JVC, Panasonic or Sony - Which one to buy?
 

Hi Guys'

The last VCR I owned, that was any good was a Sony SLV-UC 676 HIFI VCR.
I picked it up new back in1990 and it lasted me 14 yrs with no problem..then, bang' it went dead!
Yeah' I can hear the snickering already..and proably well deserved' but hey' until I joined to this group
and have been reading everything I can, to get educated in what everyone considers a quality machine,
I thought my Sony' was a pretty good machine' now I'm starting to realize..I know nothing!
Sooo' I,m here to ask everone's advise, the more the better..on chosing a very good machine.
Here's what I've been looking at..of course, the Sony SLV-UC 676 , Panasonic 1970 & 1980
I have no idea what to look at as far as the JVC'S..but I see here that certain models are highly regarded.

I'll only be using the machine to record programs from comcast, and certain movies I'l be buying.
Man' I can hear that snickering again..that's ok' I was the same way' when I was all wacked out
with high end audio, anyone who would talk about their silly mid-fi systems were looked down upon
so I get it'...but' I'dmuch prefer to talk to cats, that know there stuff..and learn' then just sit quiet.
The thing is, since my audio days..I just can't buy a run of the mill machine'quality is quality' no matter
our vice maybe..so' even though I really don't need an editing machine..say the Panasonic 1970-80..
the overall built is gonna be better, than a mid priced machine..
So this is my delema' I might be paying more than what I need, but I need to know the quality is there!
I really need any imput I can get..hey' it's a learning curve..I appreciate anyone that cares
to take the time to make some suggestions.
Thanks in advance..BOB K.

If all you plan to do is record, then I'd get a JVC HR-S4600 or 4800 and record S-VHS-ET on TDK EHG tapes.

Thanks'
 

Hi, Thanks for your advise!
What is your opinion on the JVC HR-S7500 Super VHS ET Video Recorder S-Video VCR
compared to the 4600 & 4800 ? the S7500 also has TCB/NR which the other 2 don't
All 3 are up for bid on eBay'..it's a shame there are more places, that I could also
have a chance to buy from' eBay..more or less, is the only game in town,
except for this site..w/ someone having one up for sale.
all 3 VCR'S are going for the same price, give or take a few bucks..
Again..Thanks in advance'
Bob K.

I'd go with the earlier JVC (4600/4800) if you want a JVC. The older ones were heavier machines, with tracking mechanisms and overall build superior to later models. I went through two 7600's, neither of which would stay in alignment for very long, both of which seemed like paper clips compared to the an earlier 1991 JVC I owned that made beautiful tapes until (like an idiot) I sold it when I married and moved to a new home. IF memory serves, the 7600's were OK players but the image just didn't measure up to those from the older JVC, and I still have old tapes to prove it.

The only SONY I ever cared about was a 1990 SLV-HF585 that was used almost daily for 10 years before the motherboard expired. It took another 5 years to find a replacement and a couple of hundred bucks to have that used model rebuilt. I wasn't impressed by any SONY that followed it.

Overall I'd have to say the AG1980 was better in some respects, notably because it's dnr isn't as aggressive as JVC's and it seems able to track many tapes that my JVC's simply rejected (I went through 4 late 90's JVC's altogether). But the big AG's require maintenance. Mine was a refurb from TGrant Photo and in fact is getting packed this weekend for shipping to them for another round of tuneup and cap replacement. Meanwhile I can continue capturing with two rebuilt non-tbc SVHS Pannies from 1996 (PV-S4670/PV-S4672), which were predecessors to the AG's and just keep on going with little more than a regular head cleaning. Those models were small in appearance but built like trucks, with metal Dynamorphous heads that are nearly indestructible. After 1996, the build for Pannies and everyone else started downhill except for JVC's 9600/9800. If you have tapes slower than SP 2-hour recordings, you'll be happier with Panasonic -- by the time the late 90's rolled around, JVC just didn't seem interested in handling slow-speed playback the way their earlier models could, IMO.

Be mindful that official parts support for Panasonic and JVC high-end machines ended long ago. Over the years I went through several purchases of dead or near-dead players before I found a few that were either in good shape or repairable. One player showed up with guide rollers missing from the takeup side; after they were replaced, it turned out the video heads were shot. A JVC showed up appearing OK but ate the first two tapes I fed into it. A Panny showed up with its front door panel broken and a casette still loaded, damaged, and lodged inside. Others showed up with bad alignment and/or worn belts, hardened capstans, bad input/output jacks, one packed in a makeshift container with no padding inside, and on and on. To quote a line from Randy Newman's theme song for MONK's TV series, It's a jungle out there.

