JVC DR-M10SL user's thread: techniques and tips

[TheMadHatter]

Also I was wondering if there is a way to make the JVC recorder shut down after you are finished taping, when you haven't used the
program timer feature.

In other words if you use the FR mode and pressed record and happen to leave for several hours, how would you be able to set the JVC recorder to shut down automatically. After what I've just been through I don't want it to be on any longer than it has to.

I have noticed that sometimes it shuts off all by itself, other times it stays on for hours unless I physically shut it down.

ejai

I've been noticing that mine averages about 7:04 minutes after the time I set FR to (ie. FR 150 will tape to 157.4). Then I'll get the "Disc Full" message. This helps me when I set my unit to dup my MST3K episodes before I go to bed.

I also have a universal remote, with a timer setting, that I use to stop my JVC for overnight dups.

[gshelley61]

Here is that Vidicraft Vidimate unit I got from my friend. I'll have to hit it with some tuner cleaner before testing it, as it's been sitting in his basement for a while.

Just got what looks to be a never-used Vidicraft Vidimate processor... it's one of the made in Hong Kong models. No s-video I/O's, though! It is a VDM-200. Yours must be a later version with s-video added. Otherwise, it is identical. This unit works great... super high image quality just like the earlier US made Vidicraft units I've got. It's basically a combination of the Detailer and the Proc Amp, without the enhancement noise reduction and the luminance meter. It has an audio mix feature and a automatic video fade in/fade out button, though.

So far, all the Vidicraft units I've tried out have been unbeatable for image accuracy and quality, while providing enhancement and correction features that really work without screwing up the image. Only the Sign Video DR-1000 Image Enhancer I have (which is designed and built by former Vidicraft people) is in the same league.

For Vidicraft products, eBay is it since that company is out of business. Sign Video is still hand building pro video gear, so if you are interested in new equipment with full warranty visit http://www.signvideo.com/

[Yngwie38]

Also I was wondering if there is a way to make the JVC recorder shut down after you are finished taping, when you haven't used the
program timer feature.

In other words if you use the FR mode and pressed record and happen to leave for several hours, how would you be able to set the JVC recorder to shut down automatically. After what I've just been through I don't want it to be on any longer than it has to.

I have noticed that sometimes it shuts off all by itself, other times it stays on for hours unless I physically shut it down.

In Fr mode or other mode you can press "record" on the unit (not on the remote control) twice and then we have a 30 min OTR. press "record" three times for a 60 min OTR etc.

[Yngwie38]

I've been noticing that mine averages about 7:04 minutes after the time I set FR to (ie. FR 150 will tape to 157.4). Then I'll get the "Disc Full" message. This helps me when I set my unit to dup my MST3K episodes before I go to bed.

When i use FR on my DR-M10BL (black version- made in germany) recorder i'll get also extra recording time.

FR 85 = 95.35 = 10.35 MIN. EXTRA
FR 90 = 101.13 = 11.13 MIN. EXTRA
FR 95 = 106.55 = 11.55 MIN. EXTRA
FR 100 = 112.04 = 12.04 MIN. EXTRA
FR 105 = 117.42 = 12.42 MIN. EXTRA
FR 110 = 123.10 = 13.10 MIN. EXTRA
FR 115 = 128.46 = 13.46 MIN. EXTRA
FR 120 = 134.26 = 14.26 MIN. EXTRA
FR 125 = 140.11 = 15.11 MIN. EXTRA
FR 130 = ?
FR 135 = 151.21 = 16.21 MIN. EXTRA
FR 140 = 156.47 = 16.47 MIN. EXTRA

SP mode gives me 128 minutes and sometimes 134 minutes recording time.

[xiaNaix]

Just got what looks to be a never-used Vidicraft Vidimate processor... it's one of the made in Hong Kong models. No s-video I/O's, though! It is a VDM-200. Yours must be a later version with s-video added. Otherwise, it is identical. This unit works great... super high image quality just like the earlier US made Vidicraft units I've got. It's basically a combination of the Detailer and the Proc Amp, without the enhancement noise reduction and the luminance meter. It has an audio mix feature and a automatic video fade in/fade out button, though.

