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Combi's VCR recordings starting to go dodgy
td1983
31-10-2008
My trusty Philips TV/Video combi's VCR is starting to go, i reckon. I have made a couple of recordings on it in recent weeks and the recording plays ok for a few minutes, then the tracking goes, meaning I have to get it to auto clean itself. Twice in the last couple of weeks it has totally screwed up some recordings it has made, rendering the picture totally unwatchable, all snow with sound only.

My question is, althought the VCR plays tapes fine otherwise (with a slight tracking glitch here and there) do you reckon it's wearing out? I've had it for eight years and used it constantly in that time, it must be said.
njp
31-10-2008
Possibly. Although if you are constantly re-using the same tapes, it might be those that are wearing out, and shedding oxide onto the recording heads.

Now might be a good time to consider upgrading to a hard drive digital recorder, finances permitting... I guarantee you won't ever want to go back to a VCR.
td1983
03-11-2008
Thanks for that. It turns out that it wan't broken after all. Like you say, maybe its the oxide particles being deposited more regularly from certain reused tapes onto the heads, I don't know.

I tried a PVR last year. Good they are too, but I have a policy of never leaving anything on standby unless it's an essential appliance (fridge, freezer, etc). So when I switched my PVR off at the mains, it wiped the drive next time I came to switch it on. So I sent it back. I just don't want to run the risk of bumping my electricity bill up too high by leaving a PVR on standby. But granted, they are far superior to VCRS.
Scorpio
03-11-2008
Originally Posted by td1983:
“I have a policy of never leaving anything on standby unless it's an essential appliance (fridge, freezer, etc).
I just don't want to run the risk of bumping my electricity bill up too high by leaving a PVR on standby. ”

So how does a VCR manage a timed recording set to come on after you have gone to bed? Surely it is left in 'timer' mode which is standby - or am i mistaken?

Rgds,
Scorp
njp
03-11-2008
Originally Posted by td1983:
“I tried a PVR last year. Good they are too, but I have a policy of never leaving anything on standby unless it's an essential appliance (fridge, freezer, etc). So when I switched my PVR off at the mains, it wiped the drive next time I came to switch it on. So I sent it back. I just don't want to run the risk of bumping my electricity bill up too high by leaving a PVR on standby. But granted, they are far superior to VCRS.”

If the PVR wiped the drive on power-up, it was faulty... The only consequence you would expect is that the EPG might not get updated (for those models that download it overnight), and you might miss out on firmware updates.

Presumably you leave your VCR combi in standby to make unattended recordings (as the previous poster said) or at least to maintain the clock. Or is the clock constantly flashing and you only record things you are watching?

Some PVRs have a rather excessive standby power consumption, given what they have to do - but this has greatly improved in many recent offerings. An annual running cost in standby of less than £1 is easily achievable.
td1983
04-11-2008
No, I don't leave my combi on standby-like I said, I like to save power, not waste it. I also leave things off overnight for safety reasons, I don't want any electrica faults causing a fire or anything. I'm a bit paranoid-aren't I?!

The PVR I had was a Digifusion. Good one too, but for practical reasons, a physical recording format is what I prefer. I also have a DVD recorder that I use as well, but I use my VCR more often for timer recordings, so as not to wear the laser out.
njp
04-11-2008
Each to their own.
Scorpio
04-11-2008
Originally Posted by td1983:
“No, I don't leave my combi on standby-like I said, I like to save power, not waste it. I also leave things off overnight for safety reasons, I don't want any electrica faults causing a fire or anything. I'm a bit paranoid-aren't I?!

The PVR I had was a Digifusion. Good one too, but for practical reasons, a physical recording format is what I prefer. I also have a DVD recorder that I use as well, but I use my VCR more often for timer recordings, so as not to wear the laser out.”

Sounds like the infamous 'Mrs Richards' who gave Basil such a hard time in Fawlty Towers - she was stone deaf but wouldn't turn her HEARING AID! on as it ran the batteries down!!!

A bit paranoid.........................

Scorp
njp
04-11-2008
Originally Posted by Scorpio:
“Sounds like the infamous 'Mrs Richards' who gave Basil such a hard time in Fawlty Towers - she was stone deaf but wouldn't turn her HEARING AID! on as it ran the batteries down!!!”

Or James Thurber's grandmother, who spent the last years of her life covering up the wall sockets in her house to stop the electricity leaking out...
td1983
04-11-2008
I'm just cautious, that's all. Speaking of Fawlty Towers, better make sure you turn that answering machine off, folks...
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