You. Are. A. Lifesaver! I had a tape that was getting stuck during the rewind. Pushed the little button and used my fingers to get it passed the bad spot. FF and REW a couple times and works good! Finished watching the video anyways!
i tried this it don't work. Unfortunately VCR's in 2024 cost 200-300$ I'm going to try to buy a used one on ebay for 80$. Others are cheaper but all have problems.
7:18 Yea i dropped the vhs tape and cracked the housing and broke it to a point that it would not work inside the vcr, so i got a spare black vhs tape and just transfered the 2 reels over to the good case 👍🏾
First step: remove the recording tab on a tape with unique material. Step 2: never put a tape with unique material in a squeeky vcr where you can’t see what the machine is doing with your precious tape...
That's a very common problem with the AG-1970 or any Panasonic VCR that uses the G mechanism. It's not doing any harm to the tape. Just the capstan brake pad is worn and it squeaks.
I have a large collection of VHS tapes and used to fix tapes for rental shops in my area. I have opened many and it's not supposed to be so disastrous. If the cassette is opened carefully and you lift the reels out from the front first, then pull few mm towards you so that the reels teeth are out of the brake you should not have much of a problem. I have some tapes which are starting to decompose and you can smell this if you lift the flap. As far as I know that can't be fixed. Mould can be a problem I rewind and forward a few times in a scrap VCR holding folded toilet paper with isopropyl alcohol against the tape. On the right of the head when you forward and the left when you rewind so that the head doesn't stick the tape.
Hi I've also got a problem I put in a VHS tape into the machine yesterday thinking it will play correctly but now it is jammed in the machine and won't eject I am not sure if the tape has snapped or not as it won't let me use any of the functions for example rewind etc
Keep your mode switche clean out in your VCR player itself people will never have playing problem's or tapes getting eating at all everything proven online how clean out a mode switch
Hey hoping you can please help here. I have a tape that spins in the player, but the numbers on the VCR won't go round. It's just on this one tape and I replaced the VHS body as well as the sprung mechanism holding the spools in place - any idea what's wrong with my tape? Help would be much appreciated.
How do i fix a vcr when All tapes won't load? I can push in a tape and as it is trying to load, I pull the power cord and then plug the cord back in and then the tape will load and I can play like normal. How do I fix it so i don't have to unplug? Can you help????
i had a tape that would only play for a few seconds before the VCR turned itself off. a reel transfer to another tape that played fine was the solution for me
I still have all my VHS tapes. And all are in good condition. It all comes.down to.keeping you're VCR s insides clean and.free of tape carbon as Well as storing the tapes in there cases and out of household dust and debre.
You no vhs tapes never locks up at all specially when they scratch up specially also they are fixable with scotch tape I had vhs tape broken and I fix it with scotch and it started playing with out no problems
VCRs are very cool technology, but sadly they can be hard to maintain especially in todays world where no company’s offer to fix them anymore I have two of these and the both have issues
Plus you no vhs tapes never locks up at all specially when they scratch up plus I had broken vhs tape. An I fix it It starts working again Now does vhs tapes lock up
I just get a still image when I put in a tape. After a few seconds my VCR ejects the tape. I tried it with different tapes but I get the same results. For some reason I can re-wind and fast forward but then it will show only the original image from when I put the tape in.
Specially also blue Ray's scratchs up lock up or skip or doesn't play like it should specially I have blue Ray's has that problem and they are not better then my vhs tapes
Hi, my Zenith VHS is NOT powering on...the door to the tape is opened...any idea what I can try? it worked way back, dont know what happened, i tried plugging it everywhere but nothing....help! i have some tapes i want to see! LOL
I have two those same Panasoic SVHS decks. But the local VCR repair guy tells me that they need new heads and he doesn't have any, nor can he find any. Any idea how/where I may be able to acquire new heads for them? and if not, can you recommend an svhs machine repacement?
