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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!cbdkc1!desoto!packard!edsel!rib
From: rib@edsel.UUCP (RI Block)
Newsgroups: net.video
Subject: Modifying an NTSC VCR
Message-ID: <282@edsel.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 2-Jan-85 08:32:50 EST
Article-I.D.: edsel.282
Posted: Wed Jan  2 08:32:50 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 3-Jan-85 03:42:33 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Piscataway
Lines: 36

I recently moved to Israel as a new immigrant (Oleh).  I brought with me a
Panasonic PV-5500 portable VHS VCR with camera. I also brought a Philips "9-way
TV set which handles both NTSC American standard and local PAL broadcasts.
I am able to record with the camera and to play back stuff which I brought
with me.  I cannot record off the air.  I don't know what I would get if I
put a locally-purchased pre-recorded tape into the machine.

My main intent is to take pictures of the family and mail them back to
doting grandparents in the States who miss us.  After all, the equipment was
a present from my father.  For this, I'm doing just fine.
However, I have the tuner sitting here rendered useless by the different
broadcast system.  I'm wondering if anything can be done so that I could
record off-the-air here and/or play local pre-recorded material while at
the same time retaining compatibility with the camera and the folk's NTSC-only
TV sets back in New York.

Tax laws and customs duties here make it prohibitively expensive for me to
bring in more equipment (legally) so buying a second set for local use is out.
I might be able to get permission to
send the set elsewhere for modifications and then bring it back.

Panasonic is notably unhelpful about these matters. I wrote to their American
service headquarters in Secaucus, N.J. before leaving and never even got a
reply.  (They never responded to letters about other things either so it's
not that my request is outrageous).

Failing any success in modifying the set, I shall offer the tuner for sale.

                                     Sam Gamoran
                                     Weizmann Institute of Science
                                     Computer Center
                                     Rehovot, Israel

Please respond either:
to the net (net.video)
to VSSAM@WEIZMANN.bitnet
to wisdom!sam (I'm not sure of the path).