Capture chain I/O for ES10 and DVK100?
 

I have a Datavideo DVK-100 on its way, and I'm wanting to make sure I wire everything correctly:

Mitsubishi HS-HD2000U S-video Out (TBC Off) >
S-video In on Panasonic ES10 / S-video Out >
S-video input (Cam1/Cam2/BG Input? Does it matter?) on Datavideo DVK-100 / s-video output (matching Cam1/Cam2/BG pass-through output? or the main S-video output?) to capture card

As you can probably tell, the part I'm most unsure about is the I/O on the DVK-100, as it has several S-video ins & outs. :hmm:

Also, are there any other specific settings I should modify on the VCR/ES10/DVK-100?

I have a VERY rough Nth gen concert tape that I couldn't get working with just the HD2000u/ES10, hoping this combo does the trick!

VCR > ES10 > DVK > capture card/device
s-video throughout.

The DVK fan will often cause noise patterning, and the board must be modified. Sometimes simple pin, sometimes desolder.

The connections do matter. I always forget which is which, and have notes somewhere. The big issue is that some in/out bypass the weak internal TBC. Some pass through the chroma keyer functions, also not desired. I'm also aware of two variations, so different in/put can be needed.

This is a slightly complex unit, not simple plug-and-play like most TBCs.

The 200 is slightly less of a PITA than the 100, but had lower production, often harder to find.

For nth gen, maybe. You'll easily stress TBC(ish) setups with not-great tapes, especially nth. That ES10 will withstand quite a bit, but it would ideally be chased by an actual TBC.

I must have got the connections on the DVK correct-ish, because it did the trick. Still had a handful of dropped frames, but nothing compared to the 80% or so drops I was getting without the DVK.

If there was any added noise I didn't really notice it, the tape was such hot garbage to begin with. Unfortunately this specific live show it's the only copy I've been able to source, but I'm happy to have a mostly intact copy of it.

If you happen to stumble upon those notes please let me know, for future use.

Anywhere you can point me to for some info on that board mod you mentioned?

Hey Lordsmurf, I have a DVK-100 and would also like to know how to do the modification you mention here.

Like many other TBCs and capture cards, there were several generations. -- Which is curious, because this unit was somewhat short lived, maybe 5 years in all. It was part of the weird post-analog/pre-digital era. It wasn't uncommon to see it used with DV cameras and BetacamSP, sometimes at the same time. -- Anyway, so the answer is ... it depends.

The most important part is removing the fan. Sometimes power is soldered on, sometimes the unit faults if no fan is detected (desolder/remove + shorting needed), and other times it's just a silly little PC fan that unplugs neatly.

BTW, pay attention. If you input/output wrong, you'll bypass the (weak) TBC, and be in chroma-only mode. It's not the same in/outs on every unit. You must test with known tapes that trip TBCs.

This in addition to looking for noise output, and tamping that down as needed, if possible.

Anytime I provide these units to others, everything is preset. There's even a locking mode, and I try to lock down controls. (It has a proc amp, sort of, but this thing can get complex really quickly, and you can get lost even with the manual. I warn that it can work nicely, but proceed with caution.)

I know I'm repeating myself here some, but I cannot stress these facts enough. This is not a TBC, was never meant to be a TBC, and only has some frame TBC(ish) properties that pair well with the ES10, to give 99% TBC performance (but again, with ES10/15 drawback).

Thanks very much for that information, lordsmurf. I have an ES15 ready to pair with this unit, but haven't yet encountered a "known bad" tape that can provide a vehicle for consistent testing. I will remove the fan first, then wait for the right opportunity.