Sony VCR plays/recordes in EP mode but not in SP mode - need schematic
I have a Sony VCR SLV-373UC. The play/record in EP mode is OK. The play/record in SP mode has no video and the audio is OK. This SP play/rec mode problem seems to have occurred slowly over a period of time - the picture went from good to grainy then to a very grainy-tearing video then to a broken-up blank video and the audio remains good. If I manually adjust the tracking control all the way to one side I get a very week grainy off-color picture from top to bottom. Tapes recorded in SP mode on another VCR's will not play in this Sony VCR. EP is always OK. Tapes I recorded in SP on this Sony plays in other machines and the video looks good but the video "rolls" and jumps which can't be adjusted. This is a 4-head VCR, on the drum head it says EP1, EP2, SP1 and SP2. Is this a video head problem or a tracking circuitry problem?
Can one of the SP heads be bad and is there a easy way to test the SP heads? I have cleaned the heads with chamios and TF solvent and it's not a dirty head problem.
I need the schematic for this VCR and other suggestions what to check for. I am a prototype technician and have basic equipment didital scope, meters, freq counter. Thanks for your help.
Re: Sony VCR plays/recordes in EP mode but not in SP mode...
Sounds like it needs a good cleaning, you will notice this problem in sp first when needs cleaned. however if you had done this I would go over it again and if not then change the video head
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The only real cure will be to clean the video head. If that doesn't work then I'm afraid that whatever recorded you EP mode tape was not set up well tracking wise. So other machines struggle to track the tape. Some VCR's will only playback SP or LP tapes and don't have EP mode. In which case you should check to see if these VCR's can play the EP tape and if they can't find one that can.
You may have dirty heads in the vcr---most 4 head machines use two for sp and the other two for lp and or ep.
Tape residue will usually be seen on the drum where the heads are when this happens--also look for the black residue on the tape guides that hold the tape in position against the drum-------
Most VCR's have a default recording setting for recording speed or other settings. It's just a question of finding the right menu. Have a good look around the menus. However the VCR might default to SP after recording in EP, however the playback should switch to EP when playing.
No, not usually. If you've recorded a tape at LP and put it another machine that doesn't have LP, it usually won't play properly. Some machines that have only SP/EP will do this, but they are got scarce as more manufacturers dropped the LP speed. Your best bet is to buy an older one from a thrift shop or a garage sale, making sure that it will play LP. Then, copy your older LP tapes to SP or EP (Run the OUT from the LP unit to the IN on the SP/EP unit, and choose "record from line in", "aux", or "rear input").
Dont use xp mode. Here are the definitions: SP is short for Standard Play. Standard play allows you to record information onto the tape the way it was intended, with no quality loss. By default, VCRs and camcorders will record your footage as standard play. On a standard VHS tape, recording footage in SP mode will yield 2 hours of video. LP is short for Long Play. Long play allows you to record much more information at the expense of quality. It accomplishes this by reducing the speed the tape is run through the VCR. As the tape speed decreases, the quality will also decrease. You’ll notice this effect when comparing a tape recorded at LP versus one recorded at SP, especially after years of storage. The LP tape will appear more blurred, have more tracking and color issues than tapes recorded at SP. A VHS tape recorded at LP can hold roughly 4 hours of video. EP/SLP is short for extended play. Extended play is similar to LP, but actually provides you even more recording time. EP was primarily used to document long, continuous events without the need to change video tapes every 2 hours. Due to the fact that the video is not of optimal quality, many times this setting was not used in order to preserve the quality of your footage. Tapes recorded at EP usually are the most problematic after years of storage, displaying a wide variety of tape damage symptoms including color loss, audio loss, frame skipping, and tracking issues.
there are guide posts that the tape goes around, they need to be adjusted if your good at that stuff take off cover and while playing tape be careful you could damage video head.with flat srew drive . adjust right post buy turning clockwise or counter clockwise. this could be hard i hope i helped , When i first started ny video shop 1987 we started doing only vcrs.
The video head also could be bad. thanks doctor video
It sounds like the taped program was recorded on a different speed. The other VCR that you are playing the taped program may not have the speed needed to play it correctly.
Next time when you record a program try to make sure you use a speed that will be compatible on both VCRs.
For example a tape that last 120 minutes, using the different speeds will give the following recording times.
SP means "Standard Play" >>>> 2 hours
LP means " Long Play" >>>>> 4 hours ELP means " Extra Long Play" 8 hours
Older VCRs have all the 3 speeds but newer ones only have SP and ELP.
Hope this helps.
I have the manual. Are you trying to record something live? if so:
1) Turn on both the DVD/VCR and your TV.
2) Switch the input selector on your TV so that the signal from the player appears on the TV screen (this is usually something like 'input 1' or 'line 1' and so forth)
3) On your remote, set TV/DVD-VIDEO to DVD-Video, then press SELECT VIDEO to control the VCR. These buttons are at the upper left hand corner of the remote controller.
4) To record from a cable box, turn it on.
5) make sure the tape is longer than the total recording time.
6) insert a tape into the VCR.
7) press CH +/- on the remote to select the channel or line input video source to record.
8) select the tape speed SP/EP (SP provides better quality, EP provides three times the recording time as SP)
9) Press the record button to start recording. The VCR display will display the message REC.
What are “Recording modes”? for DVD-RW There are two recording modes available using this recorder: VR mode and Video mode. When recording to a DVD-R disc, recordings are always in Video mode. DVD-RW discs can be formatted for VR mode recording or Video mode recording. VR mode recording • 4 different picture quality/recording time settings available (SP, LP, EP, XP) • Not playable on regular DVD players • Recordings can be extensively edited • Total number of titles on the disc should be less than 99. Video mode recording • 4 different picture quality/recording time settings available (SP, LP, EP, XP) • Playable on regular DVD players (after finalizing) • Limited editing features • Total number of titles on the disc should be less than 99. Note : DVD-Video Format (Video mode) is a new format for recording on DVD-R/RW discs that was approved by the DVD Forum in 2000. You may therefore experience problems playing recordable DVD discs in some players. Symptoms include video artifacts, audio and/or video dropouts and playback suddenly stopping. Our company cannot take responsibility for problems playing discs recorded on this VCR/DVD Recorder in other players.
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