Thanks for the info, this is great..I appreciate it Brajesh. I understand about the warranty too and it is always wise to milk the warranty period before making any DIY enhancements.

Inside the unit.

Rear panel, with HDMI output at far left. Like the 30K, the 5U now has one front & one rear Firewire port.

Front panel. HDMI & D-VHS buttons under right flap.

I got 720p & 1080i to work via the HDMI output last night. Had to power on my HD cable box first, then the 5U. Then, had to press the HDMI button to deactivate it, switch to component on my projector & back to DVI. It stays fine until I change the channel or play a D-VHS tape, then I have to re-press the HDMI button & again switch to component on my projector & back to DVI. I wish the HDMI button would stay off once I hit it.

The HDMI annoyance aside, I must say I was blown away by the HDMI-to-DVI PQ on my projector. I have the Panny PT-AE500U w/a 96" matte white screen in a fairly well light-controlled room. With HDMI at 'enhanced' & RGB fix at 'auto', the picture is flat out fabulous! I must go against what others have said & say I notice a definite improvement on DVI over component. I had to re-calibrate my projector, but the DVI PQ had deep, rich blacks (for a LCD projector anyway), vibrant colors & a sharper/detailed picture. I always felt the 30K & 40K component outputs were a bit soft w/a somewhat oversaturated/hot picture. Not so w/the HDMI/DVI output on the 5U. I was so thrilled by the HDMI/DVI picture, I didn't get around to comparing the 5U's component quality compared to the 30K & 40K. I'm quite happy w/the 5U. The Firewire handshake between it & my HD cable box has also been rock solid so far.

Brajesh,

Did you by chance leave the HDMI setting at Standard and recalibrate your display? Enhanced I believe simply lowers the video levels (PC versus video) and at times could crush blacks... blacks will certainly look blacker of course.

I have the same setting on my 3910 and find as well I can fine tune brightness via AVIA easier with the Normal setting.

Just curious as on my DVI input I'm using or have used a HTPC, Denon 3910, and a Sony HD300. My projector was ISFed via the HTPC and his image generator (which matched the HTPC perfectly) and using the Standard setting comes closer (if not right on) to the brightness settings of the other devices. So for at least my display I'm presuming it is the right setting.

I left mine at 'enhanced' & re-calibrated. I have a couple of custom picture memory settings on my projector, so I saved a custom setting just for the 5U. I didn't try 'standard' long enough (maybe I should try it again), but 'enhanced' looked better, so I calibrated my projector w/that. The picture was darker than 'standard', but also slightly more vibrant. I didn't notice crushed blacks though.

I'm curious - Have those who have had 5u HDMI issues contacted JVC to see if they are aware of the problem or have a solution?

I've been in contact with JVC customer relations and they are not aware of any issues. I described the issue in great detail and they are looking into it. I doubt they are taking the issue seriously because they indicated to me that no one else has called about the issue.

Contact JVC at 800-537-5722 (option #9) and ask to speak to Tony in Customer Relations. If more 5u users call, then they might actually believe they have an issue.

As it stands now, My 5u is going back to Vanns because I cannot get past the HDCP compliance (error 305) with my Z2 Projector. A technican at Monster Cable indicated to me that that HDMI > DVI compatibiliy issues are common because of different DVI chipsets are used for the video.

- Tim




Originally posted by alk3997
I'm curious - Have those who have had 5u HDMI issues contacted JVC to see if they are aware of the problem or have a solution?

I'm late to this party. Can someone tell me what inputs are on the JVC 40K and 5U. Right now I am restricted to a Denon 5800 with a dvd, dvd recorder, and tivo hd occupying the three component inputs. I'd like to add a DVHS unit, but would have to disconnect the tivo and re-route my tivo through the Dvhs via the component inputs, thus running the dvhs into the Denon(my head just exploded). Projector is a Sharp 9000U which I hope to upgrade to the 12000 or opt for a Denon 5805. Help...

Try using a component video / digital audio /analog audio switcher into the DBS/Sat AVR-5800 input (actually any of the AVR-5800 component inputs).

I'm using an Audio Authority 1154A which auto-switches based on which unit is on. If you go that route, make sure you get the newer 1154A instead of the older 1154.

Originally posted by Jack Smith
I'm late to this party. Can someone tell me what inputs are on the JVC 40K and 5U. Right now I am restricted to a Denon 5800 with a dvd, dvd recorder, and tivo hd occupying the three component inputs. I'd like to add a DVHS unit, but would have to disconnect the tivo and re-route my tivo through the Dvhs via the component inputs, thus running the dvhs into the Denon(my head just exploded). Projector is a Sharp 9000U which I hope to upgrade to the 12000 or opt for a Denon 5805. Help...

The JVC D-VHS VCRs have 2 firewire inputs and analog audio/video inputs including composite and s-video. There is no component video input in any D-VHS VCR because there is no way to record component video with the VCR. The only VCRs I am aware of with component video input are the analog HD W-VHS VCRs.

Chris

Originally posted by tbabb

As it stands now, My 5u is going back to Vanns because I cannot get past the HDCP compliance (error 305) with my Z2 Projector. A technican at Monster Cable indicated to me that that HDMI > DVI compatibiliy issues are common because of different DVI chipsets are used for the video.

- Tim

I haven't been following your saga with HDMI. Have you determined that the error is a result of problems with the 5U or Z2? If other HDCP compliant devices can be displayed then that would certainly point to the 5U. I had feared that HDCP would result in inability to display HDTV for no reason other than incompatibility when both components are supposedly HDCP compliant. What a mess it might turn out to be.

Chris

JVC tested the tape I sent them but was unable to replicate my issue. This maybe a specific incompatibility between the 5U and Z2. The Motorola 6208 had no issues displaying on the Z2.

Sanyo will not return calls and I have yet to reach a person live. I won't be purchasing a Sanyo product again if support is this dismal.

I might have to replace the Z2 if I want to keep the 5u, but since I don't have the funds at this time to be doing that, it makes more sense to me to just return the 5U and be happy with the 40k on Component for the time being. What a mess is right.

Tim



Originally posted by Chris Gerhard
I haven't been following your saga with HDMI. Have you determined that the error is a result of problems with the 5U or Z2? If other HDCP compliant devices can be displayed then that would certainly point to the 5U. I had feared that HDCP would result in inability to display HDTV for no reason other than incompatibility when both components are supposedly HDCP compliant. What a mess it might turn out to be.

Chris

So, what you're telling me is there is no way to output from the Tivo-250 into a dvhs? Can I connect my directv cable input connection directly into the dvhs antenna input, then run the antenna output to the Tivo? What's the solution?

Originally posted by Jack Smith
So, what you're telling me is there is no way to output from the Tivo-250 into a dvhs? Can I connect my directv cable input connection directly into the dvhs antenna input, then run the antenna output to the Tivo? What's the solution?

Currently there is no way to run the HDTV signal from the HD TiVo to a D-VHS VCR. A modification adding a firewire port to the HD TiVo is a possibility but I have not read that has been accomplished although as far as I know it is possible. You can add a component switcher to get another component input but you will also have to address audio switching. I have my HD TiVo connected to the DVI input on my monitor and have my three component inputs used with two D-VHS VCRs and a progressive scan DVD player. I can not record from my HD TiVo to D-VHS. I record to the D-VHS VCRs with firewire from a 169time modified DirecTV receiver and a Samsung SIR-T165.

Chris

Must be the first of October since the number of "hits" on the HM-DT100 has increased significantly today. Even Amazon is offering the HM-DT100. Of course, no one is listing it as actually in stock, but this is a good sign.

This is about where the HM-DH5U was about two weeks before stores showed the unit actually in-stock.

Originally posted by rudolpht
Jack,

You have no PM or email listed or I would give you a heads up.

Tim,

Would you mind emailing me about how to get my Tivo-250 to play nice with my 5u? I have had no luck so far. Thanks.

None of the D-VHS VCRs have component video inputs. The only HD input is IEEE-1394 (firewire). They do have std. definition (e.g., S-video) inputs for SD recording. It sounds like you need an external component video switcher. I use a 4-input model from Inday ($150) it works very well (very wide bandwidth, low noise and very good isolation between the inputs). It comes with a remote control. I programmed by learning remote to switch to the correct video input on the Inday switcher and to also switch my A/V receiver to the correct audio input. It worked out quite well.

Ron Jones

Does anyone know if the 5U resolves the audio dropout problem experienced with the 30k when recording from the SciAtl 3250HD?

Originally posted by Nexus6
Does anyone know if the 5U resolves the audio dropout problem experienced with the 30k when recording from the SciAtl 3250HD? It cures them on the Scientific Atlanta 4200 used by Cablevision.

Originally posted by Bogney Baux
It cures them on the Scientific Atlanta 4200 used by Cablevision.
Does the 5U play back tapes previously recorded on the 30K without dropouts, or just tapes recorded on the 5U?

