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Tip for testing SVHS deck: Record/Playback tape in SVHS mode. Dropouts are more evident in SVHS playback than in normal VHS playback. This is based on my own experiences with worn/dirty heads on SVHS decks, YMMV. Good test pattern for dropouts is quick transition from white(preferably maximum white) to black and vice versa.
edit: I have a deck which has horrible dropouts with SVHS but works great on VHS. From this it could be deduced that if SVHS playback is ok, there's a long life ahead in VHS mode. Of course this needs more testing than one unit but this is not possible at the moment for me.
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