Best DVD recorder for copying VHS tapes?

[BogieV]

Hmm, the original poster asked for 90 minute VHS tapes transfers.
I wonder what everybody here is talking about.
I have Pioneer DVR-530H (model for Japan, made in Japan) and actually I'm not really pleased with its PQ (sound is great in any mode :P ).
OK - XP (or 1 hr DVD) is almost perfect but SP (2hr) is with visible artifacts even from clean TV stations. In 90 min mode the results vary - one can actually adjust many things - incuding noise, gamma, white level, black level, etc., etc. But I haven't found way for doing it succesfully and use the preset called 'TV tuner'. The preset 'Video tape' showes more noise and is a bit brighter which was not to my liking. I also stumbeled on a tape from my archive that were falsfuly stated as copy protected.
As a machine and recorder it is rock solid - a pleasure to work with - no failed burn or timer recording. I had the hard drive filed almost 100% and still not a hip-cup.
Just my 2 cents if anybody is interested in Pioneer.

[MeekloBraca]

I actually have the newer models of Panasonic now, the ES25. I just noticed a substantial difference between 3 hour and 2 hour 50 minute.

"The JVC I have now, the 70, has nice LP mode but I'm not sure I'd say it's as good or better than my Panasonic's SP mode. Again, it depends on the source material greatly I suppose"

Thats definitly not true. The Panasonic SP mode is better than JVC LP mode. Although I will say the LP mode with that 70 model JVC is very very good. Go out and buy the 100 if you can and test try them out. Id be interested in your response.

[lordsmurf]

Meeklo, your E25 is one of the few Panasonics with (as far as I know) an LSI chipset. However, it is still used poorly beyond SP mode, they push for 720x480 with puny bitrates. The Panasonic chipsets (not the LSI ones) all suffer from posterization. That is why some machines in 4-hour mode provide a cleaner image than the Panasonic chip SP mode.

[jamiemark]

I actually have the newer models of Panasonic now, the ES25. I just noticed a substantial difference between 3 hour and 2 hour 50 minute.

"The JVC I have now, the 70, has nice LP mode but I'm not sure I'd say it's as good or better than my Panasonic's SP mode. Again, it depends on the source material greatly I suppose"

Thats definitly not true. The Panasonic SP mode is better than JVC LP mode. Although I will say the LP mode with that 70 model JVC is very very good. Go out and buy the 100 if you can and test try them out. Id be interested in your response.

I'm not sure if you noticed I was saying that I doubted the JVC LP was better than Panasonic SP mode or not . I'd like to pick up a DRM100 now that I know I can use the FR record function, but I gotta scrape some money together first, then I'd be more than happy to offer my opinion...

[MeekloBraca]

Oh yeah I was agreeing with you when I said that, sorry I said thats not true implying I wasnt. Anything above 2 hour 50 minute with this Panasonic isnt great. the LP mode in this Panasonic sucks major ass and when recording directly from a cable tv source it sucks. Its great however with 2 hour 50 minutes and less, and if you run a cable connection through a VCR and into the recorder its good.

[jamiemark]

My problem is trying to find a recorder with a decent looking enough 3 hr. mode to transfer over the tons of wrestling tapes I have (I can hear the snickers now) without having to split shows into 2 discs just so the picture doesn't have alot of pixelation. Even the 3 hr. mode on the Toshiba R4 I tried fell just a bit short. If cartoons are the worst example of testing a recorder's PQ, believe me when I say that wrestling footage is the toughest test out there (I recognize some folks that pass through here that would probably agree with me). This is because the top half of the screen is always black, and for some reason be it movement or whatever the images VERY easily produce pixelation (even in SP). Without going the route of dual layer, the JVC DRM100 may be my last hope till I just give up altogether, and wait till the day recordable Blu-Ray is affordable .

[davideck]

Hmm, the original poster asked for 90 minute VHS tapes transfers.
I wonder what everybody here is talking about.

90 minute VHS transfers sound good to me.

To my eyes, 4 hour mode looks pretty lame on any machine that I have seen, including the JVC. Softer, less detailed images are required for capturing at 4 hours. If 3-4 hours is your goal, then the JVC may be a good choice.

There is also the argument that a higher bitrate is required for VHS because of the inherent noise levels.

IMO, some machines other than JVC do a better job of preserving detail for those sources that look better at 720x480. The same is true for their digi-pure VCRs. YMMV.

[Wile_E]

The people over at http://www.avsforum.com would disagree with some people here. They love Panasonic and think it's just as good as any other brand. But they don't ever do any tests to prove it. Personally from the tests I've seen here at VH, I don't see a problem with Panasonic recorders. If you have a good source(cable/satellite), they will work fine. For VHS,unstable and grainy sources, the JVC DNR filters will probably be best.

[MeekloBraca]

The Panasonic ES25 is better than any JVC out there including the DRM100. No question.

Jamiemark im assuming your wanting to convert over Pay per veiws. The DR4 from Toshiba disapointed me too. Go out and just give the Panasonic ES25/ES15 (there both the same machine with different features) Use the FR mode at about 2 hour 45 minute (because no ppv goes up to 3 hours) and see. I dont think youll be disapointed.

[FKrueger]

Panasonic ES15? What are you comparing these to? I just returned an ES15, it had worse piture quality than my Ilo RO4, Panasonic ES20, and my Philips DVDR75. Even the 2hr mode was poor. Nothing I recorded to the ES15 looked as good as the previous mentioned models, not from cable, another dvd player, or a vcr. I even bought a better shielded Svideo cable and no improvement noticed.