Mine says VDM-300S on the upper right front of the unit. Made in Hong Kong on the back. Date of manufacture 90 Q1.

[zorankarapancev]

Yngwie38,

1. Don’t mix SP quality of the recording with FR mode of recording (BTW with the Panasonic I got SP quality of the recording close to 3 hours).

2. When you use the FR mode and punch 135 that mean that the DVD recorder should STOP recording after 135 minutes, not before and not after. The FR mode of 135 should be 135 not 151,21 or anything else. I am afraid that instead of gaining extra time you gained a problem.

In other words, you have inaccurate FR mode and you should call JVC service department.

[Yngwie38]

Yngwie38,

1. Don’t mix SP quality of the recording with FR mode of recording (BTW with the Panasonic I got SP quality of the recording close to 3 hours).

2. When you use the FR mode and punch 135 that mean that the DVD recorder should STOP recording after 135 minutes, not before and not after. The FR mode of 135 should be 135 not 151,21 or anything else. I am afraid that instead of gaining extra time you gained a problem.

In other words, you have inaccurate FR mode and you should call JVC service department.

When I record a movie of 98 minutes I look at my own made list and set it to FR 90. I can live with that.

b.t.w. inside my DR_M10BL is a LG drive and a full disc is only 4280 Mb

[gshelley61]

Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with the FR mode on the JVC. It will record somewhat longer than the minutes specified, but probably varies depending on the source complexity (how high the average bitrate goes to encode the program material). The JVC has a VBR encoding system, so very high-motion video would likely eat up more of the available encoding space/time.

It seems like the extra minutes I get recording beyond the specified FR time differ depending on what I am recording. I'll bet if you recorded a static test pattern or video black in one of the FR modes, then recorded hand-held home video camcorder footage in the same FR setting, it will stop recording sooner with the camcorder footage because of the much higher average bitrate required to capture moving video in MPEG2.

[ejai]

Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with the FR mode on the JVC. It will record somewhat longer than the minutes specified, but probably varies depending on the source complexity (how high the average bitrate goes to encode the program material). The JVC has a VBR encoding system, so very high-motion video would likely eat up more of the available encoding space/time.

It seems like the extra minutes I get recording beyond the specified FR time differ depending on what I am recording. I'll bet if you recorded a static test pattern or video black in one of the FR modes, then recorded hand-held home video camcorder footage in the same FR setting, it will stop recording sooner with the camcorder footage because of the much higher average bitrate required to capture moving video in MPEG2.

This is true I get the same thing and it is not a problem at all. I sometimes set a 90min recording to 85mins to adjust to the extra recording time. I think it's great.

[celso_java]

The Canopus ADVC-300 is not a TBC. It is an analog to DV converter.

The JVC DVD recorder is excellent for direc to DVD MPEG2 capturing, and does have a built in TBC and DNR (noise reduction), but is not robust enough to defeat copy protection. You still need a separate full frame TBC or other device to do that. It sounds like you may need some kind of standards converter (PAL to NTSC?), too.

Hi gshelley

I was wondering if a JVC S9911 would be useful for me as it can't play my PAL/PAL-M tapes. Even if I plug my transcoder in the output of JVC VCR I believe it wouldn't solve?

Btw, does anyone here hear about Tvone CDM-660?

thanks.

[gshelley61]

I'm not sure what the PAL equivalent of some of the better JVC S-VHS VCR's would be, but they probably exist... if it has the 4MB "DigiPure" TBC/DNR processor, it should be a good unit, though. Maybe check the UK and Euro eBay sites to get some ideas. There is the HR-S9850, which is a JVC PAL VCR with the 2MB DigiPure processor... that might be OK.

[lordsmurf]

I'm not sure what the PAL equivalent of some of the better JVC S-VHS VCR's would be, but they probably exist... if it has the 4MB "DigiPure" TBC/DNR processor, it should be a good unit, though. Maybe check the UK and Euro eBay sites to get some ideas. There is the HR-S9850, which is a JVC PAL VCR with the 2MB DigiPure processor... that might be OK.