Originally posted by fcsmith
Does the 5U play back tapes previously recorded on the 30K without dropouts, or just tapes recorded on the 5U? Yes, tapes recorded on the 30K play back without dropouts on the 5U.

Hi,

Has anyone tried to use the 5U with a Mac and VirtualDVHS? Thanks.

so what's the best deal currently on the 5U??? think i might take the plunge if i can get a deal....tried of taking my 30K up and down the stairs to record from my 2 motorola 6208's.....

I think Vanns still have the best prices.

BTW, a quick recording tip for recording HDTV via fire-wire:

Don't make the mistake of leaving up the On-Screen-Display while recording. i did this twice and each timemy recording suffered lots of macro-blaocking break-ups.

Kurt

i might buy myself one from Vanns as a treat if the election goes "my way"....or to console myself if it doesn't.....

Originally posted by Brajesh
The pin is plastic. You just need to cut off the top part (thin), not the bottom part (thicker). It's a little hard to reach on the 30K & 40K, but I held the pin with plyers & just cut with scissors. Have a look here for instructions. (http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/learnabout/generaltips/dvhs_budget.html)

Sorry for asking, but why would you do this?
To be able to record HD on ordinary VHS tapes? Does this work ok?

Kjell

Originally posted by kjelli
Sorry for asking, but why would you do this?
To be able to record HD on ordinary VHS tapes? Does this work ok?

Kjell

Two reasons I can think of.

1. Won't have to wait the extra few seconds while the VCR recognizes the tape as a D-VHS recording upon playback.

2. Won't have to push the D-VHS button when recording to SVHS tape.

It won't permit acceptable recording on regular VHS tape. Only SVHS or D-VHS tape works for D-VHS recording. D-VHS tape is nothing more than high grade SVHS tape in a shell with the D-VHS logo and an extra hole. I don't mind hitting the button or waiting a few seconds.

Chris

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll leave this alone then :)
Now off to find some good SVHS tapes.

Kjell

How would the 5U work If I have the Dish 811 reciver? How would they connect? The 811 does not have firewire.

It won't record digitally/HDTV from the 811 unless there is a mod available to add a firwire output to the Dish 811. I don't see that anyone is offering a mod for that receiver.

The best solution for recording HD (without downrezzing to SD) to a JVC D-VHS deck, from Dish, appears to be:

http://www.nextcomwireless.com/R5000/products.htm

There are a few threads about this, and older solutions like 169time.

Originally posted by teknikk7
How would the 5U work If I have the Dish 811 reciver? How would they connect? The 811 does not have firewire.

You would record over the analog inputs (s-video and composite). You'll have the best quality analog SD recording that you've seen in consumer level equipment (better than DVDs).

The only way to send digital information (including all HD) to any DVHS recorder is through firewire. So without a firewire port, you will be unable to record in HD.

Originally posted by alk3997
You would record over the analog inputs (s-video and composite). You'll have the best quality analog SD recording that you've seen in consumer level equipment (better than DVDs).


I doubt any analog recording would be better quality than a well mastered DVD. It might be better than a DVD-R recording over the DVD recorder's analog inputs.

Do the S-Video outputs of the 811 support anamorphic widescreen recordings of HD content?

What I meant by better are the number of I-frames and the bitrate of DVHS compared to a DVD-R. The bitrate is 14.1 mbps on DVHS for SD recording. The MPEG2 encoder is also very good.

I'm going to get a JVC D-VHS deck and was wondering what blank tape the "veterans" here would recommend? Is the JVC tape the best for these units or something else? Thanks. Blasst

I'm going to get a JVC D-VHS deck and was wondering what blank tape the "veterans" here would recommend? Is the JVC tape the best for these units or something else? Thanks.

For true "D-VHS" tape, I recommend JVC's DF-300 tape which allows for 150 minutes of HDTV recording. I use this for movies that run over two hours (but obviously less than 150 minutes). You can get these tapes for less than $8 each. The JVC tapes seem to be in short supply recently so I've had to rely on the equivalent 150 minute tape from Maxell.

Most movies, however, have a running time less than two hours and for that I stick with Fuji ST-120 S-VHS tape (not not D-VHS). This allows you to tape just over 2 hours of HDTV for about $4 a tape.



Kurt

Kurt. I've seen mention of using the S-VHS tape before. Is the quality truly HD? I guess I'll have to archive the extended versions of Return of the King and The Two Towers on two tapes each.

Yes SVHS tape results in true HD D-VHS recording.

Chris

My trusty JVC SVHS deck died and now I have to get a replacement. The one I had was a S5800U with a flying erase head, jog/shuttle wheel for frame-by-frame edits, and some recording adjustments.

Does anyone know how the HD5U does with analog editing?
Does it have a flying erase head? Or is it primarily for D-Theater and basic SVHS taping?

My choice is get the S9911U SVHS and wait for HD-DVD or look forward to HD tapes now and do editing on a DVD recorder. I'm a complete newbie on DVD burning & editing, so a side question is how easy is it to do inserts from camcorder, audio dubs & overlays with the DVD recorder?

I would like to get a new VCR on order this week, so help is appreciated.

ss9001

ss9001,

I merged your thread here. You may even find some of the information you are seeking in the previous posts in this thread.

Originally posted by ss9001
My trusty JVC SVHS deck died and now I have to get a replacement. The one I had was a S5800U with a flying erase head, jog/shuttle wheel for frame-by-frame edits, and some recording adjustments.

Does anyone know how the HD5U does with analog editing?
Does it have a flying erase head? Or is it primarily for D-Theater and basic SVHS taping?

My choice is get the S9911U SVHS and wait for HD-DVD or look forward to HD tapes now and do editing on a DVD recorder. I'm a complete newbie on DVD burning & editing, so a side question is how easy is it to do inserts from camcorder, audio dubs & overlays with the DVD recorder?

I would like to get a new VCR on order this week, so help is appreciated.

ss9001

I couldn't find any mention of flying erase head for the HM-DH5U on the JVC website. I would think that it does have flying erase head and for some reason it just isn't listed. I have kept analog VCRs for analog use because I fear the JVC D-VHS VCRs are just not very durable and I use mine exclusively for HDTV recording and playback. I have the JVC HR-S9800U SVHS VCR which is probably very similar to the 9911, just a couple of models older. It is a very good but also apparently fragile build quality VCR. No one could fault you for waiting for an HD disc format which should be available in about a year or so.

Chris

So what's the consensus?
Is the PQ better from the HDMI then the Component or Firewire?
I read thru the thread but didn't find the answer.
I am still running my 30K for the D-Theater tapes.
Any opinions would be appreciated.

tulsa 1, I am going to PM you .

Tulsa1, I prefer the HDMI PQ over component w/my 5U. I'm using a hi-def projector w/a 96" screen. The HDMI PQ has slightly better details & vibrancy. Better color definition too w/HDMI 'enhanced' mode enabled.

Great, thanks for the feedback!

Has anyone seen the 5U for sale in Canada ? JVC told me it would be available mid-October but I've seen nothing anywhere in Toronto.

I agree with Brajesh, the HDMI gives a subtly better picture with the 5U than does the component connection. It seems likes there less noise or dithering going on over the digital connection to my 106" screen drivel by an Infocus 5700 DLP projector.

Kurt

I'm contemplating the purchase of either one of these JVC decks, but I'm wondering, since it's been a while since they were released, are they still 'buggy'? And, most importantly, what is the status of D-Theater? Seems the tapes are hard to come by and many have been discontinued.

But with the impending HD disc format war and the uncertainty of full-bitrate, the D-VHS versions might be sound investments for a while. Right? Or am I crazy for diving in this late in the proverbial game.

P.S. I also like the idea of recording my favorite network shows in HD (i.e. 'Lost') for posterity sake. I keep deleting them off my HD DVR to save room, but it'd be great to have them in full rez on removable media.

I recently picked up a refurb 5U at ecost and so far so good. It has a better picture than the JVC 30K through component and HDMI. I havent had the chance to check it's recording performance, since im basically using it as a playback deck. I dont think it's worth buying the pre-recorded D-VHS tapes, since for the $4 cost of a blank tape and a firewire equipped STB you can have a tape which is very close in quality.

My problem with the firewire recording issue is I'm an E* sub with their 811 and 942 set-tops. No options for me, or am I missing something? Looked like 169time only offered mods/breakouts for E*s older boxes (plus, I'm renting them).

No you are not missing anything, 169time is a joke, r5000-hd is the only option for recording and it works damn fine right now

I am archiving to 4 DVD-R per(no longer to D-VHS :( ), for future use with Blu-Ray

-Gary

If you're comparing DTheater tapes to that crap you pull off D*, Dish, or even your local cable company you are sadly mistaken ;). Seriously, the bitrate of DTheater is extremely high and many tapes are stunning in quality.

