#1  
08-17-2019, 05:40 PM
angrypoolman angrypoolman is offline
Free Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 18
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I am using this VCR and an elgato capture card to capture old home videos.

I had used this same exact model before and it was working perfectly, but then it had inexplicably stopped accepting my tapes. So I went online and bought another one thinking that I was just going to be able to pick up where I left off.

Well, I just got it in today, and the videos look awful, just like they did when I was using a regular VCR. I pressed the TBC button in the front of the VCR, but it doesn't look like it makes a difference. I tried adjusting the settings in the menu, looked on other threads to see what was the best quality, but it really doesn't look like it is changing anything. The video is jumpy and you can't really see a thing.

I have no idea what to do and am very sad about this. The first time I bought this VCR it worked like a charm right away, now this one is acting like it isn't even capable of playing these tapes. Please help :'(
Reply With Quote
Someday, 12:01 PM
admin's Avatar
Ads / Sponsors
 
Join Date: ∞
Posts: 42
Thanks: ∞
Thanked 42 Times in 42 Posts
  #2  
08-17-2019, 05:55 PM
lordsmurf's Avatar
lordsmurf lordsmurf is online now
Site Staff | Video
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 13,502
Thanked 2,448 Times in 2,080 Posts
Did you buy it from eBay?

As I often mention, eBay in the late 2010s is a VCR dumping ground. The units are defective, abused, out of alignment, have excess head wear (both audio and video), were subjected to smoke/mold/heat/etc, and often outright broken and irreparable. Understand that this includes many of the so-called "tested" and "working" decks. The seller is almost always a recycler or reseller (sees VCR as a piggy bank, not as video gear), and is not someone that truly knows about the equipment and how it should perform. Any time you buy a VCR off eBay, you need to expect it will need cleaning, repairs, adjustments, etc. eBay is filled with $100/200/300 junkers.

A working 9600 should look excellent. But the challenge is finding a truly working 9600 these days. That once-best JVC S-VHS model (late 90s build) is rarely seen in optimum condition the days. Those that do exist in excellent condition will either cost a mint, or the owners are not interested in selling. I've seen minty 9600s sell for $750+ in recent times, but there are others units (some arguably better) for less costs.

This is precisely why I started to repair and sell JVC S-VHS VCRs about 3 years ago. There was no point in talking about video transfer if the equipment wasn't available. So I made the gear available.

- Did my advice help you? Then become a Premium Member and support this site.
- For sale in the marketplace: TBCs, workflows, capture cards, VCRs
Reply With Quote
  #3  
08-17-2019, 06:00 PM
angrypoolman angrypoolman is offline
Free Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 18
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Yeah, I did purchase it from ebay. I got my first one from ebay and it worked like a charm, but it just stopped accepting tapes randomly. But this one, it is acting like it is just a regular VCR. I figured I would just buy another and it would be fine. When I turn the dial up one notch, the tape plays at half speed and it looks perfect. But when I turn it back to play normally, it looks like garbage again. Do I just have a junk VCR then, you think?
Reply With Quote
  #4  
08-17-2019, 06:15 PM
lordsmurf's Avatar
lordsmurf lordsmurf is online now
Site Staff | Video
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 13,502
Thanked 2,448 Times in 2,080 Posts
The 9600 stopping tape acceptance may be related to the common dynamic drum failure issues now seen with 9600/9800/9900 decks. Time hasn't been kind to this once-great model. 3D printing hasn't yet matured to the point where sturdy and fine DD cogs can be made, but eventually it is likely. So us 9x00 owners just sit on our broken decks, waiting for the tech to mature.

Without opening the unit, and testing it, your "new" 9600 could be anything from needing minor maintenance to being DOA. With that exact error, I'd lean more towards serious head wear, but I'd hit the service manuals to verify. It costs money to buy all the tools and materials needed for VCR maintenance/repair (FYI, also why so many are in poor shape, cheap/lazy previous owners). So if this wasn't a cheap eBay buy, I'd just get a refund. It also takes lots of troubleshooting time, not including the repair time. So ask yourself this: Do you just want to transfer tapes, or do you want to repair VCRs?

