Panasonic NV-HS1000 picture (soft-sharpness) slider not working
 

I just bought a used Panasonic NV-HS1000. Got it very cheap so didn't really expect it to work at all... but it actually seems to works surprisingly well. The only problem I've found so far is the picture slider for adjusting softness-sharpness isn't working. It doesn't really sharpen or blur the image one single bit. Except from this, everything else seems to work perfect.

What can be the problem? I guess it may be a problem with one of the capacitors? Is there one specific capacitor I should take a closer look at? Or can it be something else?

There is a switch on the front that is labelled 'Ai' which stands for Artificial Intelligence - its the very first version of the CVC - Crystal View Control - that appeared on later decks. One of the things Ai does is auto adjust the sharpening so make sure it is off - and leave it off. Manual sharpening is the way to go.

OF COURSE! :congrats:
Gosh, I feel stupid now *ashamed* :smack:

Gosh, that actually means this unit is working perfectly. WOW! Thanks a lot :)

Glad you got it sorted. Have you checked the tape path for cleanliness? It's worth replacing the pinch roller if it looks in any way shiny as when they are worn out the tape will wander up the ACE head and will give all sorts of little errors. They are still available new.

Oh, it didn't look very worn, but if it's a common problem and it's still possible to get them new, I will order one right away ;-) Where can I order it?

Found the part number in the service manual and have ordered it now from a company, Dönberg Electronics in Ireland:
http://www.donberg.ie/catalogue/vide...ers/13124.html

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, QUASIPAL! :)

I see you found the same place I used - good that they carry them still! Well changing it is easy and well worth doing. The bearing inside the roller wears too and creates a slightly wavery sound when playing the linear audio track when worn. The pinch roller is a very critical item and so replacement is a good thing.

I have the exact same problem as OP, but my AI slider is already off. I tried with TBC on and off, and with a Panasonic DMR-ES15 in between as well. Can there be other causes for its ineffect?

If the editing control slider is on passive the picture slider has no function.

Ah that's good to know! I read here that I should keep that on Passive:

Should I set it to either Player or Recorder? If so, which one?

I'm not sure but I think the difference between player/recorder comes down to the edit controls/functions and doesn't have any impact on the image. The manual states "normally set to this" for recorder on the edit mode switch. Passive disables or reduces noise reduction and detail enhancement/sharpness adjustment as noted in addition to impacting the editing functionality. On the one I've used player/recorder makes the colors a bit bland/weak, so I've tended to use passive. I've seen similar from some other users, not sure if it's the case on all of these or if it's supposed to be like that or if it's something to do with aging components/internal adjustments. You'll have to judge what setting you prefer.