Super VHS purchase (1 Viewer)

[John W L]

Chuck:

Thanks for the suggestion. It turns out that a lot more than the tuner is bad. Because of long work hours I haven't been able to study the manual, but it has the softest/blurriest picture of any VCR since my JVC lemon from 1986 (a top-of-the-line HiFi model that was trashed within 2 years after countless failed repairs).

Using TDK S-VHS tape, the picture on SP has less resolution than all my other VCRs on regular tape on EP. (Yes, there's less noise too, but it is still a blur.) EP, even with S-VHS tape, is unwatchable. Recording black-and-white off a strong, clean signal produced chroma noise in faces you could see across the room. The Panasonic 4820 that I got the same week is as sharp as the source on both SP and EP, which are identical in resolution (with EP introducing a bit more noise).

Especially strange is the failure of both the 9900 and the 7800 to output the XDS information on any tape. They record it (it plays on other units), but don't play it back.

Could an overly hyper noise reduction circuitry be cutting off the XDS information? (I haven't checked closed-captioning....)

I'd like to try another 9900 but am concerned that J&R won't take a second one back if it too has what may be generic problems.

Suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Chuck Kent]

John: I really don't have a decent guess at all with what is going on. It seems strange indeed that both a new 9900 and last year's model 7800 both suffer from these odd problems.

As I write this, I'm also watching 60 Minutes that I taped on 3/17. The CBS station I taped transmits the EDS signal and I can display it with no problems. (My 7800 has both the Time Base Correction and the digital noise reduction both turned on.) And as I noted above, the picture is excellent.

I'd like to believe that if you tried swapping for other JVC units that you wouldn't have the problems. But I can't blame you if you give up trying...

 

[Peter Jessee]

As an owner of a Panasonic 8421, let me report my experiences. This is my first S-VHS deck, my previous best deck being a Proscan -83 (the one that ignores Macrovision on DVDs). I had read the Audioreview ratings for the 8421, and wasn't expecting all that much from a $200 deck. I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with it's performance.

The sound quality is about the same as my other Hi-Fi VHS decks, but the picture quality is much better in S-VHS ET mode. The picture is solid and quiet, with as much detail as the original broadcast had. I have one S-VHS tape that I've been saving for a special occasion, so all taping has been done on High Grade TDK T-120 and Sony T-160 tapes. Getting this improved picture quality has greatly increased my enjoyment of time-shifted TV shows, and F1 and CART races.

I was looking at the JVC and Mitsubishi decks that are close to the same price, but I was warned off the JVCs by two different dealers, who said the break-down rate was extremely high. I also use and enjoy the commercial advance feature, especially on the car racing, which seem to repeat the same 5 commercials for hours on end. The Panasonic is the only deck that has this feature.

With the 7800 available as cheap as it is now, rolling the dice on getting a working one is up to your sense of adventure. I'm happy with my 8421.

Peter