JVC HR-S5400U VHS player good for conversion?

[MishL839]

I have one locally I can buy and this specific model is not on the suggested S-VHS players in the forum I read (thank you!!). Is this good for video conversions or should I wait and get one of the suggested ones? Thank you.

[aramkolt]

Depends on the price and if the machine is likely in good condition/low hours. If it's local, I'd say make sure you get to see it play a known good tape and pop the top cover off to look for any signs of heavy use such as dust inside, and verify that the mechanism operates smoothly. You'd probably want to pair this with a DMR-ES10 if you do use it for some added line TBC-like function at a minimum.

[Gary34]

The 5400u is a lower end consumer model. Buying locally is pretty risky. You would be better off buying the 9800 from sky captain you were asking about on the forum on a different thread.

[lordsmurf]

No, too old, for non-TBC get 3800, 4800, or newer (29xx, 59xx).

Local is rarely good, unless you're in NYC, LA, DFW, or somewhere large (1M+). And local is more than 5 minutes away, think full city as local. Even 500k pop has nothing in most cases, unless you find hobbyist that knows gear.

Buy local often means buy inferior. Not always, but far too often.