When the RCA deck died, my dad bought that JVC, and it worked well from '84 to roughly '94. I had the clock replaced (I think it cost $500 CAD, as that part had to be shipped from Japan + labour in Toronto), and I sensed the loading was slow and not too responsive. The deck went into storage, where it's sat for 20+ years. That said, the following year, JVC's next deck had Hifi, but I used this deck many times to record off TV, and its insert editing made for clean & separate video and audio punch in & outs. The linear stereo was very good when audio was fed via the rear RCA inputs, and it never ate tapes when shuttling or using the slow-mo feature.
Hello! Love the videos. I just replaced my belts on this exact model and plays really good. Would it be possible to make a video of you demonstrating the recording features? Primarily recording from the composite in on the back?
The best, longest-lasting JVC rubber parts were found in the late-1980s to early-1990s models. Studio Sound Electronics called these JVC VCR mechanisms, MBK-42 and MBK-45.
33:55 I had a Panasonic PV-V4020 Omnivision that was manufactured in 2003 (black) that had LP. I think the got rid of it around that time when they started making the silver ones.
Love these VCR videos! I was just given a Sharp VC-H972 4-Head 19 Micron-Head Hi-Fi VCR a week or so ago. It's a really good unit! Everything I throw at it plays nicely! Gave the video/audio heads and the pinch roller a clean, although I haven't gotten around to check the belts and mode switch (hopefully those are easy to access🤔). Seems to do all functions perfectly though!😁👌 Edit: I had that Daffy Duck tape a few years ago, but since it wasn't in the greatest condition when I got it, I thought it wasn't worth keeping, so I got rid of it. That's from Parents Approved Video, isn't it? I still have some tapes from them, one is a Sports Blooper video of all things! I need to upload it soon, hopefully the tracks that are used aren't affected by copyright. If so, I'll put it on the Internet Archive!
@@probnotstech Oh okay! I got confused from the "label" on the actual cassette cuz that's the kind that Parents Approved Video uses. I believe GTK is the Canadian equivalent of Goodtimes Home Video.
@@probnotstech Edit to my previous comments: Turns out I was wrong about the label of your tape being the same as Parents Approved Video, it's instead from HGV. Rewatched that part cuz I didn't want to feel like an idiot haha😆😆 Also when I said that GTK was the Canadian equivalent of Goodtimes Home Video, I meant to say HGV instead of GTK. I know that HGV also released of Thomas The Tank Engine in Canada while the U.S. had Strand Home Video, Video Treasures, and Anchor Bay Entertainment respectively. Some VHS companies fail to change the back cover to say Canada instead of U.S. which is bizarre. Just wanted to proofread my mistakes!😁👌
What a beautiful tank. That chainloading mechanism is serious business. A machine worth preserving and gives me a strangely good feeling to see it being restored! Makes no sense, but there you go. VHS and video in general is certainly lo-fi, but it has charm and personality to it and the sheer amount of material that exists on videotape, both commercial and private is staggeringly huge. A long video deserves a long comment, so adding a bit of sad analog news from my country, the modernists at the government radio have finally won and one of the two LW radio masts was demolished last month and the LW broadcasts are to be turned off next year completely. We are ruled by philistines and modernists, truly. The locals cheered as the mast was demolished because the were "annoyed by the lights" emitted by the pilot lights. It's bad enough that they're demolishing the masts, they're actually celebrating it 🤡
I'm dreading when we eventually shut down AM(MW) and even some FM transmissions over here. I know it's a long way away, but it's going to be a sad day when it happens.
