Nick

Yesterday my wife got a 2nd hand (keep fit) VCR on Ebay. We played the tape & it was terrible quality (horiz hold gone, poor sound, flickering, snow) & some white stuff on the tape edges. I did a full fast forward & rewind to try to get it right. We have now got a refund from the Ebay seller, but my VCR is now messed up!

Watching a film that I had recorded earlier, the film had very muffled low volume sound & this is the same on all tapes I've tried.

The VCR is a JVC HR-J770 with an automatic "B.E.S.T." picture routine that does an auto adjust of the tracking every time you play a tape.

Any ideas how I can fix this please?

hades

Sounds most like it has got your tape heads/pinch roller etc dirty.

Try a head cleaning cassette, or if that doesn't work, take the lid off, use Iso-Propyl Alcohol and some q-tips to GENTLY clean the rollers, the drum with the head on, etc.

Nick

Thanks for your reply.

I'll look for a head cleaning cassette first.

Mitchy260

Bin the VCR and get a DVD player

Nick

I know what you mean, but you can't time shift with DVD player. I have another thread discussing Sky+, so the VCR won't be needed if I get that. However I would still have a use for the VCR box for legacy tapes (wedding, kitten) & also I could link it to my CCTV system.

Jap2Scrap

Is it a VCR or a DeLorean?

paulr

Nick.i have the same problem with a jvc i bought from Comet.After three engineers it going back this afternoon.9 months of problems to do with tracking.
Unless it under warrenty i'd forget about it and get something else.

Nicci

Try the head cleaner first.

My video recording head on my machine is now playing up, playing tapes is fine, so sadly a head cleaner made no difference to my machine.

Nick

I meant that I used it to record stuff to watch at a more convenient time.

P1Fanatic

I read on some AV forum once that you dont even need a head cleaning tape - just use a brand new tape and set your video to record (so it uses playback and record heads) and leave for the entire length of the tape.

Simon.

Nick

Thanks guys

Bought a head cleaner & it's much better now than it was.

Tiggs

a VCR??????? hows your horse and cart?

CHUCK IT AWAY!!!! geta DVD and sky +

T

(whats ths...the antiques forum?)

Nick

Yeah I know.. bit of a financial issue right at the moment. We're supporting a grandmother's hospital treatment in a foreign country. (She's getting better).

£9.99 for a head cleaner is as far as I can push it.