Does For.A FA370 TBC work well for VHS transfer?
 

I'm wondering if the FA370 would work well for transfer. I realize it has no S-Video in or output so I would plan to upconvert the SVideo from the VCR to analog component and then use the component output of the TBC for capture. Seems like that would work really well, but not sure unless I could try it. Hope someone has tried this unit and has an opinion.

Thanks,
Marty

No.

This was made for broadcast sources, not consumer VHS tapes.

Almost all rackmount TBCs are completely useless for VHS tapes.
And that's why they're cheap -- and the cheap price is why novices users always ask about them.

If those worked, don't you think those would be on the suggested TBC lists here on the forum? ;)

Not really cheap at $500. This one is in almost new condition. I agree not all TBC's work well with VHS. I have a Prime Image that doesn't. I think some of them you have to try before you can definitely know. Thanks for your input.

Marty

Almost all of the For.A, Hotronic, DPS, and Leitch act identical. And for consumer videotapes, all are junk.

The FA-125 acts different, but only if not abused. It's fiddly to try and DIY recalibrate, and near-impossible if you have nothing to compare it against. Unity is not to-spec.

For a frame TBC made for videotapes, $500 is cheap. So cheap, in fact, that you need to ask what's wrong. Not much different from finding a car for $500, or even $5k for that matter.

The only decent rackmount is the IDen 7, but it's not a fun unit to own (if not already put to-spec). It needs to be modified to remove the fan, and then it always needs calibration. But the calibration controls (and defacto proc amp) are irritatingly fidgety, as the QC was lousy. It's not smooth. And again, you need something already calibrated to calibrate against. And unity is not to-spec here either.

You'll often actually make VHS tapes look worst by using a bad/cheap TBC.

Get a good TBC. Buy it, use it, resell it.