Sony SLV-R1000 and modern digital displays

[sphinx99]

In recent years all of my display devices have gone digital: computer monitor LCDs with composite/s-video inputs and scalars, flat screen HDTVs, LCD and DLP front projectors. The old CRTs are long gone.

I have a few different SVHS decks, some of which have been in storage for some time, and recently I have been dusting them off to see if I can continue doing some restoration, sell decks I no longer need, etc. All the decks (that aren't obviously dead) work okay - various Panasonic AG models, various JVC 9800/9900, etc. However, I have four Sony SLV-R1000s (with the bright white backlight, you know the one) I got at a local auction some years ago, that have been sitting, and ALL four of them play tapes just fine, but all of my modern digital displays are unable to sync to the signal; I get a lot of noise that clearly looks like a sync issue.

I am hard-pressed to believe that four SLV-R1000 decks could all have gone bad in the last few years, while all the other decks continue to work largely as before. The only thing that's changed is that I no longer have an "older" display that I used to test/monitor VHS output.

Is there anything about the higher end Sony decks that either,
(a) results in a failure in the video output stage in such an impressively choreographed fashion, or
(b) [more likely] do the higher-end Sony decks output a signal that is just not friendly to modern digital displays?

I can't get anything out of these decks directly through a display device, or through three different AV receivers that can input composite and s-video. I can't get anything out of these decks through either composite or s-video. The decks seem to work; the menu, etc. all display fine. Only playback is problematic.

I don't think these guys had a TBC, did they?

[hech54]

I have an old Sony SLV-770 that is still working according to my dad who is the present owner. It's not S-VHS but it's still working.

[sphinx99]

FWIW I tried with some older displays and it turns out I have three SLV-R1000s that all went bad in storage the last two years. Garbled video only on playback. I grabbed the service manual and will see what I can do

[orsetto]

The higher up you go in the Sony SVHS lineup, the more fragile and unstable the decks become.

The SL-VR1000/SVO-2000 models at this point are unremarkable. They were not especially wonderful when new, didn't age well, and don't have any redeeming features like TBC/DNR that make them worth the effort and expense of repairing. If you are handy at electronics repair, and the problem is something you can tackle (like rebuilding the power supply), it may be worth your time. But, you probably shouldn't bother: if you don't specifically have a bunch of tapes that were recorded on them, they aren't necessary for tracking purposes and could simply be junked. Your Panasonic and JVC vcrs with TBC/DNR would be a better investment of repair/maintenance resources, have more flexibility, and retain their resale value. The popular Panasonic AG1980 is perhaps the single most unstable, constantly-degrading VCR you can find, yet it is worth the hassle of repairs because its performance is unique and irreplaceable when working at full spec. The Sony SL-VR1000 matches the AG1980 in electronics failure rate, but not in performance post-repair.

[jman98]

I know of no reason that a properly working Sony VCR couldn't send a signal via composite or a S-video that a modern HDTV couldn't accept.

If you really are desperate/determined to get these working because you can't accept that they may simply have degraded in storage then I'd suggest that you ask around. HDTV penetration in the USA is quite a bit less than 100% and if you ask enough people, you're likely to find someone who either is still using an old CRT TV or maybe has one in storage and would let you use it to test. If you work in an office, you're likely to have co-workers who maybe let their kids use their older CRT TVs or have one in the garage. IT workers (I work in IT so I know) are rather infamous for holding on to electronics of all kinds if they still work, sometimes even when they don't.

[sphinx99]

Thank you orsetto for the reply, which I tend to agree with. These decks hold a special place in my heart for some reason. I think it is because as a child we purchased one of the higher-up SLV-HF decks; we didn't have a great deal of means so the deck was quite a family investment and by far the most impressive electronic device in the home. So, some years later, when I saw a stack of these R1000 decks show up somewhere, for cheap, it reminded me of that old, first deck and I picked them up, realized they all worked, played with them, then realized they weren't actually all that good... and put them in climate-controlled storage. I was hoping they'd work so that I could sell them for $20 in good conscience, and hate the possibility that I'll have to junk them at some recycler, but such is life!

I am surprised that all three fell victim to the same failure mode (whatever it was) at the same time...