JVC 8965

[sullen]

@ gshelley61

Nice acquisition, I guess $15 just didn't cut it today.

[gshelley61]

@ gshelley61

Nice acquisition, I guess $15 just didn't cut it today.

Yes, well one more test unit. I've got several different Vidicraft units piling up now. After I am done checking them all out thoroughly, I'll be selling off the extras I don't need to keep.

[gshelley61]

I'm getting near the end of my testing of used video processing devices. Here are the units I've already acquired (or are on the way):

Sima SCC Pro Color Corrector
Elite Video BVP-4 Plus
Vidicraft Proc Amp
Vidicraft Detailer III
Vidicraft Detailer IV
Vidicraft AVP-100 Audio/Video Processor
Vidicraft SEG-100 Special Effects Generator
Vidicraft VDM-200 Vidimate
(Sign Video) DR-1000 Image Enhancer
Sony XV-C900 Multi-Color Corrector
Videonics VE-1 Video Equalizer
FOR-A FA-210 TBC/Frame Sync
Microtime 2100 Video Image Processor
Kramer VS-4E Composite Video Corrector
Archer 15-1275 Video Color Processor

Just for grins, I also picked up a set of dbx video sound processors... the SX-10, SX-20 and SX-30. I'll tell you what, eBay is still fun. I got most of this stuff for a very small fraction of what it sold for new, and have no worries about selling the units I don't want to keep for at least what I've got in them.

Anyway, a full report is on the horizon. I can tell you now to definitely avoid the Videonics and the Archer units listed above. They are terrible.

The Vidicraft and Sign Video units are the most impressive of the bunch so far. If you can grab one of those for a decent price, I'd suggest you get it and check it out.

[JSquare]

@gshelley61,

Could you point out which unit(s) has S-Video I/O?

[gshelley61]

@gshelley61,

Could you point out which unit(s) has S-Video I/O?

These all have both composite and s-video I/O's -

Sima SCC Pro Color Corrector
Elite Video BVP-4 Plus
Sign Video DR-1000 Image Enhancer
Sony XV-C900 Multi-Color Corrector
Videonics VE-1 Video Equalizer

Also, there is a Vidicraft VDM-300S Vidimate that has s-video I/O's, but I don't have that model (otherwise it is identical to the VDM-200). All the Vidicraft stuff is vintage, built from the early 80's through the early 90's.

Sima now has a newer digital controlled version of the SCC... the SCC-2.

The AVTools AVT-8710 TBC is also a video processor with picture correction and enhancement adjustments, but I have not tried one of those. The Datavideo TBC-1000 is a full frame standalone TBC only.

Sign Video makes a Proc Amp in addition to the DR-1000.... It looks great and is probably excellent, but I haven't tried one of those either.

[samijubal]

Maybe you got dirt in it. A cleanig may help, but good luck pulling that thing apart. I tried to open it to find the chips and drive model, but figured "f--- that" after I opened it only to see an inner case.

I opened mine up today, can't have anything electronic without seeing what makes it tick, very easy to take apart. The cover slides off and the tray lifts right out, never seen a tray that comes out so easy. There are 2 ICs in the drive assembly, the laser and the board underneath, they are both JVC.

[xiaNaix]

Anyone seen this?

http://www.dvdrecorderworld.com/news/71

Interesting news, plus I didn't even know that site existed. :P

[lordsmurf]

Anyone seen this?
http://www.dvdrecorderworld.com/news/71
Interesting news, plus I didn't even know that site existed. :P

Last time I was there, it was almost no content.
Good to see it's changed.

[ejai]

I recently purchased a Vidicraft Audio/Video Processor for 30 bucks from ebay and I love it. It compliments the JVC and really makes the video look great. My only concern is one of the controls on the unit in which I am not familiar with. I was hoping someone can tell me waht it does.

