Choosing VCR for backing up old VHS collection

[Mylo]

I plan to backup some of my VHS cassettes I have laying around before they decompose, so I'm in search for VCR because I can't remember when was the last time I even seen it...

I used to have few around the house but they are thrown away now...so I'm browsing the yellow pages for second hand one.

What should I look out for? Is it the same if it has 4 heads or 6 heads, should I go after specific brand or is it all the same?

I've found working JVC BR-7000 for 50 €, is that fair price and is that even suitable for what I need?

[jman98]

Welcome to the forums. Your question is really better for the Restoration forum, but you may get help here. Capturing is for talking about TV cards and such and that's not really what you are asking about. If you don't get help anyway by tomorrow or Monday, click on the "Report this Post" link and in the message ask someone to move your post to the Restoration forum.
We definitely have people who can answer your question, so you should eventually get the information you need.

[Mylo]

Thanks for directions, J Man

[CogoSWSDS]

Mylo,
If you don't get the info you seek, send a private message to LordSmurf. He's done lots of work with restoring old VHS and would definitely be able to point you in the right direction.

CogoSWSDS

[drwho]

Thanks I am also interested in transferring to DVD some of my wife's VHS collection I doubt some of the tapes may have deteriorated over time and storage

[JohnnyBob]

I did a lot of VHS tape movie backups to VHS tapes over the years with a lot of different VCRs. Ideally I believe you should play the tape in the original VCR if the machine and head are in good condition, which is most likely to track correctly. That's the main difference I found between different brands of VCRs, they track a little different. You're likely to get occasional fade-outs, a line at the bottom of the video screen, or some static in the audio if using a different VCR to play the tape, in my experience. Since you don't have the original VCR, you can't expect very good quality, but maybe you'll get lucky.

What kind of VCR to get, in that case...? I have a S-VHS Mitsubishi model which I used to play and transfer some of my VHS tapes to DVD using a standalone Magnavox DVD recorder. I had the problems mentioned above, poor quality in general. The best was when I had recorded the original with the same VCR (the Mitsubishi), but even then the quality wasn't very good. I think the head was probably almost worn out on my machine. So my best advice is to get a new VCR with a new head, not a used one, and the best quality model you can afford. Good S-VHS models generally cost over $200 the last I heard, but haven't looked recently. My Mitsubishi S-VHS model was never a very good tracker, so a different brand might be best.

Note that transfer to DVD will not work with protected VHS tapes, things such a Macrovision, and the protection that HBO and some other networks put on their TV signals. Thus you may have been able to make a VHS copy from satellite or cable TV, but it may not be transferable to DVD (or even to another VHS tape) for that reason. Even if it was deprotected with a device allowing VHS to VHS copying, it may not copy to a DVD. There are devices to make it possible, but I hear that they are out of production now.

[highvolumeJP]

VHS is a low quality format to begin with - for video quality I would stick to JVC - keep in mind that a lot of old VHS are recorded in EP, especially for the home stuff - one thing however I notice, is the audio varies a lot from one VCR to another - My old Sanyo VCR played MONO/LINEAR recordings great with the least noise while the same tape plays extremely low and very noisy on my JVC - VCRs are discontinued now, good luck finding anything now - Most of what you will find are combos VCR/DVD, but they are mostly CRAP for playing old tapes....and even new ones. Some OLD tapes can be mistaken as copy protected by those shitty combos.

[lordsmurf]

Ideally I believe you should play the tape in the original VCR if the machine and head are in good condition, which is most likely to track correctly.

Only if the original VCR was out of alignment. You're better off using a machine that cleans up a tape, such as a high-end VCR from JVC or Panasonic. JVC is the better choice, Panasonic can deal with some more stubborn tapes (albeit with less filtering).

That's the main difference I found between different brands of VCRs, they track a little different. You're likely to get occasional fade-outs, a line at the bottom of the video screen, or some static in the audio if using a different VCR to play the tape, in my experience. Since you don't have the original VCR, you can't expect very good quality, but maybe you'll get lucky.

Again, only true if the original machine recorded out of alignment. This mostly affects EP/SLP mode too, not SP or LP modes.

Note that transfer to DVD will not work with protected VHS tapes, things such a Macrovision, and the protection that HBO and some other networks put on their TV signals. Thus you may have been able to make a VHS copy from satellite or cable TV, but it may not be transferable to DVD (or even to another VHS tape) for that reason.

No, a VCR cannot record copy protection (with some early 1970s-80s machine exceptions), and HBO did not send anti-VCR signals. Macrovision is added by a duplication facility.

Even if it was deprotected with a device allowing VHS to VHS copying, it may not copy to a DVD. There are devices to make it possible, but I hear that they are out of production now.

You refer to a timebase corrector, a TBC, and no, those are NOT out of production. The AVT-8710 and TBC-1000 are both available from B&H, www.bhphotovideo.com. A TBC strips junk from a signal, be it actual errors or artificial ones (anti-copy is an artificial signal error).