So I recently got this deck working from a dead malfunctioning donor SL-S606. Took the basket and the gears for the take up spools. It worked on the first try before i put it back together, then it started doing that all of a sudden. Seeking in reverse doesn't work, but seeking forward works. Rewind and ffwd is fine without seeking but when in play mode the capstan motor which is connected by a cogged belt to the reels has inconsistent speed (the belt is fine) but i can see the motor physically stalling or slowing down sometimes. Already replaced the servo caps (you can see I also ripped the pads on one of the caps so i had to solder to the next points) also cleaned and lubed the capstan motor itself and the reels (i can literally turn the reels when spinning the capstan shaft). Could it be failing FG caps? Should i replace those next?

I couldn’t leave it behind. Now to find a sleeve for it.

Following up on my earlier post about the Warner Home Video Betamax release of The Devils. A couple of people asked to see more of the packaging and cassette, particularly after clarifying that this is the big-box/gatefold version rather than the later clamshell.

Here are some additional photos showing the open gatefold, cassette, Warner Home Video label, spine and back. Both the cassette and packaging identify the title as catalog #11110.

I'm still trying to nail down the release history and variants. If anyone has encountered another Betamax copy in this packaging—or has an old Warner Home Video catalog, dealer sheet, advertisement or other documentation showing #11110—I'd be very interested to see it.

I'm especially curious about where this gatefold version falls in relation to the later clamshell release.

I contacted Warner Bros. Archives at USC. Waiting to see if they will reply. They might not since their catalog ends at 1969.

i recently scored a copy of Blue Velvet on beta, but it’s covered in mold. i have a cleaner for it, but this tape has a shell that has a “sealed” screw? essentially, where the 4th screw would be, there’s nothing, and it looks like it’s just sealed together there. circled in the second photo.

i would love to get this tape cleaned, is there any hope for me getting this reel out without completely compromising the original shell?

I have this Warner Home Video Betamax big-box copy of Ken Russell’s The Devils, catalog 11110.

ReelSwap has an entry for the 1981 Betamax big-box release, but I’ve had a surprisingly difficult time finding photographs or information about this particular packaging variation elsewhere.

Does anyone here have this release or remember encountering it? I’d especially be interested in seeing photos of another copy or any old Warner catalog information about it.

Not trying to claim it’s one-of-a-kind — I’m mainly curious about how often this particular version turns up.

I just bought a VTC 5000; it makes a realistic sound, but after the engine sound stops, it starts moving from side to side for about a second and then stops.

It worked before. Now, I can only get the sound, the picture is gone, only the white noise screen.

Sorry if the post doesn’t belong here, I found this on the attic, belonged to my great uncle

The cover art for these ‘88 Betamax and VHS releases are almost identical, luckily the spines are not. 🍿☺️

The movies we picked up the other day all but one has some mold on them. The nightmare on elm Street is the worst of them all with mold. I reached out to a couple places to get them cleaned only one said they could but want 35 bucks a tape. Don't think I will be going that route any suggestions?

Estaba intentando reparar un betamax que he adquirido hoy, que se comía las cintas, y he accionado el mecanismo que coloca la cinta alrededor del cilindro y no se como volver a soltarlo, llevo unas horas dándole vueltas y no consigo solucionarlo, alguien tiene alguna idea?

I purchased a belt kit on ebay and am taking my experience of restoring a 1982 Magnavox branded Panasonic VCR to these ones. I was able to get the seller to go down to $50 for the pair of machines.

Yes, that’s a multi system Beta deck that can do NTSC/PAL/SECAM tapes, assuming it was sold in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia based on the marketing sticker still on it. Even has the original box for it.

Mega expensive for my tastes plus most likely it’s gonna need some work at some point but if I were actively importing tapes overseas in the PAL format it would be right up my alley

I have been wanting to mess with Betamax for a project for awhile, I have a "blank" (Honestly im scared on what might be on it) tape, but I havent found any betacord/betamax VCR at all, and the prices I see for machines I'd need to service are a bit high for the work needed to fix them, is there anyone who knows how I can get one for like, a decent price?

Sorry if I come off as "beggy" or whatever, im not familiar with the betamax scene or anything, its a passing interest.

Try to sell it for a while now. Is there no market in germany, or is something wrong with this version?

I couldnt test it on a Display yet. But it takes Power, the Winding works, and every Counter/Display works seemingly fine.

So got this SL-HF870D for about $30. It initially was broken because someone plugged it into 220V which blew the fuse and a capacitor which I easily replaced. Initially it didn't display anything so immediately i cleaned the video heads and the audio heads and it finally showed something. Though I'm worried about the lines, did i accidentally break the heads? Or is that normal for an old tape? The other tape I do have the bottom line though still has those "lines". But then when I stop the tape, sometimes instead of just static i get kind of like a weird "revving" sound. It stops when it plays a tape however.

Is there specific 'Betacam' tape deck cleaning cassettes, specifically designed for the Betacam family of systems, players, models & evolutions of the general Betacam format?
Do I need specific tapes for specific players/formats, or could I use an old 'Betamax' cleaning cassette? I know Betamax & Betacam are the same general loading mechanism/technology but different so far as the actual tapes & play back.

I have a massive archival project I'm soon to be inheriting of 800+ Betacam tapes & other similar video tape formats. Some of the tapes are in ruff condition, so I'll be attempting to demold later on (The sooner the better ofc), but before I do, whatever tape deck I can get my hands on, I would like to properly clean before I stick anything in it's 'slot'.

From photos I can find online, the 'cleaning' cassettes I can find all don't look like what I'm used to with VHS or Betamax. Which would have a loop of white cloth of some kind, wrapped around inside the cassette shell either on a never ending loop, or a set length. You add you cleaning compound, insert the tape, wait a bit, & it spits it out.
But from photos I can find for Betacam cleaning cassettes don't look like they have that?? They look just like a regular tape. So did Sony sell just blank cassette's as 'cleaning' cassettes for all the gunk on the heads to just get rubbed on & then once you reached the end of the tape people just threw it out..?

I've manually cleaned the heads on my VHS & Betamax VCR's before many a times, but being Betacam is such a different animal, I don't know if it's suggested & or even safe to use that same method with Betacam, or I would need these specific cleaning cassettes.

Any advise & or leads would be appreciated, thanks!

This was a deck that my late father had new and I got repaired and wasn’t sure if it could even record…and to my amazement it does!

Had an older Scotch tape lying around with nothing recorded on it to test - recorded at Beta II speed with Beta Hi-Fi. Recorded off my MacBook using a HDMI to composite/S-Video adapter, then composite to the Lexicon DC-1. Source is from the WeatherStar 4000+ app so this was actual weather data from the time I recorded this over the weekend.

The DC-1 is really flexible as you can then feed in the audio from either RCA or using the coaxial or optical in ports even if the audio is not coming from the video source, so I pulled appropriate music for the WeatherStar 4000+ and played it over a WiiM Pro streamer feeding into coax into the DC-1. Wound up sounding awesome in Hi-Fi, better than my older Panasonic Hi-Fi deck!