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  1. Member
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    I run a used Japanese music business, and I work a lot with digitizing old and rare VHSs. (some are very low quality from indie bands on a $10 budget.)
    I have a few different VCRs, some tapes work better with different ones. I'm looking to add a few things to my setup, and I need advice.
    Have:
    VCRs - JVC HM-DR40000U, JVC SR-V101US, and a Panasonic AG-1970
    Capture Card - Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1800

    Looking at adding:
    Datavideo TBC-4000 (or 6000)
    SignVideo DR-1000 Image Engancer
    SignVideo PA-200 dual proc amp

    I've lost track of how many hours of research I've done, but the consensus seems to be the PA-200 and DR-1000 are some of the best out there especially together. Is the TBC-4000 (or 6000) superfluous over the TBC-1000 with the other two pieces of gear? Without the SignVideo stuff, which TBC is better? The 4000 and 6000 seem to do slightly different things.
    I don't really know much about which capture card is best. Is mine a good one?

    Thanks in advance!
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  2. Your selection of VCRs is an excellent mix.

    Can't comment on your encoder as I haven't tried that one.

    The Sign Video gear is about as good as you can get.

    The DataVideo TBC-4000 is essentially the popular TBC-1000 reconfigured in a larger case with ability to simultaneously repair the signals from four different VCRs fed to four separate outputs: handy if you want to run all your VCRs at once to multiple encoders. The built-in proc amp controls are similar to what you'd find in other rack-mount TBCs: not that great. I would leave those controls in neutral, and use the Sign Video for any picture adjustments.

    The DataVideo TBC-6000 serves a different purpose, being optimized for its built-in ChromaKey feature. Its unlikely you'd need ChromaKey for your business, so it isn't worth paying the premium over the TBC-4000.

    The TBC-1000 is the most affordable DataVideo, but it was more cheaply mfr'd than the other two models and used examples tend to have problems with defective soldering. If you can get one extremely cheap, and modify it to bypass the crummy built-in distribution amp, its about as good as the more expensive units.

    There were also 3000, 5000, and 7000 models: basically similar to the 4000 and 6000.
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  3. Dinosaur Supervisor KarMa's Avatar
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    I have a WinTV HVR-1250 capture card which supports MPEG2 encoding using its onboard chip. The MPEG2 encodings are alright but show slight sighs of artifacts even at the best quality settings. It encodes with 4:2:0 8-bit MPEG2 at around 9Mbit for the best settings. My card also supports YUY2 (4:2:2) pass thru, bypassing the encoder chip, for lossless encodings via something like Virtualdub or AmaRecTV. I would bet your card supports the same YUY2 type of capture.
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    The SignVideo units do not provide timebase correction or frame synchronization. If you need to stabilize the image, then get the DataVideo product. I have a TBC-1000 and it works fine; I don't have the softening problem that some report. I also use the SignVideo PA-100 proc amp and it's a champ, though I did have to tweak an internal trimpot to adjust the vertical processing region.
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  5. Originally Posted by JVRaines View Post
    The SignVideo units do not provide timebase correction or frame synchronization.
    Worth emphasizing, since the original question is open to interpretation.

    My take is Valicious does understand the difference, and was asking which TBC to use WITH his Sign Video boxes, and/or whether a TBC model with proc amp features could obviate the need for his existing dedicated Sign Video proc amp altogether.

    But the phrasing is vague enough to imply some confusion on OP's part, or might confuse future readers. If so: heed JVRaines point! The Sign Video boxes are excellent for adjusting color, tint, contrast, etc, but have NO tbc functionality. If you have dropped frame issues or other signal irregularities that would benefit from TBC intervention, get a TBC first, then hook up any other signal processors after it. Some TBCs have simple built-in proc amp controls: if your tapes don't require more than minimal touch-ups, this can suffice instead of adding an outboard Proc Amp like the Sign Video. For wider-range or subtle image adjustments, the dedicated Sign Video is much better.
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    Originally Posted by KarMa View Post
    I have a WinTV HVR-1250 capture card which supports MPEG2 encoding using its onboard chip. The MPEG2 encodings are alright but show slight sighs of artifacts even at the best quality settings. It encodes with 4:2:0 8-bit MPEG2 at around 9Mbit for the best settings. My card also supports YUY2 (4:2:2) pass thru, bypassing the encoder chip, for lossless encodings via something like Virtualdub or AmaRecTV. I would bet your card supports the same YUY2 type of capture.
    There is no MPEG-2 hardware encoder on the WinTV HVR-1250. It uses software encoding exclusively, even for MPEG-2. http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/2008/01/08/hauppauge-introduces-49-pci-express-tv-tuner/

    Hauppauge's WinTV HVR 1800 and WinTV HVR 1850 include MPEG-2 hardware encoding, but do allow bypassing the hardware encoder.
    Ignore list: hello_hello, tried, TechLord, Snoopy329
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  7. Be gentle with the adjustments on the DR-1000. I overcranked it on a lot of my older captures and look back at them now and wish I could redo those tapes. It really doesn't take much!
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  8. Member Deter's Avatar
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    Panasonic AG-1970. does not have a video card in the unit, it is like a bunch of steps down from a fully working AG-1980.

