ScuzzBlog: Diaries March 2026
Entry 15th March 2026: Post 1: SONY SLV-E850 Video Cassette Recorder - Remote control failure.
SONY SLV-E850 Video Cassette Recorder - Remote control failure.
This will be the second time the remote control has broken on the
the SONY VHS video cassette recorder and I have already replaced
it once. So what are the chances of getting another some 28 years
after manufacture. Amazing, I was able to pick up a brand new and
unused SONY RMT-V260A mint in its bag. It arrived yesterday and is
working without fault, so I am back in business.
Sadly that big 'shuttle' jog wheel that does pretty much everything
from play, slow motion, still, forward/reverse and fast for each
gets a hammering. The video can be slowed to any speed and frozen.
So with my third remote control unit on a 28 year old recorder it
really is amazing that the main unit has worked for so long.
So why do I bother ? Wash your mouth out .. I have like 500 plus
recordable video tapes with my entire recorded viewing history from
1984 to 2009. I even have books of listings itemising recordings.
Over the years I have had five video recorders and each had a
differing record numbering systems. So it can get a bit crazy finding
all my Max Headroom original programs.
Thing is I haven't had a television feed into this house for decades.
I decided to pull the plug on SKY back in 2010. I have even cut the
cable to the dish. I actually have two dishes on the house , neither
is connected. I do not partake of the old terrestrial channels and
am not even signed up for the BBC iPlayer. I do not use a smart phone
and have no subscriptions to any online streaming sites. I only use
YouTube for video snippets.
Fortunately I have a very short attention span and for the most part
can stomach but half an hour or so before I have to pause and switch
something off. I had treated myself to John Wick 4 on DVD and sadly
found myself fast forwarding the choreographed gun shooting sequences
cus it not only looked silly but was real boring. Took me about 30
minutes to watch the rest of the movie. I think Keanu Reeves has a
contract that limits him to about five lines of script.
Anyhoo I was reading an article online about folk returning to the
physical media of video and CD and I just chuckled to myself. I have
never abandoned any of it, though I don't buy VHS video films now.
The last films I bought were Antz, Roadtrip and Fifth Element. All
of which I also bought on DvD to complete the process. Today I buy
but a handful of DvD films cus basically most of it is crap. When
you have been blessed with some of the greatest films ever made why
would you watch some of the dross that gets released, just for the
sake of it. I have better things to do with my time.
I do play my video recorder a lot. I taped whole days at a time of
the music, comedy and fashion channels on SKY in the early years of
the mellennium, and I still flick them on and listen on wireless
headphones.
I do sense folk are a bit nostalgic and may be suffering a little
from the old rose tinted glasses. Personally I wouldn't watch films
on VHS, I just get annoyed by the poor quality. I certainly would
not wish to start building any major video collection. I already
have one, and only cus I bought the stuff when it was new and fresh.
Time was there was no YouTube , streaming or internet even and so I
would venture into HMV and load myself up with bags full of music
videos to play during holiday breaks. The concert videos were great
cus they would play for ages. Madonna, Prince etc were very popular.
For your YouTube style viewing you couldn't beat a video from the
NOW collections. I have them from the beginning. Dunno what number
they are up to today. It was interesting looking at some of the
old videos. Took me back I have to say. Was I tempted to play any
of them? Not a chance. (chuckles).
On that Keanu Reeves thing I have the Matrix on tape plus some of
his earlier work from his Speed days. He definitely did use to say.
a lot more in his films.
Generally the TV in the lounge gets switched on for half an hour a
day when I am having lunch. I generally watch American comedy shows
of the late nineties early 2000s with Frasier, Becker, Scrubs, etc.
I recently bought all of the series one of the shows as I didn't
have them for some reason. Twenty minutes or so is just enough for
me and the TV and the American comedy shows are very accommodating.
What is better is there are no adverts. Incredible.
Often I run out of comedy shows so whilst I wait for another to
arrive I sit with my video cassettes. It was with some sadness that
I discovered the remote wasn't working but thankfully EBAY came to
my rescue. As ever. I was going to take some pics of the video but
my camera picks up all the most tiny specs of dust even if I can't
see them myself, so I gave up. I do like video. Hate housework.
Going now... How you doin. Stopped raining.
SONY SLV-E850 Video Cassette Recorder - Remote control failure.
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