What AG-1980 settings should I use?

[Hypersonic1]

I just bought a Panasonic AG-1980, and the VCR appears to be in good condition. I will admit that I am overwhelmed with the amount of controls on the front. Right now, I want to convert my VHS-C tapes (not S-VHS-C) to digital. Do you have any recommendations as to what settings I should use on this VCR?

I am planning on passing it through a DMR-ES15 DVD recorder, and capturing it to a Diamond VC500 USB device. Is there any benefit of enabling two line TBCs, one from the AG-1980 and the other from the DMR-ES15?

[friendly_jacek]

i ordered a similar high end panasonic VCR (PAL version) and still waiting for the delivery. you need to try different settings and compare. i understand that sometimes TBC on gives you worse results.

one thing i'm sure, you need to turn the picture detail switch in EDIT mode (upper left in the picture). the DETAIL position is also known as HQ and the NOR is noise reduction of course.

please keep us posted. i have a similar conversion project, except for PAL system.

[LMotlow]

I am planning on passing it through a DMR-ES15 DVD recorder, and capturing it to a Diamond VC500 USB device. Is there any benefit of enabling two line TBCs, one from the AG-1980 and the other from the DMR-ES15?

No. If the 1980's TBC is ON, the ES15's line tbc will have no effect but its frame-sync tbc will be working.
If the AG-1980's TBC is OFF, the ES15 will handle both the line and frame tbc functions. It's just possible that you might not need the ES15 anyway. If you get a lousy noisy crap tape and you see the DNR softening or smearing the image, turn the 1980's TBC/DNR off and just use the ES15. Noise can be fixed. Smear can't.

Default position for sharpness (PICTURE) is a notch in the mid-scale position. If you see too much noise or halos, lower sharp to the left. The switch just below the PICTURE slider should be = NOR. The DETAIL-NOR-EDIT switch should be on NOR. Search SOUND = Off. In your image you have "S-VHS" = ON. If you're not playing s-vhs tapes, turn it OFF.

Read the manual. This is not a $30 VCR.

[Hypersonic1]

one thing i'm sure, you need to turn the picture detail switch in EDIT mode (upper left in the picture). the DETAIL position is also known as HQ and the NOR is noise reduction of course.

Doesn't NOR mean neither? I thought the AG-1980's TBC combines with the DNR when enabled. Also, I am confused about what edit means in this context.

It's just possible that you might not need the ES15 anyway.

I think I would need it for frame sync. I don't want to drop many frames like before.

If you're not playing s-vhs tapes, turn it OFF.

I would think that maybe it would work better if it is on, even for regular VHS. Are my tapes even S-VHS?
TDK E-HG TC-30
JVC VHSC Dynarec TC-20 Super HG
BASF TC20 super HG

Also, what should the tape length be set to? T120

Read the manual. This is not a $30 VCR.

The manual is too basic for my needs.

[Hypersonic1]

According to this thread, I cannot turn off the DNR.

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/343389-Panasonic-AG-1980-giving-a-ghostly-smear-wit...ticeable-w-out

The effect you see is called "temporal distortion" and it is common among ALL consumer/prosumer VCRs with built-in TBC/DNR. The "smearing" effect is caused mostly by the DNR, but the TBC plays a part which is why you still notice it with the TBC turned off (on the AG1980, you can disable the TBC but not the DNR which is always active). You don't really have any alternatives other than to live with it, or use an ordinary VCR with no TBC/DNR at all (you'll get normal motion with no smearing, but will have to accept typical VHS color noise and grain (which translates as pixelation when digitized).

[friendly_jacek]

According to this thread, I cannot turn off the DNR.

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/343389-Panasonic-AG-1980-giving-a-ghostly-smear-wit...ticeable-w-out

The effect you see is called "temporal distortion" and it is common among ALL consumer/prosumer VCRs with built-in TBC/DNR. The "smearing" effect is caused mostly by the DNR, but the TBC plays a part which is why you still notice it with the TBC turned off (on the AG1980, you can disable the TBC but not the DNR which is always active). You don't really have any alternatives other than to live with it, or use an ordinary VCR with no TBC/DNR at all (you'll get normal motion with no smearing, but will have to accept typical VHS color noise and grain (which translates as pixelation when digitized).

i don't have the AG1980 model and could be wrong, but the EDIT setting disables noise reduction in most VCRs and it's recommended for copying video in the user manuals. did you read the AG1980 owner's manual?

[LMotlow]

Doesn't NOR mean neither?

The DNR belongs on +NOR+, which stands for N O R M A L.
No, you can't turn it off.