    The JVC SR-V101US, is not even in the same league as some of the 9000 series a few steps down in quality.

    What authority do I speak, right now have every one of these VCR's sitting in my office. Have taken apart an AG 1970 and rebuilt it. They are not even close.



    Why do you even need an external TBC, if the TBC's work in the VCR's?
    Last edited by Deter; 10th Apr 2017 at 23:09.
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  9. Originally Posted by Deter View Post
    Panasonic AG-1970. does not have a video card in the unit, it is like a bunch of steps down from a fully working AG-1980.

    The JVC SR-V101US, is not even in the same league as some of the 9000 series a few steps down in quality.

    What authority do I speak, right now have every one of these VCR's sitting in my office. Have taken apart an AG 1970 and rebuilt it. They are not even close.
    I get where you're coming from, having owned all of these VCRs myself, but thats a little harsh.

    The only advantage the accursed AG1980 has going for it over the AG1970 is truly awesome DNR, the much-lauded TBC in most cases of transfer work doesn't do much. If you have an encoder that benefits from the TBC, great, its nice to have, otherwise the main draw of all these overpriced junkboxes is the DNR that clears out the color/luma grunge and tidies up the frame geometry. AG1980 does this with less temporal distortion and less irritating artifacts than any JVC you can buy.

    But: the AG1970 is so much more rugged and reliable than the AG1980 it isn't even funny. I've never had an AG1970 tank on me, and bought second hand the worst you usually have to cope with is a loader repair. The typical dead display can be lived with: its worth repairing as part of a high-value AG1980 overhaul, but not a disposable AG1970. The 1970 makes a great backup VCR. Output quality is typical of all other non-DNR units of its era: mediocre but usable and sometimes preferable for certain tapes. The peculiar weak TBC of the 1970 usually has no effect on anything, but once in a great while I come across a tape that will ONLY play correctly thru the 1970 TBC (the same tape will be unwatchable thru a 1980 or JVC).

    A perfect AG1980 is a wonderful thing, but you will pay dearly for it. Other than Deter, I don't know of any repair tech left in North America that I would trust to restore a 1980. If you need the special qualities of the 1980, its worth it, just be aware most examples on eBay are hopelessly out of spec: budget extra time and money for Deter to work his magic on whichever one you buy. I own no less than nine AG1980s and AG5710s in various states of video decrepitude, eventually I'll send one to Deter myself (unless he retires again).

    The JVC SR-V101US is a miserable hunk of plastic, yes, but unschooled shoppers should be aware its more or less the same as the oddly popular HR-S9911 (the 101 is just housed in a dull grey semi-pro cabinet). If you get it cheap enough, the TBC/DNR circuit is typical of many other DigiPure JVCs. When people say it can't compare to a 9000, they usually mean the older, better-built JVC 9000s. At the end of their run, even the DigiPures were made from recycled styrofoam with flimsy tin-can transports. So if you want to spend money to have a JVC fully restored, the older ones are a better bet long term.

    JVC DVHS is an interesting offshoot of DigiPure. Build quality is more like the 101 than the old 9000s, but the DVHS tend to be less beat up, and condition is everything with any VCR. The DVHS implementation of TBC/DNR is not consistent: JVC made an amazing number of models considering what a flop DVHS was at retail. In some, the TBC/DNR is switchable just like the old SVHS version. In many others, the TBC/DNR is always-on, non-defeatable, which can cause problems with some tapes. The DVHS JVCs can be a good alternative if found at reasonable cost, but you'll probably need a secondary non-TBC model on hand to complement it.
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  10. Member Deter's Avatar
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    The AG 1970 has the same issues as the AG 1980 as far as the faulty caps. The AG 1970 actually uses a few weird or odd caps in the power supply. The Dim Display is a clear sign your AG 1970 is not working correct. The video card that goes bad in the AG 1980 is the difference with the machine really not working well. Have worked with enough AG 1970's to see were they stand. It is not a bad VCR.

    The JVC models are not as sophisticated, the audio is not on the same playing grounds as the 1980. Even on the Audio side the Broadcast decks that only play SP tapes are the best.

    In some cases cause of the filters in the JVC decks aka the 9600,9800 or the 9900. They work better on specific tapes, aka Ghosting issues or on some SP recorded tapes cause of the DNR. Sometimes it can improve the overall color. The 9800 model for sure creates this artificial color effect. On a dull tape it is sometimes good.

    In Post Production, you can fix most of these color problems. I just rather get it correct from the start and not deal with it later.

    The tracking features on the JVC deck are not very good either. The Panasonic units, you have pretty nice tracking controls.


    On LP recorded tapes the AG 1980 you will have two tracking errors in the picture which is on the far right or the bottom left. The JVC deck removes this error. However the picture is more blurred and not as sharp. With playing with the tracking on the Panasonic deck you can remove this error to a certain level. The tape hits a cut in the tape or a major bump, it will re track and you will get that error again. It is kind of a pain...

    Even on the AG 1980, you have to set the VCR up correct to the best sharpness levels for the video.

    Yea send me you 9 Panasonic units, I'll fix them, oh my Goodness, the shipping charges would be insane. Send like 3 at a time, discount the repair rate. The more units the less it costs me to do.
    Last edited by Deter; 11th Apr 2017 at 16:39.
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