@@probnotstech Same here, - and sorry about the rant, but I am genuinely shocked - this is labeled as "progress" and therefore very important and is celebrated and applauded as "progress". For us "IRL" the LW serves a security purpose for the fishing fleet which is far away from the reach of FM in many cases, and this is a tacit confirmation that our leaders are out of touch with reality. Literally the response was: "get Starlink or sth losers!" because that's a sure bet into the future - a massive subscription-based satellite network by Elon Musk instead of a super reliable technology that anyone with minimal knowledge of electronics can build a receiver from out of spare parts from a toaster! This isn't progress, I love technology but this is barbarism. Anyway, back to the regular scheduled program :) Good to have a new probnot tech video ❤
@@probnotstech Norway shut down FM in 2011 a beach town I went on vacation actually had a lot of AM it was still alive and well there. I was actually listning to a story about nasa on am radio they even had an am station playing 50s and 60s hits haven't seen that in for ever.
17:06 That's the cue head, which also acts as the back-tension arm. Be careful not to snag its flat-flex when refitting the front loading mechanism. I seem to always manage it with the HR-7700 (aka the Ferguson Videostar 3V23), which is quite similar. These were good machines for the time, but quickly superseded by Hi-Fi VHS, a few years later. We had them here in the UK badged up as the Ferguson Videostar 3V32 (via Thorn Consumer Electronics), though you could still get the JVC version (HR-7655EK), which was a different colour, along with many versions badged exclusively for the rental market. I believe the European/ German 'EG' version was the only one to have a stereo tuner, natively.
I first saw this VCR in a store about 30 years ago. I thought it was really strange-looking, especially the tape-speed switch, which would move between EP and SP but with LP blocked off. I always wondered if it I could move it up to the LP position if I removed the machine's front faceplate. A lot of JVC VCRs from its era had strange styling. The linear stereo and Dolby would be much more useful with VU meters and adjustable recording levels. 15:54 - People in Australia have to watch for _living_ spiders inside old machines -- a bite from the wrong kind of spider there can be deadly! 32:49 - Whether or not LP is useful for recording depends on the widths of the video heads. The track pitches of SP, LP, and EP are 58 μm, 29 μm, and 19 μm. If the video heads for LP and EP on a four-head VCR are only 19 μm wide, there is no sense in recording on LP because they will not record any more information than on EP. But if those heads are wider (like on many Panasonic VCRs, where they are 26 μm wide), LP will definitely give a better picture than EP. This allowed me to use LP as a "poor man's SP" when I was running out of tape. I never liked VCRs without LP-mode recording. For me, they are like cellphones without 3.5 mm headphone jacks. 45:22 - Does it not have an "AFT" switch ("automatic fine tuning")? That would help. 46:28 - On some institutional VCRs with linear stereo (both VHS and Betamax), the audio-dub feature only re-recorded the right channel and not the left. (I don't know why.)
I came across 2 identical JVC BR-6400U's recently for $20... looks like it's very similar to your unit. I agree, it's a toy. Not for practical purposes. TONS OF LITTLE PARTS!! When I saw the segment where you show the loading mechanism working, i was like YES!! I know the struggle of getting that to function properly LOL As for your question about the "Lever with wires", JVC calls that the "Tension Arm" and it operates the "Differential Transformer" (i have an original service manual, which you should get btw!!)
The tension arm portion makes sense, all VCRs have that. For the electrical part @Oldgamingfart mentioned it's called the "cue head" which makes me think it was used for reading/writing the index marks. Though I could have sworn later VCRs accomplished the cue function without an additional head. Regarding the service manual - where did you find one?
@@probnotstech Good ole eBay. It's INSANELY comprehensive as well... there are many, MANY colorful multi-page centerfolds, going all the way up to eight pages in length (like 6 feet unfolded). its just insane
When the RCA deck died, my dad bought that JVC, and it worked well from '84 to roughly '94. I had the clock replaced (I think it cost $500 CAD, as that part had to be shipped from Japan + labour in Toronto), and I sensed the loading was slow and not too responsive. The deck went into storage, where it's sat for 20+ years. That said, the following year, JVC's next deck had Hifi, but I used this deck many times to record off TV, and its insert editing made for clean & separate video and audio punch in & outs. The linear stereo was very good when audio was fed via the rear RCA inputs, and it never ate tapes when shuttling or using the slow-mo feature.
