Recommended TBC? AVT-8710 vs. TBC-1000?
 

I've been thinking about getting an external TBC, but I'm not sure what to get. I see two models that seem to be generally recommended on this forum: the AVT-8710, and the TBC-1000. The TBC-1000 appears to be discontinued and unavailable, and I've been reading about defects in the AVT-8710 from around 2011.

Are the defects in the AVT-8710 still an issue? If so, should I get something else instead? Thanks in advance for any advice!

There are two basic types of time base corrector (TBC). A line-level tbc corrects scanline sync errors within each frame. A frame-level tbc corrects signal timing within a stream of frames. If you are capturing from analog source (VHS, SVHS, VHS-C, Hi8, etc.) you need both types of tbc. Depending on the tape source and the player, there are times when both types of tbc in tandem can produce jumpy playback or other problems, but these effects aren't common. The fix is to disable one of the tbc's, the line tbc being the most effective with analog source. But this depends on the player and specific components in the capture setup.

You should tell us what source(s) you're capturing, how you're playing the sources, how you're capturing, and what you plan for final digital output.

All tbc's affect the image in some way, but the effects are generally negligible. The AVT tends to pump gamma a bit (it can be corrected during capture or in post-processing), the TBC-1000 tended to soften images. The officially recommended versions of the AVT have the old black and green chassis, which haven't been made for a while. Later versions of the AVT are different chassis colors (usually black) and most of them have problems. These days, finding either tbc used that still works without a hitch is difficult. My AVT (when I use a frame tbc, which isn't always, is a green and black oldie from 2004, and still works). A workaround is to use some very specific but older DVD recorders that can be used as line-sync and frame-sync pass-through into a capture device. There are still a lot of these older units around in good working order. The preferred model is the Panasonic DMR-ES10, with second place going to the DMR-ES15, and third place going to the old Toshiba R-D3, -4, and RD-XS series. Other units have reportedly been used as pass-thru tbc's, but no one has specifically measured their performance against the recommended units. Not all recorders can be used for pass-thru. Pass-thru means that the input signal is cleaned by the unit's internal circuitry, then output directly to the external capture device without recording anything in the player.

You can get more detail if you give us more information. If your source is DV rather than analog, you don't need a tbc. DV is transferred (1:1 copy) to a computer via Firewire with DV transfer software, not captured.