VHS "jitter syndrome"? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

bb25 · 09-01-2003, 01:33 PM

Has anyone else noticed this with VHS tapes? It's weird...I'll record something, then when I watch the tape a few weeks/months later, the bottom half of the picture will be really jittery for some reason. It's really an eyesore and I have no clue what would be causing it - mind you it doesn't really happen with all of my tapes, but a great deal. I follow all the basic guidelines for care of VHS tapes, yet it still happens. I generally store my tapes in Rubbermaid boxes in a flat position. I've heard some people say to keep them in a vertical positon, but I doubt that that would be the problem...does anyone know what could cause this annoyance??

Agent 13 · 09-01-2003, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bb25
Has anyone else noticed this with VHS tapes? It's weird...I'll record something, then when I watch the tape a few weeks/months later, the bottom half of the picture will be really jittery for some reason. It's really an eyesore and I have no clue what would be causing it - mind you it doesn't really happen with all of my tapes, but a great deal. I follow all the basic guidelines for care of VHS tapes, yet it still happens. I generally store my tapes in Rubbermaid boxes in a flat position. I've heard some people say to keep them in a vertical positon, but I doubt that that would be the problem...does anyone know what could cause this annoyance??

I haven't seen this very often, though I do have the same problem on one set of shows that I have (taped in ep), and I've found that playing them on a better VCR helps. (We have a 19 head VCR which is supposed to play and record better than an ordinary VCR.)

Jen

junecleaver · 09-01-2003, 05:37 PM

have you cleaned the heads on your vcr lately? or it could be a tracking problem too. if it is the tape i sometimes kinda jiggle the tape against a pillow or something and it comes back to it's senses

Mr. Television · 09-01-2003, 05:42 PM

Sometimes the picture jiggles and the voice is real low when I play a tape in a VCR that I didn't tape it in.

junecleaver · 09-01-2003, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mr roper
Sometimes the picture jiggles and the voice is real low when I play a tape in a VCR that I didn't tape it in.

my tapes have done that before, i found out it was a problem with the VCR i recorded it in. make sure the VCR is sitting the proper way, not laying on it's back or side, that plays a big part in it too

bb25 · 09-01-2003, 09:10 PM

Nope, it's not that. The VCR I recorded them in is a top-of-the-line RCA, and I've been playing them back on a brand new Sony I just got less than 2 months ago, so it's definitely not the VCR or dirty heads. While there seems to be less jitter if I play them on the RCA they were recorded on, it's still there and keep in mind that these were fine when I first recorded them - jitter free...the only other thing I can think of is the way I store them - flat instead of vertical...

Agent 13 · 09-06-2003, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bb25
Has anyone else noticed this with VHS tapes? It's weird...I'll record something, then when I watch the tape a few weeks/months later, the bottom half of the picture will be really jittery for some reason. It's really an eyesore and I have no clue what would be causing it - mind you it doesn't really happen with all of my tapes, but a great deal. I follow all the basic guidelines for care of VHS tapes, yet it still happens. I generally store my tapes in Rubbermaid boxes in a flat position. I've heard some people say to keep them in a vertical positon, but I doubt that that would be the problem...does anyone know what could cause this annoyance??

You know... I've been thinking about this. The only set of tapes that I've had this happen to me with were acquired from a trade. The tapes were recorded in ep, and they played beautifully the first time. Since they've been played once, I have to practically babysit them and play them in my best VCR to get a decent picture. Otherwise, the bottom level is jittery.

This is the only experience I've had with them, so I'm assuming that it happened as a result of my trader's VCR.

Jen

bb25 · 09-07-2003, 10:48 AM

Actually, that isn't the case with mine either. I'll record them say in December, then when I go to watch them say in April or something, they'll be jittery. I mean, you'd think from the looks of it that I left the tapes out in the cold all winter, then just sat and shook them for awhile before playing them. It stumps me because they're high quality tapes recorded on a high quality machine and stored properly...

09-01-2003, 01:33 PM	#1
bb25 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Oct 22, 2002 Posts: 784	VHS "jitter syndrome"? Has anyone else noticed this with VHS tapes? It's weird...I'll record something, then when I watch the tape a few weeks/months later, the bottom half of the picture will be really jittery for some reason. It's really an eyesore and I have no clue what would be causing it - mind you it doesn't really happen with all of my tapes, but a great deal. I follow all the basic guidelines for care of VHS tapes, yet it still happens. I generally store my tapes in Rubbermaid boxes in a flat position. I've heard some people say to keep them in a vertical positon, but I doubt that that would be the problem...does anyone know what could cause this annoyance??

09-01-2003, 05:42 PM	#4
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,132	Sometimes the picture jiggles and the voice is real low when I play a tape in a VCR that I didn't tape it in.
	__________________ Sonny

09-01-2003, 05:37 PM	#3
junecleaver Member Senior Member Join Date: Jun 28, 2003 Location: i'm a southerner! :D Posts: 1,298	have you cleaned the heads on your vcr lately? or it could be a tracking problem too. if it is the tape i sometimes kinda jiggle the tape against a pillow or something and it comes back to it's senses

09-01-2003, 09:10 PM	#6
bb25 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Oct 22, 2002 Posts: 784	Nope, it's not that. The VCR I recorded them in is a top-of-the-line RCA, and I've been playing them back on a brand new Sony I just got less than 2 months ago, so it's definitely not the VCR or dirty heads. While there seems to be less jitter if I play them on the RCA they were recorded on, it's still there and keep in mind that these were fine when I first recorded them - jitter free...the only other thing I can think of is the way I store them - flat instead of vertical...

09-07-2003, 10:48 AM	#8
bb25 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Oct 22, 2002 Posts: 784	Actually, that isn't the case with mine either. I'll record them say in December, then when I go to watch them say in April or something, they'll be jittery. I mean, you'd think from the looks of it that I left the tapes out in the cold all winter, then just sat and shook them for awhile before playing them. It stumps me because they're high quality tapes recorded on a high quality machine and stored properly...