I thought the AG-1980's TBC combines with the DNR when enabled. Also, I am confused about what edit means in this context.

It's just possible that you might not need the ES15 anyway.

I think I would need it for frame sync. I don't want to drop many frames like before.

So use both.

.

If you're not playing s-vhs tapes, turn it OFF.

I would think that maybe it would work better if it is on, even for regular VHS. Are my tapes even S-VHS?
TDK E-HG TC-30
JVC VHSC Dynarec TC-20 Super HG
BASF TC20 super HG

Also, what should the tape length be set to? T120

Read the manual. This is not a $30 VCR.

The manual is too basic for my needs.

I think you really mean you haven't looked at it, LOL . You need something "advanced" to tell you what kind of tape your own tapes are? Even a basic guide mentions that the 1980 wasn't designed for VHS-C, which uses the VHS storage format. Aren't they your tapes? The "too basic" manual tells you what the s-vhs switch is for and that it doesn't matter where it's set during play, it's really for recording (see page 12).

There is no T120 or similar setting for TC30 or TC20 VHS-C (it's not a VHS-C player, except with a C-adapter). Go with T120.

[Hypersonic1]

i don't have the AG1980 model and could be wrong, but the EDIT setting disables noise reduction in most VCRs and it's recommended for copying video in the user manuals. did you read the AG1980 owner's manual?

It suggests that I set it on EDIT for tape duplication, which is similar to what I want to do. So if this turns off the DNR, why are there threads that state enabling the TBC also enables the DNR?

[LMotlow]

According to this thread, I cannot turn off the DNR.

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/343389-Panasonic-AG-1980-giving-a-ghostly-smear-wit...ticeable-w-out

The effect you see is called "temporal distortion" and it is common among ALL consumer/prosumer VCRs with built-in TBC/DNR. The "smearing" effect is caused mostly by the DNR, but the TBC plays a part which is why you still notice it with the TBC turned off (on the AG1980, you can disable the TBC but not the DNR which is always active). You don't really have any alternatives other than to live with it, or use an ordinary VCR with no TBC/DNR at all (you'll get normal motion with no smearing, but will have to accept typical VHS color noise and grain (which translates as pixelation when digitized).

i don't have the AG1980 model and could be wrong, but the EDIT setting disables noise reduction in most VCRs and it's recommended for copying video in the user manuals. did you read the AG1980 owner's manual?

The EDIT setting is for recording and tape dubbing. Normal play is (guess what?)...NOR.

That's an odd quote about "pixelation". Apparently refers to what happens when typical VHS color nosie and grain are encoded to lossy codecs without cleanup, and especially to low-bitrate encodes directly to something like MPEG or h264 during capture....which is why few advanced users recommend capturing VHS directly to lossy codecs, even if you have dnr available.

[LMotlow]

It suggests that I set it on EDIT for tape duplication, which is similar to what I want to do. ....

Wait a minute you're saying you're using this VCR to make dupe recordings from tape to tape?

[Hypersonic1]

Wait a minute you're saying you're using this VCR to make dupe recordings from tape to tape?

That section of the manual is for tape duplication. I want to duplicate the video, but I want the duplicate in digital format.

[Hypersonic1]

That's an odd quote about "pixelation". Apparently refers to what happens when typical VHS color nosie and grain are encoded to lossy codecs without cleanup, and especially to low-bitrate encodes directly to something like MPEG or h264 during capture....which is why few advanced users recommend capturing VHS directly to lossy codecs, even if you have dnr available.

I don't see anything about compression in that post. I am definitely going to be capturing using lossless compression.

[LMotlow]

I don't see anything about compression in that post. I am definitely going to be capturing using lossless compression.

LOL! You didn't say "capture", you said "duplicate", which threw everyone off about what you're trying to do.

[Hypersonic1]

LOL! You didn't say "capture", you said "duplicate", which threw everyone off about what you're trying to do.

I don't see any section in the manual that is closer to what I want to accomplish.

[Hypersonic1]

So I should use the EDIT mode when capturing?

Also, do I need to change any audio switches? It seems like they are for recording, according to the manual.

[Skiller]

EDIT bypasses all of the so called VHS HQ circuits which basically do this: low-pass the picture horizontally (read: blur) to reduce noise in the most primitive way and then apply some horizontal sharpening to counteract it. The amount of blurring and re-sharpening can be adjusted with the PICTURE (sharpness) slider. In EDIT mode the PICTURE slider becomes inoperative – you get a raw picture. It's a bit noisier but you also get more detail (well, depends on the tape).

I have an NV-FS 200 which is the European version of the AG-1980 and I use EDIT only. TBC can be on or off, depends on the tape and capture hardware.

