Not posted for a while as nothing really worth sharing (apart from a Panasonic NV-HS960 in mint condition from the Heart Foundation - that made my day).
I have been using a new model (to me) VCR - PANASONIC AG-5260. It is a compact model with what looks to be some of the innards from the consumer NV-HD100 but beefed up with:
Harder video head/lower drum
Big capstan
Sealed electronics (of better quality)
What really suprised me is how good the picture is. The machine has LP mode too and it has been helping me with getting some good transfers. The level of detail is very high and the colour is accurate. It plays LP tapes very well too which is a plus. It uses the K deck and all PCB's are modular and swing out of the way to allow access to the tape path.
It is an unknown model but to be honest it is very good. I really do love the compact size and how it performs so well - well worth a try if you see one for sale.
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I'd love to see some examples of the image quality, especially an example of an LP tape.
A photo of the internals would be nice too. -
That's a good idea. I'll do the internal shots over Easter but the LP example before. Actually I have a perfect tape to demonstrate - a 1987 home made LP recording.
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Sorry for the delay - I'm doing it over this bank holiday weekend.
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OK, here is a demo clip using this machine. No improvements - just straight to digital. Audio is weak on first two clips as old tape and linear LP mono recording (I usually tweak the level but this is raw capture).
http://youtu.be/b0VZSjitUWY
First part is 1992 LP from worn tape (EDIT ON)
Second part is repeat of first with decks in built noise reduction used (EDIT OFF)
Third part is HiFi SP recording on average tape from 2006 (EDIT ON)
You can see the SP is very clear and detailed and even the ropey LP recording is much better than ususal. The level of detail (not sharpening) is good and these are really nice decks which are available quite easily. Much better than consumer VCR's for this type of work anyway.
Main features:
BNC video in/out
K deck transport
Oversize capstan (blued for good grip and life)
Hard video head
I will add some internal photos next. Hope this is of help. -
Thanks. This looks pretty good. If I see one of these on Ebay, I will have to get it.
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Yes - well worth picking one up - and I have tried quite a few different decks over the years. It strikes a very good balance of all the things I like to see in a machine. Also they are 'underneath the radar' because they are not well known. I picked one up last week with a measly 12 hours of use on the drum (hold down tracking plus and minus to see the hours use). I'll put the photos here later.
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Looks like the luma and chroma signals are multiplexed at the last minute in IC3001.
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The IC should be on section F6 of the video board. I imagine you could just solder BNC connections on the appropriate input pins. If I get one I will try it out.