Iv seen quite a few D-VHS titles and there is no question that they are better quality recordings, but are they worth $30-$40 each? For the price of a DVD rental, i can archive a gorgeous copy from a much wider range of titles. I think that people are tired of the endless format re-aquisition cycle. I doubt that i would want to purchase many HD-DVDs either.

shane -

if your HD DVR has an active firewire output, i'd say getting any of the JVC dvhs decks is a no-brainer. I ended up getting a second dvhs deck for my other dvr because i was doing so much taping, especially when i figured out how to use regular SVHS tapes for hd recording (i recommend Fuji).

i highly doubt that any HD-DVD recorder will be able to record HD via firewire from cable boxes (esp. from movie stations), they will figure out a way to block that i bet (even if "Record Once" is technically in the clear). and even IF you COULD record onto HD-DVD, just think of the prohibitive costs if the recording isn't performed perfectly the first time. with DVHS recording, you can rewind and start over if there is a problem (like the cable box automatically turning to a local weather advisory, etc).

oleus

The 942 DVR doesn't have firewire, unfortunately, and I've seen no available mods to add it.

As to the price/performance benefits of D-VHS, I've no doubt that it will be the cheapest HD removable recording option for at least the next couple of years. The HD-DVD/Blu-Ray decks will be pricey and the stock WAAAY more expensive than tape for a long time. Hopefully, after that, one could dub their tapes to disc (whichever format wins) via firewire.

Waiting for my JVC HM-DT100 to arrive (hopefully by end of the week) from eCost. Got it for a REALLY good price. Hope it lives up to my hopes...sad, probably the last VCR I'll ever buy, sort of an end to an era for me, part of what made me the movie hound that I am. That wonderful 1982 model Zenith front-loader VCR (look ma, 4-heads!) followed my Apple IIe the following year just about solidified me as an electro-nerd.

Gushing because my first D-VHS tape arrived today, "Galaxy Quest". Love that movie. Was hoping to get "Alien" but when the bidding topped $200 US today on eBay I took a pass.

Saving the best for last! I really enjoy the HM-DT100.

Paul

At least you had a front loader. Top loading for me buddy! I'm a Apple IIGS man! The Apple that's not a Mac, Lisa or a Apple II.

$200 for Alien!! My friend sold his D-VHS collection to soon.
shanewalker- I was tempted to buy the HM-DT100 at ecost. I got the 5U instead and am pretty happy with it except for the audible mechanical noise it emits. Please let us know how the unit's tuner pulls in OTA HD.

$200 for Alien!! My friend sold his D-VHS collection to soon.
shanewalker- I was tempted to buy the HM-DT100 at ecost. I got the 5U instead and am pretty happy with it except for the audible mechanical noise it emits. Please let us know how the unit's tuner pulls in OTA HD.


I can tell you -- It is a pretty good device to test your patience. :)

The HM-DT100U arrived today. A refurb, hope it's all good.

Funny thing is, I didn't know I was getting a refurb. I asked the eCost CSR whether it was a refurb when I was placing the order as it wasn't listed as such (figured it had to be at the quoted price)--was told the system said no. Alas, it arrived today with a refurb sticker on the box and now the eCost website lists it as such. Now, I'm comfortable with refurbs if they are fully warrantied--alas, these carry only 90 day parts versus 1yr on a new unit, which bites. I talked to a CSR at eCost and he apologized, saw the error when he called up my order, but said his hands were tied. I figured they could cover the cost of an extended warranty to match the terms of a new unit ($34) just to say "sorry for the screw-up", but he said he could only promise to submit a written request. C'est la vie.

So, question to you all...should one purchase an extended warranty on these units, refurb or no?

I can tell you -- It is a pretty good device to test your patience. :)

Curious, are you referring to the HM-DT100 and it's tuner or the noise of the HM-DH5U. I'm looking to set up the DT100 tonight (got it into the rack last night but didn't have time/cords necessary to rig it up). Wondering if the ATSC tuner can take a straight combined sat/antenna feed (split off the second line for my E* 942) or do i need to diplex it? My TV (Sony 955) and my old V* sat box could ATSC tune off the combined feed, but don't know about the JVC's tuner.

Thanks.

The HM-DT100U arrived today. A refurb, hope it's all good.

Funny thing is, I didn't know I was getting a refurb. I asked the eCost CSR whether it was a refurb when I was placing the order as it wasn't listed as such (figured it had to be at the quoted price)--was told the system said no. Alas, it arrived today with a refurb sticker on the box and now the eCost website lists it as such. Now, I'm comfortable with refurbs if they are fully warrantied--alas, these carry only 90 day parts versus 1yr on a new unit, which bites. I talked to a CSR at eCost and he apologized, saw the error when he called up my order, but said his hands were tied. I figured they could cover the cost of an extended warranty to match the terms of a new unit ($34) just to say "sorry for the screw-up", but he said he could only promise to submit a written request. C'est la vie.

So, question to you all...should one purchase an extended warranty on these units, refurb or no?

At $34 for a year for an HM-DT100, I believe it would be a worthwhile purchase. I would not pay that for any of the other VCRs.

Chris

First brief impressions of the HM-DT100 after only having had the opportunity to plug it in, jack in to my TV via HDMI and fire up the first 30 min. of "Day After Tomorrow"...

Wow. That's some beautiful HD. Blows away the sat HD showings I've seen of the same content...I'm very glad I bought this device and some D-Theater tapes. The unit itself seems well built. The remote could/should be illuminated rather than glow-in-the-dark, and I always like a shuttle but that's just me. I was surprised that the menu system wasn't 16:9 also, but it was nicely done and easy to navigate. One big plus, glad they let you turn down the front panel's blue light effect. Cool, for about two minutes, then it's distraction city. Overall, I'm looking forward to using this thing and I think its a good little machine.

I'm still due to wire up and test the ATSC tuner and do some OTA recording. Hoping that I'll be good for the start of "Lost" season 2...

Shanewalker, I mean the ATSC tuner.

'geekrule', I logged on to add my 2 cents on the tuner and that's my main comment. It works but its SSSSLLLLOOOOOWW. I mean, you aren't exaggerating when you say 'be patient'. Using the digital guide is more responsive, but not perfect either. Hey, I'm still really digging the unit, so don't get me wrong. It got solid lock on all the main digital stations in my area, only failing to lock one subchannel that I've run across so far. That, I guess, is the main thing...but why it takes a full 4 seconds to change digital channels is beyond me. Watched the rest of my first D-Theater tape and made some OTA recordings today 'just to see'...everything looked great.

With the news of the HD-DVD format war getting more nasty every minute and the pricing they're talking about for any kind of 'future-proof' combo player (i.e. the Samsung just announced), I could only hope that D-VHS gets a second look from a lot of people. It works.

Update #2: Recorded CBS' HD presentation of "Ocean's Eleven" that was on last night using the HM-DT100's OTA tuner. Result...looks and sounds fantastic. Really pleased. Since my E* 942 DVR only has one OTA tuner, this is a great backup in case there are two things I want to record off air...or its something I know I'll want to keep around.

Well I also ordered the 100 from e-cost and also got re-furbs
when I didn't expect it. I actually ordered a pair. D-Theater
playback works fine & I can record from my Qualia tuner over
firewire but I can't get the ATSC tuner to work properly. After
the auto-scan I get the same channels my Sony picks up but
then once I scan through the digital channels for a bit it seems
to lock up. If I try to display a channel with a weak signal
it locks onto the last channel it could receive & then won't
switch even though the channel indicator changes to the new
channel . If I then run a manual scan it picks up no digital
channels and I have to unplug the unit & wait before trying again.
Both units did this to me. Talk about frustrating. The way
I see it is JVC knows VHS but the tuners aren't much good.

Complained to E-cost & I'm returning them due to the fact
that they didn't say it was a refurb. I'm going to get a 5u refurb
for D-Theater playback and a MITs 2000 for OTA taping from
the LG LST3410A pvr or the MITS HD6000 pvr. Seems like there are
a lot less problems with the MITs units but I still want D-Theater
playback.

Anyone know how the MITS pvr compares to the cheaper
LG pvr ?

Sorry to hear you ran through the same 'oops' with eCost...and more especially that your decks didn't work out. Don't have any info on the Mits decks, but...

Seems I should mention, while on the subject of the ATSC tuner, that I did run into a slight caveat with my initial OTA recordiing of CBS' "Ocean's Eleven" HD broadcast. Seems either the tuner or the recording mechanism/rt encoder is quite sensitive to whatever changes the network has in its signals when it goes from an HD program to up-rezzed SD material during commercial breaks. The playback falters for a moment at these literal 'commercial breaks' and the recorder status window appears in the upper right of the screen. Continues playing fine, still looks and sounds great, but some sort of sensitivity is obviously at play here. Anyone else experience this?

shanewalker-
I just sent you a PM asking some questions about this recorder.

