Is Panasonic VCR built-in TBC an option?

[foosy]

I was looking for a TBC and couldn't find one, until I remembered I still have a Panasonic PV-S4580 VCR with a built-in TBC. I have barely used the unit and can't find its manual. It does have both a S-Video input and a S-Video output, but I don't know if the TBC is applied in between or not.

Does anyone remember this VCR? If I am not mistaken it was a universal player that played both PAL and NTSC. I just care to know if the quality of its TBC was good, if it was a full-frame TBC and if it can be used in a workflow:

SONY GV-D800 -> PANASONIC PV-S4580 -> Capture card (have not selected one yet).

[lordsmurf]

No, it doesn't work that way.

Panasonic TBCs don't work on passthrough. And even if it did, it's just a line TBC, not framesync TBC (which is what external TBCs usually are).

"TBC" is an all-encompassing term, often (ab)used loosely.

There's no way to avoid TBC with consumer analog formats.

It's heavily suggested to have line TBC to correct the image, and framesync TBC is required to correct the signal (and allow digital conversion).

There are some pseudo-sorta methods, TBC(ish), but those methods have downsides. However, it depends on sources and costs. I'm a pragmatist about TBCs, and video in general. Sometimes you can take shortcuts, sometimes not. Having done this now for 25+ years, I'm pretty good about knowing what works, and what doesn't, simply by reading about the project.

You must also seek out specific models of TBC for consumer analog formats (ie VHS), as there are issues with that any old eBay clunker TBC you may find. (BTW, this a main reason I make this equipment available in the marketplace. I can take all the mystery out of what works, and what doesn't. I have VCRs, TBCs, capture cards, and full workflow. Plug and play.)

[hodgey]

If it's purely for video8/hi8 (assuming that's what youre capturing given you specified the SONY GV-D800), the DVD-recorder as passthrough method may be sufficient (at least in my experience, given the right DVD-recorder). Personally I use a Pioneer DVR-440 for one video8/hi8 setup, the Panasonic DMR-ES10/15 are the more popular options.

The GV-D800 has a line-tbc so what remains is the frame-sync part as LS mentioned. The line-tbc in the sonys is quite good at stabilizing the signal so you are not as dependent on a strong TBC like the datavideo or cypress units as when working with VHS.