VCR help please....

[alanb49]

I just purchased a DAC-100 to transfer VHS to my computer and to a JVC DVR. However, my older Sony VHS decks do not have an S-video out capability so I need to get a good quality JVC.

I know that there are several consumer grade choices such as the HRS-9911 in the $360 to $375 range, as well as the SR-V101US ($280-300). But I have the opportunity to purchase one of the D-VHS, JVC HM-DH40000 for under $400.

Has anyone seen or used this unit? It appears to have all the good features such as DigiPure circuitry, Video Stabilizer, etc.

http://www.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelId=MODL027070&pathId=50&page=1

If these are not good choices please offer some good alternatives (new or used)



Thanks

Alan

[Wile_E]

As far as I know, it doesn't have a TBC which is part of the "digipure". Acutally I don't see "Digipure" listed anywhere for their Digital VCR's. So if that's important to you, I would get the analog JVC-HRS9911. It has a TBC.

[Brent212]

I bought and used the HM-DH40000 for awhile. I now have an hr-s9800u and hr-9911u and am in the process of comparing the two.

The DH40000 doesn't have the tbc/noise reduction, but it has every other feature of the 9800 and 9911. I would bet it is basically has the same exact construction as the 9911 (since the casing even looks very similar when viewed up close), minus the digipure tbc/nr circuitry. The menus and everything are identical. It's just missing "tbc/nr" button and has a bunch of additional stuff for DVHS and firewire usage.

However, so far I have yet to find an instance where using the tbc on either the 9911 or 9800 doesn't screw up the playback of the tape being used. I've tried it on tapes ranging from brand new to nearly unwatchable. Maybe the nearly unwatchable ones just weren't bad enough for the tbc to help out. It really sucks that they force you to use both the tbc and noise reduction together, because I'm pretty sure it's the tbc that causes the problems, and the noise reduction is pretty nice when viewed in screen captures.

Unless you're planning on using the DVHS stuff on the HM-DH40000, I'd stick with the 9911 or 9800, if you can find one. You can get 9911's refurbished for under $300 shipped, and I just got a "brand new" (not sure if it really was) 9800 for under $400 shipped. Even if you never find a situation where the tbc/nr is useful, you'll be saving some money.

[alanb49]

Thanks Brent212 and Wile_E. Brent212, I would be very interested in knowing what your tests reveal concerning the HR-S9800 vs the HR-S9911. How does the 9800/9911 screw up the playback on tapes? I just took back the DAC-100 and ordered the TBC-1000 as I have decided that a full frame TBC is what I need along with a ood Proc Amp. I know the JVC units only have a line based TBC so I hope that the TBC-1000 will be a good investment.

[Brent212]

I've tested the 9911's TBC with about 10 tapes, ranging from poor quality with much flagging to brand new, and on all of them it has created inconsitant, "jumpy" or "jittery" playback. I guess a good way to describe what appears to be happening is that the video will pause every few seconds and then skip a few frames forward. The TBC does, however, fix the flagging problems on the older tapes. Too bad it screws up the motion. In these cases I find the best solution is to use the stabilizer, which fixes some of the flagging problem and doesn't seem to add any jitter. Newer tapes without any flagging play back very smoothly without the TBC on, however it'd be nice to be able to use the noise reduction in these cases (the TBC and noise reduction is a single function, so one can't be used without the other).

I've only tested the 9800's TBC on one tape, but it also exhibited the same jerky video problem that the 9911 has. That was one of my worst tapes, though, so there's still a possibility that the TBC won't cause any problems with new ones (though I somehow doubt it).

[TaranScorp]

Brent212
Does your 9800 make any noise while your playing tapes?
My new 9800 does but I only tryed it twice so far.

[Brent212]

Noise as in mechanical, like the tape squeaking while it's playing or something?

Or noise as in the audio being too loud or having some annoying hiss?

I haven't noticed either, but I'll pay closer attention when I get a chance.

[trock]

Sounds like you have a faulty 9911. Mine doesn't exhibit any of those symptoms no matter what the tape.

