Hi there, been constantly checking vcrshop.nl stocks and cross checking with the
VCR Buying Guide to decide on a VCR to get for my family's old SP PAL VHS tapes. I'm currently getting my first VCR, so I'm searching for a quality JVC deck and testing it with my tapes before maybe getting a second, depending on how they playback. Unfortunately, the only ones on the recommended list I could find were from the S8xxx/S9xxx series, which I hope to avoid because of the dying Dynamic Drum systems, and the SR-S388E, which I cannot really find much (positive) information online on.
From what I read that device has a frame TBC that can defeat anti-copy mechanisms(fake video errors! wow for a digital era person it's an interesting concept), and all the other important features(picture filters, TBC+DNR), but it doesn't have all the filters like the other recommended models, and also doesn't have a sharpness slider? And does anyone know if it has a Dynamic Drum too(sorry I really don't know how to check this. Instruction manual?)
Other than that, I only know that it's best to get models from the Sx600+ onwards(cannot recall the exact reason, but seems to be the general rule, though can be exceptions which I don't know sorry), so I found the following S7xxx series models on vcrshop.nl:
-JVC HR-S7700EU/HR-S7711EU/HR-S7722EU (read that these are very
similar models? so should be all the same for capturing)
-JVC HR-S7950EU
-JVC HR-S9850EU(read that this doesn't have the Dynamic Drum system unlike the NTSC version, S9911U?)
Besides that, there's also the JVC HR-S8850EU and JVC HR-S8960EU which aren't on the recommended list but has all the important features too. Do these have the Dynamic Drum system though? Or should I contact the seller via email if he/she is willing to help implement latreche34's dynamic drum mod to disable the system and get one of the recommended S9xxx models(or the above two S8xxx models if they have all the features? kinda hope to save a bit of budget as my family ain't very picky about quality and the recommended S9xxx models are a lot more expensive)?
Just in case though(if the seller isn't able to help implement the mod), out of the above S7xxx models + S9850EU, which would be the most recommended(if it's possible to rank, I know it really depends on my tapes and needs but any general recommendations is fine! I just need a decent quality, no need it to be perfect as my parents already have deteriorating eyesight/hearing due to age unfortunately)? Assuming the S9850EU doesn't have a Dynamic Drum system, otherwise I prefer not to have to deal with the possibility of it failing(anyway, it's lower quality than the rest due to cost-cutting in the final years of JVC VCRs I read?)
Thanks so much! Really appreciate any input at all, and would love to hear others' experience with any of the above models, or any models you have that's available on vcrshop.nl. I apologise if this question is getting repetitive but I'm not sure where else to get PAL VCRs, and vcrshop.nl doesn't have most of the recommended models
Aside, I would really appreciate any advice at all on my other thread on
VCR/TBC long-term maintenance as I'm really worried about these ancient equipment dying on me, especially the TBC which is so rare and expensive nowadays. Thanks again