Decent VHS player for less then $150 ? (w/ S-Video Out)

[BassKozz]

I am looking to convert home video's to DVD using my WinTV-PVR-USB2...

Is there a decent SVHS or VHS player for less then $150 that has S-video out?

Everyone I've seen is over $200 and some being up to $600 JVC HR-S9900U. Do these really make that much of a difference in video output quality ?
I can't justify spending $600 on an OLD format VHS, that is now pretty much obsolete.
TIA,
-BassKOzz

[BassKozz]

What are your thoughts on this VHS player JVC HRS2902U ?
It has S-Video out. How does this compare to the $600 one mentioned above?

[davideck]

Everyone I've seen is over $200 and some being up to $600 JVC HR-S9900U. Do these really make that much of a difference in video output quality ?
I can't justify spending $600 on an OLD format VHS, that is now pretty much obsolete.

You may find this interesting;
https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=287476

[BruceSD]

Is there a difference between a $70 VHS deck and a $200+ S-VHS playing back VHS tapes? There is. Is it an amazing night and day difference? No. Is it noticable? In my experience, it is on most material. The colors are bit bit more vibrant and the picture a bit sharper (especially with the built-in line TBC on, the colors look fantastic.)

I have a JVC 9911U ($330 from vanns.com a year ago), and I have never seen VHS look that good. It is still VHS, but I have never had a standard VHS deck that could touch it in terms of picture quality. It is also more "fault tolerant" of dodgy tapes, and plays some tapes correctly (but not all) my Panasonic VHS deck couldn't.

Before you buy anything or even start dubbing, know your tapes, and the size of the project. Truth be told, if you have a limited number of tapes and they are in good shape, and hopefully not in SLP, then it may not make a real big difference and may not be worth the expense. If you are doing a huge library of tapes (I have 500-600 or so tapes and am always aquiring more) in varying condition, many in SLP etc. then I would definitely invest the money in a good deck.

If you can only afford a VHS deck, the Panasonic and Sony decks are generally pretty good, I have used Panasonic VCRs for years and was very happy with them (no S-video out though.) They give the best picture and play dodgy tapes better than any other consumer VHS deck I have ever owned. You can pick up a Panasonic at Best Buy for about $70. It can't touch my JVC 9911 but is a great buy for the money.

As an aside, they are starting to discontinue the high end S-VHS decks from what I have read. If you ever wanted a quality S-VHS deck, now may be the time to buy one. I bought my 9911 for $330 last year, now I can't find one for less than $450 since JVC discontinued the 9911 (and the whole 9000 series I think, judging by their website). You can still get a good S-VHS deck for less than $400 though if you look around really hard.

[SingSing]

It makes a different when you record and playback in SVHS, because old VHS is less than broadcast quality.

SVHS VCR is as good as DVD recorder. But blank DVD costs less, and disc is more convinent than tape.

[MOVIEGEEK]

It makes a different when you record and playback in SVHS, because old VHS is less than broadcast quality.

Exactly,if the source tape is not recorded in SVHS then you will not see an improvement.
Other factors:
If the tapes are homemade then you might be better off using the machine that made them(if it still works).
If they were recorded in LP or SLP then it probably won't matter what you use because if the source is bad then there is little you can do to make it better.
www.digitalfaq.com

[BassKozz]

Will I notice a difference using a VCR that has S-Video out (like the one mentioned earlier - JVC HRS2902U) over one that has just composite out?

[MOVIEGEEK]

Will I notice a difference using a VCR that has S-Video out (like the one mentioned earlier - JVC HRS2902U) over one that has just composite out?

Yes:
http://lyberty.com/encyc/articles/svideo.html

[NiteLite]

Just a note about seeing a difference.
I always see a difference using the S-Video out whether it was recorded in SVHS or just VHS mode. The output selection (comp vs. S-Vid) effects all output regardless of the quality of the recording. Less color saturation using S-Vid out.
My observations.
Since the late ninties VCR's have gone cheap and DynAmorphous metal heads that were so good on the Panasonic and even further back the Sony and JVC and Panasonic editing more professional units are gone.
It looks like JVC is the only one trying to keep a good editing consumer machine going. And from the post above time may be limited. Of course my research is limited over the last years. But it may be time to start looking again now that I need to do some archiving of some VHS.
Thanks everyone, & BassKozz for the thread...for the reminder and info.
Good luck,
NL

[lordsmurf]

Exactly,if the source tape is not recorded in SVHS then you will not see an improvement.

I don't know if I'm taking your quote out of context or not, the post is hard to follow for whatever reason. Maybe it's just me. Anyway......

The reason S-VHS machines are so popular has nothing to do with it being able to record or play S-VHS. It is simply because the machines play back VHS tapes better than any normal VHS VCR would do. There are filters and TBCs and other devices that enhance the playback.

Sometimes, yes, it is night and day.
Other times, it's just an extra push in quality.

The S-VHS is just a bonus, if you want to record or play anything S-VHS. I've been using S-VHS equipment for quite a few years now, long before DVD or even VCD. Another added bonus of JVC S-VHS recorders is S-VHS-ET mode, if you plan to still record on tapes.

The S-VHS VCR is a valuable piece of equipment, when transferring VHS to digital formats.

[SingSing]

If you can see even improvement from recording in VHS-ET vs VHS, and SVHS is better than VHS-ET, then you should able to tell SVHS record/playback is much better than VHS.

Many SVHS VCRs have very good TBC and Noise reduction features, that make VHS tapes look much better. The credit should go to those features and not playing VHS tapes on SVHS VCRs.

SVHS VCRs has TBC and Noise reduction features, mainly because they did not end up in the fierce price war as VHS VCR with korea/china. Also, that is needed to extend the life of tape based record/playback technology.

This is what I bought for $199.00, it is really good. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000JFDX/103-4535353-1302205?redirect=true

[BassKozz]

Thanks for all the posts everyone... I just purchased the JVC HRS2902U. Hopefully this will give me a nice boost in my playback/capture quality.

Thanks again to everyone for the help.
-BassKozz

[lordsmurf]

Thanks for all the posts everyone... I just purchased the JVC HRS2902U. Hopefully this will give me a nice boost in my playback/capture quality.

Thanks again to everyone for the help.
-BassKozz

The 2902 is one of the low end models.
It lacks the advanced TBC/DNR system, so it will only help by so much.

[SingSing]

I love my SVHS VCR, but many VHS tapes even with TBR/DNR help, are still not great. I found many of my old favorite movies are released on DVD at ~$15 or so. So save a few bucks, and spend them on replacement DVDs is the way to go.

[Don James]

"Thanks for all the posts everyone... I just purchased the JVC HRS2902U. Hopefully this will give me a nice boost in my playback/capture quality. "

I tried the lower end JVC SVHS route, not the machine you bought, but the S5902U and I was never happy with it. I bought a used S7600U with a TBC/DNR and the quality improvement is significant. I paid $200 plus shipping. You can always sell the S2902U if you're not happy with it. I've been playing musical hardware for months now. Bought a HP MovieWriter DC-5000 combo DVD writer/capture card and I had compatibility issues with it. Bought on Amazon, sold two very painful and frustrating weeks later on ebay. Then bought the S5902U from Circuit City and took it back, thought it might have been the unit, not the model. Got another of the same model. Nope, it was the model. So now, 6 weeks later, I finally have a decent setup. Added a TBC-1000, which also helped a lot. As the Lord(Smurf) says, avoid trying to do this the cheap way or you'll fail. Maybe not his words exactly, but my experience Not news you want, but better to have the truth, right?