BTW, my decks are here: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/mark...e-jvc-vhs.html
At times there are also some others selling in the marketplace.
And a few other reputable folks off-forum, namely TGrant for NTSC Panasonics, VCRshop for PAL decks.

- Did my advice help you? Then become a Premium Member and support this site.
- For sale in the marketplace: TBCs, workflows, capture cards, VCRs
Reply With Quote
  #5  
08-17-2019, 06:21 PM
angrypoolman angrypoolman is offline
Free Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 18
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I appreciate your help so much and would buy one of your decks without hesitation. i just want to make sure it works with my home videos so I am not wasting any more time. Which one would you recommend?

The first deck I bought, the seller sold it to me for $250. In his description, he said he used it for the same exact reason I needed it, to capture home video. The "new" one I got, I spent $400 on it. So maybe I got really lucky with my first purchase. Maybe I could try to return it and see what happens, I just want these videos captured, I hardly care about the money at this point, I just want it done.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
08-17-2019, 06:41 PM
lordsmurf's Avatar
lordsmurf lordsmurf is online now
Site Staff | Video
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 13,502
Thanked 2,448 Times in 2,080 Posts
Return that latest 2nd eBay VCR. Defective.

How long ago did you buy the 1st deck? Months, years, decades?

My decks are tested, refurb'd as needed, other maintenance as needed, realigned as needed, and are cosmetically like-new/excellent condition decks. I then put them into temporary service for myself, essentially a burn-in test, to verify the unit meets my standards. Everything is graded, in order to match buyer needs with deck abilities (mostly tracking performance). Essentially what no eBay seller does, or would even know how to do.

Based off your description, your tapes are fine. You just need a good deck.

What recording mode? SP, LP, EP/SLP, or a mix? If mix, % of each? Guestimates fine.

- Did my advice help you? Then become a Premium Member and support this site.
- For sale in the marketplace: TBCs, workflows, capture cards, VCRs
Reply With Quote
  #7  
08-17-2019, 06:53 PM
angrypoolman angrypoolman is offline
Free Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 18
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
The first deck I got about 2 months ago, and I rid of it. I am now putting together that maybe that was a bad idea

I dont know what recording mode means. When I play the tapes, it says EP at the top right corner. I really don't know.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
08-17-2019, 06:59 PM
lordsmurf's Avatar
lordsmurf lordsmurf is online now
Site Staff | Video
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 13,502
Thanked 2,448 Times in 2,080 Posts
Yep, that's it, EP, all I need to know.

No, not a bad idea at all. (The conversion aspect, that is. The eBay aspect, not so much.)

I'll PM you a bit later tonight, get you back on track with your project.

- Did my advice help you? Then become a Premium Member and support this site.
- For sale in the marketplace: TBCs, workflows, capture cards, VCRs
Reply With Quote
  #9  
08-17-2019, 07:00 PM
angrypoolman angrypoolman is offline
Free Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 18
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Thank you so much. I will be awaiting your PM.

-- merged --

So the eBayer responded, and I have to say, I don't have much confidence in their ability to help me fix the problem. I have copied and pasted the message below.

Quote:
New message from: dash1123 (77Blue Star)
Hi I'm glad you received your it. And sad it is not playing you VHS properly. To reassure you thier is not wrong with the machine and I am more then happy to assist you with correcting the issue. Here are a couple of very common problem for that type of problem.
1. Always check your 3wires picture,sound and input ( in this case picture commonly red or green)
Good connection * and wiggle the pic wire to see if it reacts to the pic( if so change cables or try a set of DIFFERENT cabel.
2.Another common thing is to(CLEAN HEADS) YOU MIGHT KNOW ABOUT THEM. ( VHS HEAD CLEANER/ 1.VHS CASSETTE WITH A CLEANING SOLUTION THAT YOU POUR IN CASSETTE AND PLAY ( AS DIRRECTED)WITCH IS A FEW BUCKS ON EBAY. LETS US START HERE AND I ALSO WILL RESEARCH FEARTHER FOR US.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
08-18-2019, 12:18 AM
lordsmurf's Avatar
lordsmurf lordsmurf is online now
Site Staff | Video
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 13,502
Thanked 2,448 Times in 2,080 Posts
Wow.

