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  #1  
01-02-2020, 03:35 PM
crissrudd4554 crissrudd4554 is offline
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So about a year and a half ago I purchased a Panasonic AG-1970 online and was in shock to discover this was the quality of the one I received.

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In addition to the poor quality, some of the buttons on the unit weren’t working and the lights on the unit were very dim. Skip to last summer I sent it out to a guy in Texas to have it looked at. After a few months I got a response and was told they refurbished the digital board, power supply, re-lubed the mechanism...etc. and that the unit was in perfect working order. I finally received the unit back and while I can confirm the units buttons and lights were in better working order the quality looked the same....actually no it looks a tad worse!

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I emailed the guy who said his tech guy had tested it and everything was fine and suggested it might be because my tapes are too old. I don’t think that’s a fair assessment since the same tapes look and play just fine on some other units I have (none of them are S-VCRs though). Anyways skip to about a month ago I took the unit to a guy closer to where I live. He said he would call me back within the first week, he never did. I called him today and he said he would look into it when he got to his shop and would call me back. Still waiting for that call at the time of this post. If I don’t hear from him I plan on going back to his shop tomorrow to find out the hold up.

But anyways judging from those screenshots is this even something that CAN be repaired or is the particular one I have just junk by this point?? I really don’t wanna invest in another VCR but at the same time I don’t wanna be waiting month after month for a response on something that in the end may be beyond repair. If I do invest in another VCR it’ll likely be the Panasonic AG-1980 even though I really can’t afford one right now but I have tapes I want captured and that one seems highly recommended so we’ll see. Anyways thoughts????


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  #2  
01-02-2020, 04:11 PM
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lordsmurf lordsmurf is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crissrudd4554 View Post
his tech guy had tested it and everything was fine and suggested it might be because my tapes are too old.
That sort of BS answer is one of the quickest ways to receive a verbal dressing down from me -- probably with a few colorful words sprinkled in for good measure. To even utter those words is ridiculous. The tech truly is a moron when it comes to video.

This is why you need to send Panasonic decks to TGrant, maybe deter.

Quote:
Anyways skip to about a month ago I took the unit to a guy closer to where I live. He said he would call me back within the first week, he never did. I called him today and he said he would look into it when he got to his shop and would call me back. Still waiting for that call at the time of this post. If I don’t hear from him I plan on going back to his shop tomorrow to find out the hold up.
He had it for a month, with no update? It's not that complicated. I can tear into a deck within days, and know what's wrong. Now the actual refurb work could take a month or longer, depending on what needs to be done. But I can at least give it a quick assessment. (I don't really do repairs for others anymore, just for my own refurb equipment available in the marketplace. Less stress, my own timeline.)

Quote:
But anyways judging from those screenshots is this even something that CAN be repaired or is the particular one I have just junk by this point??
I'd need to see how it performs in person, with my own library of test tapes. But going from only a still image, realize that I've seen worse.

TGrant fixed all of our decks up. (deter also fixed a deck for me, but unfortunately it's downed again.) The initial ~$400 per repair stings, but that fades some after seeing it perform well. The only fear is that 1970/1980 decks are really touchy, and could require another $400 repair within just a few years of use.

The real question is whether those giblet-heads that "fixed" the VCRs prior have monkeyed something up, either adding more damage, or making it irreparable. I doubt that's the case, though possible. I mostly think they half-@ss fixed the unit, as Panasonic repair really does require special skills and a magic touch. I don't even touch those decks.

jwillis in the forum has been falling into the DVD recorder and VCR rabbit hole for the past couple of years now. I don't want to volunteer him, and I know his hobby plate is full at the moment, but he may have interest in tinkering with the 1970. Not sure if he's had one on his workbench before. I believe he recently dove into the 1980, but not sure what happened there. His skill at the DVD recorders is impressive, especially seeing the outcomes from his team-up with Mr. ISOBuster. Definitely a valued assets on the forums.

Quote:
I really don’t wanna invest in another VCR but at the same time I don’t wanna be waiting month after month for a response on something that in the end may be beyond repair. If I do invest in another VCR it’ll likely be the Panasonic AG-1980 even though I really can’t afford one right now but I have tapes I want captured and that one seems highly recommended so we’ll see. Anyways thoughts???
What S-VHS VCRs with TBC do you currently have?

Something you must also realize is that not all VCRs play a tape with the same values. So you cannot compare JVC to Panasonic, or 1980 to 1970, or even one 1970 to another 1970. Each differs some.

I'd also like to see comparison clips between this 1970 and other S-VHS VCRs, both with/without TBC engaged.

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  #3  
01-02-2020, 04:39 PM
crissrudd4554 crissrudd4554 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post
That sort of BS answer is one of the quickest ways to receive a verbal dressing down from me -- probably with a few colorful words sprinkled in for good measure. To even utter those words is ridiculous. The tech truly is a moron when it comes to video.

This is why you need to send Panasonic decks to TGrant, maybe deter.
At least I wasn't the only one thinking that was a BS excuse! If all fails with the guy I'm waiting for a reply from I'll look into TGrant.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post

I'd need to see how it performs in person, with my own library of test tapes. But going from only a still image, realize that I've seen worse.

TGrant fixed all of our decks up. (deter also fixed a deck for me, but unfortunately it's downed again.) The initial ~$400 per repair stings, but that fades some after seeing it perform well. The only fear is that 1970/1980 decks are really touchy, and could require another $400 repair within just a few years of use.
Well, if I get it looking proper hopefully I'll have the bulk of my captures done before that happens.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post

jwillis in the forum has been falling into the DVD recorder and VCR rabbit hole for the past couple of years now. I don't want to volunteer him, and I know his hobby plate is full at the moment, but he may have interest in tinkering with the 1970. Not sure if he's had one on his workbench before. I believe he recently dove into the 1980, but not sure what happened there. His skill at the DVD recorders is impressive, especially seeing the outcomes from his team-up with Mr. ISOBuster. Definitely a valued assets on the forums.
I'll keep him in mind too. Even if he can't maybe he knows someone who can.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post

What S-VHS VCRs with TBC do you currently have?

Something you must also realize is that not all VCRs play a tape with the same values. So you cannot compare JVC to Panasonic, or 1980 to 1970, or even one 1970 to another 1970. Each differs some.

I'd also like to see comparison clips between this 1970 and other S-VHS VCRs, both with/without TBC engaged.
Presently the Panasonic is the only SVCR I have. I had two JVC's previously but one I returned due to quality and the other I unfortunately broke apart trying to get a tape back. The TBC is actually a big reason I wanted to use this VCR. Though you may not be able to tell in still form the image during playback is very stable. It just looks horrendous is all.
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01-02-2020, 04:49 PM
crissrudd4554 crissrudd4554 is offline
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A quick update. I just got off the phone with the gentleman currently looking at it. He says he presently having trouble getting it to turn on. He said he replaced a fuse and it blew right out. He’s gonna try another fuse tomorrow and get back to me. He said it may be an issue with the power supply.
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