Hello! Love the videos. I just replaced my belts on this exact model and plays really good. Would it be possible to make a video of you demonstrating the recording features? Primarily recording from the composite in on the back?
I was told that JVC had some the best rubber parts ever mad and I can believe it as my Zenith (OEM JVC) still has all it's original belts and parts.
The best, longest-lasting JVC rubber parts were found in the late-1980s to early-1990s models. Studio Sound Electronics called these JVC VCR mechanisms, MBK-42 and MBK-45.
The finest VCR in my collection. Weighs a ton. The black one with double-rate speed recording, dont remember the number now, is also cool.
33:55 I had a Panasonic PV-V4020 Omnivision that was manufactured in 2003 (black) that had LP. I think the got rid of it around that time when they started making the silver ones.
Love these VCR videos! I was just given a Sharp VC-H972 4-Head 19 Micron-Head Hi-Fi VCR a week or so ago. It's a really good unit! Everything I throw at it plays nicely! Gave the video/audio heads and the pinch roller a clean, although I haven't gotten around to check the belts and mode switch (hopefully those are easy to access🤔). Seems to do all functions perfectly though!😁👌
Edit: I had that Daffy Duck tape a few years ago, but since it wasn't in the greatest condition when I got it, I thought it wasn't worth keeping, so I got rid of it. That's from Parents Approved Video, isn't it? I still have some tapes from them, one is a Sports Blooper video of all things! I need to upload it soon, hopefully the tracks that are used aren't affected by copyright. If so, I'll put it on the Internet Archive!
Mine is from some company called GTK Inc.
@@probnotstech Oh okay! I got confused from the "label" on the actual cassette cuz that's the kind that Parents Approved Video uses. I believe GTK is the Canadian equivalent of Goodtimes Home Video.
Weirdly enough the sleeve says GTK was located in the US. It even has a "Made in USA" flag on the back.
@@probnotstech Ok nevermind you were right! I think I got that mixed up with another company LOL!🙃
@@probnotstech Edit to my previous comments: Turns out I was wrong about the label of your tape being the same as Parents Approved Video, it's instead from HGV. Rewatched that part cuz I didn't want to feel like an idiot haha😆😆
Also when I said that GTK was the Canadian equivalent of Goodtimes Home Video, I meant to say HGV instead of GTK. I know that HGV also released of Thomas The Tank Engine in Canada while the U.S. had Strand Home Video, Video Treasures, and Anchor Bay Entertainment respectively. Some VHS companies fail to change the back cover to say Canada instead of U.S. which is bizarre. Just wanted to proofread my mistakes!😁👌
What a beautiful tank. That chainloading mechanism is serious business. A machine worth preserving and gives me a strangely good feeling to see it being restored! Makes no sense, but there you go. VHS and video in general is certainly lo-fi, but it has charm and personality to it and the sheer amount of material that exists on videotape, both commercial and private is staggeringly huge. A long video deserves a long comment, so adding a bit of sad analog news from my country, the modernists at the government radio have finally won and one of the two LW radio masts was demolished last month and the LW broadcasts are to be turned off next year completely. We are ruled by philistines and modernists, truly. The locals cheered as the mast was demolished because the were "annoyed by the lights" emitted by the pilot lights. It's bad enough that they're demolishing the masts, they're actually celebrating it 🤡
I'm dreading when we eventually shut down AM(MW) and even some FM transmissions over here. I know it's a long way away, but it's going to be a sad day when it happens.
@@probnotstech Same here, - and sorry about the rant, but I am genuinely shocked - this is labeled as "progress" and therefore very important and is celebrated and applauded as "progress". For us "IRL" the LW serves a security purpose for the fishing fleet which is far away from the reach of FM in many cases, and this is a tacit confirmation that our leaders are out of touch with reality. Literally the response was: "get Starlink or sth losers!" because that's a sure bet into the future - a massive subscription-based satellite network by Elon Musk instead of a super reliable technology that anyone with minimal knowledge of electronics can build a receiver from out of spare parts from a toaster! This isn't progress, I love technology but this is barbarism. Anyway, back to the regular scheduled program :) Good to have a new probnot tech video ❤
@@probnotstech Norway shut down FM in 2011 a beach town I went on vacation actually had a lot of AM it was still alive and well there. I was actually listning to a story about nasa on am radio they even had an am station playing 50s and 60s hits haven't seen that in for ever.