Hi Scott. Thanks for the pointers on getting a neat pack of the VHS tape. I once was told that sticky tapes needed to be heated very carefully to remove moisture. Haven't tried that but I do know the temperature is critical so the tape does not distort permanently. As a former video producer I have hundreds of tapes, many with family memories yet to be digitized. So I'm looking for "tape baking" tips. Know anything about this? Can you digitize 3/4" and EIAJ 1/2" reel-to-reel tapes?
I've never baked a videotape and would be reluctant to try it unless given specific advice to. I know old linear audio tape that's threatening to shed its oxide can be baked in specific circumstances, but I'm not certain the chemistry and physics of those reels would carry over to these tapes.
Great video! I was watching a tape for the first time in ten years or more on my Philips vr 530. I had found a couple of tapes I had been looking for for more than twenty years. They only exist on VHS. So I watched the first hour a few days ago of tape one. Then today I wanted to watch the rest of it. But no. When I turned the VCR on it didn't load the tape but pushed it out while showing the error code 4 and turned itself off. I turned it back on and put the tape back in. It didn't load but showed the error code 2 and turned itself off. (I may have mixed up which was 2 and which was 4 now). I tried it several times-the same happened every time. I took one of the few tapes I had left from a long time ago, tapes I had recorded some documentaries on and kept, when I got rid of my other VHS tapes (like a stupid ....). It played fine. I took another of those old tapes I had recorded on, and it played fine. I tried to put the new tape back in the machine and it went as described above :^/ That was strange, so I took the other tape I had bought. It was still rapped in plastic! Same problem. Machine won't play and it turns itself off with an error code 2 or 4. It sounds like it won't open the flap, but I've tried it with the top off (not mine, the machine's). It grabs the tape fine but nothing else happens. It's really frustrating. I haven't been able to find any information on it.
i have an old Panasonic vcr that will load the tape ( tried a couple) into the machine but will not move the tape forward or reverse. Any ideas..thanks Stan
Never use your expensive S-VHS players for rewinding. Expensive gear for minor task, and all sorts of things could go sideways here. And an AG-1980P repair is not easy, and very costly.
Great advice, lord. Shortly after this taping, I switched to the old Sharp machine above it for rewind duties. I'm keeping an eye out for a suitable rewinder to movie that duty away from working machines.
@@scottthemediahoarder But the Sharp VCR has RAPID REWIND! You don't want that! It can COMPLETELY snap the tape off the reel if it gets too excited and doesn't slow down before it gets to the end!
I just started to transfer my old family videos over to digital. Some of the videos will play fine and randomly throughout them they d I a "Vertical Roll" how do I fix them? Is there a way to tighten the tape or does this have to do with tracking? Vcr issue or tape issue? The videos are from those small vhs tapes that are played using the bigger ones
VHS tapes still living online specially I don't see y we need convert vhs tapes to dvd specially all yet I can go online bay everything every vcr vhs movies plus cleaning tapes now if they was not online then I would put my vhs tapes on DVDs specially DVDs still locks up bad and scratches up bad also plus phones and comperts still locks up also now vhs tapes never locks y should I convert somthing over yet it locks up plus have loading problems
So you get a black and white image, but no color? If it were a DVD player, I'd assume the wrong cable went to the wrong jack ... but on VCR with the yellow composite video-out, that should not be happening. If you've tried swapping cables and have exhausted options for using other inputs/outputs, I'd guess the picture-generating circuitry in the VCR is broken.
I have a vhs tape from 1986. Each time I put it in my vcr it just seems to be ready to play but then ejects. Is there a reason it might not want to play at all? it also will not rewind.
Sounds all jammed up! If it will fast-forward, try that. Consider loosening the screws on the shell a little bit -- not a lot, just enough to loosen the insides up a tiny amount.
My dad ended his life when I was 7 but he always had a tape recorder with him. I was having some trouble getting the tapes to work and this helped. Thank you for helping me hear my dad’s voice again. ❤️
@@xdkal78 stories like yours are why I do this. I lost my wife in 2016 and was sad to have so little a-v of her for our son. This stuff is our modern family heirlooms. I'm proud of your efforts to preserve his voice!
