JVC HR-S7600U color banding (harsh gradients)

[alexpigment]

Hello all. I've gotten a lot of help from this forum over the past, but just now became a member. All the information here is very much appreciated.

For a while I've been converting my VHS-only items to DVD with two different VCRs. I have a Panasonic AG-1980P for SLP recordings and a JVC HR-S7600U for SP recordings. Today I was converting a tape with the JVC and noticed some very horrible banding on the colors. Gradients are very noticeably banded to the point where it's unwatchable (to me, anyway). I have recordings as recent as a week ago that didn't exhibit this problem. I've tried 3 different tapes with the same results.

Any ideas what might cause this? I can capture with the Panasonic if necessary, but I've always found it to be quite grainy compared to the JVC deck. Thanks in advance.


Secondary question: I have a JVC HR-S9500U in the garage that I could use, but to me it seemed like the 7600u was better (maybe it was just cleaner inside - who knows). Are these two on par or is the 7600u better as I suspect?

[OldMan64]

Banding very often is a result of a dirty video head. Try careful cleaning with alcohol and "Q-tip" to start the process, assuming you know how. The alternative is to use a cleaning tape, but be careful with that, too. Using a cleaning tape can cause more problems than what you wish to cure.

[alexpigment]

You know, I've never actually physically cleaned a VCR head - I've always used those cleaning tapes in the past. Anyway, I looked at a few YouTube videos and decided to try it out.

The problem is fixed now! This is probably showing my ignorance a little bit, but it seemed odd to me that a dirty head would cause this type of problem. I just assumed dirt would show up as specks and lines during playback. At any rate, I've learned something new, and I greatly appreciate your help. Thanks again!

[OldMan64]

Glad you got it solved.