Great value full featured SVHS VCR
Written: Oct 03 '01 (Updated Nov 24 '02)
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Pros: SVHS, Flying Erase Head, Front A/V inputs including S-Video, TBC, Picture Quality, Price.
Cons: None that I can find
The Bottom Line: If you can afford the Panasonic AG-1980 buy that and you will not be disappointed, otherwise I recommend the Go Video SDV-650 SVHS VCR.
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| Chris_Gerhard's Full Review: Rio Go Video SDV-650 S-VHS VCR |
I recently purchased the Go Video SDV-650 SVHS VCR at a uBid auction. This is a rebranded JVC SVHS VCR. The VCR appears to be identical to the JVC HR-S9800U except for color based on a comparison of pictures. The HR-S9800U appears to be champagne or silver while the SDV-650 is black. I downloaded the manual for the HR-S9800U from the JVC site and feel certain now that the SDV-650 is in fact a black HR-S9800U. Picture quality and features offered by this VCR are very impressive. If you need a new analog VCR with editing features, this is the best buy I am aware of. The remote has a jog shuttle that works well but the VCR has a turning disk that is not as useful as the jog shuttle on previous models.
I have read many complaints about JVC VCRs but my experience has been very favorable having owned several. I expect this to be my last analog VCR purchase and already use TiVo for all of my timeshifting and D-VHS for archiving DirecTV digital broadcasts. This VCR will get only light use recording off the air broadcasts for me which my TiVo and D-VHS can not do. I expect it will hold up and perform exceptionally under these circumstances. In my opinion you would have to spend a lot more to get anything any better than this VCR. If you can afford the Panasonic AG-1980 buy that and you will not be disappointed, otherwise I recommend this VCR. As with most recent VCRs it does appear fragile and sounds fragile. Only time will tell if it will be durable.
I primarily record SVHS ET at SP speed. SVHS ET is a newer sub format that allows near SVHS quality using standard VHS tape. SVHS ET at the EP speed is not very good in my opinion and is generally noisy. This is not just with this VCR but with all SVHS ET capable VCRs I have used. I would consider the SDV-650 picture quality average for SVHS ET and above average for SVHS ET SP, SVHS SP, and SVHS EP. When I must use the EP recording speed, I use SVHS tape in SVHS mode. Overall I consider picture quality to be above average and the equal of the best SVHS VCR I have owned. I consider the VHS recording average but have not paid much attention to that. Hi-Fi audio recording appears average when compared to my other VCRs which is very good. This VCR has the most recent VCR technology which I do not use and it controls most cable boxes and satellite receivers for timer recordings.
Recording in SVHS ET, I use good quality VHS tape. If you can afford SVHS tape, record in that mode as it will provide the best performance. I like Maxell and Fuji SVHS tape and have found any of the high grade brand name VHS tapes to work well for SVHS SP ET. Be aware that SVHS ET recordings will not play properly on most VHS and SVHS VCRs manufactured before 1998 and many non JVC VHS VCRs manufactured recently. Still I find SVHS ET a very useful feature and a good picture quality/tape price value.
This VCR has a TBC, digital noise reduction, audio level meters and many other features found on much more expensive VCRs. The technical aspects of these features are not important but what is accomplished is improved picture quality on old and new tapes at the expense of more complicated operation which does require reading the manual for all but the most sophisticated users.
If you want a full featured editing VCR for an entry level VCR price, go to uBid or one of your preferred site and buy one of these. I do not expect them to be available long at this price. I assume that it is a discontinued model now which explains the price.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 140
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Epinions.com ID:
Chris_Gerhard
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Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 0 members
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