Thanks!

Sorry to hear you ran through the same 'oops' with eCost...and more especially that your decks didn't work out. Don't have any info on the Mits decks, but...

eCost is not exactly a great company to deal with. I had a problem with them about a year ago and ended up having to have my credit card company reverse the charges. They were very unprofessional.

Seems either the tuner or the recording mechanism/rt encoder is quite sensitive to whatever changes the network has in its signals when it goes from an HD program to up-rezzed SD material during commercial breaks. The playback falters for a moment at these literal 'commercial breaks' and the recorder status window appears in the upper right of the screen. Continues playing fine, still looks and sounds great, but some sort of sensitivity is obviously at play here. Anyone else experience this?

There isn't any encoding involved - the content you're recording is already encoded. The problem you describe is either in the content itself or a problem with the decoding during playback.

shanewalker-
I just sent you a PM asking some questions about this recorder.

:confused: If you're going to the bother to let us all know that you sent a PM with questions, why not just post the questions to we can all benefit from the information? If the questions are somehow private, then there's no need to let us all know that you asked them...

eCost is not exactly a great company to deal with. I had a problem with them about a year ago and ended up having to have my credit card company reverse the charges. They were very unprofessional.



There isn't any encoding involved - the content you're recording is already encoded. The problem you describe is either in the content itself or a problem with the decoding during playback.

I read several others echoing their trepidation/dismay with eCost's customer service. I braced myself upon ordering but just couldn't resist paying 1/3 retail for the deck...

And as far as the OTA recording...I'd imagine it's something with the transmission, I can't say that Chicago stations have been 100% on-the-ball with their HD presentations. ABC in particular seems to forget to 'throw the switch' half the time during "Lost" and all we get is stretched uprezzed SD. Still, not sure why I don't have playback glitches coming out of commercial breaks on my 942 DVR?

Well, I just bought a Sharp 37D5U LCD with 2 firewire connections built in to the set. I don't own a DVHS yet, I'm thinking about the DH5U from Ecost. My question: does anyone know if you can go firewire out from the Sharp directly into a DVHS? I've got all the networks and TNT coming in through the ATSC tuner. So, could I just feed that out through the TV to firewire and record to the DVHS? Or, do I have to have a compatible Cable Box, in my case it would be the SA3250 box? I will probably also be getting a Cablecard, so maybe I could also record over firewire from the Cable card.

I know I've heard that the Mitsubishi TV's with firewire will work like this, but I haven't been able to find someone doing it with a Sharp.

Thanks everyone!

I know I've heard that the Mitsubishi TV's with firewire will work like this, but I haven't been able to find someone doing it with a Sharp.

Thanks everyone!

Your TV supports i-link so the answer to your question is YES, your HD/TV tuner will output through IEEE1394/Firewire. Check your manual, pages 58-65 for specific information on connecting your TV to DVHS.

Nice TV BTW. Enjoy.

Newbie here, from reading all of your posts I finally ordered a 5U from ecost. Paid $350
w/membership, 2 yr ext warranty, and shipping. I hope it is worth it? Ihave also been
buying movies on ebay. Will let you know how it go's.

Thanks for all your insight here
Anthony

Well, if you've sunk $1K in getting that DSS STB 'equipped with firewire' then it indeed makes sense to forego the purchase of redundant pre-recorded D-VHS. Otherwise, from the two titles I've watched so far ("Day After Tomorrow" and "Lost in Translation"), I have to say the D-Theater tapes are the best HD I've seen, hands down (versus HD premiums on V* and E* w/ good bitrate and OTA, which was previously the best IMHO [esp. primetime and the movie presentations]). I can't vouch for firewire cable STBs quality across all brands/carriers, but I've heard from many about the boards that they are good D-VHS recording sources--but, alas not available to many, like me (though I live in a small town in the middle of nowhere, so you'd understand why--Chicago ;)). In short, I'd love to agree with you, but the anti-consumer non-compete partitioning of a city like mine by a corrupt city goverment in collusion with the cable carriers has made firewire an option perpetually just out of reach, despite government mandates...and I've got LOTS of company, I'm sure.

Wow, that was wierd. Shugazer's post (which the above is a response to), just disappeared.

Newbie here, from reading all of your posts I finally ordered a 5U from ecost. Paid $350
w/membership, 2 yr ext warranty, and shipping. I hope it is worth it? Ihave also been
buying movies on ebay. Will let you know how it go's.

Thanks for all your insight here
Anthony

Good luck. I sometimes worry that I have contributed to someone buying into a soon to be completely abandoned format such as D-VHS. We may all look back in a year or two if Blu-ray is a success and believe money spent on D-VHS was a total waste. For now, you should find DTheater is the best possible way to watch movies at home, at least for the few movies available in that format you want to watch. So far, I think the expense and hassle of D-VHS was worth it for me but just barely.

Chris

I was a bit lucky when it came to D-VHS because i had 200+ S-VHS tapes that i was ready to unload on ebay for however little i could get for them. So, in a way the recording media has been free for me. I have had to buy 160 min blanks for the longer films. The fact that the next HD-DVD standard will supposedly support firewire out makes me hesitant to spend too much on future blank tapes. If HD-DVD eventually has affordable, record-once enabled players and reasonably priced blanks(which i find hard to believe), then D-VHS will have lost much of it's luster. If not, then it appears that D-VHS is an archiving format that will still be viable for years to come.

HD-DVD will support firewire out, but you'd better believe they won't be letting us burn HD-DVD's from channels like hbo or showtime.

just this weekend in atlanta, our HD premium channels have started to be blocked by Comcast when it comes to outputting programing from firewire to a dvhs deck %seems like a blanket 5c copy-never, even though it's supposed to be copy once). after two years of archiving they cut us off, i guess i saw it coming though. i really think whenever recordable hd-dvd comes out they will do this sort of thing nationwide.

oleus-
I had the same problem with my first 6412 from Cox cable, which i had to return because a software download activated 5C. I recently learned they had a newer, phase 3 version with HDMi, so i figured give it a try. At first i thought it was doing the same thing (It displayed a message Copy Restricted 480i prog output and the picture was distorted through the component outputs) I replaced the component outs with S-vid to my DVD recorder and still saw distortion on that output. Viewing the firewire output>D-VHS> component to TV looked OK. It may be that the firewire output is good, but the analog outputs are affected by the 5C when a recording is started. I can live with this, because it is So much easier archiving with a DVR.

i am going strictly digital to my projector via hdmi-dvi (with a jvc 5U deck) and still seeing the error message i see upstairs where everything is with component cables (with an older jvc 30K deck). from what i understand Atlanta has wrongfully put a "copy never" type 5c on the premium channels. plus i can only see ABC, NBC and WB hd stations through the dvhs deck now (on both my setups, one is all component, downstairs is all hdmi/dvi)....FOX blanks out every few seconds and INHD/ESPN/DISCH HD and the premium movie channels are totally blocked from streaming to dvhs.

Has any JVC HM-DT100 or HM-DH5 owner determined how well it plays back DVHS tapes recorded on a Panasonic PV-HD1000?


Derek

I'm just starting out with this, and bought a demo unit HM-DH30000U.

All I want to record are PBS programs, mostly for children.

But I cannot find an OTA tuner STB that has Firewire output.

The Samsung SIR-T351 I use now does not have Firewire output.

I know the Sony XBR960 CRTs do have it, but I do not want to change my TV.

Is there a list kept somewhere of which tuners have Firewire output?

These are a rare breed.

MIT MDR-200 is a reasonable choice (try digitalconnection.com).

Samsung SIR-T165 (used)

Do you have cable? If so, your cable company may offer a 1394/firewire output cable box on request.

Paul

No I don't have cable, and that's on purpose.

So do the vast majority of people who own D-VHS decks usually use them to view pre-recorded tapes? I guess few would bother to record OTA programs.

I was also wondering whether, during D-VHS playback of HD content (the MPEG2 stream), does the deck send out the MPEG2 stream back to the HD tuner? Or does it only play them back via its own component or other type of video output?

Theoretically, if the MPEG2 stream is sent back via i.Link to the HD tuner, then the playback quality of user-recorded OTA programs is no longer limited by the (possibly low bandwidth) component video outputs from the D-VHS deck.

I think many view recorded material and some view hard-to-find prerecorded D-Theater titles.

I record both OTA programming and classic movies from HDNet Movies.

JVC decks have the MPEG2 decoder so can output HD via the component/HDMI and can also play via the firewire if the connected 5C firewire port is bi-directional. My cable SA3250HD box does not have a bidiretional firewire port and my display does not have firewire so component/HDMI is my option.

