Anyone Help? SVHS to DVD Quality...Mitsubishi HS-HD2000U D-VHS , SVHS VCR

[lan2234]

Hi, I was wondering if the Mitsubishi HS-HD2000U D-VHS , SVHS VCR Has High playback quality? Also, can I hook it up to
a DVD Recorder (Toshiba R-410) through the (4 pin) Firewire, DV, IEEE 1394 Cable, to record on to a DVD?
Or is JVC decks better playback quality? I have an AG 1980, Not that happy with the picture...

Any help would be great. Thank you!

[orsetto]

The Mitsubishi HS-HD2000U is on the short list of "best source decks for VHS>Digital" conversion.

But its output is not dramatically different from several other similar decks: in fact it is extremely similar to the popular JVC models (whose TBC/DNR was either licensed or copied outright by Mitsubishi). So if you like how JVC TBC/DNR processes video, you'll probably like the Mitsu. If you don't like the JVC processing, you will not like the Mitsu either: they're that similar. Some of the uber geeks on this forum have used a test bench to compare the Mitsu against several JVCs, and "proved" the Mitsu is somewhat inferior via their readings (and subjective opinions of the output). Whether anyone else but them could actually see any difference in practical use is debatable: I personally don't see much (if any) difference between my three HS-HD2000U and two JVC 9911 vcrs. I do prefer the Mitsus for their better tape handling and reliability.

Compared to a Panasonic AG-1980, however, you would likely note significant differences (just as you would comparing a 1980 to a JVC). The AG-1980 tracks LP and EP/SLP tapes better than the Mitsu or JVCs, for one thing. And a properly-functioning AG-1980 smears the image less than Mitsu or JVC, whose DNR tends to be a little too strong. The AG-1980 also has a much better TBC than the Mitsu or any JVC, but its utility for dubbing VHS to digital is questionable. It isn't really the "TBC" that enhances VHS for digital, its the "DNR" - many times, the TBC causes extra problems. A great advantage of the AG-1980 is its TBC can be turned off while leaving the DNR active, making it more flexible and worthwhile with a greater number of tapes. The Mitsu and JVC keep the TBC and DNR locked together: if you want DNR, TBC always comes along for the ride, which causes problems with a surprising number of tapes. This is one of the biggest motivations to keep both an AG-1980 and JVC / Mitsu for those of us with huge tape libraries: each VCR design works better with some tapes than others.

Unfortunately, the one giant buzzing fly in this ointment is the staggering unpredictability and unreliability of most used AG-1980s. Typically, they are way off spec now and need a complete (expensive) overhaul to make them perform up to their high reputations. A random AG-1980 with half-dead caps all over its video board could offer an infinite variety of output performance: sometimes this works in your favor, but often not. Generally their color saturation will be greatly diminished: this perversely helps with a lot of bad tapes that have color blooming. If this is your complaint about your AG-1980 (pale washed-out color), you may very well like the Mitsu HS-HD2000U better, since it will have stable normal color output. Hard to say unless you reply with more details on why your AG-1980 disappoints.

Regarding the IEEE1394 Fire Wire connection on the Mitsu, forget it: doesn't work with anything but a tiny handful of cable boxes and TVs that were available alongside it eleven years ago. The Mitsu FireWire port will not directly connect to a DVD recorder or PC capture card. Of course anything is possible, and some users may have got lucky or hacked it to work, but I have not heard any such tales since I bought my Mitsus in 2007.

[hech54]

Wow...that one really does look like my Philips VR-1100 JVC clone.
Orsetto is right....you best bet is to stick with a good S-VHS deck....the only thing you will get with buying a D-VHS deck is poorer.

[lan2234]

Thank you for the help orsetto...Yea the 1980 color is not good at all...Thanks

[lordsmurf]

I do prefer the Mitsus for their better tape handling and reliability.

JVC is more reliable. It rarely needs repair, just good maintenance.

The AG-1980 tracks LP and EP/SLP tapes better

No. JVC tracks SP and LP better. Panasonic just SLP/EP. But "usually", not always.

The AG-1980 also has a much better TBC than the Mitsu or any JVC, but its utility for dubbing VHS to digital is questionable.

Huh? No.

It isn't really the "TBC" that enhances VHS for digital, its the "DNR"

No. It's both. Example: 3800 just has DNR (no TBC). It's half the machine that the 9800 is (TBC). And half the cost.

many times, the TBC causes extra problems.

No. It's rarer than that. Out of about every 50 tapes, you'll get one with issues. (I say this having converted thousands of VHS tapes with varied pasts.)

A great advantage of the AG-1980 is its TBC can be turned off while leaving the DNR active,

You can turn off the JVC, too. EDIT mode + TBC off.
Panasonic has oversharpening issues separate from DNR and TBC. It's not perfect either.

The Mitsu and JVC keep the TBC and DNR locked together

No. Again, EDIT + TBC off = no DNR, nothing, just the better-than-VHS transport. But why would you buy a $$$ VCR and then turn off all the stuff that costs $$$? I never understand that. Sometimes, sure. Always, no. Also Panasonic doesn't have much DNR, and it is tied to the TBC.

keep both an AG-1980 and JVC / Mitsu for those of us with huge tape libraries

Yes.

Unfortunately, the one giant buzzing fly in this ointment is the staggering unpredictability and unreliability of most used AG-1980s. Typically, they are way off spec now and need a complete (expensive) overhaul to make them perform up to their high reputations.

Yes, repair. No, expensive. A good repair is $200-300, and makes it like new again. The needs-repair deck is about $100-200. So $300-500 expense. Realize that these were $650+ new. FYI, that was the B&H EOL price, too, not MSRP from prime S-VHS era, where it was $2k. It's only expensive compared to lower-end gear.

A random AG-1980 with half-dead caps all over its video board could offer an infinite variety of output performance:

Yes.

Generally their color saturation will be greatly diminished:

No. Never seen it, and I've used at least a dozen decks in recent years. Must be you. Again, caps issues = random. IRE, gamma, luma, and faulty TBC are common. Note that the side effect of IRE/gamma can be color loss, but that's NOT the underlying issue.

Regarding the IEEE1394 Fire Wire connection on the Mitsu, forget it:

Yes, useless. Same as JVC DVHS. Don't buy a VCR for that.