JVC SVHS with TBC - What a difference on my captures!

[Offroad]

Had lots of problems capturing my old home videos with an AIW 9700 Pro, one tape I was working with would drop over 1000 frames by the time the tape was done. (Audio was still In-Sync however). Also had mild flashing over the whole frame and lots of jitters in some spots.

Tried all combinations of drivers, cables, std VCR's and also a Sima "Copy This" (made problems worse) with no luck.

Got a JVC HR-S7600U used in great shape and what a difference!
Same tape looses a few frames during really bad scene changes where the video just goes away but no more than that.
Also the picture is clearer, no flashing or jitters and even the color is better.

Also tried a Hollywood Movie that had tearing, flagging, and flashing before and it appears clear and solid in my short test.

Smurf and others reccomending a quality SVHS VCR with TBC are right on. Whether you are using a capture card or a recorder get one, I'm sure happy with the improvements.

Thanks everyone's advice here, Smurf's AIW settings are working great now.

Cheers.

[awhitney]

I have the exact same vcr and just works wonders for my old home video from the 1980s. That along with the canopus advc300 work good

[pbanders]

For others who want such a VCR, I recently posted that ecost.com had 's refurbushed JVCs w/TBC's for very reasonable prices - hell, I should get one myself!

[studtrooper]

What exactly would be a reasonable price for one of these cool TBC-enabled JVC VCRs? If I could find one for under a $100 I might get one...

[lordsmurf]

What exactly would be a reasonable price for one of these cool TBC-enabled JVC VCRs? If I could find one for under a $100 I might get one...

You won't. These are $400-500 machines. Half price is a freaking miracle.

[disturbed1]

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=getItemDetail&Q=&sku=248588...#goto_itemInfo has the best price I've seen on a 9911 ($349)


http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=3989737 has a JVC SRV101 with TBC for for $270 but doesn't seem to have all the features of the 9911's noise reduction.

[richdvd]

What would do a better job...a standalone TBC-1000 or this JVC model with the built in TBC?

[pbanders]

Maybe third time's the charm. eCost has reconditioned machines for very low prices. Example: HR-S9911U with integrated TBC for $245. Here are the details:

http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecce/shop/detail.asp?action=detail&dpno=436971#scroll

New, non-reconditioned HR-S9911U's from eCost are $374.

New, SR-V10U's with integrated TBC's are $280. Details at:

http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecce/shop/detail.asp?action=detail&dpno=971986#scroll

[lordsmurf]

What would do a better job...a standalone TBC-1000 or this JVC model with the built in TBC?

JVC

[ShaneJensen]

This is my first post here and I have a few questions regarding this subject.

I'm currently looking for a good VCR with SVHS support to play my old VHS home movies into my computer to archive to DVD myself. I have the ADVC-300 (awesome piece of equipment by the way) and need a good high quality VCR with an S-video jack out. While I'm looking for a VCR I thought I might as well have one that can play and record SVHS since I might end up doing video projects for Public Access TV in the near or far future.

After doing lots of research it looks like one of the best VCRs to get for this type of thing is the Mitsubishi HS-HD2000U HD VCR because it has a great TBC and has full VHS and SVHS support along with S-video in and out. I also heard somewhere that the HD VCRs are the best for your old VHS home movies because the video heads are so well made to handle HD that SVHS and VHS are child's play to it. Someone said they believe that an HD VCR are the best consumer VCRs that money can buy to use for playing back the standard VHS home movies. I'm not going to be using the HD part at all because I do not have an HDTV or anything like that at this time, but I figured that in the future if I do I will already have the VCR to handle it.

Again, I plan on using this VCR to play back my old (regular) VHS home movies and recording them to my computer via ADVC-300 into Sonic Foundry Vegas Video 4.0 and authoring them to DVD. I'm looking for a good high quality consumer VCR with a TBC and S-video in and out. In addition I also want SVHS playback and record in case I need to record my edited digital video work to analog, I'd rather do it to SVHS if I'm going to air anything on Public Access Television. It seems as though this Mitsubishi HS-HD2000U HD VCR has all the things I'm looking for as I've researched.

