VHS with black artefacts after few play

Maurizio85 · #1 03-12-2023, 03:07 AM

Hi all,
New member here.
Since last month i have been digitalizing my horror VHS collection, which sounds awesome on paper but it seems like the VHS/DVD combo i borrowed thinks otherwise.
The player is a Philips DVD/VHS combo, with what I suppose it is Funai parts (based on the internet), which from what I understand are the worst. Fair enough i guess.
I have been recording around 70vhs, and it started to have issues as you can see on the screenshot. I m not sure what those artifacts are called, so i just call them picture artifacts.
Through VLC some disappear using the Motion Blur feature but of course the pic gets, in most cases, super unclear.
I cleaned the headers and other parts with paper/glasses tissue and 99% alcohol as mentioned on the internet.
It was a bit dirty, i cleaned and it is, based on the papers, clean... It didn't do anything. Picture is still has you see in the attached screenshot.
It was working fine, and now this. A technician here would ask for 100€+ euros which makes it not worth it.
Do you guys have any idea (i have no technical skills on this kind of stuff, so super noob) of what would be the cause? Damaged/used headers? Throw it in the garbage, end of a friendship?
Thanks in advance for any kind of help ��
Note: they look the same if linked to a tv instead of the video grabber
Different tapes:

Screenshot: https://ibb.co/TcVKGD3
Screenshot 2: https://ibb.co/5RDsZQ2
Screenshot 3: https://ibb.co/ChXyNCx
Demons on this player: https://ibb.co/Xs05xQ3
Demons same tape on another player (now broken): https://ibb.co/554XLPN

latreche34 · #2 03-12-2023, 05:29 AM

Loks like head damage to me, If you have a way to super zoom on the video drum heads I can confirm to you if they are damaged or not, Requires removing the VCR top cover and have a way to macro photo equipement such as a USB microscope.

themaster1 · #3 03-12-2023, 06:08 AM

heads shot or very dirty

Maurizio85 · #4 03-12-2023, 06:20 AM

https://ibb.co/kKfD4Rv
https://ibb.co/ZmnbQgC
https://ibb.co/v3bLhXN
The best i can do... Dunno if it helps.
Thanks in advance

hodgey · #5 03-12-2023, 06:28 AM

Does the same happen with tapes recorded in long play mode?

Maurizio85 · #6 03-12-2023, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hodgey

Does the same happen with tapes recorded in long play mode?

I only have normal commercial VHS, not recorded so i m not sure. But it worked (some showed the artifacts already but in really less amount, and the 2nd tape would work no issue) for the first 70ish VHS i recorded then that happened (some a bit better but still showing artifacts some worse).

Same morning, 4 different VHS

https://ibb.co/f4Ntmj4
https://ibb.co/SnT6QNC
https://ibb.co/yYw1JWz
https://ibb.co/YPQrn4j

Although now they all look like the one from the first post

BarryTheCrab · #7 03-12-2023, 11:15 AM

Maybe one of the tapes had damage, a crappy splice, debris, and playback resulted in damage. Maybe.

Maurizio85 · #8 03-12-2023, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarryTheCrab

Maybe one of the tapes had damage, a crappy splice, debris, and playback resulted in damage. Maybe.

They are old VHS (mostly ex rentals) could have been as you said, therefore i guess that's about it with this player (the repair shop would ask more than the price of buying a "new" ... I mean using VLC motion blur feature helps a bit but that's about it...) Quite sad cause the player isn't even mine

Any other ideas? (Thanks to all for the help/suggestions till now)

latreche34 · #9 03-12-2023, 12:22 PM

The picture in Post#6 looks better than the pictures you showed before so I don't understand the chronology here, If those are your latest results than it could be a head pre-amp issue, leaky capacitors, cracked PCB traces/soldier joints ...etc.

The best way is to just buy your own VCR and re-capture the tapes, A partial solution is to find as much titles as you can on DVD so you don't have to digitize all the tapes, Anyway you look at it, it costs money, and like any other hobby, there is a cost involved.

Maurizio85 · #10 03-12-2023, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by latreche34

The picture in Post#6 looks better than the pictures you showed before so I don't understand the chronology here, If those are your latest results than it could be a head pre-amp issue, leaky capacitors, cracked PCB traces/soldier joints ...etc.

The best way is to just buy your own VCR and re-capture the tapes, A partial solution is to find as much titles as you can on DVD so you don't have to digitize all the tapes, Anyway you look at it, it costs money, and like any other hobby, there is a cost involved.

Same morning, 4 different VHS

https://ibb.co/f4Ntmj4
https://ibb.co/SnT6QNC
https://ibb.co/yYw1JWz
https://ibb.co/YPQrn4j

How u ripped is how they are linked . I do also have the DVD for these it's not that, it's because these cuts are available only on vhs, i hoped to digitalize the majority of them and then leave them as display and not to use them. I tried also a new sealed tape and same results, so i guess the headers are done for... Maybe i ll buy a "new" vcr and rip the last ones and then call it a day.
I want to thank everybody for the suggestions and comments, really appreciated it.