I left school in 1982. Later that year I started work. I'd hoped to enter the TV and video servicing trade but there was no opening. I had to make do with working for a computer and components supplier. I enjoyed it despite my lack of enthusiasm for ZX81s and Spectrums. George Wilding was one of our customers for components.
Anyway a young lad with money in his pocket hires a VCR from DER. I went with VHS from the outset not being convinced Betamax was better than VHS. People will no doubt still argue about this now. I also found the design where one can only see one reel off putting!
The top loader model 8940 stereo machine with Dolby arrived complete with a complimentary Thorn branded JVC E180 tape.
I had the machine for over a year. Redundancy saw me return to the NE in 1984. I kept most of my tapes.
Fast forward 34 years. I found my 1983 recordings of "The Prisoner" which I've transferred to HDD on the recently acquired Sony HDD/DVD recorder. The tapes play perfectly on a. 2000s Matsui badged VCR.
Not only that, the picture and sound quality is excellent, even when viewed on a modern flat thing on viewing at the usual distance.
The pics show the tapes (Akai are JVC, Hitachi were Maxell) and images taken off screen for the trailer for The Prisoner in September 1983 as viewed on the Ferguson Personal 900 chassis set. The recordings are in colour of course.
Certainly is an excellent format.
Oh how the memories are triggered.....well done for keeping most of your tapes 
Somewhere I have a recording of Brookside and adverts from 1984..... I kept some valuable stuff eh ? 
To understand the black art of electronics is to understand witchcraft. Andrew.
I am also a biig fan of VHS system, specially the oldere vtr machines in metal plant, not those new plastic things, i have repaired around more than 1000 old videorecorders in my life, and still love it,
Alex 😉
VHS machines introduced to the UK I think in 1977, if that correct this year is the 40th anniversary.
A number of problems with Betamax, shorter playing time in the early years, the paid for licence to Sony and perhaps a more complicated machine. Other makers did not like the licence arrangements so sided with VHS which was free. This gave customers a lot more choice when buying VHS over Betamax and also a cheaper machine.
There is no doubt early Betamax machines had a better picture but with its other short comings and much improved VHS pictures in slightly later machines gave VHS the edge and the rest as they say is history.
The progress made from 1956 with the first studio VTR from Ampex to 1977 with VHS is remarkable, the U-Matic bridging that gap for some broadcast but very few domestic machines.
Frank
nuvistor said
VHS machines introduced to the UK I think in 1977, if that correct this year is the 40th anniversary.A number of problems with Betamax, shorter playing time in the early years, the paid for licence to Sony and perhaps a more complicated machine. Other makers did not like the licence arrangements so sided with VHS which was free. This gave customers a lot more choice when buying VHS over Betamax and also a cheaper machine.
There is no doubt early Betamax machines had a better picture but with its other short comings and much improved VHS pictures in slightly later machines gave VHS the edge and the rest as they say is history.
The progress made from 1956 with the first studio VTR from Ampex to 1977 with VHS is remarkable, the U-Matic bridging that gap for some broadcast but very few domestic machines.
You got something there about the licens to sony, ;-), but there was also something about using of the M-treading, Philips invented the Charlie deck around 1987 and made that deck for the next 3-4 years, i mean it was because of the license to matushita company, the charlie deck was okay, and gentle to the videotape surface, but very slow by theating in and out (7 seconds each way)
Alex 😉
The first VHS recorders I was involved with were in mid 1978 with the release of the Ferguson 3292 and rental version model 8900 which were JVC HR3300 clones. The first E180 tape I bought was around October which I think cost me £19.95, apparently £115 in today's money. It still has on it recordings made that year, two episodes of Space 1999 (sadly the death of Martin Landau aka John Keonig was announced today) and the Kenny Everett show from new years eve.
John.
