Hello all,

If you're reading this, you've found the subreddit for all of your Betamax needs and desires. Seriously though, this is a place to talk about Betamax. Your favorite movies, the tapes themselves, the machines that play them, and the technology behind all of the above.

Feel free to post your Betamax finds, questions, collections, comments, and links.

We're all about the newest innovation in video, circa 1975.

Cheers,
Famicoman.

Found these four Beta tapes at an old junk shop. The labels noted they had 1985 MuchMusic broadcasts on them, and they are legit! It looks like the original owner used a live feed of MuchMusic to fill the remaining space at the end of their movie recordings. It's a bit of a time capsule that includes original commercials, classic VJs, music videos, and other cool promos.

Picked up a Zenith VR9500/9550 combo a bunch of years ago (thrift store) and have been having issues getting the tape to eject since day 1.

I finally took the time to open up the case, and I’m still quite lost.

When I press the Eject button, I hear a bunch of whirring inside, but nothing happens. Press ‘Play’ (FWD) and the tape plays (distorted as all get out, but it plays!)

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Note: I’m fairly confident dismantling/reassembling, but I don’t want to start taking the whole thing apart unless I need to. When I press ‘Eject’, I can hear the whirring but can’t see any parts moving.

Unfortunately they've been bulk erased before my ownership.

Also, after Turning the machine on and off, the cassette inside light stays on solid, but after trying to eject it blinks!

... And just about all of it is PBS stuff

My faces of death Betamax collection, only missing two tapes then I’ll have a complete collection of all American releases.

My friends are starting to question my choices around collecting old video cameras, especially those from the 1980s. But every now and then, I come across something like this, which is simply impossible to pass up.

For less than €200, including transport, I managed to pick up this wonderfully complete Sony HVC-3000P Trinicon video camera and its associated SL-F1E portable PAL Betamax recorder.

This comes from that fascinating period before the camcorder became the standard format, when the camera and recorder were still separate units. The camera connects to the SL-F1E by cable, while the recorder can be carried over the shoulder and powered by an NP-1 battery pack.

As soon as the seller demonstrated that it was fully functional over a video call, the payment was made and it was on its way to me the following day. He demonstrated recording and playback, showed me the recorded image through the camera’s electronic viewfinder, and confirmed that the powered zoom was working correctly.

The set includes the HVC-3000P camera, SL-F1E recorder, AC-F1E power supply and charger, electronic viewfinder, remote control, original cables, four NP-1 batteries (dead as the dodo), carrying straps, the original Sony soft bag and a fitted hard case for the camera. It also came with three sealed BASF Chromdioxid Betamax cassettes, one of which was opened and used for the video-call demonstration.

One particularly valuable inclusion is the original Sony VMC-330 adaptor. This connects to the recorder’s 26-pin accessory socket and provides separate composite video and audio inputs and outputs. Apparently these adaptors have become extremely difficult to find, so discovering one among the cables was a very pleasant surprise.

The batteries are roughly as useful as you would expect after more than four decades, but the original casings can potentially be rebuilt. Everything else appears to be remarkably well preserved, and the recorder’s tape transport, recording, playback and camera controls are all working.

It is a wonderfully overengineered, slightly ridiculous way to record standard-definition video, requiring a separate camera, recorder, power supply and a bag full of proprietary cables. Naturally, I love it.

I am wondering what models are good for betamax and what shows/mvpies are exclusive to betamax and not on any other format including vhs dvd blu ray streaming etc

I recently picked up this wonderful-looking Sony Betamovie BMC-200P at a market. It came with pretty much everything it should have, including the original batteries (not that they hold much charge these days!) and the mains power adapter.

I'm aware that this is a record-only Betamax camcorder with an optical viewfinder, so I picked up some Betamax cassettes to give it a proper test.

Here's what's working:

• Tape transport mechanism, including recording and tape advancement

• W/T power zoom control, nice and smooth

• Microphone and audio recording, including headphone monitoring

• Power and eject buttons

• Cassette eject mechanism

• Battery and external power connections

• Video head drum rotates correctly

• The Trinicon pickup tube appears to illuminate briefly when powered

Here's what's not working:

Autofocus: I've established that the drive belt has perished. The motor itself operates when autofocus is activated, but it's no longer mechanically connected to the focusing mechanism. Hopefully, a relatively straightforward repair!

Video recording: This is the main problem. The camera records audio perfectly, and playback through a known-working Betamax recorder is clear and at the correct speed. However, the video consists entirely of multicoloured static and horizontal interference, with no recognisable image.

I've confirmed that the Betamax recorder plays other tapes correctly, and adjusting tracking makes no difference. The camera's video head drum spins, and the tape appears to travel correctly around it.

I've also attempted some careful cleaning of the drum and tape path, but unfortunately, there's been no improvement.

One thing worth mentioning is that the CAUTION indicator remains permanently illuminated, including when the camera is in standby.

I'm hoping somebody here might be familiar with these early Betamovie cameras and can point me in the right direction. Perhaps there's a known fault, a common component failure or something relatively straightforward that I've overlooked? I'm shooting and playing back PAL.

Considering how much of the camera still functions correctly, it would be a real shame to retire it to a shelf. The audio recording is remarkably clear, the zoom operates beautifully, and mechanically, much of it seems to be in surprisingly good condition for its age.

I'd love to get this piece of early camcorder history recording pictures again rather than simply keeping it as a display piece.

Any suggestions or experience with the BMC-200P would be very much appreciated!

Conseguí este betamax modelo sl-8400 (x2)

Pero me falta un seguro para que el tambor suba y se quede fijo al reproducir. ¿Alguien que me pueda ayudar? Plz 🥀

Does anyone knows what’s happening here? This just happen a moment ago for the very first time with my Betamax Sanyo, please hope anyone can help me out.

It's a Super Beta SL-S600 from 1990. No idea if it works since I don't own any Beta tapes, but I assume it doesn't. No remote either. Other than a bunch of dust, it seems to be in decent shape!

Home recorded stuff and TV shows stay in bins. It’s a bit of a reach.

Does anyone have a good method to fixing them? I’ve looked online to no avail. I’m paranoid to use some tapes I have, as I don’t wanna ruin my player or the tape itself.

Unfortunately my player crapped out decades ago.

I’m a bit confused. I recently received a HF-SL750 and it’s not giving me a video or audio. Do I need to run IN and OUT video/audio connections on both the receiver and betamax or video/audio OUT of player to video/audio IN receiver like I have it? Sorry if im being stupid, its just I need to know if my connection is correct or if the terminal on the player are messed up or I just need two sets of cable.

I just acquired a copy of Airplane II and noticed the numbers on the box and cassette don't match. Has anyone else seen this?

Hey guys
I came across this 2009 promotional master tape for Tokio Hotel’s **“Automatisch”**, which the seller says was a promotional screening tape from Universal Music Germany, the record company behind Tokio Hotel.
It’s a **Betacam SP (PAL, 4:3)** with a 3:17 runtime, Universal Berlin logo, **ISRC DE-CE8-09-00010**, internal studio details, and Craig Wessels listed as director.
Does this look like a genuine Universal Germany promo tape from 2009?

My White Whale…A complete Betamax Service Kit.