Is a UPS really necessary?
 

Hello everyone. I have come across posts and it seems like everyone is using a UPS for their digitizing setups. Is one really that necessary? I do get blackouts once in a while but have never had something that shorted-out or died. I live in a fairly new apartment (20 years) and have lived here almost 13 years. By seeing all the posts I kind of do think I need one, but I don't know. Spending that kind of money may not be worth it to me. What do you guys think?

You'll know the answer the first time your system or an irreplaceable part of it gets wrecked. But just to be absolutely certain that you don't overspend, why not just wait it out?

Absolutely necessary if you really value your video gear. If you’re tight on budget, pass on that ridiculously expensive TBC (which is not even required with good quality tapes) and use that money on a good UPS. Spending $300 on an UPS for protecting $1,000+ in video gear is nothing if you think about it. A good VCR is not like an iPhone, that can be bought again and again…

Both correct. :congrats:

But this is horrible incorrect advice. No. It's not an either/or choice, both are required items.

Why? Even I don't do that. There are many sub-$100 models of UPS that can work fine. You don't require the $150+ models, as those mostly just give longer battery.

The cheapest UPS models sub-$50 have about 2 minutes (or less) or power, and are glorified surge protectors, helping only with spike/underrage. For actual power loss, the cheapest units are worthless.

And risk losing the gear? No.

Thanks you guys. I think I'll buy one. :)

I own myself a Datavideo TBC-1000 (bought it ridiculously cheap). But I won’t put it in the same category as an UPS in terms of must-have equipment. It all depends on your goals and how serious you are about this hobby. Someone making a living out of this will certainly need it. Many others, who just want their memories transferred to digital wouldn’t. Unless their tapes are in pretty bad shape, they can achieve good results with an ES10 as a passthrough and a good capture card. And of course, the most important thing… a high quality S-VHS machine. But before spending any serious money on TBC’s I would carefully look at the tapes and see if a TBC is really needed. A S-VHS deck with good line level correction & ES10 will work just fine most of the time. As a matter of fact, I can tell you I rarely include my TBC-1000 in the chain these days. Just for the toughest tapes and to get rid of Macrovision when my scrubber fails to do so.

That's just not accurate.

As I explained in What’s in a Professional Video Workflow to Convert Analog Videotapes? timebase correction is not optional. Some sort of TBC functionality must exist. There is nothing "pro" about the requirement. A pro setup is vastly more complex than a basic DIY setup.

From the article:
The Panasonic DMR-ES10 (or 15) is just a TBC recorder, and contains a basic frame sync (NOT frame sync TBC), and a weak+strong line TBC. It's strong because of how it deals with anti-tearing and severe in-image timing errors, both of which confuse (out of buffer?) both JVC and Panasonic VCR line TBCs. However, it crumples like a crying child when presented with any signal that contains anti-copy signals, or anything that even remotely resembles anti-copy (as many natural video errors can do).

That said, yes, sometimes, with some sources and workflows, the ES10/15 alone is somehow miraculously able to function without added TBC. But the is the exception, not the rule. Exceptions never overrule rules.

Also, the S-VHS VCR TBC must be off for the ES10 to have any effect.

And don't forget, the ES10/15 units are not transparent. Those units posterize, compression of the color palette, which is visually obvious is gradients. And then the NR is always on, even when "off" (just weaker, not truly off).

The DataVideo DVK units can be paired with ES10/15, which does give it frame TBC. The problem with the DVK is that it chokes on imperfect sources, and needs line timing correction on input. Those boxes were designed for live-camera, DV (yes, an analog box made for DV!), and studio sources like BetacamSP, and thus chokes on VHS.

Inversely, most DVD recorders were made for recording TV, not converting VHS tapes. The JVCs had LSI chipsets that were specifically designed to handle VHS problems, but a TBC was absent. The Panasonic had an amazing line TBC(ish), but the frame abilities were weak to non-existent -- and both were hampered by overly touchy sensitivity to Macrovision and non-MV errors alike.

There is no way to compare "TBC vs. UPS". You must have both. Not using either has consequences.

I think many folks would be surprised to hear how much I tried to fight buying (more) TBCs in my younger/earlier days, heavily seeking alternatives, only to have those units disappoint or fail in some way. Why else would I know about pretty much every TBC you'll see available? Or most DVD recorders, which I tested both for VHS conversion and TBC ability? Remember, I was the one that discovered that the ES10 had passthrough all those years ago (2004/05), posting about it on VH, AVS, Doom9, this site, etc. But it was never as strong as the TBC-1000 or AVT-8710.

BTW, depending on the capture card used, or software choice/settings, dropped frames are not always reported. So be wary or "0 dropped frames". It's actually pretty rare to not drop 1 frame when a capture is started or stopped.