#SVHS Record Deck Recomm
14 messages in this thread
I'm interested in what recommendations can be made for a third recording deck
in the SVHS format. I currently use two EVS7000 Hi8 feeders. See much on the
Panasonic AG1970, and that's about the price range I'm considering. Is it the
recommended deck, or are there other of equal status?
Any help will be appreciated.
Ron
Ronald,
The 1970s seem to be the top of the class of decks that use Control-L and
Control-M interfaces. Another good deck along those same lines, and
available for about $900 is the Sony SLV-R1000.
-John
John,
Thanks for the input on the Sony and your comments on the AG1970. I've seen the
Sony, but note in the VM forum that most people buzz about the 1970's. The Sony
is considerably more economical. I note it being advertised in the range of
$750, which makes it very attractive as an alternate. Will give both close
consideration after seeking out some reviews in the literature, etc.
Thanks, again.
Ron
John,
Have you run across an edit controller for the 1970 that you would recommend?
We have had great luck with it but would like to see if we could gain greater
control of it.
Thanks
Have you run into an edit controller for the 1970 that you would reccomend? We
have had great luck with it but would like to gain better control over it.
Thanks
Rich
Ronald, I have 3 AG1970s and have used them on a part time basis with
Video Machine since February. They work as well as or better than
any other S-VHS deck which does not have built in timecode. With
Video Machine, the AG-1970 will handle Vertical Interval Time Code
(VITC). The 1970 is a widely used machine.
If you are interested in a pair of used ones, I am upgrading to decks with
linear time code (LTC).
Larry,
Thanks for the input. What are you upgrading as replacements? And, if I might
ask, what is the difference between VITC and LTC from a functional standpoint?
As to used machines. I don't think I'd be interested at the time. Right now I'm
just looking for one recording unit, and I'm not sure I'll go with SVHS or a
third EVS7000.
Thanks again, for the input, and Merry Christmas.
Ron
Ron,
VITC is laid down in the video signal during the blanking pulse. It works with
Video Machine even with decks (such as the 1970) which do not have time code
built in. The Pan AG455 camera and several of the professional cameras are
able to write VITC. VITC cannot be added to a tape.
LTC is a series of audio pulses which are written on one of the linear audio
tracks. LTC can be post striped on camera footage and the output of my
non-time code camera can have time code added. Some VTRs (Sony UVW1800) have
a special time code channel which does not consume one of the audio channels.
LTC is more robust than VITC. VITC is written at a much higher data rate, and
less of the tape is used for the timing information.
My replacement decks will have LTC and will be frame accurate. They
will probably be manufactured by Panasonic. Possible models are
AG7650/7750 and AG-DS840/850. The AG-1970 is not frame accurate,
yielding +/- 1 frame with Video Machine. I intend to keep one of my
three 1970s for duplication. I have only one frame accurate deck
with LTC at this point, a Sanyo GVR-S955. It has no TBC and does not
have some of the other features that the professional machines have.
Larry,
>>>LTC is more robust than VITC. VITC is written at a much higher data rate,
and less of the tape is used for the timing information.<<<
With these two statements do you mean the data storage format of LTC
is less likely to be corrupted? I've not seen anyone make this
distinction before. Interesting.
Also, a good LTC reader can decipher time code during high speed
shuttle, whereas VITC can't. This leads to tape positioning problems
on tapes with discontinuous VITC signals, like those produced by
Panasonic's AG-455 camcorder. On the otherhand, A VITC reader can
read time code during jog, still-frame and low-speed shuttle, whereas
LTC readers typically can't. This doesn't often lead to problems,
but it can.
Some decks, like the Panasonic AG-7X50's, read both formats. When
both signals are present these decks will take the timecode from
whatever source is most appropriate. Editing systems can use this to
advantage: Matrox Personal Producer can be configured to accept
whatever timecode the deck is currently reading. In fact, the manual
suggests this configuration provides the best overall results. I'm
sure other editing systems share this feature.
LTC may be more robust than VITC, but both is better 🙂
Patrick.
Patrick.
Does the AG1970 have an RS232 port?
How old are your machines, and what price are you looking for on it?
I use a JVC S-VHS VCR at the moment that does not have Computer port. Quality
is good, and up until now, I haven't needed it. Am not interested in buying a
new one, but would consider a well-treated used one…
Scott
Scott, THe 1970s do not have RS232 or RS422 control. They have a 5 pin
Panasonic connector which is supported by a number of editing systems. The
FAST Video Machine provides excellant control of the 1970s. Matrox Personal
Producer and I believe the Tao Editizer also support the 1970s.
My machines were purchased along with the AG-96 Panasonic editor in
December of last year. I used them very little until I received the
Video Machine. They have not had extensive use, I work full time and
drive two hours per day to and from work. Video is a spare time
activity.
If the 1970 meets your needs without RS232, we can talk price.
Larry Kunk
Thnx, Larry, I'll have to pass, as my setup would require RS232 capability.
I've heard that JVC offer a conversion facility, so I'll check that out.
Thnx for your response.
–Scott
We use a 1970 for our work. Its a pretty good all around deck and we
have travelled extensively with it without any problems. I haven't
really compared it with anything else as we owned it before we got
into DV. I did have it hooked up with an editor controller and used
it to tie the deck to our Mac system and for basic ins and outs and
it worked great.
I have been looking around for another type of controller that would give you
more accurate control of it but haven't found one yet.
Hope it helps.
Rich,
Your comments are very helpful. Most have responded in a similar vane. I think
I'm going to go get one.
Thanks much.
Ron