Mitsubishi DVHS decks require the bidirectional 5C-enabled firewire port on either the tuner or display.

Paul

I just read on the web instructions on how to turn on the i.Link input on the MIT MDR200 you mentioned earlier: just do it on the remote control.

I don't have this MDR200 unit, but plan to buy one.

The instructions were for a MacOS-hosted time-shift controller application that can talk to both the JVC D-VHS deck and the HD tuner.

All I want to record are PBS programs, mostly for children.
But I cannot find an OTA tuner STB that has Firewire output. The famous "Panny combo" of yesteryear (circa 1999 vintage, including DST50 STB and matching PV-HD1000 D-VHS VCR, connected via firewire) works perfectly as a recording solution for OTA ATSC with D-VHS recording. This is perfectly acceptable for OTA digital channels.

However the OTA-only DST50 is incompatible with all modern "5C-compliant" D-VHS VCR's (such as any from the JVC product line). So your recently acquired JVC 30K is unusable with the Panny DST50.

Also, the non-5C-compliant PV-HD1000 D-VHS VCR is incompatible with modern firewire-enabled DVR's such as the DVT-6412 and SA8300HD.

But if you were willing to acquire an OTA-only "Panny combo" (I happen to have one that is available for purchase, replaced earlier this year with a JVC DT100U "all-in-one" VCR that is also compatible with my DCT-6412 DVR for D-VHS archiving) and dedicate it to your OTA needs, you could accomplish you OTA-only PBS DTV/HD-DVHS watching/recording for your children. And you would also have a perfectly functional OTA-only HD/D-VHS watching/recording solution for all of your locally available DTV/HD channels.

I know the Sony XBR960 CRTs do have it, but I do not want to change my TV.I own an XBR960. It's firewire connectivity only supports "to the set" directionality, with the XBR960 positioned as a "destination" for "playback/viewing" of firewire data from an outboard D-VHS VCR. While the XBR960 has a built-in ATSC tuner, you cannot send its OTA-tuned digital channel data over its firewire ports to an outboard D-VHS VCR for recording. So this would NOT be a solution for your needs.

Is there a list kept somewhere of which tuners have Firewire output?Yes: HDTV hardware (including STB) (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=179095)

But again, until the JVC DT100U came out to satisfy all of my needs (OTA ATSC tuner for self-contained DTV/HD recording OTA, as well as 5C-compliant firewire connectivity to DCT-6412 for D-VHS recording from Comcast cable HD DVR), I was using my Panny combo (DST50/PV-HD1000) for my OTA HD recording needs. It may have been seven years old but it still worked perfectly and provided exactly what I expected of it.

Thanks for your advice about the Panny Combo. But since JVC D-VHS decks are so cheap used nowadays, and most of them do work for a number of years, I'm tempted to just standardize on them.

I sent in my order for the MIT MDR200 tuner already. I am curious whether i.Link data into the tuner from a D-VHS deck will work.

My used HM-DH30000U already picked up the clock signal from one of the three OTA PBS station in the greater L.A. area where I live, and it plays back VHS tapes and NTSC broadcast just fine via component video outputs. So the only function I haven't tried is HD content playback and record.

A second, but equally important, application I have is to send the tapes to my parents, so they can watch what their grandchildren are watching. Used HM-DH30000U being cheap and still functional is therefore an important consideration.

So another thing I'm looking for now is a low-priced CRT or LCD set that has built-in ATSC tuner and i.Link I/O (yes, preferrably both directions).

The MDR200 is bidirectional, if I recall.

I think the TVs that have the 5C firewire are bidirectional as well. Sharp LCD displays with firewire are bidirectional for certain as well as LG.

Paul

The HM-DT100U arrived today. A refurb, hope it's all good

Do you or anyone else know any details about these refurbished units from
e-Cost? Were they pulled off the assembly line because of defects and re-worked or were they returned from customers because of various problems? Also, how reliable is the extended warranty company they use? There seem to be ambiguous specs on the e-Cost website about these D-VHS decks. In one place it states that the DV input is for DV camcorders only. How does this go along with the supposed use of FireWire in and out for HD signals? Or is this just another mistake made by e-Cost in assembling the page? In one place they show the manufacturer's warranty as being 90 days/1 year and elsewhere it is listed as just 30 days for labor and parts. Anyone have experiences in using the FireWire ports on these VCRs with HD cable system tuners, especially regarding two-way signal transfer? I have a phase 3 Motorola DCT-6412 from Comcast Cable and can't find any positive reference about its compatibility with them. There's just a lot of speculations about this on discussion forums. I'd be using a combination of cable and OTA signals for HD, if possible. Thanks for any help.

I use the DT100.

My firewire on SA3250HD cable box is unidiretional -- must use component/DVI to the TV.

The 1394/firewire port in the back of the JVC works well with the 3250 box and can record HD quite well.

Paul

Quick questions to all you D-VHS owners about your experience with playback hits/glitches/dropouts, particularly with pre-recorded D-Theater tapes--

I seem to be experiencing the need to run a head cleaner tape on my DT100 before almost every viewing, and even then a few playback hits are common, even with new just-unwrapped tapes that appear to be in perfect condition. Of note: I've gotten in the habit of packing the tapes (rolling forward fully, rewinding) and running the head cleaner if I nevertheless get a hit early on in the playback...it is now 'winter' in Chicago, so static-filled dry air abounds...but is this the relatively common experience of all D-VHS owners with these things?

How often do you experience playback glitches? How prone to this is the average D-VHS deck/tape? Is there a better set of preventative measures than the above?

Sorry if this is covered elsewhere--I've done a search and haven't found a succinct answer to these quesitons. In short, I really love the D-VHS for its quality/functionality, but these glitches bum me out!!

I don't have such problem with my dt-100. I just wonder what kind tape you use.

I used to have random decoding glitches on the previous DVHS decks. The 5U has been flawless. Only tapes that truely have issues shows problems.

Using the JVC D-Vhs Head Cleaner tape. Wondering if the D-VHS tapes I've been ordering have been sitting around warehouses or in folks dens (i.e. the used eBay buys) under less than optimal conditions...

lately i have been having bigtime problems getting consistent recordings with my 5U....if i am recording a 2 hour movie, usually by the end i am getting glitches all over the place, if not outright freezes. i have the special sony dry head cleaner tape that was suggested for these decks and that's not working.....my 30K is making recordings without any problems from the same material so i don't think it's my dvr recordings or a problem with my cable boxes.....

I can't program the timer to record from the i.Link input, which is carrying the MPEG2 stream from the SIR-T165.

I can do record/playback via i.Link if I just start the recording manually using the HM-DH30000U's remote control.

The i.Link is bidirectional, and the SIR-T165 will accept a MPEG2 stream from the HM-DH30000U that I recorded manually.

Except the HM-DH30000U won't record the i.Link input if I do it via its built-in timer, even though when programming the timer, it can receive the i.Link input from the SIR-T165 and displays it just fine from its component video outputs.

That's likely because I cannot select the i.Link as an input channel when programming the timer. And I can't figure out why that's the case.

The JVC decks have never been able to do timer recordings via the iLink input. What I resorted to doing was using a device from Radio Shack- the VCR Programmer, to turn the JVC on and off. Its a pain, but it works most the time.

Quick questions to all you D-VHS owners about your experience with playback hits/glitches/dropouts, particularly with pre-recorded D-Theater tapes--

I seem to be experiencing the need to run a head cleaner tape on my DT100 before almost every viewing, and even then a few playback hits are common, even with new just-unwrapped tapes that appear to be in perfect condition. Of note: I've gotten in the habit of packing the tapes (rolling forward fully, rewinding) and running the head cleaner if I nevertheless get a hit early on in the playback...it is now 'winter' in Chicago, so static-filled dry air abounds...but is this the relatively common experience of all D-VHS owners with these things?

How often do you experience playback glitches? How prone to this is the average D-VHS deck/tape? Is there a better set of preventative measures than the above?

Sorry if this is covered elsewhere--I've done a search and haven't found a succinct answer to these quesitons. In short, I really love the D-VHS for its quality/functionality, but these glitches bum me out!!

I can get "glitches" when playing back through Firewire from either my 30k or 40k to my Mitsubishi TV that has Firewire inputs. The playback over component is almost always glitch-free.

HD-DVD will support firewire out, but you'd better believe they won't be letting us burn HD-DVD's from channels like hbo or showtime.

just this weekend in atlanta, our HD premium channels have started to be blocked by Comcast when it comes to outputting programing from firewire to a dvhs deck %seems like a blanket 5c copy-never, even though it's supposed to be copy once). after two years of archiving they cut us off, i guess i saw it coming though. i really think whenever recordable hd-dvd comes out they will do this sort of thing nationwide.

