Entertainment Center: TVs, Stereos, VCRs and DVDs - Panasonic VCR; pause,FF&REW pix are good, play is a grey screen?

Lots of talented people on this forum, if anyone knows how to explain this problem I'd be very grateful.

It's the NV-FJ710B (Tape Library System and very speedy fast forward and rewind capabilities flavour of a Panasonic workhorse) - just past it's 5th birthday and without a peep of a problem, suddenly won't play tapes properly anymore.

Symptoms: cueing forward or backwards is fine, pausing and slow frame advance is crystal too, but playing just gives a pure grey screen with audio in the background? The tapes won't play in another VCR and vice versa and the usual tracking & v-lock just made me frown - :(

Is this repairable or have I got to start looking at DVD RW / hard drive / combi alternatives?


I thought of bribery and telling a joke of.......A man goes to the doctor and says, "Doctor, I'm having trouble with my hearing", "What are the symptoms?" asks the doctor, The man replies, "A yellow TV cartoon family"..... but thought it would cheapen myself and decided not to. :wall:

Have you tried a cleaning tape that you can buy at any electronic store. Also how old are the tapes you are using and how often are you renting tapes from the video stores. Dirty video heads will cause the problem that you are experiencing, try a wet cleaner.

Hi cbs, s'pose it would have helped if I'd've said what I'd tried! :o ......I've cleaned using instructions from other sources; paper, alcohol and gentle drum turning etc, the tapes are from a Christmas present & we don't hire videos.

I'm encouraged that these are the exact symptoms a dirty head will cause, just slightly slumped that I've given them a rub - laterally and not up/down as I've heard can cause problems; snagging's a no-no too apparently.

Would meths work as the solvent of a wet clean? if it's alcohol or the highway, is that a chemist/pharmacy/drug store type product; if only it was vodka, we've some of that!

If you have the machine apart, try cleaning the path of the tape. The rubber wheels can get sticky and grab the tape. DVD recorders might be the way to go from there.

Thnx C, I can see that the tape speed must be really important - I'll try what you say: It's still sitting in-situ with scart and IR remote wires like hospital IV's inserted at the mo.