Should I buy this S-VHS Panasonic equipment?
 

Hello people! Marcelo here from Argentina!
I just saw this equipment for sale in my country's online sale place who not be named(actually it's owned by the site you know):

Image attached

The seller is selling this equipment "as is". Not tested. Doesn't know if it works.
He's not the owner (is from a friend of his).
When I asked about the equipment he says that: it's 15yrs old. (NOTE: I don't know if he means that the equipment hasn't been used in 15yrs or if the equipment could need repairs due that it's 15yrs old).

He doesn't state the models... that's why I ask the forum for some insight about it.

He's asking 60USD for all the equipment + shipping.

Keep in mind 3 things:
a) I live in argentina
b) during the VHS golden era, Argentina had both NTSC and PAL VHS's going around, mostly due to european movies and equipment that came from spain (because language). Eventually auto/multinorm vhs where sold as "standar". When DVD's arrive then whe shifted to NTSC format due to the Region 4 specs.
c) 220V/240V is the standard voltage, so getting US equipments it is not always the solution.

My questions to you folks:

a) Do you know the gear he's selling?
b) Is it worth it?
c) Even if it doesn't work, for 60usd, is cheap enough for repair it?
d) Anyone had some experience with some/any of this equipment? opionions, reviews? good/bad? easy to repair?

Thanks all who comments!

The forum shrunk the picture. Attach it again, but inside a zip. Attach the zip.

Yes, I know what that is. :)

- The 7730 VCR at bottom is probably junk. Too old, only SP, probably heavy use.
- The next up looks to be the AG-1980P, but rebadged. If it is, for $60, snag it. But only if you can dismantle it, and recap the board. Because odds are it will not function correctly as-is. It will need work. And that's hoping everything else is fine. For parts alone, still worth $60.
- I don't remember the model for next up. Need to see higher res image, can't make it out.
- The top switch and Titlemaker 2000 are pretty useless.

Again, attach larger in zip.

Image ziped

That looks to be an NV-HS1000. Buy it. That's a PAL deck. Less likely to have caps issues like NTSC AG series. That's a steal of a deal, and is surely making readers of this thread jealous already. I know I am.

All you need now are TBC and capture card. (And you never did reply to me PM reply. ;))

Ok ok!

I have no problem on changing caps and electronics.
I made him an offer of 40USD for all the gear. Let's see what he says...

UPDATE: The NV-HS1000 front "door" is taped due that "it falls down". Hopefully it will still works.

Front door shouldn't matter for function. You can probably just remove it.

Whatever he says, take it. Even if he is firm on $60.

I meant the front panel / flip panel that has all the controls and buttons. It is taped on the photo (at the right corner). Sure it doesn't matter if it's broken or falling down?

Still waiting for a reply on the offer.

Lunch time here, so will have to wait a couple of hours!

I thought you meant a plastic cover, not the controls. You obviously need the controls. But you can probably still fix it.

The front panel on the NV-HS1000 is normally held up by magnets. As long as the ribbon cable(I think?) connecting it to the rest of the machine is ok it should be fine (the panel has most of the controls on it, including play/stop/ffw/rwd). Alternatvely you may be able to use an universal remote (or the original if you got it) as I believe IR sensor is on the unit itself.

Mmmm, kindda worried about that. I have no problem on changing electronics and ribbon cables by miself: I had to change my old cellphone's flex when I throw it agains a wall while sleeping (I was dreaming I was batman and had a baterang, ok?).

But if it's broken, finding a ribbon cable replacement could seem kindda hard if not impossible here...

-- update --

Seller acepted my offer of 40usd!! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

You would probably be fine with a remote in that case. I don't have a machine in front of me right now but I believe the IR sensor is on the unit itself, and the front panel just has a window to it. The functions that are not available on the remote (or at least the useful ones) like the TBC swithc and sharpness slider is on the unit itself. We use one of these remotes here, but there are probably many that would work. It might be useful to get one in any case as as far as I know you can't do manual tracking adjustment with the controls on the machine.

