VHS-C transfer: adapter or camcorder?

[moxiecat]

A relative has given me a bunch of VHS-C tapes to transfer. I purchased an adapter awhile ago, and that seems to work OK although I haven't tried it with too many tapes. My concern is that the VCRs I have are pretty good models (JVC, Panny) and I'm worried that the probably-poor condition of these VHS-C tapes may ruin my good VCRs.

I am wondering if it would be worth it to purchase a VHS-C camcorder (used). First, would I get better playback from a VHS-C camcorder or a good VHS with an adapter?

Also, without knowing much about VHS-C camcorders, I'm having trouble finding one that is higher-quality with S-video out and stereo outputs. Some do have S-video, but I can't find any model that has stereo out. Used VHS-C camcorders are fairly cheap, so price isn't really an issue, but I'd like to find one that has the better outputs or playback abilities (if such exists).

Are there any VHS-C experts out there who could help me with this? Thanks.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Why not buy a new dirt-cheap stereo VCR from Best Buy/Circuit City/Walmart etc etc? Probably no more expensive than getting a used VHS-C camcorder, no messing about trying to get one and you'll be assured the heads will be in new condition.

For $90 you can get a VHS Hi-Fi/DVD player combo:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8231503&productCategoryId=abcat0102007&t...#productdetail

[moxiecat]

Actually, many of the VHS-C camcorders that I looked at on eBay are half that price. I wouldn't mind $40 for a used device, especially when it plays the exact correct format. And some sellers say the cameras are barely used, which I tend to believe (having had some little-used cams in my own family over the years).

But getting close to $100 is a little higher than I kind of want to invest in this project. Thanks for the good idea, though, I hadn't thought of another VCR.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Walmart have a VHS/DVD combo for $50. None of the bricks-and-mortar stores seem to have any VHS-only decks.

[danno78]

Some camcorders have built-TBC. If you find a VHS-C camcorder with TBC is worth to buy. TBC give a stable picture, and avoid frames loss. A camcorder with TBC is preferred against a video recorder without TBC.

[moxiecat]

Thanks.

Yes, I agree, finding one with TBC is preferable. But it has been extremely difficult just to find one with stereo-out connections, which is also very important.

I need recommendations from someone who is familiar with VHS-C (and/or VHS-C transfer) and who might be able to recommend specific camcorders that are good.

[moxiecat]

Oh, and I do use an external TBC (Datavideo), so while having internal TBC in a camcorder is good, it's not totally necessary.

[danno78]

All the VHS-C tapes that I've archived on dvd we did with vcr. I think, the best compact VHS camcorders are the ones who bear the S-VHS standard.

[moxiecat]

Do you know if an VHS-C camcorder that also does S-VHS also has stereo outputs and an S-video output?

Also, if anyone else has info to add, it's most welcome. Thanks!

[Nelson37]

Stereo on those is pretty rare.

IMO I got slightly better playback using the original camera, as compared to a VHS deck, even an S-Video one.

[classfour]

The last VHS-C that I transfered actually came out very well using an adapter. But, I had just cleaned the heads on the JVC, and the source tape had ONLY been riding in the trunk of a car for three years. Anyway, it did look excellent.

[SingSing]

I got slightly better playback using the original camera, as compared to a VHS deck, even an S-Video one.

I always get better result playing back on the cam that record the event too.

[moxiecat]

Yes, I agree with that. But these are tapes that are at least 10-15 years old and I'm positive that the original camera is not available. So let's leave that part of it out of this discussion.

If the argument is VHS-and-adapter setup vs. VHS-C camcorder, which is preferable? And can anyone recommend a specific VHS-C camcorder that has S-video and stereo output?

Thanks for the assistance.

[SingSing]

We have to assume the objective is to transfer these VHS-C to DVD.

The best approach is get a VHS-C at about $7.00, and one of this:

Walmart have a VHS/DVD combo for $50. None of the bricks-and-mortar stores seem to have any VHS-only decks.

