I'm hoping someone can help. I have an LG CRT TV, and needed a VCR to play some old VHS tapes. For some reason, no matter how the VCR is connected (via antennae cord, AV inputs ...), the video signal is wonky (hitting pause shows an image, otherwise it's a sort of static). All the connections have been thoroughly checked so it's probably not something as simple as connecting to the video in on the VCR. I live in Australia, so the TV should be receving PAL. I tried pre-recorded and home recorded tapes, and all have the same effect. I then got 2 other VCRs and tried those, and the same thing happens. The tapes, however, all play when I run them through someone else's setup. The only common failure factor is the TV, which plays free to air and dvds without drama. I do receive the audio signal from the VCR, incidentally. I would imagine that the TV is trying to read the VCR as something other than PAL, but there seems to be no option to review those sorts of settings. If anyone has any ideas ... Thanks.
If you get a picture when you pause a video tape, that is usually the sign of a clogged video head. Try using a head cleaning tape. If that does not work, take a small piece of plain white paper. Wet it with a little bit of alcohol and hold the paper to the middle of the round video head on the side where there is a small groove, and spin the head around many times while the paper is still held in place. You should feel a small indentation every so often. Do this a couple of times but NEVER let the paper go up and down on the video head, only horizontal. Let the alcohol dry really well, lets say five minutes. Do not use cloth or paper towel on the head also or you could break it. It is a small piece of Glass that is very fragile. If this does not work, your video heads are bad, or they need professional cleaning. Good Luck
Thanks for your response, Larry. Trouble is, it was a brand new VCR, so unlikely to be the head, and just in case, I borrowed 2 other VCRs and exactly the same thing happened, although the tapes played fine when taken to a friend's house. Bu thanks for taking the time to respond.
You say you tried the tapes on two other players, on your TV set. Same thing, when you pause them you get a picture. It is for sure the players man, No ifs and buts Maybe you are not telling us the whole story, because it does not make any sense?
Unless I am missing something here.?
No, it doesn't make sense to me either. The VCRS are fine, as we plugged them into other TVs and played the tapes without problem. The only common factor is the TV. Somehow it seems to be receiving the video signal as something other than PAL, but without any way that we can find to modify the settings.