[TaranScorp]

It"s a mechnical sound. The VCR only makes it when playing a tape. When facing the front of the vcr you can here coming out of the right side through the vent holes.

[lordsmurf]

Brent212, either your tapes were recorded with a machine with misaligned recording heads...

... or the JVC's you tested have damaged or misaligned heads.

It's one of the two.

[Brent212]

hmmmmm... after reading an older post here:
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/archive/t197230.html

it looks like Barnabas was having a similar problem. Because it's somewhat doubtful (though definitely not impossible) that I got two defective JVCs, I'm thinking the problem could be something to do with my hauppauge pvr 250.

I did test out the VCR's by themselves on a tv, but I don't think I was using the TBC then. I was mainly looking to see if a flagging problem I had with a few tapes was present when connect directly to a tv (it was).

I'm going to test it out again when I get home. My gut feeling is that it'll be a problem related to the hauppauge. That will be a bummer.

I had an AVT-8710 (full frame TBC) awhile ago, and while not doing much, it didn't introduce any jitteriness to the video captured by the hauppauge. Why would the JVC's line TBC do that, while a full frame TBC wouldn't?

[davideck]

Brent212 - it sounds to me like a full frame TBC is precisely what you need. I'll bet that the AVT-8710 was removing the jitteriness that you are experiencing now, most likely due to dropouts causing the Hauppauge to drop frames. I also use the Hauppauge 250, and my TBC-3000 is absolutely essential for eliminating dropped frames and audio/video skew, even with a JVC VHC with TBC. The JVC TBC does not maintain uninterrupted sync through a dropout, the TBC-3000 does.

[davideck]

TaranScorp - you may be hearing the motor that dynamically tilts the scanner in JVC VCRs with the Dynamic Drum System. This motor adjusts the tracking every now and then, particulary when you search or change tape speed. An unusual sound for a VCR to make, I was puzzled by it until I happened to have the VCR opened and noticed the scanner moving when I heard the sound!

[Brent212]

it sounds to me like a full frame TBC is precisely what you need. I'll bet that the AVT-8710 was removing the jitteriness that you are experiencing now

I have never been able to get rid of the jitteriness I'm experiencing now. Actually, the first thing I did when I got the JVC and saw the jitteriness with the tbc on was try putting the AVT-8710 after the JVC. Still, with the JVC's tbc on, the video remained jittery. Maybe the TBC-1000 would fix this, but the 8710 didn't really have any noticeable effect whatsoever, other than its color and sharpening adjustments.

I also use the Hauppauge 250, and my TBC-3000 is absolutely essential for eliminating dropped frames and audio/video skew, even with a JVC VHC with TBC. The JVC TBC does not maintain uninterrupted sync through a dropout, the TBC-3000 does.

Even though the video is jittery with the JVC's tbc on, there aren't any synch issues with the captures I get, and they scan through Womble's Mpeg2Vcr's GOP fixer without errors showing up. I've even authored several of these jittery caps and the resulting dvd's have fine audio/video synch all the way through, despite the video being hard to watch. Since getting a new computer about 6 months ago and putting the hauppauge in that, I have yet to get a cap where the audio and video go out of synch, even after authoring (where it used to happen occasionally with my previous computer). I don't know if that means the hauppauge isn't dropping frames or not, but if it is, the dropped frames aren't causing synch issues.

[Brent212]

I tried hooking the 9911 up to a television directly and using the tbc. To my surprise the jitteriness remained, so I don't think the hauppauge has anything to do with it. It's either a faulty vcr, or the tapes I'm using are all bad (even though some are new and have excellent PQ and video stability w/out the tbc on).

I did try another tape in the 9800 with the tbc on, and it seemed to playback without the jitteriness. So the results are still out for my 9800's tbc. So far it has introduced jitteriness to a very bad tape and has worked (seemingly) well on a new-ish tape. I'll have to try it out some more. I've been focusing more on how the picture of the 9800 compares to that of the 9911 up until now.

Also, I should probably mention that all the videos I'm using are commercially produced tapes... not dubs or second generation or whatever.