JVC HR-S9911 or TBC-1000 with old VCR. VideoSoap vs. JVC NR

[Dkolacz]

Hey All,

I am converting a bunch of tapes to DVD. Most are originals, some are copies.

I am not sure whether to get a JVC 9911 or get the DataVideo TBC-1000 to use with my old Sony VCR.

I had a JVC 7800 previously which has gone downhill after a few years. It did wonders with old tapes. One thing it did well was correct a problem that appeared at the top portion of old tapes in which the signal kinda bent and flickered a little bit. Will the DataVideo do the same type of correction ????

I also like the fact that the JVC has noise reduction in it. This cleans up tapes pretty good too.

I am using the ATI AiW 9800 Pro with MMC. It has VideoSoap which is pretty configurable, so I am assuming it does the same thing as the JVC's NR circuitry.

So basically, will the ATI MMC video soap with the TBC-1000 be a pretty good capture combo, or should I go with the JVC and possible add the TBC-1000 later?

One last question....does the TBC-1000 degrade the video AT ALL?

Thanks for any comments

[lordsmurf]

The Datavideo TBC-1000 is a full-frame standalone TBC. They are not meant to clean an image. They are there simply to purify the signal. This may not have any visual improvements. It might remove some mild jitter or other image motion. But for the most part, it is there so that your recording device (DVD recorder, capture card) does not choke on a bad signal.

If you want to clean up an image, a JVC S-VHS VCR, preferably a high-end one with the built-in TBC/DNR, is what you want.

In UK, you'll have to find used units, as JVC Germany quit making them last year. The final model was the JVC HR-S8965EK and the HR-S7965EK (I have one of these).

In the USA, you'll have a few more choices, the SR-V10U and HR-S9911U are current models, but there are also 7800, 7900, 9600, 9800, 9900 to find used, all are nice.

For that specifica flickering error, I have a two tiered approach. The JVC S-VHS TBC usually fixes it, but not always. I have since learned that the Panasonic ES10 DVD recorder's sync filters can fix these when the JVC cannot (remember to turn OFF the JVC TBC when doing it). However, since the unit gives lower quality recordings, it is ONLY a pass-though box so I can use the sync filters.

The signal is passed on to a better quality recording device, the ATI AIW or the JVC DVD recorder. The ATI AIW video soap is nice for noise reduction, but the JVC DVD recorder does better. The LSI chips inside the JVC can also remove chroma noise, something that ATI cannot (nor anything else that I have ever seen to date, in fact, which is most cards and recorders).

You need a good VCR for tapes, so either fix that JVC or replace it. It can probably be fixed for under $100 at a JVC certified repair shop. And then if you want to move forward even more, I've listed some items for you to consider. If you've not had issues to date with dropped frames or getting a stable signal, I'd not worry about the TBC-1000.