That person has no idea what he/she is saying.
- The "3 wire" comment is ridiculous.
- The "solution that pours into a cassette" is laughably inept advice, no such thing exists. That person refers to a cleaning tape, but has apparently never actually seen one. And you should never use those anyway.

Return that unit.

It never worked. The seller is full of BS. He/she has no idea.
That person is clearly a Storage Wars wanna-be, judging by other items for sale. Normal folks don't have 100s of auctions at a given time. BTW, I notice several items are way overpriced for the condition.

That is (sadly) a very typical eBay response, when it comes to VCRs.
The way you'll get them shipped to you is often even more astonishingly inept -- and I have photos to share in the near future!

You were basically conned. Par for the course.

I'll get you fixed up with a proper deck.

- Did my advice help you? Then become a Premium Member and support this site.
- For sale in the marketplace: TBCs, workflows, capture cards, VCRs
Reply With Quote
  #11  
08-18-2019, 12:23 AM
angrypoolman angrypoolman is offline
Free Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 18
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Yeah, I see this whole situation for what it is now. My first purchase was from a genuine individual, but this here is clearly a shady individual. I have been using eBay since 2006, mainly for video game purchases and it has been great. I rarely if ever have an issue when it comes to that but I guess with tech like this, it's a completely different ball game.

Thank you and I will take your advice and try to return the unit.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
08-18-2019, 02:22 AM
latreche34 latreche34 is online now
Free Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: USA
Posts: 3,257
Thanked 537 Times in 497 Posts
Did try a SP tape? often times EP tapes give a bad picture and you may think it's the VCR but it is actually the tape itself.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
08-18-2019, 03:41 AM
lordsmurf's Avatar
lordsmurf lordsmurf is online now
Site Staff | Video
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 13,502
Thanked 2,448 Times in 2,080 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by latreche34 View Post
Did try a SP tape? often times EP tapes give a bad picture and you may think it's the VCR but it is actually the tape itself.
Unlikely, 3 reasons:
- tape worked fine in another exact model JVC
- tape shows "perfect" image in FF/jog
- seller was exposed to have zero knowledge, so shady/unreliable deck sourcing

+ I've seen this happen countless times now. Typical MO.

(I know you're an eBay seller at times, for video gear, but you're in the 5% or so of good gear sellers, would never pawn off crap to dupes, and would never say something so cringeworthingly stupid. Also much of it random niche stuff, not VCRs, right? Not the standard fair around these parts. I actually find some of it interesting, though nothing I need.)

- Did my advice help you? Then become a Premium Member and support this site.
- For sale in the marketplace: TBCs, workflows, capture cards, VCRs
Reply With Quote
  #14  
08-18-2019, 05:04 AM
hodgey hodgey is offline
Free Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Norway
Posts: 1,680
Thanked 446 Times in 383 Posts
Do you have some video of the two problems? It's a bit easier to say what the issue is when seeing what the terrible quality video looks like, and also with the loading issue if you can show a video of what it looks like with the cover off. If it's a dynamic drum issue, note that a forum user here has a guide to disabling the dynamic drum system to get around the issue of gears etc in it breaking.

If the problem in the first one is the mechanism, and the second one with the electronics, maybe it would work to use the mech from the second one in the first one.
EDIT: Just saw that you got rid of the first one
Reply With Quote
  #15  
08-18-2019, 09:49 AM
angrypoolman angrypoolman is offline
Free Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 18
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by latreche34 View Post
Did try a SP tape? often times EP tapes give a bad picture and you may think it's the VCR but it is actually the tape itself.
Not sure what an SP tape is, but I put in my Raiders of the Lost Ark tape and it played it just fine. But any VCR would play that just fine, so who cares if it plays that, right?
Reply With Quote
  #16  
08-18-2019, 09:51 AM
angrypoolman angrypoolman is offline
Free Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 18
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post
Unlikely, 3 reasons:
- tape worked fine in another exact model JVC
- tape shows "perfect" image in FF/jog
- seller was exposed to have zero knowledge, so shady/unreliable deck sourcing

+ I've seen this happen countless times now. Typical MO.

