JVC HR-S9600U video quality looks terrible?
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 :'( |
Did you buy it from eBay? :hmm:
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. :) |
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?
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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. |
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. |
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. |
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 :smack:
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. |
Yep, that's it, EP, all I need to know. :congrats:
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. |
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:
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Wow. :screwy:
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. :) |
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. |
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.
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- 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.) |
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 :( |
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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:
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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. |
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