You. Are. A. Lifesaver! I had a tape that was getting stuck during the rewind. Pushed the little button and used my fingers to get it passed the bad spot. FF and REW a couple times and works good! Finished watching the video anyways!
Thanks for the kind words! I hope to serve up more helpful goodies in the near future!
i tried this it don't work. Unfortunately VCR's in 2024 cost 200-300$ I'm going to try to buy a used one on ebay for 80$. Others are cheaper but all have problems.
i just wayched 2 movies on vrc , 2021 , just as i watched 2 same ones 20 years ago in 2000, istill use VCR,
21 years
23 years now
😁 Ace ! The man's a genius ! I had exactly the same problem with a sticking VHS tape and this workaround did the trick. Thank you.
You saved me time and money I thought my vcr was broken’ new subscriber!
7:18
Yea i dropped the vhs tape and cracked the housing and broke it to a point that it would not work inside the vcr, so i got a spare black vhs tape and just transfered the 2 reels over to the good case 👍🏾
7:22 Or buy a blank tape, don’t use it, gut it, and put your desired video inside.
JVC tv/vcr combo unit all of the sudden won’t take a tape.
Just found your vids and believe with your advice I can finally rescue my old vhs memories of family ! Thank you !
How to know if the problem is from the tape or the vcr ?
i wont change the like number but good vid
First step: remove the recording tab on a tape with unique material. Step 2: never put a tape with unique material in a squeeky vcr where you can’t see what the machine is doing with your precious tape...
That's a very common problem with the AG-1970 or any Panasonic VCR that uses the G mechanism. It's not doing any harm to the tape. Just the capstan brake pad is worn and it squeaks.
Amazing production quality ...you should have way more followers.
I have a large collection of VHS tapes and used to fix tapes for rental shops in my area. I have opened many and it's not supposed to be so disastrous. If the cassette is opened carefully and you lift the reels out from the front first, then pull few mm towards you so that the reels teeth are out of the brake you should not have much of a problem. I have some tapes which are starting to decompose and you can smell this if you lift the flap. As far as I know that can't be fixed. Mould can be a problem I rewind and forward a few times in a scrap VCR holding folded toilet paper with isopropyl alcohol against the tape. On the right of the head when you forward and the left when you rewind so that the head doesn't stick the tape.
Hi
I've also got a problem I put in a VHS tape into the machine yesterday thinking it will play correctly but now it is jammed in the machine and won't eject I am not sure if the tape has snapped or not as it won't let me use any of the functions for example rewind etc
Thanks for the info! I plan to try some of these with some old tapes that aren’t playing or winding, Fingers crossed!
🤣Maybe you have a VHS that won't play right now? Yes sir that is me.
Plus it's proven vhs tapes vcrs vcr belts cleaning tapes are online now days Plus am still baying them and they are easy get offline now
Thank you friend. This is for my life, without you my life is getting messed up! 😭👍
You can do it!
Thanks. I was able to the release the brake and manually rewinded the reels.
👍🏼 & Cheers 🍺 🍺 from New Delhi, India
ok now you got me wondering what was on the tape that still sticks in your mind, now it's sticking in my mind, LOL
What if the tape won't play in parts because the black part is flaking off? Is it possible to fix or work around that?
I have a VHS TV that keeps ejecting my tape when I try to put it in
Keep your mode switche clean out in your VCR player itself people will never have playing problem's or tapes getting eating at all everything proven online how clean out a mode switch
Hey hoping you can please help here. I have a tape that spins in the player, but the numbers on the VCR won't go round. It's just on this one tape and I replaced the VHS body as well as the sprung mechanism holding the spools in place - any idea what's wrong with my tape? Help would be much appreciated.
It worked....the brake button. Thanks👊
The tip on the Brake release makes YOU Number One in my book!