I recently had an issue with Cox, where after a change in the head end, they started restricting playback of my D-VHS copies to 430i that were made during the time they had this issue, with an "Image contraint token" which was accidentally mis-applied at the head end. I had a email and in-person discussion with them, and it is now corrected. All HD channels over cable (except Pay-per-view), should be at least "copy once".

Does anyone know if the HM-DT100U's built in ATSC tuner is QAM cable capable?

No it is not.

No it is not.

Thanks for the quick answer to my question!

I own an XBR960. It's firewire connectivity only supports "to the set" directionality, with the XBR960 positioned as a "destination" for "playback/viewing" of firewire data from an outboard D-VHS VCR. While the XBR960 has a built-in ATSC tuner, you cannot send its OTA-tuned digital channel data over its firewire ports to an outboard D-VHS VCR for recording. So this would NOT be a solution for your needs.

I have recorded from the firewire output of my 960 when it was on either a OTA HD channel or a cable QAM HD channel to my JVC 5U D-VHS reorder. I have to manually start and stop the recorder but it records whatever the TV tuner is tuned to. You must select the correct I link connection on the JVC that is output from the TV but that's all you need to do.

Anyone know of a replacement for the 100, this time with both a QAM & 8VSB tuner??

I doubt we'll see any new D-VHS decks.

That's what I'm afraid of since this is 2 years old.

Anyone else??

That's what I'm afraid of since this is 2 years old.

Anyone else??

I have seen it stated some time ago that JVC ceased production of D-VHS. I would be amazed if another D-VHS VCR is ever manufactured. I have a bunch of them and will continue to use mine for years but I don't think it was a very smart move on my part.

Chris

I have seen it stated some time ago that JVC ceased production of D-VHS.
What about other manufacturers, like Mitsubishi?

By the way, does anyone know when HD-DVD/Blu-ray recorders will become available that are 5C-compliant?

What about other manufacturers, like Mitsubishi?

By the way, does anyone know when HD-DVD/Blu-ray recorders will become available that are 5C-compliant?

Mitsubishi, Hitachi and Panasonic all bowed out before JVC. I don't know when or if we will have HD disc recorders with firewire input, but I sure hope we see some available although that would pretty much make my D-VHS VCR's worthless.

Chris

Since my LG 3410 crapped out, I am considering getting the DT100 to record OTA HD. It may also be a good purchase simply as a backup to my 5U.

I just received my first D-VHS recorder. Got the HM-DH5U for an excellent deal. Anyway, I hooked it up via firewire from the cable box and hdmi cable to my tv. I must say, it worked like a champ. Just made my first high definition recording. I use my cable box to record a movie and then just play it back and record it to D-VHS.

Too bad the format is dying. I really think it has a lot to offer. I only own one D-Theater movie: I, Robot. Talk about excellent picture and sound.

Can't wait to start building my D-VHS collection.

I just got my HM-DT100 back from JVC repair and it still has the same problem. Whenever any HD broadcast fades to black before a commercial, the picture freezes for several seconds and the sound drops out so that you miss the last few words spoken during the broadcast. I have seen a few other posts on this issue but is it not happening on every unit? Perhaps there is hope that I can get it fixed.

that dont seem that unusual to me Frost. It happenes all the time and I dont even own a DT100. I'm very sure it has to do with the broadcast not the equipment. what other HD reception devices do you have? Do they have the same problems?

I have a Samsung STB, Panasonic and Daewoo ATSC receivers and none exhibit this problem. It happens with broadcasts from every network and even in the middle of a show if the picture goes black with no network logo.

I am going to be receiving a DT100. Is this a flawless VCR to operate with a SA3250HD box? I gave up a 40K because it could not hold the firewire connection steady. I got a good deal on it on the big auction site and it came with a warranty. Anybody have any idea on the JVC firmware updates that this might need? I think they call them "enchancements".

I am going to be receiving a DT100. Is this a flawless VCR to operate with a SA3250HD box? I gave up a 40K because it could not hold the firewire connection steady. I got a good deal on it on the big auction site and it came with a warranty. Anybody have any idea on the JVC firmware updates that this might need? I think they call them "enchancements".

The only way to get the JVC D-VHS VCR firmware updates as far as I know is to send the VCR to JVC. I am not aware of any for the DT100 in any event. I haven't seen any complaints about the DT100/SA3250HD firewire communication. The HM-DH40000U seems to have more issues with firewire communication, but flawless may be overstating the DT100 performance. I hope you will be happy with much better.

Chris

If the recordings from the cable box, are with dropouts few and far between then I will be satisfied. If they are glitch-free then I will be ecstatic. I hoping for somewhere in between as I will be leaving the cable box and my apartment behind at the end of June, and would like to have something to watch in case I end up where recording premium cable HD will not be an option. At least with this box recording OTA will always be an option. Thanks for the info Chris, you been there from the beginning, you and other DVHS gurus here that I have known and shared knowledge with the novices, and old timers alike.

my 5U used to work flawlessly with my motorola 6412 box, but these days certain brands of tape (but most recording in general) cannot record without glitches....

my 5U used to work flawlessly with my motorola 6412 box, but these days certain brands of tape (but most recording in general) cannot record without glitches....

As I have stated a number of times, I have always had problems with some SVHS tape. Glitches make some tape unusable for me and I have a bunch of VCRs. Fuji H471S, Fuji Super Pro SVHS, Fuji SVHS tape with various spine numbers ending VA and WA, TDK XP Pro, Maxell BQ SVHS, and any D-VHS tape are what I use. Fuji SVHS with LA spine numbers are bad. Many other standard grade SVHS isn't acceptable as well. If you are getting glitches with what I consider good tape, then the cause isn't likely the tape although I am sure even my preferred tapes can have a rare bad tape among them.

Of course dirty or worn heads can be the cause of glitches as can software or errors in the data.

Chris

What's are the cheapest D-VHS tapes going for these days?

Get H471S tapes. Honestly.

Get H471S tapes. Honestly.

Or Fuji SVHS tape with spine numbers ending in VA or WA. All Fuji Super Pro I have seen has these spine numbers. It is the same tape, just no H471S name anywhere. My results and VCR with test readout indicates it is the same. Fuji H471S isn't always easy to find and knowing the spine numbers before purchasing is difficult as well.

Chris

the Fuji SVHS tapes (the regular ones, not the H471S tapes, which i do in fact love, but they are expensive) have been the least of my problems. They play/record just fine 99% of the time on both of by decks (30K and 5U).

lately my problems have been with the Maxell DVHS tapes. They record/play fine on my 30K , but record with heavy pixelization on my 5U. if i record on my 30K, they play fine on both decks. All other tapes have been working on my 5U so if it is my record head, i don't know why the Fuji SVHS tapes are working so well in it...and if it was the Maxell tape stock that was the problem, why are they working in my 30K?

strange......

I hate Maxell, always have always will... I recently got a 240 minute Maxell tape as a trade and Im afraid to put it in my deck.

i will stay away from maxell for sure, then. i'll stick with the fuji's for now!!!

I can't seem to get the DTS track to show up with my receiver using the DT100. I went into the menu and set audio to stream, is this what you supposed to do? Here's the scenario: 34XBR960 component connected, HM-DT100 optical connected to Sony HT-DDW670. They all say they accept DTS audio, and I'm watching U-571. Should I be getting DTS audio out from it? I have other movies like Cast Away or Fast and Furious. Oh and all titles mentioned here are Dtheater.

I was given a DT100U this past week and have either misplaced the remote or never received it. (most likely the first)

Anyway, I have a home theater master MX-700 Universal remote and have been looking for the code set for the DT100U to use on the universal remote. I haven't found the one for the DT100U, but found code sets for DH30000, DH40000, DH5U, DR100000. Has anyone either found the code set for teh DT100U or knows which one of the others will work with it.

I can't seem to get the DTS track to show up with my receiver using the DT100. I went into the menu and set audio to stream, is this what you supposed to do? Here's the scenario: 34XBR960 component connected, HM-DT100 optical connected to Sony HT-DDW670. They all say they accept DTS audio, and I'm watching U-571. Should I be getting DTS audio out from it? I have other movies like Cast Away or Fast and Furious. Oh and all titles mentioned here are Dtheater.

I don't own U-571 and the only DTheater tape I have tried to play DTS was Alien and it played fine by selecting stream and DTS audio. Not very many DTheater tapes have DTS audio and I don't know if any of the ones you mention do, but if they do it will state that on the case.

Chris

I was given a DT100U this past week and have either misplaced the remote or never received it. (most likely the first)

Anyway, I have a home theater master MX-700 Universal remote and have been looking for the code set for the DT100U to use on the universal remote. I haven't found the one for the DT100U, but found code sets for DH30000, DH40000, DH5U, DR100000. Has anyone either found the code set for teh DT100U or knows which one of the others will work with it.

