What is this item on Ebay?

[victoriabears]

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5769418792&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

and are the "studio" versions of jvc/panasonic any better than the JVC9911 etc, talking about the big heavy beast with lots of dials!

[louthewiz]

All that is is a MONO PAL vcr for medical uses which was used in med school for demos etc.

[ozymango]

It's a PAL deck but it ain't mono -- it's a S-VHS (Super VHS) Hi-Fi stereo recorder/player. Doesn't have a tuner, but if this were NTSC I would be bidding on this baby right now because this is one seriously solid, heavy-duty machine.

[richdvd]

All that is is a MONO PAL vcr for medical uses which was used in med school for demos etc.

It's not Mono.

[NightWing]

Have seen the NTSC version used for Ultrasound. Darn nice machines!

[pfh]

Have seen the NTSC version used for Ultrasound. Darn nice machines!

They'd actually be usable for home transfers? very interesting.

[ozymango]

They'd actually be usable for home transfers? very interesting.

Oh, yeah, baby! In fact, this type of VCR would be ideal for "home" transfers -- rock-solid tape transport, extreme fidelity to sound, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound ... :P ... seriously, this kind of tank-VCR is awesome. Used to do a lot of video duplication and editing in my time and this is exactly what you want in a playback deck.

That being said, there is one caveat -- these puppies tend to playback in SP (standard play, 2-hour) mode only, which should be good for most people anyway because your master tape was recorded in SP, right? So if you have any EP or (perish forbid) LP tapes, you'll need a different, multi-speed playback VCR for those. But in such cases, your basic $50 VCR will probably be fine because the quality is gonna [inhale vigorously] to begin with.

[BJ_M]

the ebay description is rather stupid as that is not a "medical" grade device (which requires a different power supply ..

but it is one damm nice fine machine .. be great for home use

[lordsmurf]

Unless I'm missing something, this is just a plain-jane S-VHS recorder. No TBC, no filters, nothing. Like a low-grade JVC S-VHS machine.

I'm not impressed.

[BJ_M]

better motors and parts

[ozymango]

Unless I'm missing something, this is just a plain-jane S-VHS recorder. No TBC, no filters, nothing. Like a low-grade JVC S-VHS machine.

I'm not impressed.

I'll alert the media -- Lord Smurf Is Yet Again Not Impressed

It may be useful to note (for people who know VCRs) that you're not the target audience for this machine -- this beast is designed to run, and run, and run, and run. All the motors, all the transport guides, all that is rock-solid. No you don't get a built-in TBC or filters because if you're into this kind of equipment, you've already got a TBC (external) and filtering devices (external) because you're hardcore and probably using this in a production environment when this thing is running 24/7.

And good for the rest of us that you're not impressed, this way we can snatch this baby up for a few hundred $.

[lordsmurf]

Yeah, but you miss the point.

It's probably a great recorder, of that I have no doubt. The low end JVC S-VHS VCRs are also great recorders. This Panasonic S-VHS will probably just last a whole lot longer and need less maintenance.

But in the context of RESTORATION, this is of no use.


And ozymango, keep your rude personal comments and eye-rolling smileys to yourself. Keep the discussion on topic, do not address people in that manner again. Not me, not anybody.

[ozymango]

But in the context of RESTORATION, this is of no use.

Hmm. Well ... boy this is a tough call ... but I guess it really depends on what kinds of restoration we're talking about, and then a zillion variables beyond that.

Of course for starters this is a PAL deck, so that may or may not be useful from a "restoration" point of view, and "restoration" is a pretty broad umbrella. Is this a physically damaged tape? Is it in EP? If it's EP we can instantly rule out this machine anyway so there is that. If the tape is damaged, and it's SP mode and we're having stability issues, this deck may be just the ticket -- the tolerances of the tape path and head alignment and all that stuff are gonna be top notch, giving optimal playback.

