I don't have knowledge specific to that deck, but I do have two pieces of advice that you can combine.
Combo machines:
Generally speaking, I shy away from combo video equipment because of all the shared components. More components means that there's more to break. And sometimes when only part of the machine breaks, the entire machine is unusable. I often think back to a combo printer/scanner/fax that I had in the early 2000s. If the unit was out of ink, the scanner didn't work. How nonsensical is that?! But that was the mentality of many engineers, it seems.
But sometimes you have to use what's available, as opposed to hunting for hard-to-find perfection. While I'm not a fan of combo gear, the JVC SR-V10E has all the features you'd want from a quality VCR (for playing either VHS or S-VHS tapes). To borrow a somewhat crude analogy from my college days, "I wouldn't throw her out of bed".
JVC S-VHS VCRs -- SR-V10/V101 type:
These are excellent VCRs. Assuming the "twin" version of the VCR has all of the same features of the JVC SR-V10E -- namely the line TBC, video picture mode filters, stabilization, calibration, audio HiFi/norm selection, etc -- then it'd get my approval. The image and audio quality from these units is outstanding. There's a good reason it's on the list:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vide...ing-guide.html
Conclusion: If I needed a good PAL VCR, and this was readily available in good condition for a good price, I'd get it.
