The DVD player works fine for this combo but this
problem has just happened- the machine is 2 months old- if I switch the
source from DVD to VCR I can't get any video image. THe
machine plays and I can see the words 'play' superimposed on the screen
but I don't get any video to see or hear. I don't get sent to a
blue screen either, it just stays on the TV channel. If I flip
the source to DVD then the playback is fine, so the tuning must be OK,
the cables working but can't figure out where I've gone wrong.
I've tried 2 different tapes too.
Sounds like you need to clean the video heads CLEANING THE VIDEO HEADS - in the event of a head clog, the first thing professionals try to accomplish on a cleaning job is to restore the picture. Cleaning the video heads is the most critical part of the process. Use extreme caution. Never use cotton swabs. Cotton tends to grab, get caught or leave fibers in the heads. It can also break them. Using chamois sticks is by far the safest method.
Soak a chamois stick with head cleaning fluid and place it directly on a video head with light pressure. For beginners, the safest method involves holding the chamois stick stationary in one hand and rotating the drum clockwise with the other. You want all scrubbing action to be in a horizontal direction. Never use any vertical motion; it's very risky for head tip breakage. When finished, allow a minute or two for the heads to dry and your ready to try it out.
Pop in a tape and press PLAY. Confirm the picture is now clear. If not, you might want to repeat the above process once again. Ninety eight percent of the time, cleaning the video heads solves this symptom. Most of the remaining two percent is caused by a defective video head somewhere on the upper drum. Hope this helps. Let us know how you made out.