I could really use your advise. I've got an opportunity to buy a JVC HR-S9911U which probably is probably (somewhat) heavily used, or buy a JVC HR-S7500U which is lightly used. The dilemma I'm having is that the 7500 doesn't seem to have a few features - the picture correction (sharpen, soften, edit, etc), and it doesn't seem to have the dynamic drum system (which I assume the drum can adjust slightly to work best with the tape at hand.)

I have two types of tapes to transfer. I have some high quality SP mode tapes recorded off a high quality Quasar Camcorder (we no longer have the camcorder) from the late 80's - and I expect the output to be great as the tapes were recorded crystal clear with good quality equipment.

The second type of tape I have are some precious tv broadcasts that a friend recorded. He unfortunately recorded them in EP / 6 hour mode - although he did use 6 hour tapes. The quality actually isn't too bad, considering. But getting the most out of these tapes is critical.

So I'm trying to weigh the slightly older 7500 unit with minimal use, kept in good condition - used only to transfer private home tapes of someone else, or a 9911 unit which was owned by a company no longer in business. The 9911 unit looks scratched, etc on the outside - and I think it probably had more use.

So is the 7500 worth it just because of the amount of wear - or would the 9911 be worth it because of it's picture sharpening and dynamic drum? All of the tapes are in-focus, and wouldn't really need sharpening. The EP tapes could use a little video noise and jitter reduction.

On top of all that, I've got a question about TBC's, too. I need just a basic one, as close to the least expensive i can get away with - but I want a full frame one - not a half frame. Do you have any recommendations? Also I've seen a few on eBay for around $200 with a s-video input but no pass through audio. How do I do the cables in this situation - Two one foot cables to and from the TBC, and two two feet cables for the audio (left and right)? In other words, how important is cable length when considering audio sync issues?

Thanks in advance for reading this and any thoughts you might have. I figured you'd be the one to ask - as I've seen the post you started about the different s-vhs prosumer decks.

This question was asked in a private message. Rather than hide our tech advice in private conversations, Site Staff will often answer PMs (from any site) here in the digitalFAQ.com forum, so that others may read and benefit from our expertise. Please continue the conversation here. Either login or join as a Free Member, and we can continue troubleshooting your video, photo or web related issue. Thanks for understanding our tech Q&A policies.

Advise on JVC HR-S7500 vs S9911 + Question on TBCs
 

Welcome. :)

I'll answer by replying to a few specific phrases/questions...

For me, this would be a deal breaker. Part of the beauty of the JVC S-VHS series of VCR is that it comes with filters that improve video. That's the main reason (along with the TBC+DNR) to get a JVC S-VHS VCR. The lack of those filters is verified by viewing the JVC 7500 instruction manual, and comparing it to other later models. The "PICTURE MODE" entry is not on the main menu. Some people don't like to use those filters -- and personally, I think they're a bit nutty -- but there is a buyer market for those models.

On a good JVC deck, those will look great! :cool:

It's a gamble. The 9911 was the final VCR in the prosumer line, and is criticized of being cheaply made. Then again, it's a JVC 9000 series model, and may be fine for playback quality..

I would not judge a VCR by the outer body condition. The problem with pro environments is we have to move a lot of gear around, especially for maintenance and repair, and it all gets scratched in the process eventually. I'm extremely careful, but most of my gear still ends up getting scrapes and scratches. It's impossible to avoid.

I don't know that the 9911 has the dynamic drum, either. (Or maybe I'm thinking of the SR-V101US that's missing it?) It's important, but not THAT important.

Be careful about TBCs from eBay. Which one, specifically?

Audio sync is one-half to one frame long. It's negligible.

Wire around the TBC for the audio:
~ VCR video -> TBC -> recorder
~ VCR audio -> recorder

Glad to help. :thumb:

I've heard opinion that they can sharpen or smooth too much (from someone who obviously doesn't like them). Is the Edit option basically "off" for those sharpness filters? Are those filters separate from the DNR and TBC function?

The owner says he tested it and that it functions fine. All I can verify for certain is that it actually will play a tape.

That gives me a little more confidence in the 9911u unit. The unit doesn't come with a remote, though. Can you access the menu and all the functions on the unit itself? Otherwise, I'd have to spring for a new remote as well - which I can still find for around $40.

I thought you mentioned that it had this feature at This Post
I was thinking of This One. I can't seem to find a model number on it.

I would like to thank you again. You helped me one time before about a year or so ago, and the advise you provided was very helpful. Thank You.

--Rob

The 9911 does NOT have the Dynamic Drum system, the 9600, 9800, and 9900 does. You are going to need the remote as the 9911 lacks a Menu button on the front panel. Any JVC remote from the era should work, it doesn't have to be the exact one that came with the 9911. This style remote should work fine: http://cgi.ebay.com/250826657290

Picture settings are separate from the DNR/TBC clean-up enhancements, yes. The DNR only works with TBC engaged, as it uses the TBC as a buffering vehicle. The TBC has several frames worth of RAM.

The eBay TBC is the Cypress CTB-100, also know as the TVOne AVT-8710. Most of the images on the eBay auction are absolutely lies, too. There's absolutely no way those sorts of changes can be made with this TBC. It's impossible, as most of those fixes are outside the scope of what a TBC is engineered to do, or capable of fixing. Lies, lies and more lies. That's all those auctioneers are, I think. That's going to be a topic of this site's myths section very soon, FYI -- courtesy of yours truly.

