DenMar's home theater setup

[The-Ish316]

   LOL, parney!  It's funny you mention the WAF.  I one time made a kind of out-loud thought of wishing that I could get another pair of AS-F2s for the surrounds and immediately got a negative WAF response.  But that's OK.  I don't honestly know where I'd put them.  

On the other hand I am more limited by the negative MAF (money availability factor) to get much more done now.  

[jttar]

The-Ish316,

Now we're talking! Your 52XBR9 looks fantastic taking the place of your 27"
Trinitron. Such a tidy looking system. The WAF has to be high on your new display, what's not to love???

Thanks for taking the time to update your Home Theater pics and sharing them with us.
Such a classy looking setup.

Joe

[The-Ish316]

Aww, thanks, Joe!  I appreciate your kind review of the new look of the system.  Indeed, the 52XBR9 fits the whole look very well.  And the WAF is quite high.  At first I was rather embarrassed by what seemed the overwhelming size of the screen.  But it didn't take long to get used to it.  It's particularly marvelous when viewing blu-ray content.   The BBC's Planet Earth is breathtaking, Iron Man rocks, Flyboys is resplendent, and Wall-E is vivid and crisply detailed when on the screen.  Even The Wrath of Khan benefits from the upgrade in detail and color depth.

Now I just have to figure out what's next... sub-woofer, DVR, VCR repair, or a HT PC integrated into the system (my hesitation there is cost and having Microsoft as part of my HT), or a power conditioner.  

[duketbrd88]

Looks great, you could always hang the tv on the wall. Then you could move your center channel speaker on top under the great sony 52XBR9 and hide your sub where the center channel was. Just an idea. If interested i have two extra like brand new DPS-10 velodyne subs. I think they were $600.00 new. You can have one for $300.00-you pay shipping. Just an idea. System looks GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I am in cleveland ,you could even pick it up. MIKE

[The-Ish316]

duketbrd88, you make a wonderful offer. Looks like a great sub. I'm not yet ready to spend that kind of money right now, but I will keep it in mind (if the offer still stands by then). The suggestion you make is great, but as much as we would like to, we cannot hang the TV on the wall (house is not ours so we're taking a minimally invasive approach).

[duketbrd88]

Offer is there if you want. just let me know, they are just sitting here.

[Reinhart]

On 2009-10-27 23:46, The-Ish316 wrote:
Sharp eyes, Reinheart.  I had to pull the SLV 676UC out of the console because it has developed a taste for video cassette tapes.  I am uncertain of it's future at this point.  If I could find someone to repair it, I'm not sure it would be worth it.  The audio tape deck is also showing it's age and one well is not working.  It still works, but I rarely use tapes any more.  

One likely culprit (a very common problem) may be a sticking advance arm, which is a part on the middle-right side of the deck that pulls the tape out of the cassette and towards the A/C headstack and the capstan.  If the advance arm sticks, it won't spring back into position when the tape is being unthreaded, which leaves some tape out when the VCR attempts to eject the cassette.  This problem is actually easy to fix: apply a little bit of oil at the base of the advance arm and work the oil in until the arm can spring back to home position by itself with no difficulty. But you must apply and work the oil in without disturbing any fasteners and adjustments.  You must use only a little bit of lubricant and make sure you don't get any of it on any parts of the deck that physically handles and touches video tape.  This you may be able to fix yourself.

Other possible culprits could be one or two cracked gears that are linked to the guideposts, which can occur as the plastic gears are under strain from a spring load they both have. Repair of the cracked parts are possible, though replacement of the damaged parts is the typical remedy. This problem is not as easy as some dismantling will be required to get to the parts as well as an understanding of how the mechanism works to ensure you can get it back together correctly so it may function properly.  This one you may have to seek the services of an individual experienced in repair (which is getting harder to find these days).

As for your dual well cassette deck, more than likely the problem is that it's due for a fresh new set of belts.

[The-Ish316]

Reinhart, I will have to look at the VCR in the hopes that it is the easier fix.  No loss in trying.  As regards the tape deck, I expect you are correct.  I did open the deck up and saw that it seemed that there was a lot of dust buildup on the interior mechanical parts.  I thought that strange.  It is too complex for me to take apart or even begin to break down.  

[Reinhart]

Sorry to bring this post back up, but I replied about the 676UC VCR that started eating tapes.

Do you still have this deck by any chance, "The-Ish316"?

I can offer my services for repairing this deck. I've just got through overhauling a few Sony VCRs, specifically an SLV-575UC, an SVO-160, an SLV-750HF and an SLV-R1000.

I also had worked on an SLV-676UC in the past. I believe I am very experienced servicing the chassis that this deck uses.

I charge a flat-rate labor fee of $40 and only if repair is successful. Parts will incur extra cost.

Estimates are provided for free. The customer must pay for S&H of the VCR both ways. however.

[The-Ish316]

I do still have the deck, Reinhart. Finances are very tight right now, but I will keep your offer under advisement. I don't yet know if I will need a VCR again, at this point. I do desperately need to find someone who can clean my old DCR-TRV120 Digital 8 camcorder or at least point me in the direction of resources to learn how to clean it.