Load a tape in the VHS-C adapter, load the adapter with the tape, load a disc, press the button, and there you go. Your friend should be able to do this him/herself.

[moxiecat]

LOL..."your friend should be able to do this him/herself." I'm doing this for a relative who is 70 and does not have a DVD recorder Hence my help with it.

So the consensus seems to be that I should just use the VHS-C adapter that I have already and a VHS. If anyone believes that a a VHS-C camcorder would be preferable, and/or knows of a good model, please post away. Thanks.

[lordsmurf]

VHS-C adapters are known to help a VCR "eat" tapes. I would use a camera, and one with a built-in TBC. JVC made some great S-VHS-C cameras, and I use one of those for all VHS-C/S-VHS-C conversions.

[moxiecat]

LordSmurf,

Thank you--that's great info. I had a bit of a problem with a VHS-C tape in the adapter (the JVC VCR stopped and shut off!), so that's very interesting. (Luckily all turned out OK.)

What model is your JVC camcorder? I have been looking at all the different models and have yet to find one that really stands out as high-end (with TBC, stereo out, etc.) It's not easy to find accurate specs for discontinued models online all the time, either.

If you can recommend a specific model or two, please let me know.

[2Bdecided]

VHS-C adapters are known to help a VCR "eat" tapes.

I guess that's possible, especially if you're not careful.

However, random $50 VHS-C camcorders from eBay are well know to eat tapes too!


If the original camcorder wasn't available, I'd move straight on to the standard VCR suggestions elsewhere in this sub-forum - no need to trawl through random crappy equipment - unless a suitable machine with TBC and an honest seller can be had cheaply.

Cheers,
David.

[lordsmurf]

It has nothing to do with "being careful". The adapters simply are not VHS tapes, as the VCR was designed to work with. It's a half-assed hack to put a small tape in a big tape slot.

I'm using a JVC GR-SXM920 S-VHS-C (ET) camera. Works great for both recording and playback. Bought it new about 9 years ago.

None of the cameras recorded stereo out, so they don't play stereo out either. At best, buy a splitter to go from mono to dual-mono in your recording device.

[2Bdecided]

To be fair VHS-C was designed to work like that. It's not like they developed it independently from VHS and then figured out how to make it fit into a larger machine.

Are you just talking about VHS-C never being stereo? My S-VHS-C camcorder was stereo, as are all the tapes from it. Much better audio than from my HV20!

Cheers,
David.

[moxiecat]

It's been awhile since we posted on this topic. However, today I tested a VHS-C tape. When I used a JVC camcorder (Lord Smurf's model), which only has mono out, the tape played through the mono connection as mono (surprise. But when I used a VHS adapter cassette and played it in a VCR, it played with stereo sound. So I don't understand the comment about how VHS-C didn't record/play stereo out.

I can't believe that JVC never produced a VHS-C camcorder that had stereo outputs. There are a few that have S-video, so why not stereo? I was a Video8/Hi8 person in the '80s and '90s so I do not have much experience with VHS-C camcorder models. But there must be someone on this forum who does. Can anyone tell me if there is a VHS-C camcorder that has both S-video and stereo outputs?

Oh--and just to be clear--the reason I'd like a real VHS-C camcorder is because I am not fond of the adapter shell. It seems rough on the tape mechanism and I've heard horror stories about how they can behave within the VCR. So I'd really like to find a good VHS-C camcorder for playback.

[lordsmurf]

Most all VHS-C cameras recorded mono anyway, from a single microphone. I use a Y-wire to split the audio to both channels.

[moxiecat]

Thanks. However, with the case I described, the tape did have stereo when I put the adapter into the VHS (that's what the machine and my ears show at least). So if you know a tape has stereo, why would you use a VHS-C camcorder that only has mono out? Seems to me like that does a disservice to the transfer to DVD.

I have no way of knowing what camcorder was used to record this particular videotape; however, it may be a recent model since the video is from the past few years.