Several of the participants in the VH version of VCR buyer guide (the mirror) have made some odd comments. At least 2-3 comments were outright ridiculous. So be very careful what you read, and who specifically mentioned comments related to the dynamic drums.

What do you think of the AVT-8710 - are they worth buying? I've heard that they have a tendency to overheat. I'm still in the market for a ~$200 TBC, but I want one that doesn't blur things, and hopefully can withstand at least 2-3 hours of use at a time, and of course has s-video in/out ports.

While I'm talking about S-Video, are there any good shielded cables I could buy in the 1-3 ft range? I've heard monoprice cables are really good - are they?

I'm planning to record to dvd via a dvd recorder - it's got s-video input, and the results (recording from QAM channels, and even vhs (consumer equipment) via composite) are pretty good. I've heard that these things have technology so a external TBC isn't needed as much. But is sounds a little fishy to me, so I thought I'd ask.


Thanks!

Worth buying? For most of the past decade, yes! Lately .... I don't know yet. There have been reports of bad units. Several members here, including Site Staff, have analyzed TBCs and reported on it. I've seen one with my own eyes, and in a few days, some video clips will be posted here showing the difference between a properly functioning AVT-8710, and one that's massively screwed up -- as well as explanations of what and why.

Monoprice is just a store that sells cheap cables. I don't think anything is made by them. Any decent s-video cable works fine. You can buy Philips models from Walmart. Amazon has some for low price, too: http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.ht...reative=390957

Don't worry about "gold plated" -- it's a sucker ploy, totally useless, a waste of gold. Gold is pretty, sounds valuable, etc, but it's meaningless on video cables. I'd rather have a well-made non-gold shielded cable than a cheap one with gold paint on the tips. So just keep that in mind.

Which DVD recorder are you looking at using?

I hope they are. I knew I would need a TCB no matter what so I took the chance and ordered one today. I'm crossing my fingers that this one will work and not overheat for at least 3-4 hour intervals at a time. I wonder if they're using cheap(er) components lately to save money?

I'm really interested in the 1.5 foot cables, as I've got a 3 foot composite/rca audio l/r cables from cables to go. I'll use that cable for the audio. 1.5 ft x 2 (in between TBC) so that the wires are as equal length as possible (and to reduce video noise). Monoprice doesn't seem to go smaller than 3 foot. Gold plated is just a gimmick - you're right. Silver or copper are (if I remember correctly) more conductive than gold. Gold is good for keeping away oxidation, but if you're buying a new cable anyway, that won't really matter. I've found a possible candidate - as it's the right size and seems like it might be a good cable (double shielding, and yes - it's gold plated - but that wasn't a deciding factor):

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...3167/KBID/4166

The one thing I don't like about it as there is no mention of it's impedance rating. I sure hope it's 75 ohm. Any input on it?

Two other possible candidates:
http://www.audiophileanswers.com/Tri...0216126462.htm
and
http://www.pcconnectionexpress.com/1...5ft-40159.html

I really don't want to spend $22 on a 1.5 ft cable (times two - so around fifty bucks)... but if they are better than the first one, I'd take them.

I'm planning on using a Magnavox H2160MW9A - also known as the 2160A. Made by Funai. I've had it about a year and I've been impressed with it when comparing vhs recordings without even a tbc or noise reduction / filtering. The output is very good when analyzing the output on my lcd computer monitor. I've used a 2002 Panasonic consumer player which still plays great, and the mag with composite cables.

The Magnavox has S-Video inputs, So I'll use those when I get the s-video cables. I imagine my mouth will drop when I try the JVC vcr that I've ordered. It should arrive tomorrow. The magnavox has a amplifier on all the inputs. I've got analog cable and it's 20% signal amplification does wonders. I have forgotten about it except for a few times when it was unplugged and I was wondering for a day or so why the signal was so poor - until I realized the mag had been unplugged and wasn't amplifying the signal. It's digital QAM recording is top notch too. I've got no complaints, considering it is a standard def recorder. I get stream bitrates that average approximately 4.33 megabits per second, including 224Kbps AC3 audio, in SP record mode. A ~22 minute recording (analog) averages somewhere in the low to mid 800MB range (muxed mpeg2/ac3) and can vary slightly depending upon the noise level, amount of motion, etc... I've seen spikes in the stream bitrate (during heavy motion) up to around 7200kb/s, averaging about 5700kb/s for heavy motion. Digital QAM signals at the same 22 minute interval end up in the 700MB range.

The B&H cable looks fine to me.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...3167/KBID/4166

The Magnavox H2160MW9A won't filter any VHS native noise (grain, chroma noise), but the VCR should wipe out most of that anyway.
I can't believe those are only $200 now: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B0020ZW8P8

It's basically the same as the Philips DVDR3575H model from 2007, known for great TV recording quality. I have one one of those, too.
Those are sold user/refurb for ~$400: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B000P76KXY

It breaks to Half D1 at the 3-hour mode, which is good. Even the SP mode isn't too shabby, one of the better units for 2-hour recordings.