Are my ES15 test results typical?
 

I wanted to share my test results with my Panasonic ES-15 to help others/show them what is possible, and also to ask if these results are as much as could be expected with a real TBC device.

The source is a VHS recording of TV on EP (SLP) mode on a regular VHS VCR circa 1985. It was as bad a video as you can imagine. Here are the two workflows I tested:

1. JVC S3910U - Diamond VC500 - Windows 10 - VirtualDub2 (Lagarith)
2. JVC S3910U - Panasonic ES-15 - Diamond VC500 - Windows 10 - VirtualDub2 (Lagarith)

The JVC doesn't have TBC, so I didn't need to turn it off. Auto calibration and Video stabilization are off in both examples, and Picture Control is NORM for both.

I can't answer your question as I don't have a full-blown TBC, but the effect of the ES-15 is pretty amazing.

Thanks for posting; this will be a great help to newbys trying to understand all this.

These visual improvement are what you get with line TBCs.
The ES10/15 has some defects, however. Line TBC in S-VHS is usually better.

This is not what a frame TBC does.

- line tbc = fix image
- frame TBC = fix signal
You need both.

ES10/15 is strong+crippled line TBC with non-TBC frame sync. It has limitations, failures, and quality hits. It is better than no TBC whatsoever, but it's still below what will happen with better TBCs in use. (Or it may not, the source signal may just be overly dark mud with no color or proper contrast.)

Your image is really dark. As en example, frame TBC may correct whatever is causing that. Not because frame TBC is there to fix the image, but rather clean the signal so devices don't get confused.

Still image comparison
 

Here is a screen grab from an home movie recording on VHS.

Comparison:

• JVC S3910U to Diamond VC500 to Windows 10
• JVC S3910U to Panasonic ES15 to Diamond VC500 to Windows 10

The ES15 reduced a lot of the red that the VC500 seemed to introduce. (I did a previous test with an ATI USB 2.0 capture device where the red wasn't so prominent). I don't understand the technical reason why the ES15 reduced the red (saturation?), but in this instance, it had a net positive impact.