VCR and DVD recorder choices for dubbing VHS tapes

[eddytor]

Hi,

I am looking for a DVD recorder and a VCR in order to convert my VHS tapes. I've read many of the appropriate threads on this forum and had a look at digitalfaq.com


Notes: My tapes are only VHS and are mainly in good condition

I don’t want to spend a fortune now on this 4.7GB technology, since I’m aware that Blue ray recorders are not far away from being in the marketplace.


DVD recorder choices
----------------------------

JVC seem to be the pick of most people on this forum, although I am open to other manufacturers such as panesonic .

There appear to be 4 JVC models in the UK market that could do the job.

JVC DR-M10.
Much praised on this forum for its noise reduction capabilities. I can pick these up on ebay for £60-£100. Are there better recorders out there?

JVC DR-M100
A version that plays more file types. JPG etc.
My main query is – does it have the same noise reduction properties that the DR-M10 has? They are certainly not listd on the features section. Any ideas?
http://www.jvc.co.uk/product.php?id=DR-M100SEK&catid=18&lid=

JVC DR-MH20
A version with 80GB hard disk
The feature list shows some noise reduction properties. Are these as good as OR better than those on the DR-M10 ?
http://www.jvc.co.uk/product.php?id=DR-MH20SEK&catid=18&lid=


JVC DR-MH30
A version with 160GB hard disk
The feature list shows some noise reduction properties. Are these as good as OR better than those on the DR-M10 ?
http://www.jvc.co.uk/product.php?id=DR-MH30SEK

If anyone is well versed in the noise reduction features of the DR-M10 – can you confirm that the DR-MH100 / DRMH20 and DRMH30 have the same features according to their spec.

Key question re: VCR for source
-----------------------------------------
If I get such a JVC DVD recorder with the noise reduction features - will I then be able to get by using a standard VCR (without TBC) . I only have VHS tapes mainly in good condition and its very hard to find a SVHS VCR with TBC in the uk. They stopped selling them in feb this year. We cannot get the much praised JVC 9911 VCR over here.

I have seen a new Panasonic SVHS machine with TBC and 3D noise reduction. It’s the model number: NVSV121EBS. BUT I’ve been told by Panasonic UK that the UK model does not allow you to turn OFF the TBC and the noise reduction features. DO you think this is problematic? Has anyone who used such a machine and can vouch for the quality when copying to DVD.


Thanks

Pete

[trhouse]

You might consider the JVC DR-MV1 if buying used even if you do not care for its vcr. In the US it often sells for less on eBay than the DR-M10S.

[eddytor]

thanks for the advice. I have looked at the JVC DR-MV1 which seems like a good solution.

I have some reservations/questions...

1. like you said the VCR is probably not the greatest - and I know lordsmurf didnt feel it was very good according to a thread I read.

2. the homecinemachoice review of the DR-MV1 siad that when dubbing from the VCR to the DVD it broke up the recording into 12 minute pieces, whereas dubbing from an external source it recorded as one long file. can anyone verify the operation of the vcr to dvd dubbing on this unit. are there any problems and whats the quality like overall?

3. is the Dvd recorder side of the machine as good as the one in the highly praised JVC DRM10?

thanks

pete

[lordsmurf]

1. Low end JVC VHS VCR, not super. But it can work, I guess. S-VHS unit would be better.

2. Never heard that, knowing a magazine reviewer, it's probably user error more than anything else.

3. Yes. Same.

[eddytor]

hi lordsmurf
thanks for that.

Re: question 2: the MV1S review is at: http://www.homecinemachoice.com/cgi-bin/displayreview.php?reviewid=4831
the paragraph in question is "hidden weaknesses"

re: question 3 and my first post above - can you confirm that based on the spec on the spec, the JVC DR-MH20 and DR-MH30 have the same kind of noise reduction facilities as the DR-M10

thanks in advance

Pete

p.s. have been working my way slowly through your digitalfaq site - excellent resource!

[lordsmurf]

They all have the same LSI chips and JVC Digipure, those are the noise reduction (block, chroma, and grain filters) items that create the NR system.

[eddytor]

thanks for the info

going back to the SVHS - versus VHS VCR issue:-

If I get a good qual JVC DVD recorder (e.g. DR-M10) with the noise reduction features - will I then be able to get by using a standard VCR (without TBC) .

I only have VHS tapes mainly in good condition and its very hard to find a JVC SVHS VCR with TBC in the uk. They stopped selling them in feb this year. We certainly cannot get the much praised JVC 9911 VCR over here in the uk.

I have seen a new Panasonic SVHS machine with TBC and 3D noise reduction. It’s the model number: NVSV121EBS. BUT I’ve been told by Panasonic UK that the UK model does not allow you to turn OFF the TBC and the noise reduction features. DO you think this is problematic?
Also I know you are not a fan of panasonic when it comes to VCR's?


Thanks

Pete

[lordsmurf]

Good VCR, good JVC DVD recorder, should be fine setup.

I have no issues with Panasonic VCRs. I like the VHS ones. The S-VHS ones I have little experience with, so not the right person to ask on the S-VHS ones. Panasonic cameras are fine too. It's Panasonic DVD recorders that are horrible. It's a decent company, just with one really terrible product.

I do see used JVC S-VHS on ebay.co.uk every now and then. Even low end ones would be fine for relatively decent tapes.

[gsh]

There was a seller on ebay.uk selling JVC HRS6965EK for £40 buy now recently - I picked one up as a stopgap to finding a deck with TBC/DNR, and so far it performs fine with decent tapes. I may pick up the Panasonic NVSV121EBS as it seems unlikely I'll find a JVC 7965/8965.

[hsugawar]

I don’t want to spend a fortune now on this 4.7GB technology, since I’m aware that Blue ray recorders are not far away from being in the marketplace.

