A TechLore "Ask the Experts" Question...

Question:

Our JVC HR-J4434 VCR switches from color picture to black and white and back many times during playback. This only happens when playing video tapes; not when viewing cable input through the VCR.

Will a tape head cleaner correct this? If service is required would it be worth it on a 6-7 year old VCR?

-submitted by lochkelly

Answer:

I'm willing to bet that it's an S-VHS VCR connected with an S-video cable to the TV (the kind of cable with the pins in it).

Check each end of the cable and make sure that it's securely connected to the back of the VCR and TV. A black and white image is common on bad S-video connections.

A great way to diagnose this is to play a tape, and while someone is watching the screen, jiggle the cable at each end to see if the color intermittently returns. If this doesn't work, connect the VCR using a different S-video cable and it will probably be fine.

If for some reason it is not the S-video cable, I'd have a hard time convincing myself to fix it. Great S-VHS VCRs are available for less than two hundred bucks, and will offer you more features than your model does.

Follow up with us in the discussion page and let us know what happens.

Matt Whitlock - Editor, TechLore.com