When I use by Quasar 4- head vcr to play commercial tapes - movies,
etc, the picture is snowy and jumpy..I cleaned the heads with no
improvement''I get a perfect picture when I play back thingsd i have
taped myself..I tried all 3 speeds - sp,lp and slp and the results is
the same

What do you think is the problem and is there any solution?(other than
replacing the vcr?

thanks

Ken

clean the heads again.... and again.... carefully....
refer to http://www.repairfaq.org/ for the proper procedure.
If you still have problems take it to a repair shop for a professional
cleaning and/or repair estimate.
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"ken" wrote in message
oups.com...
When I use by Quasar 4- head vcr to play commercial tapes - movies,
etc, the picture is snowy and jumpy..I cleaned the heads with no
improvement''I get a perfect picture when I play back thingsd i have
taped myself..I tried all 3 speeds - sp,lp and slp and the results is
the same

What do you think is the problem and is there any solution?(other than
replacing the vcr?

thanks

Ken

Based on the information you have provided, one explanation could be
that the tape path of your machine is out of alignment. If so, then
playback of tapes recorded with the same misalignment could be fine,
but commercial material recorded on well-aligned machines would behave
as if the tracking is off (appear noisy and shaky), like you have
described. If the heads were dirty, then one would not expect a clear
picture under any circumstances. Therefore, it is not likely that more
head cleaning will help.

You can easily try to verify this using a know good VCR: Play one of
your tapes on another VCR that you know works well on commercial tapes.
If your tapes now look snowy and jumpy, you have your answer.

While you could seek out a professional repair, it is very likely that
the cost to repair an old machine (often at least $75 for them to even
look at the machine) will be more than the cost of a brand new VHS VCR,
which are now under $40 at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, or on eBay.

What in the heck are you talking about.... "often at least $75 for them to
even look at the machine" ???
My shop regularly cleans VCRs for $19.50 and repairs many problems for $25
to $45 . Of course there are problems that will cost more to fix and may
make sense for the really high end Sony and JVC machines of the early to mid
90's.
And many of the fairly inexpensive or mid price machines that are just 5 or
more years old are much better than the new throw away WalMart garbage no
matter what the brand. At the very least the VCR should be taken to a
repair shop that is really in the VCR repair business.... not some shop
that doesn't want to be bothered and will blow you away with a high over the
counter rough estimate of high flat rate.
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Best Regards,
Daniel Sofie
Electronics Supply & Repair
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"VCR Gymnast" wrote in message
oups.com...
snipped
While you could seek out a professional repair, it is very likely that
the cost to repair an old machine (often at least $75 for them to even
look at the machine) will be more than the cost of a brand new VHS VCR,
which are now under $40 at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, or on eBay.

Ken,
do you know how to adjust the tracking control?
Mark

Well, in that case I suggest he send it to your shop. However, as I
said, I don't think it is simply a matter of dirty heads. My experience
is limited to dealing with the service centers that are "Authorized" by
Panasonic, Sony, and/or JVC, and they all charge $50-75 to diagnose the
problem, which then goes toward the final cost of the repair, parts,
and labor. If the customer doesn't want them to go ahead, they keep
your $50-75. I assumed that Ken tried to adjust the tracking without
success. If it is just tracking, he doesn't need any service center.
I'm not sure if Quasar made any high-end models. If they did, I would
recommend an authorized service center. Depending on where he lives, he
might have to ship the VCR, which adds to the cost. The important thing
is that Ken has some good options. If your shop can do the diagnosis.
realignment, and cleaning for less than $50, then it sounds like your
shop is the answer to his problem.

I took one of the tapes I taped material on and viewed it on another
VCR and it was fine - no snow or jumpiness.In other words, stuff i tape
on my machine looks fine - both on my vcr and on another vcr - but
commercail tapes are snowy and jumpy on my VCR

Ken

"ken" wrote in message
oups.com...
I took one of the tapes I taped material on and viewed it on another
VCR and it was fine - no snow or jumpiness.In other words, stuff i tape
on my machine looks fine - both on my vcr and on another vcr - but
commercail tapes are snowy and jumpy on my VCR

Bad tracking.
--
N

NSM wrote:
"ken" wrote in message
oups.com...
I took one of the tapes I taped material on and viewed it on another
VCR and it was fine - no snow or jumpiness.In other words, stuff i
tape on my machine looks fine - both on my vcr and on another vcr -
but commercail tapes are snowy and jumpy on my VCR

Bad tracking.

Gosh, what a helpful response.

To the OP:
Specifically, the tapes you've been viewing OK are recorded at slow speed,
the rental-type tapes are at SP speed. A 4-head machine, which yours must
be, uses different heads for the different speeds. Obviously, your SP heads
are dirty or worn out. A proper cleaning is in order. May or may not fix
your problem.

Mark Z.

Mark D. Zacharias wrote:
NSM wrote:
"ken" wrote in message
oups.com...
I took one of the tapes I taped material on and viewed it on
another
VCR and it was fine - no snow or jumpiness.In other words, stuff i
tape on my machine looks fine - both on my vcr and on another vcr
-
but commercail tapes are snowy and jumpy on my VCR

Bad tracking.

Gosh, what a helpful response.

To the OP:
Specifically, the tapes you've been viewing OK are recorded at slow
speed,
the rental-type tapes are at SP speed. A 4-head machine, which yours
must
be, uses different heads for the different speeds. Obviously, your SP
heads
are dirty or worn out. A proper cleaning is in order. May or may not
fix
your problem.
Mark Z.

Another thing which has caught me out a couple of times on 4 head decks
is that one set of heads seems to remain "bad" despite cleaning,
leading one to believe they are worn out. However, turned out leaky
caps on the head amp pcb gave me those symptoms and after changing
them, things were fine. Could have been an expensive lesson if i had
simply changed the upper drum without checking first!
NOTE: that applied to (AFAIK) a sony and hitachi unit from about
1994-5, not as likely to be a problem on newer units but you never
know...

Ben