How do i fix a vcr when All tapes won't load? I can push in a tape and as it is trying to load, I pull the power cord and then plug the cord back in and then the tape will load and I can play like normal. How do I fix it so i don't have to unplug? Can you help????
I'm sorry, the diagnosis of mechanical issues with VCRs is outside my scope of expertise so far!
i had a tape that would only play for a few seconds before the VCR turned itself off. a reel transfer to another tape that played fine was the solution for me
I still have all my VHS tapes. And all are in good condition. It all comes.down to.keeping you're VCR s insides clean and.free of tape carbon as Well as storing the tapes in there cases and out of household dust and debre.
My VCR is different from your vcr
Great video! Very cool! THANK YOU!
You no vhs tapes never locks up at all specially when they scratch up specially also they are fixable with scotch tape I had vhs tape broken and I fix it with scotch and it started playing with out no problems
Thanks!. this helps me. I support you
VCRs are very cool technology, but sadly they can be hard to maintain especially in todays world where no company’s offer to fix them anymore I have two of these and the both have issues
Plus you no vhs tapes never locks up at all specially when they scratch up plus I had broken vhs tape. An I fix it It starts working again Now does vhs tapes lock up
They will not work if they've been used for more than a year from the 90s.
It won't go fully in and the player makes a humming crackling sound
I just get a still image when I put in a tape. After a few seconds my VCR ejects the tape. I tried it with different tapes but I get the same results. For some reason I can re-wind and fast forward but then it will show only the original image from when I put the tape in.
Specially also blue Ray's scratchs up lock up or skip or doesn't play like it should specially I have blue Ray's has that problem and they are not better then my vhs tapes
This video did got me something please Stop & always Rewind the VHS tapes
Hi, my Zenith VHS is NOT powering on...the door to the tape is opened...any idea what I can try? it worked way back, dont know what happened, i tried plugging it everywhere but nothing....help! i have some tapes i want to see! LOL
You are a genius, saved my tape by that simple rewind, FF, rewind Thank you!!!
I have two those same Panasoic SVHS decks. But the local VCR repair guy tells me that they need new heads and he doesn't have any, nor can he find any. Any idea how/where I may be able to acquire new heads for them? and if not, can you recommend an svhs machine repacement?
I'm sorry, I don't! I was fortunate enough to get two of these in decent condition. I'm fortunate that they work as well as they do!
Fixing vhs tapes put scotch tape on it starts working again with out no problem it's been proven Now can you fix broken phone
Thanks alot. Had a live show on tape that's old as hell and didnt want to ruin it.
3 mins in for him to shut up and do what he's doing lol
Hi Scott. Thanks for the pointers on getting a neat pack of the VHS tape. I once was told that sticky tapes needed to be heated very carefully to remove moisture. Haven't tried that but I do know the temperature is critical so the tape does not distort permanently. As a former video producer I have hundreds of tapes, many with family memories yet to be digitized. So I'm looking for "tape baking" tips. Know anything about this? Can you digitize 3/4" and EIAJ 1/2" reel-to-reel tapes?
I've never baked a videotape and would be reluctant to try it unless given specific advice to. I know old linear audio tape that's threatening to shed its oxide can be baked in specific circumstances, but I'm not certain the chemistry and physics of those reels would carry over to these tapes.
Great video! I was watching a tape for the first time in ten years or more on my Philips vr 530. I had found a couple of tapes I had been looking for for more than twenty years. They only exist on VHS. So I watched the first hour a few days ago of tape one. Then today I wanted to watch the rest of it. But no. When I turned the VCR on it didn't load the tape but pushed it out while showing the error code 4 and turned itself off. I turned it back on and put the tape back in. It didn't load but showed the error code 2 and turned itself off. (I may have mixed up which was 2 and which was 4 now). I tried it several times-the same happened every time. I took one of the few tapes I had left from a long time ago, tapes I had recorded some documentaries on and kept, when I got rid of my other VHS tapes (like a stupid ....). It played fine. I took another of those old tapes I had recorded on, and it played fine. I tried to put the new tape back in the machine and it went as described above :^/ That was strange, so I took the other tape I had bought. It was still rapped in plastic! Same problem. Machine won't play and it turns itself off with an error code 2 or 4.
