VCRs with good SLP / EP mode playback?
 

With the ever rising costs of the Panasonic AG-1980 alongside the rapid amounts of failing units turning up, I think this is worthy of discussion:

Do we know of any VCR's from other brands that can provide a comparable performance to that of the AG-1980? Maybe without a TBC but perhaps a solid transport is honorable? Let's hear your thoughts.

Having compared with friends using Panasonic NV-HS950 and NV-HS1000EGC, we found the JVC 9X00 series is equivalent (or better) in term of quality, but that also depends on the specific tape.

If you need no TBC in the VCR and use an external DVD-R in passthrough in, there is a sort of equivalent to 9X00 in other JVC machines.

Bogilein and hodgey (PAL) and lordsmurf (NTSC) will help you adding other models for sure

Sure. :)

But the problem is these are aging in kind with the Panasonics, and appreciating in price similarly. For example, there are certain latter JVC SR units, post V10, that usually (not always) work fine with VHS-C and EP. These are far more variable, meaning some of units (from those JVC models) still will not play EP/C, unlike Panasonics which almost always did. But the point is they can, unlike the older HR models.

What I see on eBay now is
(1) definitely non-working junk, for the "low low price of only" $200-300, plus tax, plus shipping.
(2) possibly working, "tested" and "working" (aka it has function LEDs, and you see a random picture from an old copy of Home Alone or whatever), which zero guarantee it plays anything beyond SP, possuibly not even working with s-video ("tested with composite output only, cannot test otherwise"), for prices between $500 and $1500.

So, it's AG-1980P all over again. The only difference is at least non-junk JVCs can be rehab'd back into shape, good refurb is possible. But the variable is still EP performance, what I give A+ grades, A- at worst. Those grades are getting tougher.

Too many idiots are abusing VCRs now, causing head wear and head damage. For example, putting scotch tape on videotape, processing mold tapes, etc. You have Youtube morons to blame for it. They're f-ing up the entire extant stock of VCRs with their crap advice. It has vastly degraded in the past 3 or so years.

My last decent VCRs, in 2020, and again in 2021, just a few in 2022, came from pro settings, where the units were well maintained, even if used more heavily that hobbyist use. The average indy buy (eBay, wherever) has been a debacle. I used to buy decks from eBay, for parts, as needed, but it's gotten to a point where the units are so fubar that "for parts" units actually have no usable parts left, picked over junk. And all the "tested" and "working" decks (aka, also my "for parts" decks, because they almost never were either tested or working), are also massively malfunctioning. Most folks know I scaled back my deck refurb work, due to time, but it was an easy choice because I was seeing so much junk out there (which would take more time, or be a waste of time, therefore not worth my time).

I still adore my HR-S9800 unit, fond memories, but it was never an EP darling, outside of S-VHS EP tapes almost made in comparable JVC HR models (3800, etc).

The issue here is that "stable transport" usually coincided with better decks that had features like TBC. And then you get the downsides of ES10/15 type passthrough. Some non-TBC JVC models can be quite decent, but not better than the better HR siblings. For example, the 4800, maybe the 3800, 29U, few others. The early decks before 3600 are not great at all (few exceptions, but also likely to be trashed out now), while the latter non-TBC decks were were plastic and simple, rarely getting better than my B+ grades, aka not overly useful for a bunch of EP. So there's a sweet spot of mid-age JVC non-TBC, but again not robust transports.

More and more, I'm turning into orsetto on VH, the resident doom-and-gloom curmudgeon there. He was far too negative, far too early (10+ years ago), but it has now turned his way. His broken clock righted itself.

Right now, I have two decks that I'm trying to refurb. Those will cost about $1k when I'm done. But unlike overpriced eBay schlock, there will be actually functioning. I put a lot of time and parts into these. But like deter, I'm getting frustrated by what I'm seeing now. But I'll try to make workflows as long as a I can do so. I'm currently less worried about TBCs and capture cards, it's the decks that concern me.