I'm almost ready to buy it off Ebay for only a few hundred. I bid on it last week and I was the only bidder for several days until the last second when someone outbid me. AHHH!! The seller contacted me and told me they have another unit for me that I could buy. Before I do that I would like run it by all you other video enthusiasts here. Am I making the right decision on getting this VCR or is this overkill for what I'm going to do with it?

[fmctm1sw]

JVCs come highly recommended. I have a Toshiba SVHS VCR with a build in TBC but it probably isn't as good as the JVCs. Hell, I only paid about $120 for it

[studtrooper]

What exactly would be a reasonable price for one of these cool TBC-enabled JVC VCRs? If I could find one for under a $100 I might get one...

You won't. These are $400-500 machines. Half price is a freaking miracle.

My god... is the quality that much better for a VCR that costs $325 more than a regular S-VHS one?

[lordsmurf]

Yes.

[BrainStorm69]

My god... is the quality that much better for a VCR that costs $325 more than a regular S-VHS one?

Are you talking about the quality of the hardware itself, or the quality of the video/audio it outputs?

If you are talking about the output, rather than an unqualified "yes," I'd say "yes, ~if~ your source tape is in bad condition." If your source tape is in good shape, there are a number of s-vhs machines that give results pretty much equal to or slightly better than the JVC.

[yoda313]

Hello,
I was wondering, what is TBC? I've never had a SVHS VCR so is this some exclusive feature of that platform?
Kevin

[awhitney]

Hello,
I was wondering, what is TBC? I've never had a SVHS VCR so is this some exclusive feature of that platform?
Kevin

TBC - Time Base Corrector. It helps in displaying video on older vhs tapes to reduce noise and stabilize the image. Really helps in reducing frame drops when capturing. I'd say it is very crucial to have a TBC to insure that you are getting the one of the best capturing possible.

I couldn't live without it when capturing video from my old vhs collection.

[yoda313]

Hello,
Thanks awhitney, that answers my question. I might look up svhs on ebay, though shipping would be a killer for a 5 or 10 pound vcr (ouch ).
Kevin

[studtrooper]

My god... is the quality that much better for a VCR that costs $325 more than a regular S-VHS one?

Are you talking about the quality of the hardware itself, or the quality of the video/audio it outputs?

If you are talking about the output, rather than an unqualified "yes," I'd say "yes, ~if~ your source tape is in bad condition." If your source tape is in good shape, there are a number of s-vhs machines that give results pretty much equal to or slightly better than the JVC.

Yeah, I was referring to capturing potential. Thanks for clearing that up. I honestly don't know if I could possibly justify a $400 purchase for one though. Heh, this cheap-ass $50 Sylvania composite/stereo VCR is doing fine for me at the moment. Unless the tape actually has tears on it, putting the captured huffy video through a TMPEGne (however you spell it) filter makes it look way better than it did in its original state. My Super Mario Bros. Super Show tapes circa 1989 never looked better on its new DVD home

[gshelley61]

Check eBay for deals on decent pre-owned JVC S-VHS units with TBC and DNR built-in. lordsmurf has listed some specific model number suggestions here:

http://www.digitalfaq.com/capture/vcrtbcsuggestions.htm

I was able to acquire a JVC SR-W5U for about half of what one of those refurb HR-S9911U costs (the SR-W5U is a very high-end HDTV prosumer W-VHS/S-VHS/VHS machine that JVC built during the late 90's... original MSRP was over $5,500). The picture is surprisingly good - much better than I thought was possible from VHS.

It makes a huge difference when capturing.

[Zetti]

I like the flexibility of having a separate stand-alone TBC;

If the VCR breaks, I don't lose the TBC, and vice-versa;

Zetti

[lordsmurf]

I like the flexibility of having a separate stand-alone TBC;
If the VCR breaks, I don't lose the TBC, and vice-versa;
Zetti

They're also different kinds of TBCs.
One is better than the other at certain things. And vice versa.
DNR does the most for picture cleaning. The standalone works most on stability.

