Two DataVideo TBC-1000s, different models?
 

Hi! I have purchased two DataVideo TBC-1000s for my workflow, and just noticed they look a little bit different: faceplate material, type face, and so on. Is this just a matter of manufacturing dates, or is something else going on?

For what its worth, performance on the two are identical, so although I am curious about any history re: the differences between the two, it ultimately doesn't matter.

Pics attached. :hmm:

You forgot to take some shots of the inside, which is what really matters here. Not much of a mystery here... different production batches judging by the serial numbers. That's the reason for those small differences. Mine (066***) is a bit earlier than your second one.

Sounds good, thank you. Might pop them open, but you confirmed my suspicions. Thanks!

The serial doesn't mean much, as the production style went back-and-forth. So you can't glean much from it.

TBC-1000 had a long production run, and internal components varied. There are at least 3 primary difference, with multiple secondary differences. The main issue is how the TBC-100 card is built/powered/connected, with the secondary being all the other boards, wiring, and even slight appearance.

The TBC-1000 uses the VP-299 case, which itself may have been intended for another unreleased product, as it had a never-used Firewire input hole on front. Your open-hole case is simply missing the cover sticker, it's not a variation. A few members here actually have posts on what/where to buy black stickers that look OEM.

The unit can also be PAL or NTSC native, so you may see a flash as it changes to the correct input automatically. Of course, that's also a negative of the TBC-1000, standards cannot be set, which is a rare problem you can run into on really bad tapes. The TBC-1000 gets confused, doesn't understand what the standard is. The best unit I ever saw was PAL native, and I wanted to keep it, but the switchover annoyed me. Sold it to a gent in Australia.

I've seen many, many TBC-1000s over the years.