Mistubishi HS-HD2000U is solid... but what about the HS-HD1100U?

[jbd5010]

Just missed an auction today on an HS-HD2000U that ended up going for only $60 or so with shipping... only thing wrong with it was a few front panel buttons not working, but it came with the remote anyway :/

That being said, I'll keep my eyes out for another good deal. But I'm noticing some Mitsubishi D-VHS machines around $60-$100, model number HS-HD1100U. I don't care about D-VHS playback, but I know the 2000U has reputable performance on S-VHS/VHS tapes.

I already have a Panny 1970, a 1980, and a JVC SR-V10U. Building my toolbox and then tackling the pile of old family tapes, ranging from circa 1989 to 2004. Most are 2nd generation copies from VHS-C to full VHS (parents were cheap when I was a kid, wanted to re-use the VHS-C camera tapes). So some of them need some TBC/DNR cleanup help.

Should I consider the 1100U? Or stick it out for the 2000U?

[PuzZLeR]

Yeah, I was watching that auction too - being in Canada, I asked in advance if they will accept my bid (having excellent feedback and willing to pay the extra S&H) and the seller did not get back to me. Too bad - that seller would have sold it for more because I would have won that auction - the current winner was lucky.

Since it had the buttons not working in the front it would have been a steal with the lower bids - the remote would have been enough. This was indeed a bluebird auction - seemingly broken to the market yet fully functional.

I too have similars like you, a Panasonic AG-1980 and a JVC SR-V10U (got the latter new for over $300). Both have since complemented each other for me with tapes as far back as the very early 80s till roughly, like you, about 2004.

I was wondering if you have a similar experience: The more newer and/or better quality the tape, the better the JVC gets, and vice versa for the Panny. I capture with both units for all tapes, but keep the better version (after using a sample preview with AviSynth's Interleave function).

I too don't care for D-VHS playback, but I hear so much about the performance of the Mitsu machines too, hence my interest.

But the considerably smaller price of the 1100 is because it has no TBC or DNR, which may be a problem with your rougher tapes. As well, it has fewer recording features than the 2000, but this latter non-highlight likely is irrelevant to you (as it is to me).

I seriously doubt an 1100 would add more value to your setup. I doubt even a 2000 would add that much more either since you have good units already. You may squeeze out 5%-10% more quality on a few tapes with a 2000, but that's it I believe. But maybe someone may say otherwise.

And even the internal TBCs within the Panny and JVC are only full-field and line only respectively, and not nearly as good as an external stand-alone full-frame unit - such as the AV Toolbox AVT-8710 (which I use and get more benefit regardless of the VCR innard-ware).

Having said that though, if you do have an external full-frame TBC then maybe an 1100 would be worth it. Again, maybe someone can confirm here further opinion on this. As well, maybe someone can confirm that the TBC in the 2000 is also not full-frame.

Honestly, IMO, my Mistu 2000 interest was really out of boredom for a few bucks, and a little extra time after the holidays otherwise I wouldn't have been so motivated having the existing setup that I have now.

[jbd5010]

I actually just bought a NovaTrol 2 external TBC off of ebay; only paid $60 including shipping. It hasn't shipped yet, but we'll see how it works when it gets here. I'm crossing my fingers that it doesn't require an external sync, because if that's the case I'll probably just try to sell it back. From another thread, I gathered that it doesn't though.

Fortunately, many of my tapes from 2001-2004 were originally recorded on borrowed-from-school pro-sumer, 3CCD miniDV units, and then mastered to VHS tapes on half-decent VCR's (Maybe AG-1340's is what they had?) Many of these don't even require a TBC.

Anything before 2001, though, was copied to full VHS from the original VHS-C, and those VHS-C's were recycled heavily in my family's video camera. They were also copied using a random Quasar VCR that wasn't even Hi-Fi stereo. These are the ones that need help. Ironically, there's no rhyme or reason to what they play better on... the SR-V10U or the AG-1980. It's nearly 50/50.

Another new toy I just got was one of those heavy (I mean HEAVY!) Pro Panasonic AG-7650 units. Again, great price -- $60 shipped. If I use the jog shuttle too heavily, i get an "E-5" error message and it shuts down, but if I just play the tape without pausing/rewinding/ffwding, etc (which is the case for capturing) it does just fine and seems to have an excellent picture. I can adjust the TBC and filters on-the-fly no problem. Haven't done side-by-side comparison with my other two units yet since I just received it today.

Back to the original topic... I'll probably pass on that HS-HD1100U. But I'm keeping my eye out for a 2000U, really just out of curiosity. As you can tell by the fact that I bought an AG-7650, even though I have those other units, curiosity and a desire to become more knowledgeable is enough reason for me to spend $60 on another unit