The control I am talking about is labeled "VNX", if anyone knows what it is please let me know.

[lordsmurf]

I think it's a noise reduction thing.

[ejai]

I think it's a noise reduction thing.

Thanks for the response, I just got it and will do more testing this weekend.

[gshelley61]

VNX is enhancement noise reduction. It only works when you have some Detail and/or Sharpness dialed in. If they are off, the VNX does nothing. Some Vidicraft units have a "Black" knob or slider in addition to the VNX. That is an additional enhancement noise reduction adjustment.

Experiment with a few different settings. I tend to use just a small amount of Detail and Sharpness and leave the VNX and Black off, but sometimes I'll push them more and use the VNX and Black noise reduction. It depends on the source quality and video noise level.

That Audio/Video processor is nice... it's the black one with the LED luminance meter, right? I've got one of those, too. I think I have five or six different Vidicraft units on hand now... yikes!

[gshelley61]

Oh, yeah - I got that Sony XV-C900 but it was defective. Some of the color correction functions didn't work properly. The guy I got it from refunded my money and told me to keep it or sell it for parts...

So, I'm still on a quest to find a decent processor with Setup (black level) adjustment that will compliment my Vidicraft stuff.

[gshelley61]

Here's a few test frames I captured last night... I'm using the Pioneer CLD-D704 laserdisc player (composite out) running through the Vidicraft Detailer III (Detail, Sharpness, VNX and Black set at about 1/3), then through the Sima SCC Pro Color Corrector to adjust the black level, chroma and luma (Brightness, Color and Contrast). I also ran the signal through the Vidicraft Proc Amp set on Bypass so I could use the luminance meter for more precise luma and black level adjustments.

Composite in to the JVC DR-M10SL, SP (2 hour), DVD-Video format recorded to DVD-RW.

Samples are from the mid-80's CBS/Fox Return of the Jedi 4:3 pan and scan CAV laserdisc with digital audio. PQ on this release is fair (it has some pretty noticeable video noise).

I am still pursuing a processor that will outperform the Sima that has a black level (setup, pedestal) adjustment... the SCC is OK, but not as high quality as the Vidicraft units.

[Offroad]

Received my DBS controller from JVC and went to use it last night.

My STB is a Dish Network 811, when I ran the setup test the JVC asks if the DBS switched to channell 100 but it actually tried to go to 205.
After a couple more runs at the test, I finally just tried to do some recording off the Dish STB with the JVC switching the channels.

The good news is it works fine even though the test during setup never goes to channel 100 like it says its going to. The bad news is when I program the JVC it doesn't look like I can select above DBS channel 999 and I have them on the Dish 811 going up to 94XX.

Any ideas? I was excited to get the controller to speed up DBS recording, but it looks like it won't work with all my Dish channels.

Also,

While recording a preseason NFL game off of FOX last Sunday, when I watched the recording everything looked sort of hazy like there was a fog on the field. The colors were very subdued as well. Sharpness was fine and the picture looked normal otherwise.

When I switched back to the game live, everything looked fine whether viewing the TV's tuner or the JVC's. After the game I used the same RAM disk to do some test recording on another station and everything looked fine. Have recorded other games this preseason (not on Fox) with -RW and the same RAM disk without seeing this issue.

Anyone else experience anything like this?

Thanks.

[lordsmurf]

In VR mode, I've noticed haziness in 352x480 resolution. It's blurring the video because of the low bitrate and medium res. The MPEG preprocessors look too strong here.

In DVD-Video on DVD-RW, fine.

Yet another reason, in a long line of reasons, to not use VR mode.

[ejai]

I was wondering if anyone feels uncomfortable about taking a 2 1/2 hour movie and recording it on 2 dvds to maintain the video quality. Does it make better sense to use one disk even though the quality may not measure up to the originals?

I personally like quality, but I was wondering how many people find it less time consuming to view the video on one disk rather than have to change disks. Or does it really matter.

[jyn999]

Jeez, get a DVD changer if it's too onerous to get up from your couch, eject Disc 1 and then insert Disc 2.