NOTE: I've attached the PDF to this post, instead of linking to it at that other non-Sony site. Premium Members can attached certain common files to posts, as needed.
Also please keep technical posts in the forums, not PMs.
Now about the VCR...
I have to be honest with you -- I don't really know about this specific machine. However, I do have some general knowledge about medical VCRs:
- First starters, these tend to be very worn -- many thousands of hours of use. Sometimes you'll find decks like this have damaged heads, because the same tapes were used over and over again, destroying the tape AND damaging the VCR heads.
- The people using these were not video gearheads, so the VCR was often treated poorly, handled more roughly than a studio, video lab or broadcaster would have done on their own S-VHS machines.
- Personally, I'm afraid of the environment it was in -- hospitals feel more nasty than junkyards.The photo in that PDF is pretty gross, too.
The unit was primarily designed for freeze-frame and recording, perfecting playback wasn't as much of a consideration as it was for the machines from JVC or Panasonic that you'll usually see me suggesting.
There's a chance this is a beautiful deck that will play your tapes back very nicely. Hard to say