Page 1 of Need some info about the heads in a vcr

I would like to know more about the heads in a vcr.

Mainly because I`ve got some recordings on an old vcr with 4 heads. Now I got a newre one with 6 heads and the picture on the old tapes is not good!

It is fine except a thick white-gey line that is showing and going slowly up/down, plus the picture is not completely still. (the line looks like a bit from the picture you get when you play a tape and it comes to the end of a recording (not end of tape) and there is another recording `underneath` . Like you `overtape` something, not completelly and then after watching it you come to the `old` recording. But befor showing the `old` recording you see this black/whit/grey picture. Thats the picture the line looks like. [If you know what I mean])

I think and correct me if my thought are wrong (if your absolutely shoure). My theory is that the 4 (out of 6) heads are displaying a correct picture and the 5th and 6th are cousing the line because it was recorded in a vcr with only 4 heads. [The 5th and 6th head has `nothing` to display, displying the `line`].

Also I will to know if a vcr with more heads gives a better picture.

Hope you have som answeres to me.

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I think and correct me if my thought are wrong (if your absolutely shoure). My theory is that the 4 (out of 6) heads are displaying a correct picture and the 5th and 6th are cousing the line because it was recorded in a vcr with only 4 heads. [The 5th and 6th head has `nothing` to display, displying the `line`]

No!

Two of the heads are for HI-FI sound recording, sounds like a tracking error either on your old machine or your new one, adujust the tracking it should be auto on a new machine though. :)


On your original 4 head machine 2 of the heads will be for recording picture in both LP and SP and the other 2 heads for the sound,the six head machine uses 2 heads for SP and 2 for LP and 2 for sound,in theory the six head machine should give you petter performance in the SP mode becase the 2 heads used in the four head machine for recording the picture are optimized for LP recording, this is the norm but with all the different makes and models made over the years nothing is set in stone. :) :)

This item was edited on Friday, 13th January 2006, 18:08

Yes the tracking is auto on the new, at least when you play a tape for the first time (meaning putting in and press play, not playing one that already in there).

Then you can also manually adjust the tracking on the new one.

The tracking is fine also on the old one.

So tapes recorded on old vcr plays fine on old, but not on the new. Tapes recorded on new plays fine on the new.

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So tapes recorded on old vcr plays fine on old, but not on the new. Tapes recorded on new plays fine on the new

Take a tape ftom the new and old and try them both in other machines and see what the results are, I copied some tapes to DVD some over 20 years old (though most were about six years and ten years old) and I used a 2 year old Sony and a new Sanyo VCRs both six head machines to do the job with, the reason being because some tapes woudn`t play right in the Sony but played ok in the Sanyo and verser viser ,its because in old machines the alignment settings change because of wear and tear and age this effects the tapes as well.thats why I use two VCRs, you could have a old VCR with its setting completely out yet it records and plays perfectly on that machine ,put the tape in a new machine that you recorded on the old machine and hey presto rubbish picture and even the tracking on the new machine cant compensate for the old machines wear and tear :)

This item was edited on Saturday, 14th January 2006, 14:40

A good trick that helps sometimes is to fully fast forward the tape in the new machine and then let it rewind on the new machine before playing.
I think some machines put differnt ``tension`` on the tape which can sometimes cause problems. It used to work on rental tapes that had been in different players.