It sounds like it won't open the flap, but I've tried it with the top off (not mine, the machine's). It grabs the tape fine but nothing else happens. It's really frustrating. I haven't been able to find any information on it.
I hope some young wizard obsessed with the past resurrects the art of saving these devices. Eh, it could happen.
@@scottthemediahoarder I wish!
Sir, my vcr start but not playing, power off , what I do sir. Thank you sir.
how to transfer vhs to pc
mine snapped when i ff till the end what should i do?
i have an old Panasonic vcr that will load the tape ( tried a couple) into the machine but will not move the tape forward or reverse. Any ideas..thanks Stan
Sorry, I don't! You can try loosening the screws a little in case it needs some more space to spin.
Never use your expensive S-VHS players for rewinding. Expensive gear for minor task, and all sorts of things could go sideways here. And an AG-1980P repair is not easy, and very costly.
Great advice, lord. Shortly after this taping, I switched to the old Sharp machine above it for rewind duties. I'm keeping an eye out for a suitable rewinder to movie that duty away from working machines.
@@scottthemediahoarder But the Sharp VCR has RAPID REWIND! You don't want that! It can COMPLETELY snap the tape off the reel if it gets too excited and doesn't slow down before it gets to the end!
I just started to transfer my old family videos over to digital. Some of the videos will play fine and randomly throughout them they d I a "Vertical Roll" how do I fix them? Is there a way to tighten the tape or does this have to do with tracking?
Vcr issue or tape issue? The videos are from those small vhs tapes that are played using the bigger ones
Try cleaning the heads of the vcr, or the tape and inside is dusty.
Thank you so much.1,5 h manual forward but it solved the problem. :)
VHS tapes still living online specially I don't see y we need convert vhs tapes to dvd specially all yet I can go online bay everything every vcr vhs movies plus cleaning tapes now if they was not online then I would put my vhs tapes on DVDs specially DVDs still locks up bad and scratches up bad also plus phones and comperts still locks up also now vhs tapes never locks y should I convert somthing over yet it locks up plus have loading problems
I hope your mother is well.
I ran into an issue. Tv works fine. VCR plays and ejects fine. Sound is good. But no color. Cleaned the heads and dusted everything. Still no cure.
So you get a black and white image, but no color? If it were a DVD player, I'd assume the wrong cable went to the wrong jack ... but on VCR with the yellow composite video-out, that should not be happening. If you've tried swapping cables and have exhausted options for using other inputs/outputs, I'd guess the picture-generating circuitry in the VCR is broken.
@@scottthemediahoarder thats what i was guessing too. It was only $5 at a local thrift store
I remember when this was hightech.
I have a vhs tape from 1986. Each time I put it in my vcr it just seems to be ready to play but then ejects. Is there a reason it might not want to play at all? it also will not rewind.
Sounds all jammed up! If it will fast-forward, try that. Consider loosening the screws on the shell a little bit -- not a lot, just enough to loosen the insides up a tiny amount.
@@scottthemediahoarder will try that! thank you so much!
It actually worked thanks mate
Great video thx
Thanks Scott
My dad ended his life when I was 7 but he always had a tape recorder with him. I was having some trouble getting the tapes to work and this helped. Thank you for helping me hear my dad’s voice again. ❤️
@@xdkal78 stories like yours are why I do this. I lost my wife in 2016 and was sad to have so little a-v of her for our son. This stuff is our modern family heirlooms. I'm proud of your efforts to preserve his voice!
Excellent!👏👏👏👏👏
Thank you! Cheers!
Why do you have VCRs?
From about 1985 on, I've never not had VCRs.
Why not? r/vhs
Specially does vhs tapes have loading problems at all like phones comperts will do no they don't it's been proven
Thank you!!!! Luckily I didn’t have to take it apart and it was only the breaks.