[orsetto]

Hypersonic1, you will need to personally test each combination of settings to see what YOU prefer. No one here can tell you as an absolute "you must only use this particular setting". The AG-1980 was a one-off, goofball VCR with a staggeringly broad range of performance variation from unit to unit (which gets more exaggerated as they age). Each AG-1980 will exhibit different characteristics at different settings that will strongly interact with your specific tapes and capture device.

You quoted my reply to a related question in a different thread: my use of the term "pixelation" there was in direct response to that member, who used the term in his OP to describe an effect he did not like. For those who might be confused, LMotlow interpreted that exchange correctly to mean "what happens when typical VHS color nosie and grain are encoded to lossy codecs without cleanup, and especially to low-bitrate encodes directly to something like MPEG or h264 during capture...."

Back to YOUR question: the North American AG-1980 / AG-5710 has significant differences from the similar (but not identical) NV-FS200 PAL version. The PAL model has more noticeable visual effects between various settings, and seems to allow independent activation of TBC and DNR. The AG-1980 / 5710 has a separate on/off switch for the TBC, but the DNR cannot be disabled: it is always in the signal chain regardless of the DETAIL-NOR-EDIT switch. The effect of that switch on PQ is very subtle in most AG-1980s: the obvious cut-and-dried "always use the EDIT position" doesn't necessarily apply when dubbing from AG-1980 to digital capture. I have owned nine of these VCRs, despite dramatic overall performance differences they each had minimal reaction to the DETAIL-NOR-EDIT setting during digital transfer.

The EDIT setting was designed specifically for analog dubbing to another VCR: a lot of people assume EDIT is "always best" even for digital capture, but YMMV (in spades). In my experience, EDIT boosts the noise floor more than anything else and I don't find that the least bit beneficial for digital transfer. It did help with tape-to-tape dubbing in the old days, as the analog process fudges the noise while boosting visual detail slightly over NOR or DETAIL settings. But I find digital capture locks on the boosted noise at the expense of any PQ advantage, so when running an AG-1980 to digital, I usually prefer the DETAIL or NOR settings in concert with the PICTURE slider.

It is very subjective and subtle, as I said there is no way to know what you'll prefer until you try the various settings yourself. Most significant is the AG-1980 does allow disabling the TBC (I rarely turn it on, the DNR is always helpful but the TBC effect is unpredictable tape to tape). If you do have tapes that require line TBC, the strong one built into the AG-1980 is usually sufficient. The ES-15 passthru may not be any better or even as good: the only ES model with "astounding" TBC passthru was the ES-10.

[Hypersonic1]

Thanks. I will have to experiment then.

The ES-15 passthru may not be any better or even as good: the only ES model with "astounding" TBC passthru was the ES-10.

I have looked at previous posts that suggest it is about the same as the ES-10, but with a FireWire port.

[orsetto]

The ES-15 passthru may not be any better or even as good: the only ES model with "astounding" TBC passthru was the ES-10.

I have looked at previous posts that suggest it is about the same as the ES-10, but with a FireWire port.

People have debated this point endlessly since 2005. The only real consensus is the ES-10 was "da bomb" - the one model guaranteed to knock your socks off if you need pass thru correction of severe geometric distortion or flag waving. Panasonic for some strange reason beefed up this aspect in the bottom-line ES-10 but used different circuits in every other model (perhaps the ES-10 was an engineering mule that simply made it to production). The ES-15 is often regarded as somewhat less capable than the ES-10, trading brute force correction for slightly more finesse with color and artifacts. The ES-20 is arguably no different than all the other ES models that followed. Different production runs /sample variation may also account for the contradictory ES-15 and ES-20 reviews.

Panasonic standalone DVD recorders were a strange inconsistent breed until 2006: the early models were all over the map in terms of circuit topology and off-spec design tricks. They don't all have the same performance characteristics in pass-thru mode: even the video encoder chip mfr varied unpredictably. The ES-10 is most distinct from other models: the ES-15 was not simply the ES-10 with a FW socket, it was different in other respects as well. That isn't to say no Panasonic besides the ES-10 is useful in passthru mode: they are as good or better than other similar models from other brands. But the "legend" begins and ends with the ES-10: that was the girl with something extra, the one that can turn insanely messed-up tapes into something passable. It was a one-trick pony (a cure for severe flag waving), but it does that one trick better than anything else ever made. If you don't have any tapes with such atrocious bends or distortion, and just need normal-range correction, the ES-15 should do quite nicely. The TBC in the AG-1980 by itself may be all you need except in extreme cases.