JVC transports are simple compared to the cuckoo-clock in a Panasonic deck

I bought a PANASONIC NV-HS 960 EG-S S-VHS ET. I am satisfied and I think from what I read I did just fine. In any case I prefer Panasonic, Jvc compared. TVB of these respective brands do you think?

I'm in a position to potentially acquire a JVC HR-S7500U. Looking at the manual, it appears to lack the AUTO/EDIT/NORM/SOFT etc "Picture Control" function the 7600+ units feature. It does have the 2MB Digipure TBC/DNR circuit with the Digital R3 and Calibration functions, along with Dynamic Drum (something none of my current VCRs have). Is the lack of Picture Control a deal killer? When I do transfers off of my 7800U, I usually leave it on NORM.

Well if you have the 7800u deck, can't you just use that one if you need the picture modes? If you haven't missed them by now, you probably won't later.

i have personally owned all the 7000 series VCRs.
i feel the 2 best are the 7500 and 7600 - that have the DD and better build quality.
the 7800 and 7900 dont have the DD and are cheaper made.
the 7600 is just a 9600 minus the ghost reduction tuner and with 2mb instead of 4mb

Yeah I have owned most of them as we'll and I'd say the 7600u was built the sturdiest -- it was certainly the heaviest of the bunch. Performance wise though, I found the 7600u, 7800u, and V101US to be basically identical and I'd expect the 7500u to perform similarly if it's in good working condition.

I say the more the merrier though! Pickup the 7500 and keep the 7800 as a spare in the event that you need the picture modes.

The older x500 units actually weren't as well built as the x600-x900 units. Not bad, however. It's probably comparable to the SR-V101, and not so much the 7600, 7800, 7900 or SR-V10.

One of the biggest benefits of JVC S-VHS decks are those image filters. So yes, without those, it's a bit of a deal killer. It would be like having the unit in EDIT mode all the time, meaning the image signal comes complete with all of the grain and other VHS noise boogers. You'd just have the TBC, and nothing else. It would, at best, be a backup unit, or a unit good for misaligning on purpose.

Just my take on it. :2cents:

Yeah, I was wondering if the 7500U was a slightly different construction, because it's sort of the odd man out in terms of the weight and dimensions -- the 7800, 7900, and SR-V10 are all pretty close, but the 7500 is a bit lighter, even though I think it came out a year before the 7600. The SR-V101US is the lightest and smallest of the whole bunch at under 7 lbs (no metal casing) but it also came out way down the line from the others. I bought mine new in 2005, and remember being very concerned about it's diminutive stature, but it's actually held up very well, outlasting my 7600U.

having owned both x500's - (i have 2 9500's right here)
i rate them better than the 7800 or 7900 and WAY better than a V101 as far as build quality
the 9500 actually has a nice metal face plate,great fit/finish and the mechanicals are the exact same as a 9600

Considering I'm getting this on a possible trade for something else, it isn't a deal killer. The machine does have the 3-DNR noise reduction system in it, so it should do some cleaning of the image. I just assumed the picture control was just an extra setting to control the DNR and that the 7500/9500 were just stuck in NORM/AUTO mode with no controls otherwise. I'll take a look at the service manuals to see if the TBC/DNR daughter card has the same part number.

Whatcha doing with it btw? Just an extra deck to play around with?

It would be "stuck in EDIT". There is no NORM/AUTO because it lacks picture controls.
It's very similar to Panasonic S-VHS units, for this very reason.

Otherwise, you are correct -- picture modes are advanced filters beyond the abilities of the DNR/TBC filter.

Pretty much. I'm getting rid of some antique electronics at a family member's house and the guy mentioned he had it. The fact that the machine has the dynamic drum caught my eye since my 7800 lacks it. Perhaps I can pass it through the SR-VD400U to get some of it's filter advantages.

After stumbling through JVC's French site with Google translate and finding the manual, it appears that JVC's "MS" VCRs do offer TBC/DNR support for playing back SECAM-L tapes (True French SECAM). It specifically notes that the TBC/DNR is inactive when playing back MESECAM (Middle East SECAM or SECAM-B, actually a more common format). Same goes for the EU and EK models playing back MESECAM.

The MS models are basically the same as the common EU/EK models with a French TV tuner and SECAM-L playback and recording. According to the manual, they can play back all PAL, SECAM, and NTSC (as an NTSC 4.43 signal) tapes.

Is Panasonic Better Than JVC for EP / SLP tapes?
 

Hello,

For digitizing 30 year old VHS tapes recorded in EP / SLP, would I be better off with a JVC with TBC and Dynamic Drum, or the Panasonic models which you mention are better for EP / SLP?

Thanks!

for EP/SLP the Panasonic AG-1980 will be you best bet. just make sure to find one in 100% working order.
(many on ebay are well used or have problems).

Thanks!

There are sellers on ebay, with 100% ratings, who have "refurbished" the Panasonic AG-1980s.

i.e. http://www.ebay.ca/itm/370756748041?...ht_1076wt_1273
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/290678274748?...ht_2833wt_1273

Any thoughts? They don't seem to offer warranties.

both of them buy broken decks on ebay and fix them-but i cant vouch for eithers abilities
(AV-Collection has multiple user-ids - at least 4 that i know of)
i do know MHtradingpost and Southern Advantage are good

you could also buy one cheap that needs service and send it to Southern - they will go through it for $125

About the Panasonic I would like to know if all models listed below are all equal in "better EP/SLP tape playback" TBC or not!

Do you know others models not listed below that are as good or even better at playing EP/SLP tape?

Thanks

the ones you want if you are doing NTSC tapes are the AG-1980 or the AG-5710 - they are the 2 best
they have an awesome TBC and are great with EP tapes.

the 1960 and 1970 are too damned old, will mostly like have cap problems and are not worth having serviced.