Can a frame TBC fix this?
 

I'm trying to figure out if a frame TBC would be able to fix some of the tape issues I'm encountering. That way, I could justify spending on it.

I already have a decent workflow AG-1980P with an ES15 and it handles most SLP tapes I put in it. Then you have wildcards like this one:

https://imgur.com/a/YISTRXa
https://imgur.com/a/XD69FMa

So, what do you think? Are cases like this hopeless and therefore a waste of an expenditure?

I can't seem to be able to edit the other link in my OP, so posting it here again along with more links, one with sound:

Not sure how any TBC would fix tape damage? If you find one that does I would like to have one.

Assuming VCR still fine, not damaged, then tape is damaged. In that case, no, TBC does nothing here. (That's not what TBC is for.)

What does the tape look like? The physical media, not a signal on TV (or capture card).

Please attach video clips to the forum, not those hotlink sites (because the attachments always eventually disappear, making conversations with missing files worthless in the future).

What a frame TBC could do in that situation is it could help keep video and audio in sync passing by those damaged sections, but it will not magically fix the video for you.

Interesting. So if nearly all of my captures are fine with just the AG1980P + ES15, what would I need a frame TBC for? Not being facetious, just trying to figure out what I'm missing.

I forgot to mention that the start of the tapes are like that but when you get to the half, it's not as bad as in those captures. Other than that, the tape looks to be fine. No molds, no sticky shed, no flaking from the reel. It's also from 1986, so that's quite a while.

Copy that! I thought the file attachments were a premium/paid feature.

I see. In one of the videos, the audio is pristine and perfectly in sync. It's just the video that's extremely bad. From what you're saying, frame TBC wouldn't be able to resolve that.

AG-1980 is field TBC (multi-line), and ES15 has non-TBC frame sync. That's a stronger-than-normal combo, although it does degrade quality. The AG-1980 is like buying a $3k DSLR, then the ES15 is sticking a $50 plastic Chinese lens on it. It works better than low-end, but it's been hobbled for quality.

This assumes your capture card settings are correct, and accurately reporting dropped frames. The wrong/bad guides tell people to effectively turn off reporting (wrongly unchecking top 2 boxes in VirtualDub timing settings), so you're lulled into the false idea that you're dropping 0 frames. Only later do people learn they screwed up, often wasting countless capture hours, even endangering content loss from "one and done" tapes.

You still probably have non-obvious tape issues, either physical or signal. Sometimes it's a mode/head issue, where it is only noticed on some tapes. I've come across damaged decks like this.

Those many white areas represent loss of signal caused by either the tape or the VCR or a misalignment between tape and VCR as the tape is played. It probably doesnt help here that SLP is the most difficult of the VHS speeds for reliable picture and sound.

Yes, Frame TBC cannot fix visuals, it fixes timing.