What was wrong with the Betamax format?

[2cvbloke]

Just thought I'd drag this up cos I'm bored...

I still want to get myself an SL-F1UB and TT-F1UB (the tuner), they look beautiful, and the VCR half is portable, if you can get a new battery for it that is!!! I'd love to hook up a Betamax recorder to a modern DVB-S box and record modern TV onto the old format, and I thought that maybey even have a VHS VCR hooked up at the same time to compare the two afterwards (modernish VCR vs. Betamax, who'll win? ;) ), and if the kit came with the camera too I could have alsorts of fun*....

*not in the way you're thinking you dirty perve!!!

 

[2cvbloke]

Sony SL-F1UB, TT-F1UB, AC-F1UB, BCP-220, HVC-2000 or 4000, HVR-320, Batteries (condition unsure), and a Ferguson VHS version, colour monitor/TV and a couple of chargers (for the VHS I guess), all mine for £65...

I'll just translate the model numbers...

SL-F1UB - The Betamax VCR with Sony K-Type camera input.
TT-F1UB - The Tuner & Timer unit for the main VCR, also powers the SL unit via a loop-through.
AC-F1UB - The battery charger & PSU in one unit, for both the TT and SL units (aswell as the PCM-F1UB if I can ever find one)
BCP-220 - A 4-battery compartment for powering the TT & SL units aswell as the camera.
HVC-2000/4000 - Sony's Trinicon colour camera, unsure of the difference between the models.
HVR-320 - A Pan/Tilt mount for the camera (may fit other cameras, but I don't know as yet).

The other bits, I don't know as I've never seen them before, especially the Ferguson SL-F1UB-styled portable VHS recorder & tuner units, all I can see in the photos of the Fergy is "Videostar", but I've had about 3 different types of top-loader Fergy Videostar VCRs, so that's a bit generic, but once I have the kit I'll be showing them all off...

 

[Leee]

I've given you a thanks for that. Frankly you're sad but I do understand ;)

 

[2cvbloke]

I've given you a thanks for that. Frankly you're sad but I do understand ;)

Well, Betamaxers tend to be called names, but it's only cos they're a bit "backwards" in the head....

 

[2cvbloke]

Seeing how the listing finally got cancelled (new users are so easy to buy from with offers!!!) here's the number:

ebay 320099636517

But once the 90 days are up, it'll be gone so I'll nab the pics now...

Here's the Betamax lot (Max. 7 pics allowed per post.... ):

 

[2cvbloke]

And, not as vitally important but I'll include them as it's all one big lot, the other stuff:

 

[Channel Hopper]

Seeing how the listing finally got cancelled (new users are so easy to buy from with offers!!!) here's the number:

ebay 320099636517

But once the 90 days are up, it'll be gone so I'll nab the pics now...

Here's the Betamax lot (Max. 7 pics allowed per post.... ):

Hmmm. sold all those a while ago, except the camera and tripod.
Still in the garage somewhere along with a lot of cine projection stuff and a Magnon SD-817M (Magsound - with sound), but I think it was in a suitcase that ended up under the car.

 

[Likvid]

And now i own a Sony Blu-ray player i imported from USA.

Very fine piece of machine.

 

[Channel Hopper]

And now i own a Sony Blu-ray player i imported from USA.

Very fine piece of machine.

I didn't know they played magnetic tape ?

 

[2cvbloke]

And now i own a Sony Blu-ray player i imported from USA.

Very fine piece of machine.

If it's not Betamax, it ain't coming in... O-no

 

[2cvbloke]

Hmmm. sold all those a while ago, except the camera and tripod.
Still in the garage somewhere along with a lot of cine projection stuff and a Magnon SD-817M (Magsound - with sound), but I think it was in a suitcase that ended up under the car.

You sold them but they're still in the garage???

Anyways, I do like the SL-F1UB kit, it's very compact (well, the camera's not!!)...

 

[2cvbloke]

Here's a clever american (hmm, there's two words you don't often see together!!! ) advert on the US version of the SL-F1, the SL-2000 (same thing really, just the american ones had 2 or 3 speeds for their NTSC system)...

[tube]S8WtvfhtXzI[/tube]

 

[2cvbloke]

I just found a PCM-F1 unit on eBay, based in Köln, I wish I had the money to buy it!!! They can record CD-quality sound onto Betamax tapes, something VHS has never had (as far as I'm aware), making it far superior to anything leading up to DVD's!!!

 

[2cvbloke]

Just won a pair of Sony Betamovie BMC-500's on ebay, spares/repairs though, but I still want them!!!

 

[2cvbloke]

I got my two Betamovie cameras this morning, and one still had a tape & battery in it!!!

Just need to try and get one powered to see if they work, but I need a 9.6V power supply (9 to 10v I'm sure is ok!!), but with a reversed polarity than is standard (Barrel plug with the pin being negative and the outer tube as positive), I may have blown the fuse which protects the camera(s), but fault that may only be linked to the BMC-100, but I haven't checked the fuse yet...

 

[Channel Hopper]

I got my two Betamovie cameras this morning, and one still had a tape & battery in it!!!

A lot were used within the UK home mature content industry, so you may have a neighbour in there. : Humping

 

[2cvbloke]

A lot were used within the UK home mature content industry, so you may have a neighbour in there. : Humping

Well if it was used to film one of my neighbours then it'd be illegal!!!

Anyway, I can't seem to get the repairs one to work properly, it doesn't want to power up, I can get it to power up but it doesn't work properly, so I'm a bit stuck...

Anyway, the kit I bought is on it's way (the one in all the pictures I posted), so I'll be playing with that as soon as I get it...

 

[2cvbloke]

There were some old 80's home videos on that tape including thier yachting holiday (must have been rich people!!!), but the colours were amazing compared to VHS (this is actually the first time I've ever watched a Betamax tape (that I can remember!!!))!!!

But anyway, everything arrived, and unsurprisingly, the VHS recorder doesn't work properly!!!

The Sony Betamax VCR works perfectly though, as does the camera, but there's no batteries for it though, plenty of batteries for the VHS recorder though...

But I'm playing with the kit for as long as I can, whilst trying to see what's up with the VHS recorder (probably nackered belts)...

 

[Saturlight]

Blue Ray is the new Betamax then?

 

[2cvbloke]

Blue Ray is the new Betamax then?

Probably, a higher quality product that will fail due to people not being that fussed about having superior image quality....