The official "I still use VHS" thread

[ceebee23]

I have a three current VHS units ..

a Sony from 1996
an RCA from around 1999
a JVC SVHS from 2002
and a combo DVD/VCR unit by Samsung 2009

All are 6 head stereo units and the Sony, JVC and RCA are multi-standard PAL/NTSC capable of recording in PAL, SECAM and NTSC and NTSC4.53
(the Samsung will play NTSC but not record it..well it sort of does ..it outputs PAL at 625/30)

We still use VHS for recording long programming eg. football or special events where either the DVD or PVR are unsuitable or unavailable.

And my partner has some hundreds of programmes recorded from German television...I have similar number of VHS and Beta tapes of material from as far back as 1978.

I specifically bought the Samsung unit to supplement the other VCRs because of VHS is gradually disappearing from the shelves..so it is grab 'em while you can!

[Barry777]

Ed,

If you're out there, thanks a million for the shortcut on my JVC BR-S822U. I injected a 30 Hz pulse from my VC93 to TP7 on the D/C Servo board, and the picture popped in clear as a bell. The only thing before TP7 is the head drum, so I think we got it licked. The picture comes and goes at regular intervals of course, since there's no sync between the VC93 and the rest of the VCR, but I got what I was looking for - a steady picture for a few seconds to tell me the heads are definitely good.

Being me, I started off getting too complicated again and recapped the D/C Servo board before I did some simple scoping around. Where I should have gotten a PG pulse, I was getting nothing but square wave harmonics and noise, probably leakage from nearby circuitry. Well, now I'll know I have a healthy servo board ~ ~ ~

Over the weekend I'll pull the mechanism for a good cleaning and lube, at which time I'll replace those caps on the stator board. With any luck, I'll have (3) good 822's which will complete the video portion of my makeshift studio. $100 to get a used BRC for the time code translation to the ADAT's, and I'm in like Flint and can start some serious band recording. I sure didn't expect it to be this easy, since VCO's and PLL's drive me crazy at work - these PG feedback circuits don't seem too dissimilar. At any rate, you pretty much fixed it for me.

Thanks again Ed !!!

[Barry777]

Darn - now I don't have a parts unit anymore :-)

[pugs5061]

I have a top of the line Zenith Stereo VCR from the early to mid 80's. My wife bought it for me new when we were dating for over $500. I used it every day until about 1995 because of the stereo option and I still use it quite often. Here are the problems I've had with the machine and the maintenance and repairs I've done:


I spose I should clean it some day. This thing is better than a Timex. Probably keep it until I die, I use it now for my older sets. I will follow up with a model number tommorrow.

[Ed in Tx]

Originally Posted by pugs5061

I have a top of the line Zenith Stereo VCR from the early to mid 80's..

A post-Beta Mid-'80s Zenith VHS? Probably one of the JVC-made machines. JVC originally manufactured Zenith VHS VCRs, until Goldstar bought out Zenith.

[pugs5061]

Its a Zenith HI-FI HQ Model VR2225. Heavy too! It's made in Japan but still has the Glenview IL. address. Most likely JVC.

[stacyellenk]

I'm in, I still have many vcr's, including one I bought a few months ago that is more of a prosumer machine to play tapes that have tracking issues.

I'm just an analog girl living in a digital world

[zenithfan1]

Welcome to VK stacyellenk! If you say you're an analog girl, then you found the right website
What other analog goodies do you have? Any old tube tv's?

[stacyellenk]

Originally Posted by zenithfan1

Welcome to VK stacyellenk! If you say you're an analog girl, then you found the right website
What other analog goodies do you have? Any old tube tv's?

Nope, just my Sony Wega that I still have from the pre-flat screen/HD era that I bought in 2002 I do also however have a Beta machine that I bought on Craigslist a few years ago and had restored so that I can access some of those tapes that I have as well.

VHS is my analog passion for video, but other than that it's all about music for me - i actually make my way over here from Audiokarma, where thanks to the help over there I'm now the owner of a 70's analog stereo setup.

I have hundreds and hundreds - and hundreds - of videotapes, so I've made sure that I have enough vcr's to support them. And thankfully I am in L.A. so there is a VCR repair shop down the road from where i live.

I appreciate computers and the technology, and being able to carry around video and music on my ipod etc. but I will never give up my analog media.

[Cogsinister]

I use VHS HiFi for audio...



My main audio machine is a Mitsubishi built Eletrohome model......sounds fantastic !!

[radiomojo]

I still use a VCR but I don't watch too many movies. I don't like the DVD format at all. In fact, I am still PO about the whole digital TV transition and plan on picking up some more VCRs and a couple of agile modulators because I am going to stay analog.
Rod

[Barry777]

Yep - just last night the wife and I were watching a DVD player I purchased brand new about a year ago, and cleaned the lens about a month ago. Started hanging up, stuttering and broke into that wonderful digital checkerboard pattern. Looked at the wife and said, "That's why I went back to VCR's".

Hi-Fi VCR's come in handy for recording long periods of time off the radio, like if you play in bands and need tons of songs to learn and add to your song list.

[Dude111]

VCRs are the way to go my friend

[soundman2]

I, personally, do not trust those DVD recorder things as far as I could throw one! I own a DVD recorder as does a friend of mine but hardly use it. I always use my machines (Panasonic) to record from digital satellite and a separate FREEVIEW digital terrestrial box.

The main advantage of a VCR over a DVD recorder is, when a DVD recorder comes across a bad disc....it just gives up therefore losing the programme you want to record. A VCR does not give a hoot about a bad bit of tape and just carries on regardless.

I have a stockpile of machines (about 22 last count) and even though we will be the last area to switch to digital full-time here in the UK, September 2012, I will continue to use VHS as long as I can.

[jedo1507r]

Originally Posted by soundman2

The main advantage of a VCR over a DVD recorder is, when a DVD recorder comes across a bad disc....it just gives up therefore losing the programme you want to record. A VCR does not give a hoot about a bad bit of tape and just carries on regardless.

That is so true. I've had a particular machine, a Funai-built DVD recorder, throw its hands up in the air (by way of an error message on the screen) after 10 seconds of recording a disc it didn't like--in this case, some Memorex DVD-Rs... though it certainly loved the Verbatims I regularly use. OTOH, that recorder has clocked at least a thousand hours of recording since it is used for tape transfer of old education videos for the department I work for, so they can abuse the discs instead of the tapes that are approaching 25 years of age.

The 1999 Sony SLV-M11HF I use for the transfers is a dream to use for this task because of the insanely fast wind/rewind and its picture quality. The 2000 Panasonic NV-SJ200 is also used for the few mono PAL tapes in the collection.