I have all but the DT100 and they are all the same code. The DT100 may have some more functions requiring the remote, I don't know but suspect the remote is the same as the DH5U.

Chris

Were there very little of these newest decks made? I remember a surplus of the 30K and 40K, where the prices dropped significantly before they were all sold. I can't find any of the HM-DT100U now! :( I was waiting for it to hit the $500 or so mark to bite. I guess if Vanns gets any in stock, I might be best off buying it at $900 :( Really isn't worth that much to me, but I want a second and back-up JVC deck for my 40K unit, and I prefer the cosmetics (front panel cover) of the 100U over the 5U. Looks better.

Chris,

Thanks for the reply.
On the database, they only really have 2 code sets for all the D-vhs machines from JVC. So I loaded both and will see how it goes. Initially, I don't see the "DTV" button that accesses the digital channel setup menu.
I'll play with it and see if one of the other buttons will get me there.

Seems that the code set for the DH5U has more buttons that work on the HM-DT100U than the other code set.

I still don't have a "DTV" button thats needed to scan for digital channels.

They all say they accept DTS audio, and I'm watching U-571. Should I be getting DTS audio out from it? I have other movies like Cast Away or Fast and Furious. Oh and all titles mentioned here are Dtheater.

none of those titles have DTS. here's a list of DTS D-Theater D-VHS tapes. unlabeled means dts was not mentioned on the package.

-dreamworks
Forces of Nature
The Last Castle
The Contender (unlabeled)
BikerBoyz

-fox
moulin rouge
True Lies
X2 XMEN UNITED
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Speed
Alien
Master and Commander
Passion of the Christ
Man on Fire
The Day after tommorrow
i, Robot

-universal
Meet the parents
Scorpion King(unlabeled)
Red Dragon (unlabeled)
2fast 2furious (unlabeled)
The life of David Gale(unlabeled)
Love actually
lost in translation
the TRUTH about charLIE
21 grams
The Rundown

Were there very little of these newest decks made? I remember a surplus of the 30K and 40K, where the prices dropped significantly before they were all sold. I can't find any of the HM-DT100U now! :( I was waiting for it to hit the $500 or so mark to bite. I guess if Vanns gets any in stock, I might be best off buying it at $900 :( Really isn't worth that much to me, but I want a second and back-up JVC deck for my 40K unit, and I prefer the cosmetics (front panel cover) of the 100U over the 5U. Looks better.

Ecost, or one of the 'discount internet' stores had refurbished ones for under $600, but, now all I find on Froogle is the slow drop--now down to around $900. Would love to go to one box from my two box, Samsung T165, and 40k.

Thanks chris and others for the info. I will search for those titles ASAP.

DO NOT buy from eCost. They do not honor the warranties or extended warranties. Theyhave horrible customer service and in fact they have gotten so bad that they have about as low a customer rating as one can find on the internet.

If you want good customer service and the ability to discuss your purchase with a person, don't buy from eCost. If you aren't afraid of refurbished products and don't mind the hassle of having to deal directly with the manufacturer for any warranty repair, eCost has some great deals from time to time. I have made several purchases and understand the risk and have been very happy with every eCost purchase including several D-VHS VCRs which I know how to care for myself. I wouldn't recommend eCost to anybody without being sure they understand this isn't a customer friendly risk free way to purchase. The products will be shipped and will come with a manufacturer warranty if so stated is about all I would say you can expect. There are several other similar sites I purchase from as well and I always understand the risk and that good customer service and ease of return isn't part of the deal. I would never criticize anybody for buying only from reputable brick and mortar stores. That is as good as you can find in terms of ease of return and customer service. I just don't buy that way personally since I can deal with most problems I encounter buying inexpensive closeout or refurbished products.

Chris

What about G&G Technologies? I see they show the DT100.

Is this place legit? Looks like they carry mostly pro equipment.

the Fuji SVHS tapes (the regular ones, not the H471S tapes, which i do in fact love, but they are expensive) have been the least of my problems. They play/record just fine 99% of the time on both of by decks (30K and 5U).

lately my problems have been with the Maxell DVHS tapes. They record/play fine on my 30K , but record with heavy pixelization on my 5U. if i record on my 30K, they play fine on both decks. All other tapes have been working on my 5U so if it is my record head, i don't know why the Fuji SVHS tapes are working so well in it...and if it was the Maxell tape stock that was the problem, why are they working in my 30K?

strange......

I have never had any problems with Maxell D-VHS, although I don't have a large quantity of those. In fact, I have never had any tape related problems with any D-VHS tape. I purchased a box of Quantegy BQ ST-180 SVHS and those have been unusable for D-VHS.

Chris

well just to make sure, i went back and checked all the recording i had made with the maxell dvhs tapes over the last year or so, and 95% were ok, it's just any Maxell DVHS tape i have bought recently .... i bought about 10 at different times and this summer/spring and all had a LOT of breakups.

right now, simple Fuji 120 SVHS tapes (with the drill hole trick) are my most consistently reliable tape, believe it or not.

I bought some 160's off of ebay that had slightly different tape cases (black on the sides) and they were HORRIBLE....but the 160's i buy directly from Tape Warehouse (locally) have been perfect for me.

Iv been thinking lately that it may not be the tape at fault with the dropout issue. When i first started recording HD, from a Moto 6200 to a JVC 30K, i had horrible audio/video dropouts and pixellization. I got a 6412 DVR and a JVC 5U and things improved markedly, with minimal dropouts. My present source, a 6416 DVR is the best yet. I might get 1 or 2 slight pauses in the picture per tape. This might also be a result of manually selecting the HQ recording speed on the 5U.

shugazer9,

How are you connected between the 6416 and the 5U?? Would it apply to the 6412 also?

What about G&G Technologies? I see they show the DT100.

Is this place legit? Looks like they carry mostly pro equipment.
Call their phone number before ordering. I ordered this item a few months ago and then they said it could take awhile. Phone # is 1800 843-3691.

JimP-
Firewire is the only way to record HD from the DVR. If you can only get a 6412, try and get the phase III box with HDMI out. It seemed a bit more stable than the one with DVI.

By the way- i just checked ecost and they have the JVC 5u for a reasonable price. It appears to be new. I have biought several things from them and have been very satisfied. http://www.ecost.com/ecost/shop/detail~dpno~647413.asp

JimP-
Firewire is the only way to record HD from the DVR. If you can only get a 6412, try and get the phase III box with HDMI out. It seemed a bit more stable than the one with DVI.

I'm finding myself asking the wrong questions.

What I'm trying to figure out is can I record hd from my Motorola 6412, phase III to the DT100U. If so, then how? Does the 6412, phase III have a firewire output?

Yes, all the Moto HD boxes have firewire outputs and can transfer HD content, along with multichannel audio to a D-VHS deck. You neeed a 4-pin to 8-pin firewire cable.(I think thats it) Some companies have incorrectly set the copy protection flags on their boxes to copy never, but if you complain up the chain of command they should swap you a box that works.

shugazer9

Thanks for the reply.
I checked Monoprice for the cable and found various combinations, except for 4 pin to 8 pin. Could that have been 4 pin to 6 pin or should I be looking for a different supplier?

I don't have the 6412 but all firewire sources and VCRs I have seen use either 4-pin or 6-pin IEEE1394 connections.

Chris

Yeah, it is 4 pin to 6 pin. Monoprice makes some good cables. I think im going to try out one of their HDMI switchers

So does firewire also carry the audio?? If not, then where is the audio input? Don't see it on the back panel.

I'm finding myself asking the wrong questions.

What I'm trying to figure out is can I record hd from my Motorola 6412, phase III to the DT100U. If so, then how? Does the 6412, phase III have a firewire output?

I also have a Motorola 6412 #III, with the 1231 firmware upgrade. I have heard from some people that its FireWire outputs are enabled, while others claim they are disabled. My Comcast cable provider doesn't seem inclined to furnish any information on this issue. The 6412 has 6-pin FireWire ports, so a cord with a 6-pin plug on one end and the proper number of pins on the other, to fit your VCR, is what you need to test this out. If the FireWire ports are active, possibly they could send an HD signal into a computer as well. If you are successful in getting this to work, I'll buy a 6-pin X 6-pin cord and try sending a signal from my 6412 to my computer's capture card, which has 6-pin ports.

So does firewire also carry the audio?? If not, then where is the audio input? Don't see it on the back panel.

Of course audio and video is in the data transmitted over firewire.

Chris

I thought the DVHS decks used 4-pin FireWire cables?

What is need that requires a 6-to-4 pin cable?

My cable box is 6 pin, so that means I need a 6 pin to 4 pin cable.

So, the upshot of the thread is that you should be able to record content over firewire from your HD cable box to your D-VHS tape deck. I can confirm that on my Motorola DCT3412 from Comcast in the Boston area, I can record to my JVC SR-VD400U using a 4 pin to 6 pin 1394 cable.

