13-11-2015, 12:08 PM
I used a Grundig V2000 machine for a while in the 1990s - it saw me through my time at university. Perfect, because no-one would be tempted to steal it!
I did have an old VHS machine for the first year, and we did rent about half a dozen films during that time, but the video shop was quite a long walk away, so apathy set in... So as I was simply using the machine for time-shifting, I decided to bring the V2000 machine to uni instead. I still have it, but it's been in the attic for 10 years, and I don't expect it'll work without some fettling - but luckily I do have the full service data and a lot of spare boards. Finding the remote - and its strange 4.5V battery - might be challenging, but it'll be up there somewhere...
Once I'd got used to the very strange user interface, I really loved it. Brilliant picture quality and great "trick" modes with no noise bars, etc. There was even a real-time counter, which was very impressive for the time.
I can't remember the faults the machine had when I acquired it, but fixing it wasn't difficult, and it was 100% reliable afterwards. I'm not sure the same could have been said about the Philips machines at the time - I admit that I gutted several for spare parts (and most fruitful that was, too!).
Regarding Betamax, I never owned a machine that allowed me to draw any conclusions about the format. Have plenty of experience with the various flavours of Betacam, and loved that...
I did have an old VHS machine for the first year, and we did rent about half a dozen films during that time, but the video shop was quite a long walk away, so apathy set in... So as I was simply using the machine for time-shifting, I decided to bring the V2000 machine to uni instead. I still have it, but it's been in the attic for 10 years, and I don't expect it'll work without some fettling - but luckily I do have the full service data and a lot of spare boards. Finding the remote - and its strange 4.5V battery - might be challenging, but it'll be up there somewhere...
Once I'd got used to the very strange user interface, I really loved it. Brilliant picture quality and great "trick" modes with no noise bars, etc. There was even a real-time counter, which was very impressive for the time.
I can't remember the faults the machine had when I acquired it, but fixing it wasn't difficult, and it was 100% reliable afterwards. I'm not sure the same could have been said about the Philips machines at the time - I admit that I gutted several for spare parts (and most fruitful that was, too!).
Regarding Betamax, I never owned a machine that allowed me to draw any conclusions about the format. Have plenty of experience with the various flavours of Betacam, and loved that...