T
Jayceebee said
The first VHS recorders I was involved with were in mid 1978 with the release of the Ferguson 3292 and rental version model 8900 which were JVC HR3300 clones. The first E180 tape I bought was around October which I think cost me £19.95, apparently £115 in today's money. It still has on it recordings made that year, two episodes of Space 1999 (sadly the death of Martin Landau aka John Keonig was announced today) and the Kenny Everett show from new years eve.
he JVC Hr3300 was/is a great simple vcr, i have the rebagde Akai in my collection og VHS machines, and it is in really good condition with a brown skin to put on the top when the vtr is not in use for minimizing dust in the cassette deck, i will find a picture of it tomorrow 😉
Alex 😉
What especially impresses me is the ability of the last plastic lightweight VHS VCR to replay the oldest of tapes perfectly.
JVC kept their word when they said they would never change the design of the tapes. They even made their VHS -C camcorder version compatible with main system via an adapter.
The earlier tapes were beautifully made, so much one didn't mind spending £8.40 on them, the price I paid for my first tape in late 1982!
Focusdiode said
The earlier tapes were beautifully made, so much one didn't mind spending £8.40 on them, the price I paid for my first tape in late 1982!
That's certainly less painful than Philips VCR (N1500 to N1702) cassettes. When I bought my first N1700 in 1978 (£638) the cassettes weighed in at an agonising £27.50 each for 90 minutes worth of recording time (about 45 minutes in N1500 terms).
The last brand new VCR cassette I bought came from W.H. Smith in 1986(ish) at a knockdown £10 for a VCR150 (2 hours 30 minutes/N1700 - 1 hour 15 minutes/N1500) - It was on sale "reduced to clear". I reckon it was the very last of its kind to sell in York!
My first VHS cassettes came with my very first VHS recorder - the Ferguson "Movie Star" portable (Tuner/Timer - Video Recorder - and camera). Those cassettes came at £7.50 each in 1982. The recorder kit cost £800 from Dixons, in York.
Ye gads, I must have had money to burn in my youth!
My first machine was a Granada TV Rentals "YH2" model in July 1983. One week later this was changed at their behest to "XH3" (re-branded Hitachi VT 8500). I was 14 at the time and can still remember the excitement seeing the Granada man carry the beast into the house. I hadn't been told that a video recorder was being delivered - I was in after school expecting the television to be upgraded. The tv was upgraded as well.
The XH3 (black with illuminated buttons) has always been my favourite to use from both ease and looks.
We had it for about 18 months. It needed 3 repairs (clogged heads which stopped when we started buying Scotch instead of Granada tapes). A house move meant that we changed rental companies and we ended up with a dreadful 1979/1980 Panasonic thing which was, even then, out of date.
When I bought my own place in the early 1990's I rented from CO-OP Electricals (two Sony machines) and then in 1995 bought a JVC and Ferguson VideoStar. Both these machines still work and I use to transfer my recordings to DVD via two Sony DVD recorders.
For everyday use I have a cheapo Funai.
Last year I was very lucky to find an XH3 on Ebay and it plays perfectly.
I have kept my recordings all the way back to 1983 and hats off to JVC - they all play very well 35 years or so later, no matter what machine is used.
My main memory is the amazement of re-watching a programme at any time and also being able to time-shift.
This was pre-sell through and retail tapes were £40-£60 so home recording really was the holy grail found!
I have progressed to DVD recorders and to PVR's complete with series link etc, but VHS video recording will always be a lot more special to me 🙂
My first and only VHS machine was a Panasonic bought in 1985 or thereabouts along with a Panasonic TV, I had left the trade by then so had to use previous experience which doesn’t always work.
Both items gave excellent service for around 10 years, one LOPTX in the TV and a reservoir cap in the recorder, both fixable by myself.
The recorder was well used and we certainly got our monies worth out of it. It was replaced by a Sky box and though it’s not designed for archiving like VHS it’s much more convenient. If I want a box on the shelf I will buy a DVD, we will have to wait and see to find out when that format starts to die.
I was at my daughters over Christmas and they use streaming, Netflix, and record over the air, Sky, for their TV, they have facilities for DVD but don’t use them. This with a very poor internet connection but it works for them. I don’t think the grandchildren know what a DVD is, I bought them one, a Christmas type story, I wonder if it will get watched.