VHS is far poorer in quality than today's DVD. VHS has a horizontal resolution of about 240 lines whereas today's DVD has 720. You will NEVER get anything better than your original media's quality. I don't believe you will get anything different with Blu-ray or HD-DVD from what you would get with copying to today's DVD technology.

hiro

[non-linear]

Blu-ray and the HD-DVD players (whichever wins the format war) will most likely accept regular DVDs, so there shouldn't be any problem viewing them years from now, provided the discs are in good shape. Also, as time goes by, tapes degrade, that's the nature of magnetic storage, so it's a good idea to transfer them to DVD now and avoid the future degradation of your VHS tapes.

Besides, unless you plan on being one of the first people to adopt the new technology, you can bet that for the first few years, it'll be expensive, so you'll probably be stuck with DVD technology for a while yet.

[trhouse]

I may have created some confusion with regards to the JVC DR-MV1. I meant that it can be purchased used for less than an M10 but it is not necessary to use the internal vcr. The recorder side should be similar in capture quality to an M10 and it has both S-video and composite inputs for using the dvd recorder with an external vcr on the front panel.

There seem to be far more MV1's available than M10's on eBay. Think of it as getting an M10 with a free internal vcr ( which you can choose not to use ) and it costs less.

P.S. I find that it is sometimes very helpful to have an extra vcr. I have five at the moment including one in a combo unit. A problem tape may play poorly in some but for some reason it will play almost perfectly in another.

[lordsmurf]

Yeah, that sounds like smart shopping to me. Buy the MV1 cheaper and don't use the VCR as a primary player. Save money where you can. I'm all for that.

[gsh]

I have seen a new Panasonic SVHS machine with TBC and 3D noise reduction. It’s the model number: NVSV121EBS. BUT I’ve been told by Panasonic UK that the UK model does not allow you to turn OFF the TBC and the noise reduction features. DO you think this is problematic? Has anyone who used such a machine and can vouch for the quality when copying to DVD.

Thanks

Pete

Whoever told you that was mistaken - I emailed Panasonic and they sent me a manual for this unit, and both TBC and 3D DNR can be switched off, and used independently. It also has manual tracking. I think I may have to purchase this unit, as I cannot find a JVC unit with tbc/dnr anywhere.

[eddytor]

Hi,

yes they sent me the same mail with the same manual - with the TBC and DNR buttons etc

I emailed back and queried whether they were sure the machine didnt have the features for turning these on and off.

they confirmed that tha manual they have is for a non UK model. the model they sell in the uk - they assured me again does NOT have the facility to turn these two features on and off.

seems like we are scuppered in the uk. no JVC VCR with TBC and panasonic's vcr force you to have the features permanently on.

we cant seem to win can we.

if you hear anything more on the panny with TBC let me know.

pete

[pepegot1]

The JVC DR-M10 has excellent noise reduction. I record tons of old movies, some of which do not look too well on the TV. After converting them to DVD, the improvement is short of remarkable. Graininess greatly reduced and picture quality enchanced.
I would go with this machine!

[eddytor]

Everything Ive read on this forum about the JVC DRm10 has been great and Im on the verge of buying one. then I read the epinions reviews here:-

http://www.epinions.com/pr-JVC_DRM10_DVD_Recorder_Player/linkin_id_~3035301/display_~reviews

every one gives it a low rating and three of the four (all reviews from this year) talk of a "loading" error.

has anyone on videohelp come across this "loading" problem? it sounds quite severe.

pete

[gsh]

Hi,

yes they sent me the same mail with the same manual - with the TBC and DNR buttons etc

I emailed back and queried whether they were sure the machine didnt have the features for turning these on and off.

they confirmed that tha manual they have is for a non UK model. the model they sell in the uk - they assured me again does NOT have the facility to turn these two features on and off.

seems like we are scuppered in the uk. no JVC VCR with TBC and panasonic's vcr force you to have the features permanently on.

we cant seem to win can we.

if you hear anything more on the panny with TBC let me know.

pete

I emailed the helpful lady at Panasonic relaying the information you received, and she confirmed that the manual she sent me was an "all country" version. However, she found a hard copy of the UK manual and sent it to me free of charge. Outstanding service!
Page 20
"Use the 3D DNR button to check the status or to activate the function."
Page 22 TBC
"Press the TBC button to activate/deactivate this function"
Also manual tracking on this unit.
So this model looks to have all the functions we're looking for, all able to be used independently, unlike some JVC SVHS models that link TBC/DNR.
It's available new online for £137, so I think I shall give it a go.

[eddytor]

Hi all.

I am now looking to choose between:-

Panasonic NVSV121EBS VCR S-VHS with TBC and noise reduction. and you can turn the functions on/off independently.

OR

JVC 7700 series S-VHS VCR with TBC and noise reduction but you cannot turn the functions on/off independently. they are both either on or off together.

Although the JVC is known for its high quality - is it useful to use the TBC and noise reduction separately? i.e. is there any time when capturing from VHS tapes (I only have VHS source tapes) that you find the picture is better with noise reduction off and TBC on - or vice versa.

one other factor is the JVC is about £50 cheaper - but if the pansonic S_VHS picture quality is known to be equal the flexibility of the TBC/noise reduction could swing it.

any thoughts anyone?

thanks

pete

[davideck]

Although the JVC is known for its high quality - is it useful to use the TBC and noise reduction separately? i.e. is there any time when capturing from VHS tapes (I only have VHS source tapes) that you find the picture is better with noise reduction off and TBC on - or vice versa.
pete

I wish I had the option of turning off the DNR and using only the TBC on my JVC units. For good quality/low noise tapes, the DNR can do more harm than good.