Oh and if you got a working one for $40, damn I'm jealous :P .

--UPDATE--

The seller shipped the equipment today, so it will arrive next tursday... (yeah, my country mail service ain't so great). :congrats:


BUT, I was browsing the site and found this.... (see attach). :eek:

It has some issues...: :hmm:
- It wont accept the tape, it comes right out when you put it in.
- The "video card" doesn't work. Need to be replaced. You cant see image or the on-screen menus neither by composite or component.
- He took it to a official panasonic repair. They charge aroun 30usd for repair it.

He's asking 20usd for it. (+shipping)

Should I....? :rolleyes:

I don't know that I'd want any of that. At most, that remote.

Really? I tought I could use the front panel as a replacement for the NV-HS1000. The no loading tape should be easy fix, and the no-image (and what the service charges) I think it should need capacitors replacement.

It's very different from the NV model even if they look so similar?

Hello,

the last recorder on the first picture is the Panasonic AG-7330 (Pal/NTSC). It's one from Panasonic professionals recorders (AG). He should be a SVHS Recorder. If he works he would be a good choice.
The second one looks like the Panasonic FS-90 (PAL) maybe Panasonic FS-200. Both are SVHS Recorders and if they work they would be a good choice, too.
And the last one is the Panasonic HS-1000. It's the commercial version. The white Panasonic AG-4700 is the professional version from the HS-1000. Both are SVHS Recorder (PAL). I have never seen a sharper picture from any recorder as the Panasonic HS-1000/AG 4700 made with the edit mode. They have both a Line-TBC.
If any recorder would work I would capture with everyone. But my first choice would be the white AG-4700.

Maybe this helps you.

It's time to update this thread.

What appened to the video equipment?

First some background: in Argentina we use "Mercado Libre" (ML for short), that's our version of Ebay (actually ML was bought by Ebay years ago). ML has agreements with private shipping companies, so when you sell something, it gives you a tracking number and a sticker so you can ship the goods.
So, the seller did all that. Not a problem.

However... A month later (yes, a entire MONTH), I never got the goods. Of course me and the seller were asking to the shipping company and ML, you can imagine they blame each other.
Finally, A month and a day, the package arrives to my house...

HOWEVER... hours ago, ML decided to cancel the order, refound it and get the goods back to the owner. :depressed:
The delivery guy couldn't believe it, he insisted in deliver the package, but I couldn't receive it since I got my money back.

Anyway.

Time pases. (a couple of months)

I contact the seller again, to ask him if he wanna sell'em and ship'em to me with other method.

He said: "The package is in a warehouse of the shipping company, 100km away from my home. They didn't return it to me. If I happen to be in the area, I will retrieve it".

Time pases again (several months).

And that's where we are now. I ask'd him if he had retrieve it and he hasn't. So he'll try to chat with ML regarding the issue that they never take the package back to him.


On the bright side
I got a complete ATI AIW X800XT and put it in one of my old PC's (Athlon X2 2.6ghz, 2gb DDR2 800, XP SP3 fresh install) and connected it with my Sony SLV-L86HF. I try'ed W7 and it altought it kindda worked, the image was off and the MMC wouldn't work. However: in XP everything works fine, yet the VHS image is in Black & White (because the VHS's I used are PAL). WEIRDLY: In W7 I was able to see'em in color. :huh1:


So now, in the hunt for a new SVHS deck: Theres a used Panasonic AG4700 (PAL), it turns on, tape loads and plays but no image shown. The seller asks 13usd + shipping. Any thoughts? :hmm:

If i'm not wrong... the (Videonics) title generator can also be used for removing Macrovision while copying a tape ?
If i had no equipment at all, i would take the lot, time and know-how, will come too :)

The VCR in the middle of the stack is badged "National," and early name used by Panasonic for at least some products. They stopped using that brand for video gear exports in about 1988 or so.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_(brand)
While a model number is not visible, based on the age and controls and switches on the panel it is not an AG-1980. It might be an similar to the AG-1970 equivalent.