[gshelley61]

I like the flexibility of having a separate stand-alone TBC;
If the VCR breaks, I don't lose the TBC, and vice-versa;
Zetti

They're also different kinds of TBCs.
One is better than the other at certain things. And vice versa.
DNR does the most for picture cleaning. The standalone works most on stability.

As you've mentioned before - to clarify, the TBC's in camcorders, VCR's and DVD recorders apparently are not "full-frame" correctors... and so they do not defeat macrovision copy protection like a good standalone unit is able to do. I would have to assume that full frame TBC's do a better job of stabilizing very poor quality videotape, too.

[lordsmurf]

and so they do not defeat macrovision copy protection like a good standalone unit is able to do.

They can, but not always.

I would have to assume that full frame TBC's do a better job of stabilizing very poor quality videotape, too.

Not necessarily, no. But generally, yes.


Some of the TBCs in cameras don't pass-through either, not like people think. It only works on playback of the tape inside.


These variations in TBC sure suck, don't they?

Trial and error learning, mostly.

[gshelley61]

These variations in TBC sure suck, don't they?

Indeed. What about broadcast TBC's... any experience with any Prime Image, FOR-A, Microtime, Nova, JVC, Sony, etc. professional level units?

[richdvd]

so..i would be better off to get an S-VHS VCR with TBC....instead of going with the TBC-1000 Standalone unit? what's going to be the big differences between the two, as far as TBC is concerned?

[studtrooper]

What would your guys' recommendation be for a nice price/performance ratio S-VHS VCR? I'll consider a TBC enabled unit later if I aquire a lot of bad tapes.

[gshelley61]

What would your guys' recommendation be for a nice price/performance ratio S-VHS VCR? I'll consider a TBC enabled unit later if I aquire a lot of bad tapes.

http://www.digitalfaq.com/capture/vcrtbcsuggestions.htm

read the VCR Suggestions section

[Capmaster]

What would do a better job...a standalone TBC-1000 or this JVC model with the built in TBC?

For playing back tapes, the JVC. As a TBC, the standalone TBC-1000, of course. It's always going to do a better job of what it's designed for than a built-in TBC circuit in a VCR. There's a reason it costs $300

[richdvd]

richdvd wrote:
What would do a better job...a standalone TBC-1000 or this JVC model with the built in TBC?

LordSmurf replied...
JVC

I am going to get either the TBC-1000 or the JVC.
They are pretty much around the same price.
Capmaster...you would recommend the TBC-1000?

[Capmaster]

richdvd wrote:
What would do a better job...a standalone TBC-1000 or this JVC model with the built in TBC?

LordSmurf replied...
JVC

I am going to get either the TBC-1000 or the JVC.
They are pretty much around the same price.
Capmaster...you would recommend the TBC-1000?

I think Lordsmurf meant all things considered, including price and convenience. You can't beat the JVC units for using robust TBC circuits. The standalone DVD recorders also have surprisingly good TBCs built-in. They amaze me how well they work.

I guess the big issue for you is: Will you be only using the TBC for your tape transfers? If so, then get the JVC with the built-in TBC.

If you want to have a standalone TBC that you can move to another setup easily, or you also want to use it between a DVD player and a capture card or a DVD recorder, and you want to remove macrovision, then get the TBC-1000.

Check to make sure that the one built into the JVC will actually defeat macrovision. Otherwise you won't be able to backup commercial VHS tapes that are protected, and that's a lot of them.

I got my TBC-1000 as an addition for my Snazzi III USB2 MPEG capture box before we bought a standalone recorder. We have a Panasonic E50 with a built-in TBC now. However, the Panasonic will not defeat macrovision even though it's capable, having a TBC and all, so I need to bring my original up to the PC capture setup and do it there using the TBC-1000 whenever macrovision is present.

I have nothing but good feelings about my TBC-1000. It never met a copy protection it couldn't strip off, and my lip-sync has been rock-solid when I use it.