Also -- and this is personal viewpoint time -- I like having all my tweaking hardware downstream of the actual VCR source (i.e. I don't like integrated pieces with the TBC built-in to the VCR, I want a stand-alone TBC and stand-alone waveform monitor and vectorscope and already my budget is totally blown right there! ), so, assuming I'm trying to get the very best, cleanest, most "pure" image to start with and then run it through external processors and processes to tweak the image ... I want a plain-vanilla hardcore solid VCR to start with. But yup it's all about what floats our various boats.

But (and pardon my snarky attitude previously!), I think anytime you get people who are really into whatever they're into, there tends to be very strong points of view as to who likes what and whose way is "better" ... 8) ... like old school/new school choppers, where guys who say a real motorcycle must have at least one wheel with spokes and the other guy says it's mag wheels, baby, this is the new millenium!

Oh, and for the record, a real motorcycle must have two wheels with spokes! :P

[ozymango]

And ozymango, keep your rude personal comments and eye-rolling smileys to yourself.

Fair enough. And apologies to you (and all) for my snarkiness (again!).

Keep the discussion on topic

Again, fair enough. I will also ask you, Lord Smurf, to do the same.

I'm not sure if you read the original question, which is, "What is this item on Ebay?" Even within the context of restoration, I find the other answers (and my initial response) both more accurate and more helpful than your own, on a purely technical level. And you think the fact that this machine will last longer and need less upkeep is of no use to the conversation because ... ???

Within the context of restoration, you don't know if the person who wrote this note needs a PAL deck or not -- but you went ahead and offered not only your technical knowledge but your personal opinion in that you are "not impressed." Is there a reason that either the original poster or the other readers in this forum would find your "not impressed" comment helpful in any particular way? Is that particular point of view relevant to the conversation, and to the subject of restoration?

[lordsmurf]

When correcting video, you want to start as early up the chain as you can. After the signal has left the VCR, it's too late. You need to start as soon as the head hits the tape.

[ozymango]

When correcting video, you want to start as early up the chain as you can.

Agree.

After the signal has left the VCR, it's too late. You need to start as soon as the head hits the tape.

Hmmm ...

"After the signal has left the VCR ..." ... hmmmm .... well, sometimes you need to fix stuff, and sometimes you don't. I think having a VCR with internal TBC is a great idea but this does not mean that I think having a VCR with internal TBC is the only one to have. Depends on a whole lot more than that. It's not always about "correcting" -- sometimes it's about leaving the darn thing alone.

I agree that a VCR with built-in TBC can very often "fix" problems due to tape stretch and head alignment issues that would make an external TBC still puke ... ... but a very solid transport will give you playback stability that cannot be oversome just with a TBC (and it may or may not be ironic that TBCs are most often used precisely because of tape playback issues that arise because so many VCRs aren't precisely built and have "discrepancies" in the path and hardware).

Because we don't know the specifics of the restoration issue here (and maybe the guy just got in the wrong forum by mistake), a lot of this is just a bunch of people blowing smoke up each other's ... noses. :P Frankly, there just ain't enough info on the "restoration" angle to make any useful comments about whether this deck will suit a particular purpose -- it may play back tapes that nothing else will. It may barf on them. We all know that once you get into "restoration" it's not just a matter of one deck that does it all, sometimes (often) you end up with various stacks of equipment because one combination of machines and processors works on one tape, another on another tape.

So, if we assume a person is into restoration and has an option to purchase yet another piece of equipment at a reasonable price, that has certain features and specifications not already among their current equipment ... that could be relevant to restoration.

[victoriabears]

As the originater of the post, I was just interested in what part this could play and thought restoration was the only likely one for a machine of this type, it has no "cable" tuner and is PAL in NTSC land.

Interestingly enough though after my post the price doubled, may be this forum should form some sort of(Probably ) unholy alliance with Ebay!!

I also notice that a 9600 and a 9800 jvc vcr's are for sale.

Thanks very much for your information though guys I thought it did have tbc/nr so my interest is cancelled.

[ozymango]

Interestingly enough though after my post the price doubled, may be this forum should form some sort of(Probably ) unholy alliance with Ebay!!

