JVC 7800U problems (1 Viewer)

[GregoriusM]

I just recently went looking for a second VCR, mainly for time-shifting, since we haven't gotten Tivo/Replay in Canada yet.

When I brought home a $129 CAD Toshiba 625, it felt cheap and the menuing system was terrible. I took it back.

I bought $169 Panasonic. Good menuing system. Still felt cheap. Noisy. Took it back.

Came on this site and someone said the 7800U was replaced by the 7900U (although the specs were virtually identical) and that they were selling them cheap. Up here in Canada the regular retail is $599. I bought one for $299, figuring I could use it for time-shifting, and get great recording as well.

It is a great machine except for ONE major thing. It plays back standard rental or "recorded on other VHS machine" tapes like crap.

My $248 retail Sony deck (with the Reality Generator turned off - which actually does its job well) outshines the JVC by a country mile!

The JVC picture is soft, jittery, etc. I have tried all of the adjustment mentioned for play rental tapes and other tapes, and chosen "sharp" in the menu for picture, but it still has way poorer picture quality than my regular Sony VCR. My Sony is 2 years old and has had a reasonable amount of use. The JVC is 3 days old.

Do any of you 7800 owners out there experience the same problem.

I mean, I'm hook on S-VHS now, but in the price range, the only other machine is the Panny S-VHS, but it doesn't have any of the TBC, VNR, flying erase head, etc. etc. that the JVC does, and it retails for $349 (can get for $299). It shouldn't perform as well as the JVC, I would think.

The 7800 is a $600 machine (Canada). Just because it also has S-VHS, you would think it would handle VHS just great, with all of the picture enhancing stuff in it, including the claim that it can check the heads and the tape quality and adjust for it during playback. The 7800 is supposed to be quite a good machine.

I really do like the recording capabilities of the JVC, even on VHS tape without using VHS mode. In that way, it outshines the Sony.

If any JVC 7800 users are out there, could you tell me if you are pleased with the rental tape/friend's tape playback ability?

Do I have a bum machine?

Thanks in advance. I need to know whether to exchange this one, or just take it back. And if I do, what can I get that's comparable for that price?

... Greg

 

[Chuck Kent]

Greg: I've had a 7800 for almost 3 months and mine makes rental/pre-recorded VHS look better than they have ever looked. I haven't tried many of my old tapes but the ones I have tried look fine (many were taped at EP/SLP so there is only so much ANY machine could do.)

Having owned at least a couple dozen VHS machines over 20 years, I have found that tapes made on some machines never look right on others. But this still doesn't explain the pre-recorded/rental tape problems you're having.

My gut feeling is that maybe your 7800 is not right...

 

[Jeff D.]

Greg;
I have the same machine as you and I also have the same problem. VHS tapes look horrendous. S-VHS is much better, though there is still something which looks a lot like dot-crawl in the picture. It isn't that distracting, but it has made me wonder if this machine would not look better by using a composite rather than S-Video connection to the TV. It is possible the comb filter in the JVC is not that great.
In any event, I can definitely confirm that VHS looks pretty bad on my machine too - then again, VHS has always looked bad.
/Jeff

 

[GregoriusM]

Thanks, Jeff.

The problem is I AM on composite right now. I wanted to have a "worst case scenario" before I moved up to S-Video and went out and bought a decent S-Video cable.

I'd love to pop over and have a look at regular VHS on your machine, since you're in Winnipeg here.

... Greg

 

[Rachael B]

Greg, it's possible the machines's DSP is a little off but it's more likely that your JVC just doesn't like no stinkin' Sony tapes. I have a 7500 and somebody brought over a rental tape of THINNER some years ago. I don't remember how it looked. That's the only rental tape I can even remember watching. I haven't rented tapes since the mid-80's. My 7500 does very well playing back tapes from my JVC GR-SZ9 S-VHS-C and my Panasonic AG-450 S-VHS camcorders or my 9500 or 9800.

I can tell you not to bother with the Panasonic 4821. It might playback the Sony tapes better? It shouldn't but it might? If it's azimuth is closer to the Sony's, it's possible. It would be a decidedly inferior S-VHS deck. I'm sorry I have no concrete advice. Best wishes!

 

[GregoriusM]

Thanks for the info, Rachael!

I took the 7800 back today and exchanged it for their last one. I think I had a bum machine.

So far so good. The picture is still a bit soft on rental and borrowed tapes, but there is no jitter and artifacts on the same tapes I was using for testing on the first deck.

I have no doubt that it will be a better S-VHS machine than the Panny. It records wonderfully. I just like to know that for the money, it does most everything reasonably well.

I am going to do some more testing over the next couple of days, including hooking up S-Video and recording on S-VHS tapes (I just bought some tapes today), and see what happens.

But things are looking MUCH better!

... Greg

 

[GregoriusM]

The new 7800 works great EXCEPT for tapes from any other machine. Way too soft a picture.

I'm going to have to take this deck back for that reason. I know that the rest of it is a great machine, but if I can't watch tapes made on my own Sony machine, it won't work for me.

... Greg :-(

 

[AaronD]

Greg,
Did you try playing with the various features on the 7800 using your sony tapes? Like the digital enhancement stuff? Maybe turning it on or off would help? Or maybe the sony deck just wasn't that good?
I've never played tapes in my 7800 from another machine so I can't compare and contrast with you I guess. I bought mine for one very specific reason, to archive off of my Tivo until DVD-R machines get cheap.
Good Luck!
Aaron

 

[Phil Nichols]

GregoriusM,

Do you have to have a new VCR?

If not, go on eBay and get one of the finest VCR's in the world ever built for home use -> Sony SLV-R1000. Should be able to pick one up slightly used for $200 - $300 (MSRP of $1400!):

- they're built like a tank and last for years
- they record and play superb VHS and Super-VHS
- they have a licensed Faroudja digital sine filter inside
- they are heavy because of their super solid head mechanics
- images on rental tapes are rock solid with no jitter whatsoever -> solid as if you were watching DVD
- images on rental tapes show up the best they can be with excellent deep, saturated colors
- try new THX digitally remastered VHS movies for a real treat -> Stars Wars Episode 1 in widescreen looks superb

Before I bought my new R1000 I returned a JVC 9800 VCR that was 6 days old. I bought the R1000 and have never regretted it. I have a widescreen VHS library and the R1000 perfectly compliments my Elite 58" 16X9 HD RPTV.

At least borrow a used R1000 for a test before you by a new JVC.

 

[GregoriusM]

If I can't get the 7800 to work properly, that is an option I will seriously consider.

Thanks!

Greg