super vhs et

[bogb]

Hi
I have some tape made with a JVC gr-sxm49 camcorder, now I had this problem, the pickture is very disortet when I am tryimg to play them in another camera ( I lost the original camera), I have tryed to play them in a Panasonic s-vhs player, and a philips 550 player ( no good resolds) then I have tryed an old normende player better but not to use, Then i have got an JVC gr-FXM39 with tbc, dont worke, is it posible to get the films in the pc, to corect them here, I have no problems with capture.
I dont kinow if there is any way to save theese taps

SC.

[Krispy Kritter]

Sounds like the tapes are in poor condition or the camera wasn't recording properly (or both). Until/unless you can find a player to play them back clearly, there isn't any reason to capture them. You will want to capture them in the best possible quality. There is no way to fix the issues afterward.

[julitomg]

Super VHS ET was created to allow people to use standard VHS tapes and record them with higher image quality and resolution so you could avoid the extra cost of S-VHS tapes. I still have a Phillips S-VHS ET model (wich by the way is almost identical to JVC S-VHS ET models of the time). In my unit you can select via the on-screen menu wheter you record/playback in SVHS ET mode or not. This is to let you choose between S-VHS or standard VHS mode (using the same tapes). Now...if a S-VHS ET (that is a standard VHS tape recorded with ET mode ON)is played back in a conventional S-VHS unit, the image looks distorted (maybe the Panasonic one is S-VHS only, not ET), and if it´s played back in a S-VHS ET unit but without selecting the ET mode, it´ll also look bad.

[Rich86]

My experience with S-VHS-ET tapes is that they are notorious for not being compatible across various s-vhs players - even within the same manufacturer. And JVC was probably the biggest culprit in this regard (at least that was my experience). I could make them watchable on other players but only after fighting with tracking adjustments to achieve the best compromise between video quality and hi-fi audio tracking. They always play back perfectly on the top-of-the-line JVC unit that they were originally recorded on.
Your best bet might be to try to track down another model similar to the one these tapes were recorded on and hope it is calibrated the same as the one you used to make the tapes in the first place.
If these recorded tapes were made on poor quality vhs blanks in the first place, or they have been damaged over time - it could be hopeless.

[lordsmurf]

My experience with S-VHS-ET tapes is that they are notorious for not being compatible across various s-vhs players - even within the same manufacturer. And JVC was probably the biggest culprit in this regard (at least that was my experience). I could make them watchable on other players but only after fighting with tracking adjustments to achieve the best compromise between video quality and hi-fi audio tracking. They always play back perfectly on the top-of-the-line JVC unit that they were originally recorded on..

The reason here is simple: You probably had CALIBRATION or STABILIZATION (or both) enabled on recording. That always leads to problems. The machine needs to have all filters OFF and be in EDIT mode when recording to tape.

I made this mistake myself from time to time, and those few tapes (where I made this mistake) give me trouble.

[Rich86]

The reason here is simple: You probably had CALIBRATION or STABILIZATION (or both) enabled on recording. That always leads to problems. The machine needs to have all filters OFF and be in EDIT mode when recording to tape.

I made this mistake myself from time to time, and those few tapes (where I made this mistake) give me trouble.

You may be correct - but I recall trying every combination of settings under the sun both when recording and playing back while I was fighting this s-vhs/et tape battle to no avail. I'm very glad to be in the digital world of dvr's and dvd's instead of analog tape these days. The quality is far superior and the hassles are far fewer.

[lordsmurf]

Any old VHS tape did not work either. It needs to be a high quality tape. Not what some company writes on the package (Brand X High Quality), but a legitimately high grade tape (TDK EHG or DSP, JVC EX, BASF Pro, and a few others that slip my mind). Some tapes, even Maxell Gold, a great VHS tape, sucked at S-VHS-ET. Grainy, and not stable.

It was very much a technology that took some video tape knowledge and experience to work with, it was not as easy as the press of a button.

[vhelp]

Evening guys.

I don't know. I've battled it out with many tape brands. And the winner
of those battles, were Fuji Pro. Course, I'm talking about recording in
EP mode with the SVHS.ET mode turned on. We can all record in SP mode
with pretty good quality, from almost all tapes (sept for crappy ones)
but the whole point of recording EP style, is time expansion purposes

And, I make good use of my $169 dollar JVC S-VHS HR-S3910U model,
which I purchased back in Sept 2001, for the Star Trek Enterprise tv series,
when it was brand spanking new at the time. Now, I just record all sorts
of tv program programs (off analog cabletv) in the EP mode on Fuji Pro
or their standard EP mode tapes, though the Fuji Pro are the best picture
quality, using SVHS.ET mode turned on.

Later, when i'm ready to capture from them, I set my vcr to EDIT mode.
You want all the original detail from the tape. I find the various filters
in this model (as well as others i've seen) ruin the picture quality. You
have to play the tapes in the EDIT: on mode, so that ALL the picutre detail
is retained. You can always filter what you don't like, later, after you
captured to your computer's HDD with a good analog (pci) capture card, set
for YUY2 or UYVY raw codec, else Huffy or Lagarith are very good alternatives.

I too have DVR's (dvd recorders) laying around, but my analog cabletv is just
too noisy to bother using with. I find the JVC vcr does a much better job
in the long run.. depending on what your use's and goals are.

That's the way I'm calling it.

-vhelp 4440

[FulciLives]

Over the years I used a lot of TDK tapes ... mostly the EHG but also the Hi-Fi and some of the DSP as well. The TDK HS sucked.