The high bidder (so far) on this one seems to be very interested in industrial-type medical equipment and VCRs so he (or she) may have slightly different needs than those of us here!

[BJ_M]

couple notes on this model -

1. it DOES have TBC built in ...

Features
• Digital TBC for Stable Still and Search Images
The digital TBC of the AG-MD830 eliminates even small amounts of jitter and color blurring. The TBC helps maintain high picture quality required in medical applications.
• Digital Noise Reduction
The AG-MD830 has built-in digital noise reduction circuitry. This feature processed luminance and chrominance separately to increase signal to noise ratio during playback.


2. the AG-MD835 replaced it (i think)

3. i was wrong - this model DOES have the medical grade approved power supply, grounding and cord set and as such can be used in an operating room even ..

[lordsmurf]

couple notes on this model -

1. it DOES have TBC built in ...

Features
• Digital TBC for Stable Still and Search Images
The digital TBC of the AG-MD830 eliminates even small amounts of jitter and color blurring. The TBC helps maintain high picture quality required in medical applications.
• Digital Noise Reduction
The AG-MD830 has built-in digital noise reduction circuitry. This feature processed luminance and chrominance separately to increase signal to noise ratio during playback.


2. the AG-MD835 replaced it (i think)

3. i was wrong - this model DOES have the medical grade approved power supply, grounding and cord set and as such can be used in an operating room even ..

Well there we go. Maybe it does have restoration use after all.
In addition to longevity.

[ozymango]

couple notes on this model - 1. it DOES have TBC built in ...

Well, hot dang! I'm trying to justify bidding on this deck because it's just too cool (I love hardware!) but I don't think I have any PAL tapes to even test it on ... grumble ... sigh.

[ozymango]

This model DOES have the medical grade approved power supply, grounding and cord set and as such can be used in an operating room even ..

"So, Doctor, should I make the incision above or below the Flumbato Maximus?"

"Sshh, this is the part where Buffy kills Spike for the fourth time. Look at the color accuracy of that shot!"

:P

[BJ_M]

couple notes on this model - 1. it DOES have TBC built in ...

Well, hot dang! I'm trying to justify bidding on this deck because it's just too cool (I love hardware!) but I don't think I have any PAL tapes to even test it on ... grumble ... sigh.

being "medical grade" also means more expensive needlessly .. there are just as good other models out there (with even more bells and whistles)

first one below looks like a steal

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=21168&item=7510751816&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=21168&item=7509274070&rd=1

ones like below may need new heads and overhaul - no mention of hours - a bad sign
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=21168&item=7510576775&rd=1

[BJ_M]

full list

http://search.ebay.com/panasonic-s-vhs_Recorders-Players_W0QQcatrefZC12QQfromZR8QQfsoo...onicQ20sQ2dvhs

[BJ_M]

geezz -- if someone wants a great cheap camera for the kids

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=21165&item=7511197567&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW



(they were $1200 new and are built very well for NG use)

[ozymango]

being "medical grade" also means more expensive needlessly .. there are just as good other models out there (with even more bells and whistles)

Yeah, but you haven't seen my house, I need explosion-proof equipment!

[BJ_M]

it is not explosion proof ..

[ozymango]

it is not explosion proof ..

Sigh. Sigh sigh sigh.

Sorry, obviously lame attempt at medical-equipment humor -- I used to work for a guy who recycled lab equipment, and we were always dealing with "explosion-proof" pumps, motors, and connectors for various medical and lab environments where they'd be working with different (exposive!) gases.

So I thought somebody out there might "get" the semi-in-joke there, with the power supply and the medical VCR and the operating room and ... oh, heck, let's just skip it.

[BJ_M]

ok

:P

[soundforbjt]

geezz -- if someone wants a great cheap camera for the kids

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=21165&item=7511197567&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW



(they were $1200 new and are built very well for NG use)

It also says it has a reserve price, Translation: he wants $500 or more.