Video Asylum

Posted by 4season (A) on July 14, 2006 at 20:41:40

In Reply to: Repair of Sony SLV-555 VHS VCR posted by Inmate51 on July 7, 2006 at 10:04:00:

I have not done business with Broadcast Store, but they definitely seem to carry pro gear. Bear in mind that secondhand machines like Panasonic's AG-7500 may be almost 20 years old now (but I don't know how long they were in production). Rack-mount broadcast VTRs of the era were big, heavy and not particularly quiet. They pump out a fair number of BTUs as well.

You can sometimes get parts for surprisingly old machines if you deal directly with Panasonic or Sony, though parts like belts and pinch rollers are aging.

Otherwise, have you considered a new JVC? They still offer machines in the $200 range. I bought such a model a few years ago and it's very lightweight and mostly plastic. But I'm careful when I use it and it works pretty well. S-video inputs and outputs and timebase corrector too. My high definition TV deinterlaces the video, and it doesn't look bad for what it is.

• http://www.broadcaststore.com/store/model_cat.cfm?id=443   (Open in New Window)