Capturing on JVC Professional Deck
 

Hello, I have an old JVC BR-S522U which I am trying to see can play video. But I cannot even insert the tape! The deck is made to play svhs as well as svhs-c cassettes. On the left side is a lever blocking insertion of the tape which I can move. I wondered if anyone else knew how to move it without breaking.

the pic is fuzzy and hard to see.
however i can tell you those big tank broadcast decks are usually very poor for doing tape transfers.
most are SP mode only and they are calibrated for near perfect tapes made on other broadcast equipment.
most of them play tapes made on consumer VCR's poorly.

Thanks for the help, I know professional decks aren't the best but I wanted to see if this one still works. Plus this is a JVC. What prevents me from putting the tape in is a small lever on the left side of the tape entrance. I tried to take better pictures.

I agree with all of this. :congrats:

I hate to ask but did you ensure that the VCR is set to accept VHS tapes rather than the VHS-C cartridge?

I don't know if I agree with this then. Perhaps someone can provide a few examples of broadcast decks. The expensive ones most often come with their own TBC + other things.

Is it possible we are confusing broadcast decks with professional decks? Do JVC consumer decks really rival those that professionals have used?

For truly SP content, wouldn't professional decks be the way to go. Wouldn't they rival those of the consumer JVC decks?

So I don't know...I'm not convinced. :hmm:

broadcast deck are the big heavy units used by studios and tv stations.
i guess you could call them professional decks.
the JVC ones usually have the BR prefix.
i have messed with several and also some medical VCRs
i can tell you they playback tape homemade tape (the ones you likely would want to digitize) crappy.
unless you have some studio masters you want to convert they are are waste of time.
they are just not designed to play tapes made on consumer VCRS
they are super heavy, dont ship well, many have pro type soundboard audio connectors,
most have thousands of hours on them and good luck finding someone to service them.

Can you name a few Professional Decks that are considered crap then?

From what I recall, there are professional decks that matched or rivaled that of the JVC SR-W5U/W7U. From what I recall, it was those expensive professional decks that were capable of pulling all of the quality out of a VHS tape. For $6,000 to $7,000 for the decks...I'm sure you'd expect them too.

I'm posting my experiences with the JVC BR-S525U on VideoHelp but no one has chimed in yet.

http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/3...-I-hate-DNR%29

Accidentally tried to play a SLP retail tape in it tonight. Not pretty.

We'll chime in here. Post a new thread here.
The neat VCR threads are what get LS to come here, in fact. :)

As far as models --- I'm not sure I would lump the "SR" series with the BR series. Not the same.

i own an SR-W7U - it is not a broadcast deck
it is a very high end consumer deck - it was designed for the Japanese MUSE HI-Vision analog hi-def system.
it can play SLP mode too.

SR = Professional/Industrial models. Most are usually just consumer products with different model numbers and usually not heavy duty. There are a few unique models in the lineup like the SR-W5/W7. Service usually comes from a repair center.
BR = Broadcast line. This is usually heavy duty stuff used in professional TV studios. Designed to be easily serviced by onsite staff.

Panasonic lumps all their professional/industrial and broadcast products under the "AG" model number prefix. The "Pro-Line" branding is usually equivalent to JVC's "SR" line.