VCR trouble - Mitsubishi HS-HD2000U

[ShaneJensen]

I have a Mitsubishi HS-HD2000U VCR that I use for converting my old VHS tapes into the computer for DVD authoring. I bought this VCR brand new in July of 2004 and only used it a few times since then. I just recently moved all my equipment into another room and since the move this VCR is now giving me trouble. It doesn't stay on for any more than a second. I'll hit the power button and it will power up, then a second later it shuts off again. I tried unplugging it and pressing all the buttons to make sure all capacitors are discharged and that does not do the trick. I opened up the VCR and cannot see anything out of the ordinary. Does anyone have any ideas as to what it could be and what I could do to solve the problem? I really hope it's simple enough where I don't have to take it to a repair shop, they charge too much and I already just spent a lot of the unit a year and a half ago.

[Suds-N-Spuds]

Does the VCR still have the problem if you plug it in in the original room? If not you may have some problem with the power source at the new location.

Did you buy the VCR using a gold/platinum MasterCard or Visa? If so you may still be covered under the warranty extension provided by your credit card.

[VideoJockey2002]

With my old Mitsubishi HS-U445, the manual says to hold the power button down to force it out of its error state. It worked for me when I had a problem. Maybe the same thing works for yours. If that doesn't work, look through every word of the manual. Somewhere in there, it probably gives the reset procedure.

With mine, the LED display gives an error code but nothing in the manual deciphers these codes. I had to search the internet. Doesn't matter though. No matter what the code, it can be reset using the power button.

By the way, that looks like a nice VCR. Can I ask you a question?

JVC had a digital VCR that I almost bought but it would only record digital television signals. With that Mitsubishi, can you record analog television signals in digital format? In other words, does it also offer connections for the standard composite signals (RCA or cinch-type jacks) and can you record in digital format from those composite signals?

[ShaneJensen]

With my old Mitsubishi HS-U445, the manual says to hold the power button down to force it out of its error state. It worked for me when I had a problem. Maybe the same thing works for yours. If that doesn't work, look through every word of the manual. Somewhere in there, it probably gives the reset procedure.

With mine, the LED display gives an error code but nothing in the manual deciphers these codes. I had to search the internet. Doesn't matter though. No matter what the code, it can be reset using the power button.

By the way, that looks like a nice VCR. Can I ask you a question?

JVC had a digital VCR that I almost bought but it would only record digital television signals. With that Mitsubishi, can you record analog television signals in digital format? In other words, does it also offer connections for the standard composite signals (RCA or cinch-type jacks) and can you record in digital format from those composite signals?

Thanks for the info with the power button, I tried it and it reset but still doesn't do the trick.

As for your question, this VCR does not record digital unless you have an HDTV feed which I do not have. With an analog input I can only record analog in S-VHS or VHS modes. I think I read somewhere that this VCR also only records HDTV if it's connected to a Mitsubishi HDTV tuner or Mitsubishi HDTV with a firewire output. So, if you have an HDTV or HDTV tuner other than Mitsubishi you are still NOT going to get an HDTV use out of this VCR. The main reason I have it is because it's supposed to be a good quality VCR. It has a TBC in it which really cleans up my old VHS videos from the 80s and 90s really good, and also it has S-Video inputs and outputs as well as composite (RCA) jacks. I really wanted a VCR with S-Video since they are better than composite and since I only want to be digitizing my old videos once I want it to be done with the best possible quality the first time.

[VideoJockey2002]

Thanks for the info with the power button, I tried it and it reset but still doesn't do the trick.

Sorry it didn't work. Also, thank you very much for the information.

It still sounds to me like your Mitsubishi's behavior is the normal response to an error state even though it has probably detected the error state in error (That's confusing).

Is it under warranty? Probably not, huh?

Repair would proably cost a lot. It would be worth the cost of repair, but, it would surely aggravate me if I knew that all it took was a few secret button presses to reset the device.

I'd surely call Mitsubishi. Maybe they would help with some button press sequences for free over the phone.

I've got a couple of televisions around the house and I always order a factory service manual for my TV's.

It's quite interesting that for each television, there are a lot of specific button press sequences that allow entry into factory setup menus. I have to wonder if the same is true for your Mits VCR?

I think that if it were me, I'd first get the factory service manual with schematic diagrams. I just did a quick search and it seems one can be had for about $25 U.S. or less. Though some of the websites are unknown to me, I also see that they accept PayPal. That's a nice protection if I'm not sure of the webmasters' integrity.

Me? I'd have to invest the $25 to see if some button press procedure could get me back into action.

I also wonder, have you ever reset a computer BIOS to defaults? Usually, there are two points of solder on the board that you would short together while the unit was unplugged. (Of course, short the wrong points and something could fry or a chip could lose its firmware programming.)

I wonder if there is such a reset spot on the main board of your VCR? I'd certainly look for one. Usually those reset points look entirely different from the remainder of solder points on a board.

Or it could just be defective. Whle researching your problem on the internet I came across many complaints about Mitsubishi TV's shutting down frequently. It seems some flaw is related to the HD receiver/decoder circuitry.

Good luck. That's about all I can think of for now.