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TIMTAPE · 16th Mar 2019, 4:12 am

Of course if it won't playback video then it's not possible to test whether it will record video as well. Are you absolutely sure the machine initially played back the pre recorded tape with both picture and sound?

Are you familiar with what healthy video heads look like? I view them under a powerful magnifier like a lupe under strong light.

Especially with certain older tapes, the tiny video heads can be easily fouled with tape material and need cleaning. Are you familiar with techniques for manually cleaning the heads with the proper materials, not cotton buds /Q tips, and only cleaning in the horizontal direction?

16th Mar 2019, 4:12 am	#6
TIMTAPE Octode Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 1,971	Re: Old Betamax records audio but no picture Of course if it won't playback video then it's not possible to test whether it will record video as well. Are you absolutely sure the machine initially played back the pre recorded tape with both picture and sound? Are you familiar with what healthy video heads look like? I view them under a powerful magnifier like a lupe under strong light. Especially with certain older tapes, the tiny video heads can be easily fouled with tape material and need cleaning. Are you familiar with techniques for manually cleaning the heads with the proper materials, not cotton buds /Q tips, and only cleaning in the horizontal direction?