However towards the end of the VHS heyday I started using mostly Fuji and I found even the regular Fuji tapes (black label) as well as the Pro (gold label) to be really good in my Toshiba 6 Head Hi-Fi Stereo units.

I never did "fool" around with S-VHS ET ... all my S-VHS recordings where done on regular S-VHS tapes (several different kinds) on S-VHS VCR's without the ET thing. Actually my last S-VHS was a JVC 5900 and I thought the ET thing look really grainy ... I tried it once or twice and decided NOT to use ET at all. That was my only experience. I didn't try very hard because it looked very bad to me. I think this was with Maxell tapes but I can't remember now.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[vhelp]

As you have experienced, Fulci, brand makes every bit of difference.

However, I feel that the so called, 'grainyness' is someone exagerated into
the generalized notion of vhs noise. I think that it is somewhat misunderstood.
And, that the 'grain' is actually a good thing. Course, you would ahve to
be sitting at a normal distance to fully enjoy the ET recording (recorded)
aspects, during play.

But, I too, have tried the TDK brand, even their most expansive type,
EHG. And one of those model/type tapes are their highest recommendations
for video reproduction. Even on that one, it failed my quality scoring.

Fuji Pro, in my honest opinion, is THE BEST brand to record with. However,
my experience may be have light bias, but mainly on account of the brand
and model unit vcr I have.. the JVC (listed already, above) !!

Please understand, that when we (or, I) are taling about tape brand and
quality, we are refering during usage in EP recording mode, and the results
of their true benefits during playback.. Not SP. I know that you know this,
Fulci, but others reading this, may not, and get confused what we
are all [s:1fd48063d4]fussing over[/s:1fd48063d4] talking about.

If I recall, there was once a thread topic about a similar discussion, but
that some one was toing to try and test ALL the brand tapes and report back
their results. I don't think that that has ever take off. Someone should
do the honors, before vhs finally does fade away to its final resting
place.

-vhelp 4442

[lordsmurf]

Fuji Pro always gave me a high grain count with desaturated colors. I never found those to be very good tapes. It was especially true in SLP/EP, but existed even in SP mode. Even for VHS recording, not S-VHS ET, it was still a mediocre tape. I never could figure out what was "pro" about them, aside from the name on the label.

BASF, JVC and TDK were far better tapes. For VHS only, it was hard to beat Maxell Silver/Gold.

[FulciLives]

Perhaps the make/model of VCR makes a difference here along with what point in time the blank tape was created.

I didn't start using Fuji and Fuji Pro until just a couple or so years before getting a stand alone DVD recorder and at that point in time with my VCR unit I found the quality to be most excellent with a "baby smooth" image almost devoid of grain.

I should point out that at that point I had switch to heavy use of Maxell (as I recall it was a purple label) since they were cheap so maybe the Fuji was better than Maxell but by the time I started using Fuji the regular Fuji (black label not the gold Pro label) were almost as cheap as the Maxell tapes I was using.

I do think the best "constructed" tape I ever used were the old TDK Hi-Fi which then became the DSP brand by TDK. That just seemed to be made "very sturdy" and "solid".

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[lordsmurf]

TDK HiFi = EHG = DSP ..... the gray-boxed tapes. Those always ran $2-3 apiece. Same for the Maxell in the purple box. I forget the name (Broadcast?). It was the line above Gold.

Good media used to run $2-3 each in the mid/late 90s, $10 if you used true S-VHS tapes ... all in bulk, no less .... and is why I think people who whine about 35 cent media (or even 50 cents media) .... that is good .... or Verbatim $2 DL media, for that matter ..... should be slapped upside the head for being a dummy. You don't know how good you've got it. Better quality AND less expensive than a good VHS tape. You just can't beat that.

[orsetto]

Good media used to run $2-3 each in the mid/late 90s, $10 if you used true S-VHS tapes ... all in bulk, no less .... and is why I think people who whine about 35 cent media (or even 50 cents media) .... that is good .... or Verbatim $2 DL media, for that matter ..... should be slapped upside the head for being a dummy. You don't know how good you've got it.

Amen to that, LS. My first "adult" job was assistant manager in one of the early video stores in Manhattan, near Wall Street, circa 1982. It was the last "dee-luxe" store that was sales only, our movies were never rented out. We used to sell the original TDK "SA" T120 vhs blanks for $14.99 apiece! J&R Music World (now a mega-online presence) was our deep-discount competitor up the street, they sold 'em for $12.99 apiece. When the first TDK High Grade T120 became available later that year, we sold 'em for $18.99 each!!! Gawd. The discounters didn't undercut us for months because the damn things were in such short supply in NY it was dealer heaven. Oddly enough, in those days there actually was a visible image difference between regular TDK and TDK HG. Later on it became more difficult to see differences between blanks, you paid extra for a good grade based more on faith and reputation than anything else.

Mind you, that was an average $14 per T120 in *1982* dollars, kids. You want to know why VHS killed all comers with the 6-hour speed, thats your answer. Average Joe didn't care what it looked like as long they could use less tape. Betamax blanks were a little cheaper but not by much when you factor the shorter running time. Sony had a killer automatic tape changer that would swap up to four tapes for marathon recordings- I was a Beta champion at first for that reason alone, until the repair bills started coming in . But I digress... as usual . The point was, we tend to forget how staggeringly expensive media cost used to be for us videoholics. After I finish transferring my 2000+ backlog of VHS to DVD, I hate to think of the accumulated total loss of $$$$$ spent on blank tapes that are now worthless.

Then again, it'll be nice to have my house back. I haven't seen my carpets since 1994.