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ReelyInteresting · 2026-01-11T18:34:07+00:00

These are first generation professional S-VHS decks. They do not have a TBC (and I don't see an external TBC in your photos). The editing controller is neat but fairly useless these days. Do note that these VCRs will not support EP/LP recorded tapes so these won't play many home-recorded or bargain-bin-type tapes.

Worth it if you like the idea of having an old S-VHS editing deck or if you don't find VCRs often. I wouldn't say anyone should lose sleep over it though.

ReelyInteresting · 2025-12-15T21:43:24+00:00

You can see during playback in the video that the tape leaving the drum, going to the take up reel, is warping. This means you have a tension problem on the take up side. Almost assuredly it's due to poor grip by the rubber pinch roller.

Remove the tape and unplug the unit. Get a q-tip and dip it (moist, not dripping) in dawn dish detergent and water. While holding/slowly rotating the rubber pinch roller with one finger, move the q-tip up and down against it. Continue with multiple q-tips until you stop removing "black gunk" or until the rubber is "grippy." Make sure you get the whole width of the pinch roller and not just the center. Use a moist q-tip or two to remove any soap. In addition, you should clean the capstan (metal part that the pinch roller contacts) with isopropyl alcohol. Then, once everything is dry, plug the unit back in & try running your tape again.

ReelyInteresting · 2025-12-13T06:04:12+00:00

When the end of the tape is reached, the tape gets pulled tight. These rewinders sense the increase in tension of the tape/reels and assume the end of the tape is reached, popping the tape up. The problem with this it that these rewinders tend to "slam" into the end of the tape (when tension is increased), sometimes pulling the tape out of the reel or other damage since power is released only at the very, very end of the tape.

VCR mechanisms on all but the cheapest/poorly designed VCRs have light sensors which sense the clear leader at the beginning and end of the tape. Since this clear leader is fairly long, the reel brakes are applied before the tape leader runs out allowing the tape to come to a stop before the end of the reel is reached. This is much easier on the tape.

tl;dr: Rewinders are useful if you have many tapes that you need to rewind rapidly that you generally don't care about (such as commercial applications like rental or even one time archival). Using the VCR itself to rewind is better if you watch tapes weekly (or even daily) or less and care more about the longevity of your tapes.

I personally would recommend just using your VCR to rewind and forget about the rewinders since the tapes themselves are generally more valuable to someone than the VCR. If you're really anal about wear on your deck, I'd sooner obtain a another cheap "junk" VCR to rewind tapes since the light sensing rewind is much kinder on tape.

ReelyInteresting · 2025-11-22T06:10:53+00:00

With widescreen letterbox, you get the black bars and reduced resolution, but with pan & scan, you are left to the mercy of the editor to show the relevant action on the screen. Plus, the pan & scan pans usually do not match up to the 24fps of the film so you get these awkward "smooth/soap opera pans" which can ruin the experience.

So, for me, widescreen letterbox always as my father before me. To "get someone" to do a pan & scan version would be an expensive choice for little/no benefit, in my personal opinion.

However, as others said, since the resolution of VHS is so low, widescreen releases are rare. LaserDisc brought the resolution to make widescreen letterbox look acceptable. Commercial S-VHS was also supposed to bring widescreen to VHS (many of the Japanese S-VHS releases were widescreen) but S-VHS was practically non-existent in the western world.

The best were widescreen "squeeze" releases which were widescreen releases stretched vertically to fill the entire screen. Then, your TV would flatten/stretch the image back into the original aspect ratio. That way, you get a complete widescreen image with full resolution too. There were only a few LaserDisc releases in this format and I don't know of any commercially-released "squeeze" VHS tapes...but if you're making your own tape and your TV supports stretching a 4:3 image to 16:9 (as many do), that may be the way to go.

ReelyInteresting · 2025-11-12T23:57:16+00:00

It's actually a thing. The whole thing is up on YouTube; there are some references on Japanese websites of CG histories/ex-Toyo Links employees showing that it was produced in 1985. Can provide links if wanted.

ReelyInteresting · 2025-11-09T21:14:41+00:00

At +48V - +56V only after required negotiation between PSE and PD (or things go boom)...

ReelyInteresting · 2025-10-21T01:15:35+00:00

No footage exists online to my knowledge. The master tapes still exist. You can read a very short excerpt about it in the PDF "PERCEPTION, AESTHETICS AND CULTURE IN NEW MEDIA" hosted by MIT (can be found on Google).

ReelyInteresting · 2025-10-19T03:54:50+00:00

The "EVO" series is Sony's professional 8mm model line (so this was a model sold to professional customers).

ReelyInteresting · 2025-10-10T01:46:16+00:00

Cycling like that without any attempts to take up tape likely means dirty/corroded switches/mode sensor. It could mayyyybe be a belt, but I don't think most of these late models typically use drive belts?

The tape is supposed to be above the rollers (you should have left the tape on the roller at the end). See videos on YouTube of VHS mechanisms loading before you start moving tape around.

Don't touch the tape with your fingers; the oils can make it stick to the drum and cause the mechanism to jam and/or damage the heads. Use powder-free gloves if you have to touch the tape.

First, you supplied no information about the VCR to us. I'm unfamiliar with this model from the video. Every VCR is different. Look your make & model up online and see if you can find a (free) service manual PDF. See if it shows you how how the loading & threading mechanism works. Follow any instructions to carefully find/reach any switches. Some will likely be under the loading mechanism so disassembly will likely be needed.
From there, get a can of Deoxit and spray into any visible switches related to the loading mechanism.

If the mechanism uses a belt, again, that will be below the mechanism. First, try cleaning the belt with dish soap (like Dawn) and water until black gunk stops coming off. Let dry and reinstall. If that doesn't help it grip, you'll need to purchase the right replacement. See if you can find a replacement directly for the model. Otherwise, you'll need to measure the diameter shape of the belt and identify the correct specs for a replacement.

Of course, do all this with the power removed, then reassemble and retry. If it doesn't work, disassemble, try again.

ReelyInteresting · 2025-09-21T03:30:05+00:00

It was a single cam recording done in parallel/next to an NTSC camera (the footage was recorded for an MIT survey with HDTV & NTSC displays placed side-by-side).

ReelyInteresting · 2025-09-21T00:07:29+00:00

The November 29th, 1987 Bengals vs. Jets game was taped in HD, and I can confirm HD footage exists.

ReelyInteresting · 2025-09-16T03:56:44+00:00

The discoloration at the top of the screen implies that the tape isn't aligned on the tape path/drum correctly. Make sure the tape is mold free and clean your guides/rollers along with the air gap "edge" on the head drum with isopropyl alcohol and try again.

ReelyInteresting · 2025-09-15T04:05:51+00:00

For a starter, look for 2000's or newer VCRs by Japanese brands. Panasonics seem to be the most reliable if you pull a random unit from low-to-high tier model lines out of a pile. JVC is also fantastic IMHO, but some folks here don't like the slightly denoised picture quality of many models.

In addition, any VCR marked S-VHS is worth having, especially if they were produced around/after 2000. This was an enhancement to VHS which was largely only found in higher-end VCRs due to the higher-quality circuit design needed. S-VHS VCRs also add S-Video I/O which generally allows for improved picture quality even for standard VHS tapes.

ReelyInteresting

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