S-VHS performance on bad tracking recordings

[tugatomsk]

Compared to standard VHS VCRs, are S-VHS VCRs more stable when playing back recording that have poor tracking from damaged tapes, especially those that were recorded in LP/EP?

It would be great to have a VCR with which you could just set the playback speed manually overriding the tracking information, instead of the dreaded back-and-forth speed changes from such tapes.

[DB83]

Short Answer: No

Longer Answer: Video (and audio) processing is done after the tape has passed the head-drum. So it make no difference, in that respect, whether you have Y/C separation or composite. However, the whole issue of tracking from a vcr that was not the machine that the tapes were recorded on is variable. You may be lucky in find a machine that is more tolerant. But if the tapes are damaged - and you have not provided detail of damage since LP/EP recording does not initself 'damage' the tape - it matters little what machine you use.


Others may disagree.

[tugatomsk]

Short Answer: No

Longer Answer: Video (and audio) processing is done after the tape has passed the head-drum. So it make no difference, in that respect, whether you have Y/C separation or composite. However, the whole issue of tracking from a vcr that was not the machine that the tapes were recorded on is variable. You may be lucky in find a machine that is more tolerant. But if the tapes are damaged - and you have not provided detail of damage since LP/EP recording does not initself 'damage' the tape - it matters little what machine you use.


Others may disagree.

It's the bottom of the tape that's dented, where the tracking data is stored. Sadly, standard VCR need that data to know what is LP/EP and what is not. What I was wondering is if S-VHS VCR could deal with such tape damage better. But apparently that's not the case.

Thanks for the info.