By the way, the Panasonic AG-1970/1980 are considred "pro" machines, but 6-hour tape isn't considered pro material. They will play 6-hour and SLP tapes quite well, but they don't record at 6-hour speed. If recording slow-speed tapes is your main objective, neither the Panasonic nor the high-end JVC units would serve your purpose. You're better off with some 1996-era Panasonic high-end Dynamorphous SVHS machines. The only other contender in that regard would be the Dyanamorphous PV-8664 (made 1998-99, and no SVHS). There are a couple of Mitsubishi's from that era that could work well but I don't recall the model numbers, and build quality is reputed to be somewhat iffy despite the high price tags.

While SVHS does offer some advantages over plain vanilla VHS, for many people it's a tossup. The really good VHS machines can achieve excellent quality, but most of them you find today are used for playback rather than recording. Yeah, I've been around the "you still record to tape?" block several times, so I know what you mean. All I can say is, a good DVD recorder runs circles around anything I ever got from a VCR, SVHS or otherwise. Obviously, anything longer than 2 hours on a DVD-R is the pits. I still crank up the old SLV-HF585 for the sake of nostalgia, and still have an old 1991 Hitachi 24" CRT for viewing. Those tapes even look OK on my plasma HDTV. But only OK. Playing tapes on an LCD is unnecessary self-punishment, IMO. But to each his own.

if you only want to record and view tapes get a 4600 4800 or 5900
the TBC decks are best saved for doing transfers - no sense paying more and then wearing out a TBC deck
the 7500 is actually older than the 4600 or 4800
JVC use a screwy numbering system - the 1st digit is the series the 2nd would show age
the 3500, 4500 7500, and 9500 are all older than the 4600 or 4800 (the 4800 & 5900 use the same chassis as an SR-V10U)

I stand corrected on the 4xxx-series. I knew someone who had one, wasn't sure when they were made. If I recall, just looking at it and lifting it, it seemed more substantial than the other models mentioned (except for a 9800 I once used). Maybe it was just my imagination. The tbc machines usually didn't seem to have the same heft, despite being more complicated.

The 5x00 line came after the 4x00 lines.
And then 5902 is just as cheaply made as the 9911 or SR-V101 -- but without all the good stuff (TBC, etc).

ok' all things being equal, as far as condition & price.
which of the following would you guys pick..because their all available on ebay "GOD' help me!
4600, 4800, 5900, & SR-V10U...

For just recording, get that 4600 or 4800.
For playback, you'd want a better TBC unit, like the SR-V10U.

the 5900 is ok too - it is the same as a 4800
it is the 5901 and 5902 that are really cheap like the 101

My situation, deserves some explaining.
A good friend of mine, moved to Beijing in 2004 and since his company was paying for the move,
he shipped his VHS collection there 649 tapes. all in those plastic clamshell cases.
Much of his collection is "OOP" which were bought in the late 80's thru the 90's..this was more' than a hobby to him. When ever I would go up to Beijing from Shanghai to visit, I would go thru his collection..
man.. a lot of great' foreign movies! He took such good care of these movies. He is being transferred to Paris and just doesn't want to lug these thru Europe.
Soooo' he asked me if I'd be interested in taking his collection, Oh Man'you kidding me! I had them shipped down to Shanghai, and they are on a container
with optical products, on their way to North Carolina. I;ll have them unloaded before my clients products are picked up, and have them trucked up to Philly.
Sometimes..things just work out! I already had a container getting ready for the States, so there was no shipping fee, good thing that container wasn't going to the west coast..I would have to wait.
Also, there are about 30 tapes of concerts' that were held in Beijing when venues were just starting to open up in the 90's..he's in the entertainment business and the company he works for, were the first to bring some of the heavy hitters, BB King, John Lee Hooker, also some fantastic Jazz artists on a smaller venue held in Shanghai.. So as you can see' I really wasn't sure what deck to buy, but' no matter what..it just couldn't be a cheap deck' it just goes against my grain.
I want to make some copies for friends....looking at the JVC SR-V10U seems give me the fexiblity I might need, in transferring and combining tapes..hell' I might need 2 decks!
I really do appreciate eveyone's input' figured you guys deserved to see where I'm at' and not some knucklehead that is talking nonsense about which deck to buy, but'wait a minute' that's exactly what I am doing!..Hmmm I better change my profile name then...you cats are educating me here' Thanks!

Then it sounds like what you really need is a good player for playback -- not a recorder to record off TV.
So just pick one of these: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vide...ing-guide.html

The SR-V10U is a good one. We use them here. :congrats:

Yes' I have alot of tapes coming that I want to watch, but' I will also be doing quite a lot of recordings..
Thanks!

Hello

I'm slowly quitting my hobby
which means that I'm selling some stuff from time to time

I have a JVC SR-V10U and a JVC HR-S9600 for sale if you are interested...

I'm from Germany therefore the shipping will be expensive (about 50$ I think)

The price for the units would be: SR-V10U (75$) HR-S9600U (150$)

If you want some pictures give me a few days

I'm not sure if it's ok to do an offer here if not delete my post

Hi' Thanks for your offer, I have sent you a private message.
Bob K.