Best VCR to get for capturing VHS???

[BrainStorm69]

Ok, I've seen plenty of opinions in various threads, thought we ought to have a thread totally dedicated to the subject (esp. since I'm trying to determine what to try and buy/find on e-bay )

I currently have a Sony SLV-740HF - a fairly old model that does a pretty decent job, but not great, IMO. It does not have s-video out.

I know many here (LS esp.) seem to swear by the S-VHS JVCs with the built-in TBC and DNR [EDIT: but I'm not sure I want to pay $250-350, which is what I've them going for on E-bay lately]. What about the S-VHS JVCs that don't have the TBC and DNR? How do they compare (esp. if you team them with an external TBC)? Side question: does having s-video out really help at all with display of standard VHS tapes?

I've also seen some pretty high praise for certain older Toshiba models, and some seem to think Panasonics are the shiznits.

For your recommendations, please state the the VCR brand and model number, why you think it's the one to get, and if you have any experience with the VCRs others are recommending, how the VCR you are recomending compares with what others are recommending.

Thanks alot guys!

[qlizard]

I don't claim to have a lot of knowledge about the subject, but I was in the same predicament of needing a quality VCR for video caputure of standard VHS. After reading a lot of the posts I bought a refurbished JVC SR-V10U which appears to be the same as a HR-7900U and has built in TBC(you've probably seen the thread). After using it for a couple of months, I have decided it is the single best step I have made to improve the quality of my captures. I haven't used standalone TBC, however, so have nothing to compare to.

[indolikaa]

Indolikaa has some input on this matter.

The 'collection' was transferred last year using, for the most part, a pair of Sony SLV-R5U S-VHS VCRs. In my opinion, this is one of the finest machines ever built for the consumer market. The only place you can still find them is on eBay, and possibly Ultimate Electronics/Soundtrack/Audio King stores.

I keep a Sony SLV-920HF (living room) and Sony SLV-740HF (at the computer) for any future VHS needs I may have. The -740HF runs through a Digital8 camcorder using the DV passthru. The quality of the transfers is excellent, and even better through a dedicated TBC.

Good luck in your search.

[lordsmurf]

www.lordsmurf.com (in the capture guide area) has info on VCR's and TBC's

[fmctm1sw]

Call me lucky, but you may get a kick out of this old thread of mine... And I DID figure out the remote.... amazing

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=194275&highlight=

[BrainStorm69]

Thnanks for the input so far, guys. Lordsmurf, thanks for reminding me of that part of your website. Good info there!

[BrainStorm69]

Nobody else has any opinions???

[Coluph]

I can't say I have a high end one of these, but IMO the older Mitsubishi VCR's were built like tank's...they just don't break. I have a Mits HO3M...manufactured in 1988 (one of the first stereo models I beleive) and the thing still works great. The only thing that has really been fixed on it is the belt that pulls the tape in and out...over time it stretches and slips...but this can be expected for a VCR that is 16 years old :P I'd imagine if you could find an older one of these machines with SVHS it would be a very reliable VCR as well. (Says made in Japan) on the back.

I'm curious if there is actually anything new out on the market that does an ok job. The most expensive VCR the local retailers seem to have here is a $149 cdn SVHS JVC. No TBC, does have some tape calibration but nothing fancy...the remote looks like something you'd expect to see with the $49 refurb special.

Looking at how flimsy and cheap the new VCR's are, I really don't think they'd do any better of a job than my old one does.

I'm a bit nervous buying a used VCR on ebay....they are being sold for a reason, and I probably don't want someone elses problems. Most of the ones I see on there are usually broken in some way.

I will say though that as good as some of the higher end JVC VCR's are...good luck getting them fixed if they break. Parts are extremely expensive, and thats if you can even get them. Out of warranty is pretty much throw it out and buy a new one if it breaks. If you are getting a used one I'd be very careful to make sure it works before paying the money.

[lordsmurf]

I will say though that as good as some of the higher end JVC VCR's are...good luck getting them fixed if they break. Parts are extremely expensive, and thats if you can even get them. Out of warranty is pretty much throw it out and buy a new one if it breaks. If you are getting a used one I'd be very careful to make sure it works before paying the money.

That's not true at all. Not from my experience. I've had mine worked on, as have friends. These hold up real well. Parts and labor very reasonable.

Just don't push them like I do (many hours continuous use, often days on end, recording and/or playing).

[pbanders]

www.lordsmurf.com (in the capture guide area) has info on VCR's and TBC's

Very nice resource, thanks. One point regarding your comments on the "video stabilizer" feature of JVC decks, I found that with it on, it greatly increased my problems with dropped frames when capturing with my ADS Pyro A/V Link, contrary to what I expected. From other threads, it's apparent that the ADS is very sensitive to sync timing, this might be another indicator of the cause of the problem.

[BrainStorm69]

OK, I bit the bullet and just bought a "like new" 9900U on eBay . If I'm lucky I might have it by this weekend. If so, I'll let everyone know how it does.

[BrainStorm69]

Got my "new" used 9900U yesterday. It seems to be in very good shape (yea!) and everything I've checked so far works. One thing I will say for it...the TBC/DNR does AMAZING things for the crappy parts of my old VHS tapes! So far I'm very happy with my purchase.

More testing this weekend.