[notnert]

Moxiecat,
I am facing the exact same dilemma as you...adapter or camcorder for VHS-C conversion? I currently have neither and would need to get equipment. What has been most successful for you? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Wile_E]

I use a Scotch VHS-C Adapter. It actually is made pretty good. The bottom part of the shell is metal. When you put a VHS-C tape in it, it gets fairly heavy. Feels a little heavier than a regular VHS tape. This may be why my JVC 9911 has trouble ejecting it sometimes. It can barely lift the thing out! But it has never eaten any tapes. The adapter just routes the magnetic tape so it will wrap around the drum in the VCR, same as a regular tape. It works.

Mine is similar to this one, but mine doesn't require a battery. I just push the door closed, and the gears inside, pull the tape out into position.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102652

[orsetto]

I have two different C adapters, one manual and one motorized, each at least twelve years old. Never had a problem with either. I did note my 9911 wheezed and struggled with them, but I wasn't at all surprised: aside from its TBC/DNR feature the 9911 is one of the flimsiest, poorly constructed POS vcrs I've ever owned. If I put the same adapters into any random Panasonic or Mitsubishi they load and eject smoothly. Its hard enough to find a high-end VCR in good condition, finding a high-end stereo VHS-C camcorder in perfect condition may be quite a challenge. If you already have something sturdier than the 9911 to play these tapes in, just use the adapters and get on with it: unless you actually want a VHC-C camcorder for some reason, why knock yourself out trying to track one down? Gotta draw a line somewhere with these "favors for 70 y/o relatives": I can't believe the crap they ask me to preserve sometimes, and its my own family. "Precious video memories" are vastly overrated in my book.

[Wile_E]

I did note my 9911 wheezed and struggled with them, but I wasn't at all surprised: aside from its TBC/DNR feature the 9911 is one of the flimsiest, poorly constructed POS vcrs I've ever owned.

I'm beginning to think that too. My old Quasar 4H VCR from 1984 seems better built than the 9911, and it is still working fine. Unfortunately it doesn't stabilize the tapes like the JVC does. One other thing about the JVC is the rewind/FF speed is TOO FAST. It super rewinds a two hour tape in almost 20 seconds. This is too fast, and I've had two tapes break on me. So I got a video rewinder that slowly rewinds. Why couldn't JVC add an option for slow rewind? The engineers should've known good and well that older tapes may break at that fast speed!

[moxiecat]

Wow, one of my old posts breathed back to life!

I found success with a motorized JVC VHS-C adapter. The model # is C-P7U. I believe this is the one that LordSmurf recommends as well. It is definitely more stable and less scary to put tapes in than the non-motorized adapter I had, and this one worked fine in both my JVC and Panasonic.

I also purchased a VHS unit on eBay that accepts VHS-C tapes natively: JVC HR-SC1000U. It works fine but does not have the cleanup abilities of the better VHS decks, so I've been using the motorized adapter instead.

Since most if not all of the VHS-C camcorders do not output in stereo, I do not use them for transfers. However, they are useful for checking a tape quickly to see what's on it, or to assess its condition before running it through a good VCR with the adapter. You can get a VHS-C camcorder for $50 on eBay, and I found having one for these purposes was useful.

Good luck!

[NJRoadfan]

Do stereo (S)VHS-C tapes and camcorders exist?

The answer is yes, The JVC GR-SZ series of camcorders from the mid 90s recorded Hi-Fi Stereo and had stereo mics. So there is a possibility of running across tapes with it. There are a few GR-SZ9Us and a GR-SZ1U on ebay right now. Anything more recent (the GR-AXM/SXM series) only records/plays the linear audio track.

For transfers, I just picked up a never used GR-SXM260U for a song on ebay. It came with a C-P7U adapter. Its funny because the camcorder didn't cost me much more then buying the adapter itself would. Keep in mind that the newer JVC camcorders do have some sort of TBC and chroma noise reduction. Not quite Digipure, but better then nothing.

[lordsmurf]

. I believe this is the one that LordSmurf recommends as well.!

Yes.