buy a S-VHS VCR or not?

[lordsmurf]

Just looked up the JVC homepage and the only available 9000 series is HR-S9911U. Does anybody have that machine? What's your thought and would like to hear your feedback before I can buy it. The retail price is $600.00. Thanks!

It'll work, it's just cheaper made than the older 9600 and 9800 versions. The transport is plastic and tends to misalign easily. Just watch it and take care of it. www.bhphotovideo.com for place to buy one

[Yvon]

I use ET mode on TDK EHG tapes and JVC broadcast VHS tapes, and it's fine for 1/4th the cost. Resolution about 300x480, close to broadcast res.

Well I've tried S-VHS ET using high quality VHS blanks and this was with a JVC HR-S5900U and as I said the image quality was very grainy compared to using a real S-VHS blank tape.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

S-VHS and Hi8 tapes are coated with finer particles than ordinary VHS or 8mm tapes. That is why ordinary tape looks grainy. As for resolution, the larger particles just can compete.

[filmjax]

If one had the cash, how would this JVC model (HM-DH30000) stack up to those others mentioned in terms of playback quality?

http://www.jvc.com/product.jsp?productId=PRD4603000

[piano632]

how would this JVC model (HM-DH30000) stack up to those others mentioned in terms of playback quality?

I considered buying one of these awhile ago, but I quickly changed my mind after I kept seeing complaints from users having to take their units to be repaired 2 and 3 times already. This model is designed for HDTV recording on D-VHS tapes, so I don't know how much attention was paid to the quality of regular VHS playback when designing this machine. One website says it is "perfectly capable (though not exceptional)" at regular VHS/S-VHS playback. If you still want one, be sure to shop around as you can get this for $500 or so.

I've tried S-VHS ET using high quality VHS blanks and this was with a JVC HR-S5900U and as I said the image quality was very grainy compared to using a real S-VHS blank tape.

All I can say is using regular VHS (high/pro grade, not standard grade) on my 9600 doesn't seem to have any more grain than S-VHS tapes. The machine is probably compensating somehow, maybe the Active Video Calibration is equalizing the signal during recording.

[zanos]

SVHS machines are extremely suspectible to dirt, particles or whatever from other tapes. I have found that the svhs feature becomes useless after a very short time because the heads become so "dirty" from anything other than clean, brand new tapes. I don't know how anyone else deals with this problem.

[papako]

I'm using a SVHS-C camera and a SVHS video since 1992.
I had done this trick with few VHS-C tapes .
Now this when I play this tapes I have a bad picture.

My opinion is to buy a DVDr with HD and DV input/output or the JVC SVHS-ET with HD video. It is expensive but you will do terrific job with your old tapes (especially if you buy something with DV connector) and you will have a very good machine to play with.