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and he states the unit works
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I don't trust eBay sellers any farther than I can throw them. As far as I'm concerned, all eBay sellers are guilty liars until proven innocent. Out of my last five purchases of video gear on eBay, only three of them were as described, and then other two had significant problems. Sure, the device "worked" if by working you mean "the power light comes on when plugged in". But the actual device had serious audio or video flaws that made it closer to a boat anchor than a piece that could be used in a professional video project workflow.
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so I popped the 5 screws out to see if there was a fuse.. and sure enough it's been blown.. I plugged the unit into a known good surge protector so I know I didn't kill the fuse..
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I doubt you caused the few to blow. But at least you had the foresight to know to look for a fuse. Indeed, that may be all that is needed. Simply buy a new one. Radio Shack carries many fuses. And then depending on what major city you may be in or near, there are likely other specialty electronics stores.
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seems like 1/3 are in SP but quite a few are in LP
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SP = 2 hours (when recording to a standard T120 tape)
LP = 4 hours
SLP or EP = 6 hours
So these are a mix of 2-hour and 4-hour "mode" recorded tapes?
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my vcr sucks and was told to get a video enhancer
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You received bad advice. The detailer III has one function, and ONLY one function: to slightly increase perceived sharpness detail on already-excellent video tapes. If you want a highly-quality SP mode recording to look closer to the sharpness of a DVD, then a detailer is perfect. For anything else, it's not helpful.
If your VCR sucks, then you need a better VCR. Read this:
VCR Buying Guide (S-VHS, D-VHS, Professional) for restoring video
You need a VCR from that list, and possibly a full-frame TBC. More on TBCs here:
What is a TBC? Time Base Correction for Videotapes
Please let me know where you received the bad advice! (What site, if online.) We like to showcase BS in our
tech myths section of the forum. There's just really no excuse for bad advice.
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what VCR can I get that all help with sharpness and color and tracking
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See the list, as linked above.
You don't want to overly artificially sharpen video, as it will lead to "ringing" (halos and other noise), as well as make video that is hard to compress. (i.e., the DVDs will look overcompressed and have digital noise artifacts).
A good VCR will generally track a tape well.
VCRs are not going to alter color quality, although a good VCR will play with good color quality (or at least as accurate as the source was recorded as). To alter color, you need a proc amp (i.e, SignVideo PA-100, Elite Video BVP-4 Plus). A "proc amp" is a color processor/amplifier, which adjusts "brightness, contrast, tint and saturation" -- or more technically accurate, and using video terms, adjusting luminance, chroma, IRE, burst, etc. The available corrections varies from proc amp to proc amp.
$200 will probably get a decent VCR. Maybe you could also find a Vidicraft Proc Amp for cheap, though I doubt it. (Usually $75+, but I see some for as low as $25 during low-demand times, or simply due to poor sales location or description. For example, NOT eBay.) The budget works, which is good.
I think I was able to answer those questions.
Generally such detailed advice is reserved for
Premium Members, but it was a slow day for new questions.