(I know you're an eBay seller at times, for video gear, but you're in the 5% or so of good gear sellers, would never pawn off crap to dupes, and would never say something so cringeworthingly stupid. Also much of it random niche stuff, not VCRs, right? Not the standard fair around these parts. I actually find some of it interesting, though nothing I need.)
This is exactly right, I am sure it is not the tapes.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
08-18-2019, 09:54 AM
angrypoolman angrypoolman is offline
Free Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 18
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by hodgey View Post
Do you have some video of the two problems? It's a bit easier to say what the issue is when seeing what the terrible quality video looks like, and also with the loading issue if you can show a video of what it looks like with the cover off. If it's a dynamic drum issue, note that a forum user here has a guide to disabling the dynamic drum system to get around the issue of gears etc in it breaking.

If the problem in the first one is the mechanism, and the second one with the electronics, maybe it would work to use the mech from the second one in the first one.
EDIT: Just saw that you got rid of the first one
I think you guys are right about the dynamic drum issue, I should have kept the first. I could have at least sent it to LS so he could use it to restore and sell. I really don't know anything about this stuff, just trying to get through my project here lol
Reply With Quote
  #18  
08-18-2019, 01:18 PM
latreche34 latreche34 is online now
Free Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: USA
Posts: 3,257
Thanked 537 Times in 497 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by angrypoolman View Post
Not sure what an SP tape is, but I put in my Raiders of the Lost Ark tape and it played it just fine. But any VCR would play that just fine, so who cares if it plays that, right?
SP tapes are recorded at the highest tape speed the VHS standard offers, usually pre-recorded tapes. LP, EP, SLP ....etc differs from standard to another and from a VCR to another are lower speeds than SP used only to save tape and increase total recording time, The video and audio quality (linear track) is lower than of a SP tape and not all VCR's can play them back correctly without issues.
So if your VCR plays an SP tape fine and doesn't play an EP tape correctly it doesn't necessarily mean it's defective, however if you could return it and get one from Lordsmurf you know for sure you will be getting a working VCR.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post
I know you're an eBay seller at times, for video gear, but you're in the 5% or so of good gear sellers, would never pawn off crap to dupes, and would never say something so cringeworthingly stupid. Also much of it random niche stuff, not VCRs, right? Not the standard fair around these parts. I actually find some of it interesting, though nothing I need.)
It's just "empty the closet" for me, not a pro seller, I do sometimes restore and sell an item for the sake of profit if I see a good opportunity but not my source of income. and yes I don't sell something I'm not sure about its working condition.

Last edited by latreche34; 08-18-2019 at 01:29 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #19  
08-19-2019, 05:12 PM
angrypoolman angrypoolman is offline
Free Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 18
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
i am opening a case to have the item returned on ebay, and ebay requires a description of what is going on. Since I am not the most knowledgeable, I wanted to run this by somebody here to make sure what I am sending makes sense and is accurate.


The JVC HR-S9600U I purchased does not play EP tapes properly. The image on the screen is distorted and the tapes are completely unwatchable. This model of JVC has features such as TBC and DD that are there for the sole purpose of playing these types of videos, and that is why they are so expensive. Because the deck is not properly displaying video, I am requesting a return.
Reply With Quote
Reply




Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
VirtualDub + Elgato Video = terrible capture quality? Brandon Capture, Record, Transfer 8 11-17-2018 02:01 PM
1st capture test: Is it supposed to look THIS terrible? KenInCa Capture, Record, Transfer 6 07-10-2018 03:42 PM
AVI in MMC is fine, with VD terrible dropped frames Guessed Capture, Record, Transfer 2 08-07-2015 01:58 AM
Why do fonts look terrible on my DVD menus ? cp32 Author, Make Menus, Slideshows, Burn 5 03-01-2008 06:51 AM
Philips DVDR615 recorder is terrible lordsmurf Capture, Record, Transfer 0 08-14-2005 05:48 AM

Thread Tools



 
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:18 AM