Frank
In the autumn of 1978 I took delivery from Ferguson of the model 3292 VHS video recorder. The selling price was £630 so it goes without saying sales were slow, in fact that machine didn't sell until March the following year, and at a heavily discounted price. The similar 3V00 came along in 1979 was retailing at around £500, still a bit expensive. The 3V00 received a makeover in 1980 and became the model 3V22, presented in an all black cabinet. Ferguson were criticised for offering what was considered a rather dated machine what with it's mechanics and those big function keys. Things got better when the all new and electronic 3V29 and 3V30 machines arrived in late 1981. 3V29 retailed at £479 and the 3V30 £515. Rented and sold loads of those machines. In 1980 GEC offered a rebadged Hitachi VT11 VHS machine, the V4001H, a superb machine. First Ferguson front loader was the 3V23, introduced in late 1980 it was a brilliantly over engineered masterpiece.
It's has be said the video recorder "saved" the TV trade. Got us through the 1980s and 90s.
Till Eulenspiegel.
In the autumn of 1978 I took delivery from Ferguson of the model 3292 VHS video recorder. The selling price was £630 so it goes without saying sales were slow, in fact that machine didn't sell until March the following year, and at a heavily discounted price. The similar 3V00 came along in 1979 was retailing at around £500, still a bit expensive.
Till Eulenspiegel.
At least you got a free E180 tape and a felt dust cover for the top. I'm pretty certain the 3V22 came without a tape, not sure about the dust cover.
The Thorn rental equivalents were,
3292=8900, 3V00=8902, 3V16=8904, 3V22=8922.
There was also a multi standard machine for which there was no Ferguson equivalent brought in to fill the huge demand for machines at the time, this was the 8928.
John.
John.
There's an explanation of how the VHS system came about in the book "The Panasonic Way" by Toshiko Yamashita. Toshiko was marketing manager of JVC at the time. When told by a buyer at Sears-Robuck that Sony had developed a machine which could record two hours on a single tape Toshiko retorted that they had a machine which could record for four hours. When asked what it was called he said the first thing that came into his head, VHS, Video Home System. No such machine existed! He then gave his engineers six weeks to build a machine which met that specification and win the order from Sears. It was a quite a bit later before any VHS machine could actually record four whole hours.
Toshiko was trained personally by my grandfather Frits Philips at his private home in Eindhoven as were the senior managers of all the companies owned by Philips at the time.
That sounds like many sales people for large orders, sell the product then let the engineers sort it out. Seen it happen a few times.
Frank
In August 1978 Thorn Consumer Electronics introduced the 3292 to the trade through the Scope technical bulletin. The publication gave a concise introduction to the VHS system of recording and playback of PAL TV. Shortly after a full service manual was delivered, that's how it was in the TV servicing trade in those times. Dealers received full servicing backup, not like nowadays. Motor control servos were a bit tricky to set up in the 3292 but those matters improved when the 3V00 which came along the following year. Best mechanical VHS VCR? I'd say the Ferguson 3V16. A customer has an early five motor Mitsubishi VHS machine hidden away in his attic, now there's a machine I'd like to acquire.
Till Eulenspiegel.
ntscuser wrote: "Toshiko was trained personally by my grandfather Frits Philips at his private home in Eindhoven as were the senior managers of all the companies owned by Philips at the time."
Hi ntscuser, I've always suspected there was a technical or a financial tie up between Philips and Matsushita Electric. Is this correct? Goes back to the days when National Panasonic radios employed such things as the 2SA70 transistor which is identical to the Philips/Valvo OC170 transistor. Also, you'd find OA70 diodes in the companies' radios.
Till Eulenspiegel.
Echoing a comment made much further upthread, these days I think the ephemeral stuff on the tapes - the adverts and continuity announcements - are actually more interesting than the programmes.
Hi Till,
Any chance of scanning and uploading to the tech library those Scope/Ferguson Feed back issues ? time permitting of course.
I once had a light blue Ferguson Feedback folder with quite a few of issues of said bulletins, they were always very informative, sadly I no longer have any.
No problem, something to do over the weekend. How does one upload the pages direct into the library?
Till Eulenspiegel.
