digitalFAQ.com Forum - VCR buying: Panasonic NV-HS1000 vs NV-HS960, or something else?

I'm looking for a second VCR - for digitizing (my JVC HR-S7960 doesn't like some tapes - the TBC makes the image jitter vertically on them, and the linear audio is not perfect: there is audible noise that is more than just "tape hiss").

I've read here that both of these are known problems with JVCs (with linear audio, pressing the --:-- button on the remote to hide the playback time indication on the front display removes most of the high-pitched noise, but there is still some, it's not completely "clean").

I've ended up on two Panasonic options from eBay seller vcrshop (is this seller recommendable? are there any other recommended sellers in europe?)

NV-HS1000
NV-HS960

both for 399€. Is one better over the other? It seems that the 960 is newer (is it?), and also seems to be a less "professional" machine so may have a better chance that it is less (ab)used. The HS-1000 seems to have more granular (sharpness) controls though. Are all the needed functions on the HS-1000 accessible without the remote?

Or something else? Nice to have would be Panasonic with NTSC playback (PAL60 is OK) and SECAM-L playback.. does it exist?