direct drive. If I could find a pic with the lid off I could verify. Biggest issue with those was the head cylinder bearing wearing out causing the upper cylinder to wobble when it spins.

When they came out I would have bought one except no MTS stereo tuner.

My Panasonic PV-4022 VCR has only one belt as well. However, if that belt breaks (or if anything else goes wrong with the VCR), I will simply store the machine and forget it, as most of the programs I have on VHS are also on DVD these days (I have an LG BP-220 DVD player which works very well). I have perhaps 60 DVDs now; the discs are generally older TV shows from the 1970s, so I have little or no use for my VCR anymore.

BTW, because television is now 100 percent digital, meaning today's ATSC TV signals cannot be recorded on NTSC standard VCRs, and because VHS video tape is a relic of the past in this day and age, VCRs are all but useless except to play back previously recorded cassettes. I honestly do not believe VCRs can be used for recording, even if connected to a cable box, again because of the incompatible video standards (an NTSC VCR cannot record or play back ATSC video). If there is a way to record ATSC video using an NTSC VCR, I would be amazed.

NTSC VCRs were phased out by ATSC video when the latter came into widespread use; because of that, NTSC VCRs, as I said, cannot record modern ATSC video under any circumstances. If there are any converters or other schemes available to allow an older VCR to record today's ATSC digital video, I am not aware of them yet. In fact I don't think such adapters will ever be made since, as I said, NTSC video is obsolete. The same thing happened with television when the standards were changed from analog to digital a decade ago, although in the beginning cable operators could connect a user's TV to cable through a converter box.

I don't think cable companies even offer that option any longer, and in fact cable boxes themselves are, or may be, obsolete (if they are not already). I have what Spectrum refers to as "streaming" video service, which does not use a cable box; I use a Roku device (Roku 2), which I own outright, to receive their programming. In fact, I believe these devices may be replacing traditional cable boxes, meaning cable subscribers may not need to pay for a cable box any longer. My cable bill is just under $30 a month (for TV service), with two additional charges for Internet and home telephone service; in fact, Spectrum now informs me (as of a few months ago) I no longer have traditional cable service, since I have their "streaming" video service. I will not return to any kind of standard cable, as I do not want an additional charge on my bill for a cable box. My bill is high enough as it is, with the three services I mentioned, and, being a senior citizen on a fixed income, I do not want to spend any more money than I absolutely have to for TV services.

[Ed in Tx]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

My Panasonic PV-4022 VCR has only one belt as well.

That would be the Matsushita "G" chassis or some later incarnation... one belt on the bottom driven by the capstan motor that does it all with a solenoid that shifted modes. Compared to the chassis used in the PV-1730 VCR in question with separate direct-drive motors for supply & take-up reels, capstan, and DC motor with belt for the front loader.

I'm sure most people use VCRs to playback old tapes. You can record analog NTSC to a VCR from a DTV converter box if you don't mind the huge degradation in picture quality or are using an older analog TV. Myself I use a DTVPal DVR to record ATSC TV channels nowadays.

[Blast]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

If I recall correctly there are no belts or idler tires in the PV-1730 (other than belt on the FL mechanism). Reels are direct drive. --snip--

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

--snip-- Compared to the chassis used in the PV-1730 VCR in question with separate direct-drive motors for supply & take-up reels, capstan, and DC motor with belt for the front loader.

AH, YES! The 5 motor beast! Of, course. And, that was a few years before MTS, wasn't it?

[starbond]

Good luck friend, I spent over a month working on the PV-1430 earlier this year, but from what I'm reading, a lot of the mechanisms are different on your model.

[Ed in Tx]

Originally Posted by Blast

AH, YES! The 5 motor beast! Of, course. And, that was a few years before MTS, wasn't it?

MTS came to be in late 1984. The Panasonic 1730 missed MTS by about a year. At the time I ended up buying a Mitsubishi HS-430UR with MTS which was both Hi-Fi and linear stereo with Dolby for backward compatibility with my older non-Hi-Fi stereo tapes I had recorded on other linear stereo machines I had owned (Panasonic NV-8200, PV-6000, PV-1780) off of cable using FM stereo radio as the audio source.

[vortalexfan]

I got the VCR today, and it looks nearly mint (it looks like it was hardly used) and I'm going to give it a test run as soon as I get a chance to hook it up to my TV and pull out some of my old Hi-Fi Stereo Pre-Recorded tapes to see if the video heads are still up to par yet as was suggested on here.

The only thing that's missing is the original remote which I think I could source one on the 'Bay for cheap.

This VCR seems to be about on par with my old JVC Hi-Fi VCR I have that I picked up at Goodwill complete with its original remote and Owners Manual for $10, and about on par with the old Fisher (Sanyo) Hi-Fi VCR that I'm working on for my Uncle.

[Ed in Tx]

Originally Posted by vortalexfan

I got the VCR today, and it looks nearly mint...

Post some pictures of inside and out, for posterity if nothing else. Hard to find.