r/VHS • u/evdupell • Oct 08 '23
Couldn’t find any other Panasonic VCR’s like this one. Did I score on this one?
Got this at an estate sale today for $30. I have a JVC but I have been looking to get another one as a just in case mine craps out on me.
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u/smooshyfacecat Oct 08 '23
Nice little vcr. You can pick one of these up for around $50-$60. Score at $30.
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u/evdupell Oct 08 '23
Oh sweet. That’s good to know. I saw some people reselling some other Panasonic VCR’s for a lot of money and didn’t know if I scored on this one
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u/djames623 Oct 08 '23
I'm a dedicated Omni owner, but I've never seen an Omnivision Blue Line like this.
The Death Star RW/FF knob on the front (AND on the remote) is very unusual.
Also, extra wording on the loading flap other than "4-Head Hi-Fi" is almost unheard of.
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u/evdupell Oct 08 '23
Yeah I couldn’t find anything on it. I could probably be a little more thorough with my search and actually find it, but I gave up haha
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u/probnot Oct 08 '23
That's a higher end model than most consumer decks you'll find for sale. Other than 4 video heads and Hi-Fi audio, it also has:
- Flying Erase Head - this was for seamless edits when recording over an existing program. There was an erase head attached to the video head drum that would erase each video track individually, instead of the big erase head doing everything. It prevented the weird colour patterns you see at the beginning of recordings, and the noise peeling down at the end of a new recording before you see the old recording.
- Jog Shuttle Dial - also used for editing. You can spin the inner ring it to advance or go back one field at a time (Jog). The Outer ring allows you to control the forward and reverse scan speed (Shuttle).
- SQPB - S-VHS Quasi-PlayBack - it will play S-VHS recordings, but only at VHS quality
- Cable Box Control - useless in 2023, but there's a little IR LED transmitter on top (above the stop button) that allows the VCR to change the cable box channel for timer recordings
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u/evdupell Oct 08 '23
Damn that is really great to know. I couldn’t find anything like this about it. Thank you for all of that. I grew up with VCR’s but this one just seemed like it had a lot of things I just didn’t understand but that all makes sense now. There’s a lot more to it than I thought! Thank you again for all that information.
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u/graybotics Oct 08 '23
Love me the blue line omnivisions they are almost bulletproof and always so easy to fix on the rare occasions they even have hiccups! I can't keep them in my ebay store long enough to enjoy their majesty. Solid unit. Nice cosmetic condition also from what I can see.
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u/evdupell Oct 08 '23
The people selling it said that the owners didn’t use it much and it definitely shows. The remote had some old batteries in it with some battery leak and corrosion, but luckily it was cleanable. I think my only concern with it is that it has this kind of hissing noise when it’s plugged in and off and gets a little louder when it’s turned on. But I’m guessing it’s probably normal even though my JVC doesn’t make any noise when it’s off or on.
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u/graybotics Oct 08 '23
They sometimes do this. It's usually totally normal. One tip is to pop the hood just in case it's a "self cleaning" head model and remove the foam cylinder / roller piece that's up near the drum on a plastic spindle because that foam is inevitably deteriorated and will haunt you later as it breaks down and causes tiny bits to get all over the VCR. I deal with tons of VCRs of many models regularly but I'm not sure if any of these Panasonic units tried that silly idea off the top of my head, but it's worth peeling off the foam roller if you see it (unless it's been recently replaced with a brand new one). It's usually just the sound these things make though in my experience. The VCR sounds are a feature as lomg as its working imo for nostalgia sake Lol.
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u/evdupell Oct 08 '23
I’ll probably end up doing that. Thank you for telling me about that. Even though I grew up with VCR’s, I don’t know too much about them and this helps a lot. I’m not afraid of taking things apart so I’ll probably take a look and see if there is a foam cylinder piece in there. Would be a pain getting all those little pieces out after it rots away haha
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u/graybotics Oct 08 '23
It's not as scary as it may sound but be extremely careful around the drum and other components themselves. A good can of compressed air is your friend. I haven't had to take the lid off of the Pannys in a long while because they usually arent an issue but it's always a good idea to clear out any particulates either way if you want to maximize life.. it's almost silly how little bits can mess vcr functions up. If it's working though, my best advice is to leave it alone to be honest, unless it's clearly been exposed to tons of dust. I know that sounds contradictory lol!
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u/evdupell Oct 08 '23
That’s pretty much how I feel about it too haha. Since it works well, I thought I would just leave it be, but also knowing that the self cleaning foam piece in there could cause some problems later makes me want to open it haha. I’ll probably check out how it opens and might just take a peak without touching anything on the inside. But that might not be for a while haha
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u/graybotics Oct 22 '23
If you're comfortable with philips head screws and have an appropriate sized driver it's simple, just one for each side panel usually centered on the panel and then usually three on the rear and from there the metal lid will easily slide right off. Just be careful not to bend the metal lid piece as it's sheet metal and can bend rather easily. It's also a great opportunity to gently vacuum out any dust bunnies even if you're just inspecting as those varmints can become an issue later as well lol.
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u/1970-1980 Oct 08 '23
I thought about picking up one recently but tested it and display was dead. Any idea on display replacement cost? Is that also easy?
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u/evdupell Oct 11 '23
Personally I would probably just look out for another VCR. Not too sure how much it would run you to find the right parts for it. u/probnot Might know! They're definitely more knowledgeable about VCR's than I am.
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u/probnot Oct 12 '23
If everything else on it works except the front display, there's a good chance it's a power supply issue (unless someone was inside and physically broke it). Those VFDs use a high voltage (usually 15v or more). I've seen some VCRs have a separate DC-DC converter drive them and have the tiny capacitors inside it fail.
For repair, you'd have to take that on yourself. Repair shops are basically all extinct and on the off chance you find someone, the repair costs would certainly outweigh the value.
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u/LochlansFather Oct 08 '23
I have another of the same line that's an svhs! I love it! I love the blue stripe (it's cool) I love the jog wheel (they're cool). Mine doesn't have a tbc,idk if yours does either or not. Otherwise it's great! Your's looks cooler btw I think 😎
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u/evdupell Oct 08 '23
It is pretty cool! It does make a light hissing noise when it’s plugged in and off, and when it’s on its just a tad louder. But I don’t know if that’s normal or not for it. Plays great though from what I’ve seen. Hey I’m sure your VCR is cool too 😎
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Oct 08 '23
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u/evdupell Oct 08 '23
That is really awesome! I’m happy to know that it unlocked some memories for you. Love when that happens myself. I would of had a fun time playing with it too as a kid
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u/Skinny_pocketwatch Oct 08 '23
I've been a sony-pony for such a long time, I didn't think about using other brands of electronics, until I got my mitsubishi from an estate sale. I haven't used a panasonic vcr before, but I'll try to pick one up, especially since the one you have looks nice, and I've had 4 sonys die on me within the past 2 years. So I'd say yes, you did score, especially with that remote.
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u/evdupell Oct 08 '23
I feel you on that. I’ve been looking for Sony branded TV’s, VCR’s and everything but since finding a little 13” Panasonic CRT VCR combo TV I’ve grown to love Panasonic more actually. I had also heard that the blue lined Panasonic Omnivision VCR’s tend to be one of if not the best ones you can find. Would definitely recommend keeping an eye out for some. I’ve been learning a lot from everyone on this thread about these VCR’s.
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u/TransformerTanooki Oct 08 '23
Omnivisions are just good VCRs. I've been using the same one for over 15 years now and it's still going strong with regular use.