I recently got a hold of the original Magnavox VH-8000 laserdisc player. Its manufacture date is something like July 1979. Does anyone have a service manual for this thing? I see a lot of Magnavox experts here so I figured someone's gotta have a book in their way-back file. When it was shipped it wasn't well packed, so it took a few hits I'm sure. No tracking on receipt. Laser powers up great (I understand they are prone to HeNe tube failures). Physical tracking seems to be okay....carriage moves on command. The focus servos have on occasion gone into their "squeak squeak" "I'm tracking the disk" rhythm (just like my working Pioneer) indicating the servos are alive. The only thing I know to do is check the alignment of the optical block, but I don't dare do so without a service manual. All those little mirrors and apetures are likely out of line given all the microadjustments on them and the fragility of the mechanisms. Gotta love UPS (don't get me started on them).

Loads of thanks
ha1156w@yahoo.com

I know the above is an "antique" post, but I want to know if you ever got your VH8000 working again and/or if you still need a service manual for it? I have one of these players as well, and I worked for one of the original dealers when the players and Discovision discs were first sold in the Chicago, Illinois area.

There is a fair possibility I might have the manual for this, I bought all the contents of the shop of a Magnavox dealer when the owner closed up and retired. I piled up all the service manuals in a very back corner of my garage/shop/storage space. I've kept books from about 1974 back to the 40's on shelves easy to get to but the more recent stuff is a huge pile that will take some time to go through, alot of it is still in the mailing envelopes unopened...

Wow, I didn't expect that post to be resurrected ;) Yes, I'm still in need of a service manual for the VH-8000 series. However, this time it's for an 8005 with the remote control. I was able to score a player on ebay that had never been used (!!) and had all the shipping tape still in place. Apparently it was a prize from some sales contest and since they didn't put any disks with it, it just sat in a closet unused. The VH-8000 was sold a long time back. The 8005 is in much better shape however. It will power up and attempt to track. I put in a CAV "upside down turtle" side to see what it would do. It gave an image, but hum in the audio and sever static lines. Color was not able to lock on to the image. I could make out the turtle through the snow, so there is hope for this one. I'm thinking first a rebuild of the power supply. The humming audio leads me to believe the power supply caps have dried up. Any documentation for this historic beast would be much appreciated! Randy, I'd be more than happy to cover any costs you incur if I could get a copy of what you have in your archives!

Thank you!

I have a spare copy of the Sams Photofact manual for the VH8000 that may also cover the VH8005. Send me a PM and we can set things up.

I bought my VH8000 on Ebay a couple of years ago, in its original but somewhat beat-up box (it was packed inside a bigger box when I received it, I think). I could have got it from Texas... The player had been listed without bids at least once before the time I bid, and it had a comment like "if I get no bids this time, it is going to the Dumpster" or similar. Did you sell yours on Ebay? Maybe I am the buyer.