17:06 That's the cue head, which also acts as the back-tension arm. Be careful not to snag its flat-flex when refitting the front loading mechanism. I seem to always manage it with the HR-7700 (aka the Ferguson Videostar 3V23), which is quite similar.
These were good machines for the time, but quickly superseded by Hi-Fi VHS, a few years later. We had them here in the UK badged up as the Ferguson Videostar 3V32 (via Thorn Consumer Electronics), though you could still get the JVC version (HR-7655EK), which was a different colour, along with many versions badged exclusively for the rental market.
I believe the European/ German 'EG' version was the only one to have a stereo tuner, natively.
Ohhh, I didn't even think of the index function! That's really neat.
@@probnotstech I was about to reply about the tension arm being the index head. That GE made by Hitachi that’s all wood grain has that similar setup.
I first saw this VCR in a store about 30 years ago. I thought it was really strange-looking, especially the tape-speed switch, which would move between EP and SP but with LP blocked off. I always wondered if it I could move it up to the LP position if I removed the machine's front faceplate. A lot of JVC VCRs from its era had strange styling.
The linear stereo and Dolby would be much more useful with VU meters and adjustable recording levels.
15:54 - People in Australia have to watch for _living_ spiders inside old machines -- a bite from the wrong kind of spider there can be deadly!
32:49 - Whether or not LP is useful for recording depends on the widths of the video heads. The track pitches of SP, LP, and EP are 58 μm, 29 μm, and 19 μm. If the video heads for LP and EP on a four-head VCR are only 19 μm wide, there is no sense in recording on LP because they will not record any more information than on EP. But if those heads are wider (like on many Panasonic VCRs, where they are 26 μm wide), LP will definitely give a better picture than EP. This allowed me to use LP as a "poor man's SP" when I was running out of tape.
I never liked VCRs without LP-mode recording. For me, they are like cellphones without 3.5 mm headphone jacks.
45:22 - Does it not have an "AFT" switch ("automatic fine tuning")? That would help.
46:28 - On some institutional VCRs with linear stereo (both VHS and Betamax), the audio-dub feature only re-recorded the right channel and not the left. (I don't know why.)
As a huge VHS collector to me this is the most beautiful VCR I have owned. The style is the definition of the 80´s. Each to their own.
Anch'io sono un grande appassionato e collezionista VHS,sempre avuto nel cuore!
“Honey, wake up… probnot’s tech just uploaded. 😊”
there one man in the uk 99 to video man he allways doing hard to fix video decks
I came across 2 identical JVC BR-6400U's recently for $20... looks like it's very similar to your unit. I agree, it's a toy. Not for practical purposes. TONS OF LITTLE PARTS!!
When I saw the segment where you show the loading mechanism working, i was like YES!! I know the struggle of getting that to function properly LOL
As for your question about the "Lever with wires", JVC calls that the "Tension Arm" and it operates the "Differential Transformer" (i have an original service manual, which you should get btw!!)
The tension arm portion makes sense, all VCRs have that. For the electrical part @Oldgamingfart mentioned it's called the "cue head" which makes me think it was used for reading/writing the index marks. Though I could have sworn later VCRs accomplished the cue function without an additional head.
Regarding the service manual - where did you find one?
@@probnotstech Good ole eBay. It's INSANELY comprehensive as well... there are many, MANY colorful multi-page centerfolds, going all the way up to eight pages in length (like 6 feet unfolded). its just insane
Hmm, only one on there for the EG (PAL) model, but I'll keep an eye out. Thanks!
Can you play Titanic on VHS in it?
Yes! But only one at a time.
That crappy Tape is sound drunk
Old tape slp sp tape very old