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Believe I have that same model. I've never used mine to record because I already had some S-VHS-ET machines (the ET means they can record S-VHS quality on regular VHS tapes, and has notiing to do with aliens). I've never came upon S-VHS tapes for sale so using the ET decks for timeshifting and archiving made more sence.

An interesting note if you play an S-VHS or S-VHS-ET recording in a deck that was not built to play them you will get a blury, inverted, washed out, monochrome picture with some intermitant, worng(neon) color. I've also heard on the net that you can poke a hole in a regular VHS tape in a certain place and trick S-VHS decks into recording an S-VHS signal on them(the only hitch being that the tapes erase them selves in about a month). Some day I'll get off my but and test it as I have a hard time believeing that.

These are great machines and I'm sure that you will love yours.

Tom C.
PS: there are lots of cool features in the menus of these decks to play with.

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Probably is circuit related if the monochrome picture is noise free. If not then a head cleaning tape would be a wise investment.

I've also heard on the net that you can poke a hole in a regular VHS tape in a certain place and trick S-VHS decks into recording an S-VHS signal on them(the only hitch being that the tapes erase them selves in about a month). Some day I'll get off my but and test it as I have a hard time believeing that.

This is part true. You just make a hole in the bottom of the cassette shell in the same place it is on a S-VHS tape. Jut have to be careful you don't drop any plastic shavings in the new hole.

I've done that, and the recordings didn't self-erase. Then again I always used high quality VHS tapes like Fuji "Super HG" tape and they worked fine, better for SP speed recordings. At SLP there was always a little more grain and noise than using a proper S-VHS tape. My favorite S-VHS tapes were Fuji Pro-S and Fuji H471S.

I gave the VCR a more thorough test and found that it's not recording any color in both VHS & SVHS mode. I also inputed video in the RF, composite and s-video and still no color is being recorded.

I'm guess it's something in the chroma circuit has went wrong, unless it's the video heads...

Does it play back a known good pre-recorded tape with color?

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Not being a whiner here, but why would you buy an S-VHS machine to record stuff on non-S-VHS tapes?

I've gotten a JVC S-VHS machine recently out of the bins at GW. It had a remote taped to it, too. I own exactly 2 S-VHS tapes, that were recorded about 10 years ago... This machine was bought strictly to copy the two tapes that I have to another format.

I've done recordings using regular tape on the S-VHS, and get the dull monochrome picture, too.

If your machine is playing the prerecorded tape properly, and in color, the heads are probably OK on the machine.

Best of luck with the new toy.

Not being a whiner here, but why would you buy an S-VHS machine to record stuff on non-S-VHS tapes?. So you have the option of using either S-VHS or VHS. And to get the S-Video outputs to keep the luminance and chroma separate which will improve pix quality on both. Those are two things that immediately come to mind. Most S-VHS machines had more features.

JVC realized S-VHS ET was quite possible, to record near S-VHS quality on standard tapes. Many folks balked at buying S-VHS because of the typical 2 to 3X the cost of blank tapes compared to standard tapes. There were few if any pre-recorded S-VHS tapes available.

As far as S-VHS ET on good quality standard tapes, that was added as a compromise and to make the format more available. Why would you NOT buy a S-VHS machine given the choice?

Also, You should get equal color rec-pb either way. If you aren't there's something wrong with your VCR's recording circuits. S-VHS and regular VHS processed the color exactly the same way.

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That's actually why I got the VCR, I was only using the VHS tapes to test the unit out. Plus it was only $2, if it cost more I'd probably would not have gotten it.

I think the problem maybe in the "video unit pwr" board, or the board the video drum connects too, there are pots on it but adjusting them had no effect. The "video unit pwr" board is cluttered with caps, finding a bad one is going to be a problem for me (don't have an ESR meter)...

So you've been cranking on the pots? I can just guess since I no longer have access to service manuals at my old shop (they are all boxed up and buried in a warehouse now unfortunately and I cannot physically get to them any more :tears:) but pots on the head amp board are probably the luminance and chroma record current adjustments and they will need to be realigned properly.

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Today I picked up a JVC HR-S5200U VCR at a local flea-market, since it was only $2 I decided to get it.

It does playback pre-recorded tapes with no problems. The only issue I got is when I tried to record a test pattern, for some reason it would not playback in color, I didn't use s-video or an S-VHS tape so I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it...

I picked up a HR-S4500U at a thrift last week for $4.00. It seems to work fairly well on playback and record. It didn't come with a remote. You need the remote for several of the functions.:thumbsdn:

I picked up a HR-S4500U at a thrift last week for $4.00. It seems to work fairly well on playback and record. It didn't come with a remote. You need the remote for several of the functions.:thumbsdn:

There are at least two on ebay right now, of course they are more than $4 but you have to look at getting the VCR nearly for free. (Looks exactly like the remote for my "like new" HR-S5900 that I got with the remote, box, and manual for $40..)

I marked there last position before I started cranking. :) That's good!

Thinking more about it those pots may be for record current adjustments for VHS and S-VHS modes. Regardless, the circuit needs to be traced with an o'scope to find out where it's losing the chroma signal in Rec.

I own two SVHS decks. Both JVC. (PAL multi-standard models).

I also own 30 or 40 SVHS cassettes. At its best SVHS is pretty impressive.

I found using the ET switch or drilling the SVHS hole in cassettes works fine ... naturally the best results are with the bestter quality VHS cassettes.

The most noticeable difference is in the noise level in the video, especially in slo mo or special playback modes.

Both vcrs are in perfect working order...and kept that way as they are pretty impossible to replace. I have progressively transferred any significant SVHS material to DVD simply for compatibility into the future.