So I've got some French tapes in SECAM-L format that need to get digitized. I know there's a few decks that everyone suggests (Aiwa MX100, Panasonic AG-W3, Samsung SV-7000W) The problem is that I've ordered a few on
eBay and they just arrive DOA. Since there were so few models, they tend to be war-torn production units from transfer houses. Perhaps if I pay a premium on
eBay, I could get a good one. But I just wonder whether that's really necessary.
Why can't I just get a newer French deck and convert the signal myself without having an old, dedicated universal unit? For example, I tried recently to purchase a French deck from eBay France (SONY SLV-SX700B) that is capable of SECAM-L playback. Yet I'm still getting B/W playback. It seems pretty clear from the manual that it does play SECAM-L, but feel free to check (
http://pdf.crse.com/manuals/3868271e11.pdf) I know it's supposed to be color - both because the customer said it's color, and the MX100 I had worked just long enough for me to confirm this detail. I currently have a Kramer FC-4001 (something like that) for standards conversion, but I have a feeling that maybe the standards converter is the bottleneck. It works for everything else, but somehow the color isn't coming through for this tape and if it's not the VCR, it has to be the converter. I can't really be sure though.
So basically do you know a plain 'ol VCR deck (magnetoscope) that will definitely play SECAM-L tapes in color and a standards converter (Snell & Wilcox, Leitch, AVToolbox, Blackmagic Teranex) that will definitely convert a SECAM-L signal and remain in color? This has been such a pain. I went to three separate local companies and none of them were able to reproduce the color. They're completely oblivious. I know of the problem, but can't get it working in color by my workarounds. I just want to avoid paying an arm and a leg for a beat up machine that will last a year before breaking down, just to transfer a 2-3 tapes a year. I rarely get French tapes in, but want the ability to do it.