Please tell me to use my Panasonic AG 1980 instead of my JVC HR-S5912U

[DeXeSs]

So I mean I have been doing this awhile although until recently I have not been able to afford any powerful equipment.

I'm doing what I consider to me my 3rd of 4 transfers (4th transfer will use best possible equipment)

So I recently bought a brand new JVC SVCR HR-S5912U (No TBC/DNR)

Long story short, I obtained a Panasonic AG 1980P VCR off Kijiji and 1 cleaning/head alignment later I notice superior results in video and in audio.

Now the question is, I've done about 3/35 (MAX) tapes that I have to do.

Should I just start over? Does it make ANY sense at all to keep transferring with the JVC JUST to start again and do it with the Panasonic? I mean there is no real benefit right? The copies that will be the most useful will be the ones from the Panasonic right?

It would be good if some people with authority would tell me to quit whining and switch to the Panasonic.

The JVC is still great, I'll put it on my TV.

[Baldrick]

Please change the subject so it better describes your question! Just click on the edit button to change it.

[orsetto]

The good news is you only have 35 tapes to do (imagine what those of us with thousands go thru). If you think the Panasonic results are strikingly better, then double back and redo the first three transfers: you aren't that far into the project yet. If all the tapes came from the same original VCR and are all very similar (i.e. recorded directly off air at SP), just go with the Panasonic if its giving better results and forget the JVC. But if the tapes are wildly different from each other (some SP, some LP, some SLP, some 2nd generation copies, some commercial pre-recorded), you would benefit by checking a sample ten minutes of each tape on both the JVC and the Panasonic to see if one is preferable to the other for certain tapes. Most of us end up doing that, especially if our tapes were originally recorded on several different VCRs. JVC and Panasonic and Mitsubishi and Sharp all use slightly different mechanics in their tape transports, so a tape that plays poorly on one brand VCR could be much improved simply by switching to another. This most often crops up as mistracking in the hifi audio: on tapes where stereo sound is important, you may want to sacrifice some picture perfection to get better audio tracking (or vice versa).

You also need to pay extra attention when using the Panasonic AG1980: while it is one of the "miracle VCRs" with unique playback qualities, it also has some bugs that crop up as unexpected, unwanted image artifacts. This is because Panasonic made the unwise decision on this model to remove the switch that turns the image noise reduction on and off: DNR filtering is always "on" in this model (although the TBC can be turned off if necessary). The noise reduction circuit reacts unpredictably to certain picture areas in some tapes, occasionally resulting in a "claymation" look to actors faces or strange patterns that look like herringbone interference in some parts of the image. If you notice this happening excessively on a particular tape, use the JVC instead of the Panasonic (the colors won't be as pure, but the image won't look overprocessed either: sometimes you have to choose the lesser of two evils).

[DeXeSs]

Right! I kept reading through the manual and looking for the switch to turn it on and off!

NICE! That was a great and very informative post. I was just feeling this sort of "Damn it now what do I do with 2 potentially good VCRs"

OK great now I don't feel like a knob anymore! Thanks Orsetto!

For example, using the Panasonic AG 1980 with one tape delivers flawless audio where as the with another it appears to drop in amplitude and the JVC will play the same tape with a high pitched ring but no drops. I think I can use some software to remove the ring.

My only other issue is that sometimes I don't know WHAT I should be looking for :S

Did anybody write a book on VHS playback flaws?

[orsetto]

Yes, it would be nice if there was a "Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy" manual for doing tape to DVD transfers (emblazoned on the cover: DON'T PANIC! ) Until someone writes that book, the best info is floating all over VideoHelp. Look around for posts by LordSmurf especially, in forums like DVD Recorders and Restoration and others. He also maintains a couple of informative web pages offsite (click his signature).

[DeXeSs]

Thanks!