However, I cannot figure out a way to record protected content on my PC. Not from the JVC deck or the Motorola cable box. Anyone ever been able to do this?

I'm having a problem recording OTA-HD on the DT100U using the easy record method.

What appears to be happening, is that if I set it to record within the next hour or two, it records fine. If however I set it to record several hours later, it doesn't. I also notice that when I go into the EPG after a failed record, the program guide has to repopulate itself. I wonder if I'm having a hardware problem where its not holding record instructions for more than an hour or two. I'm sure that the recorder and the powered antenna are not having their A/C lines powered off at any time through the panamax .

Any thoughts??

What's the reliability of buying a lightly used JVC deck off eBay? I ask because it looks like the JVC decks are pretty much all gone from dealers. Was wanting a DT100U. :( I avoided the 5U because it looks cheap and ugly without a drop down front panel like on the 100U. I only own 1 40K unit and it looks classier for this reason. Wish I would have picked up another 40K at least! :(

What's the reliability of buying a lightly used JVC deck off eBay? I ask because it looks like the JVC decks are pretty much all gone from dealers. Was wanting a DT100U. :( I avoided the 5U because it looks cheap and ugly without a drop down front panel like on the 100U. I only own 1 40K unit and it looks classier for this reason. Wish I would have picked up another 40K at least! :(

Of course buying a used JVC D-VHS VCR by auction on eBay is a buyer beware transaction but I have a couple I purchased that way and they have worked fine. I have both the HM-DH40000U and HM-DH5U and having HDMI makes the 5U the better choice in my opinion. These JVC VCRs are fragile, so unless you can clean, adjust and do minor repairs yourself, you might not be happy with an eBay purchase.

Chris

Of course that was the reason one of my former neighbors brought the 5U and when their house got robbed a few weeks ago, you can guess what wasn't missing from the entertainment system besides the nearly two hundred pound 34XBR960.

I'm looking to add my barely used 5U on e-bay in the next week or so. Anybody have an idea what a fair price would be? It has low hours (probably under 20 hours use) no scratches or marks and have the original box,accessories and manual. As soon as I get it out of the cabinet I'll get pictures and list it.


It just never gets used anymore and I just can't see keeping it. I sold my 40K about two months ago on e-bay. The guy that bought it was very happy with it. Our new company is closing our branch location so I just thought I'd clean out some gear that isn't being used to build up some extra cash. Unused DVD players are next. :)

Thanks for any advice.

Jim

So, the upshot of the thread is that you should be able to record content over firewire from your HD cable box to your D-VHS tape deck. I can confirm that on my Motorola DCT3412 from Comcast in the Boston area, I can record to my JVC SR-VD400U using a 4 pin to 6 pin 1394 cable.

However, I cannot figure out a way to record protected content on my PC. Not from the JVC deck or the Motorola cable box. Anyone ever been able to do this?


PC or MAC are not 5C compliant so no recording protected content on computer.

Question: The tuner in the DT100. Is it simply for OTA HD only or can can cable be run to it? Just wondering how many stations you can actually receive with the tuner.

Question: The tuner in the DT100. Is it simply for OTA HD only or can can cable be run to it? Just wondering how many stations you can actually receive with the tuner.

One Non-Digital OTA/Cable tuner, the other for OTA HD. For the cable channels, you can get as many as you non-DVHS vcr gets.

How good (via HDMI output to pj) is the quality of the recording to D-VHS compared with how my 8300 records to Hard drive? I remember a long time ago reading that D-VHS looked good , but not up to other HD formats.

A Funny thing (that is somewhat related) is that with my former Toshiba 720x1280 DLP I never used to see a difference between live HD feed vs. what my 8300 recorded. Now since my Samsung 710 is dead (I never got to do the test with it) and I am watching a 14" professional Sony HD CRT (PVM14L5) while waiting for a new 710, I see a big difference between the live feed and the recorded HD - and that is on a 14" monitor!!!

How good (via HDMI output to pj) is the quality of the recording to D-VHS compared with how my 8300 records to Hard drive? I remember a long time ago reading that D-VHS looked good , but not up to other HD formats.

Absolutely indistinguishable from the source when you get a recording free of glitches and it is decoded by the same decoder. Since it does have more glitches than my hard disc recorder, I would agree it isn't up to other formats standards but the bit rate and capacity make it very good when all goes well.

Chris

I get the impression that these DVHS recorders aren't going to last a long time and since JVC has stopped making them, its highly unlikely that anyone in 10 years will have new ones for sale.

Assuming that statement is correct, is there much point in building a DVHS collection. Would it make more sense to use it as a time shifter and forget about long term storage?

I get the impression that these DVHS recorders aren't going to last a long time and since JVC has stopped making them, its highly unlikely that anyone in 10 years will have new ones for sale.

Assuming that statement is correct, is there much point in building a DVHS collection. Would it make more sense to use it as a time shifter and forget about long term storage?

I think that is the decision most have already made, don't use it for archiving. I am using D-VHS for the long run and will be able to tell you how it turned out in about 10 years. I have been using it for over 6 years now. I don't recommend it for that purpose now, wait a year or two and see if something better becomes available. Six years ago, there wasn't anything else on the horizon.

Chris

I just got the DH5U yesterday and it seems with my 8300 box with the firewire connection I seems to be getting quite a bit of glitches when just watching the signal. Playing a recorded HBO HD feed back there is lots of glitches, audio drops, etc.

Also it seems if I change the channel on the box, I have to turn off the cable box then back on to be able to get the stream to the JVC. (not every time- but it won't lock unless I turn the 8300 box off for second.

Any thoughts? (I am on Time warner- in manhattan) I guesss I have to retun this thing and give up on D-VHS.

PM Paul Chiu or find him in the SA 3250HD thread on the HDTV Reception Hardware forum.

The 8300 is useless in regards to firewire. It is almost imossible to get a reliable connection.

Matt- thanks for the confirmation that the 8300 is problematic in that regard.

Luckily I can return the JVC.

Matt- thanks for the confirmation that the 8300 is problematic in that regard.

Luckily I can return the JVC.

Are you certain you can't exchange the 8300 for a model with working firewire?

Chris

I know it is not the same model, but I pulled out my 40K after having it stored away since September of last year. It creased the bottom edge (label side of tape facing up of course) of some tapes. WTF? :( Since I finally got an HDTV, I went out and bought some D-Theater tapes for it (and my soon to arrive 5U which was going to be a backup unit) and this 40K is now doing this. It didn't do this before I put it away. :confused: Now I've bought these tapes and I'm too scared to play them considering how much they've costed (avg $30 after shipping for most) and they might get ruined permanently on the first play and have to be trashed! Sheesh, what is with these JVC decks... Is it possible that settled dust could have gotten on the rollers and is causing this? I did dust the case off like I do all my stuff, regularly. I've probably only put <20 hours on this thing over the course of the year and a half I've owned it, and have never played rental tapes or anything that would destroy it.

Are you certain you can't exchange the 8300 for a model with working firewire?

Chris

If anyone knows of a Time Warner cable box that has working firewire I'd like to know.

When did this become a Time Warner thread? To answer your question try the SA 3250HD. I hope this is the end of the TW box questions in a D-VHS thread.

Sounds like it would be related, since the poster's talking about a compatible box for his D-VHS.


BTW, I played Batman (VHS) all the way through as a test on my 40K today and it didn't crease it, so hopefully it was only something like dust that was causing the tape to slip and it's all rubbed off now. HOPEFULLY. I notice that I can play VHS tapes through firewire to the TV but the menu screens and almost all options other than basic transport functions (play, stop, ff, rew, pause) cannot be operated when going firewire to the set. That really sucks, especially because you can't see how much time is left in the movie unless you're going component video to the set, and firewire output looks MUCH better than component. I also went ahead and tried my first D-Theater tape on it. Is the D-Theater decryption only done through component? I get absolutely nothing when I tried to play the tape through the firewire, but I do get a picture with component. The movie I tested for a few minutes was "Passion of the Christ". The D-Theater opening logo looked very aliased, but the movie looked great..way better than any HDTV station I've seen. BTW, my open box/repaired 5U is set to arrive on Friday. Hopefully the 40K will continue to perform like it did today, and that the 5U will have no issues with it.

Update and Correction...

My 5U just arrived. I will be unboxing it shortly.

Also, I am able to play D-Theater tapes through FireWire. User error :o



UPDATE 6pm:

Anyways, my refurbed 5U seems to wrinkle the edges of the tapes (it seems like this happens at some point with all my JVC decks :mad: ) but it also doesn't like loading tapes. It spits them back out at me, like the tapes are either getting stuck when the VCR is pulling them in, or that it just can't pull them in. They don't get stuck and stop at the same point each. Sometimes, they barely pull in, sometimes they stop half way, and sometimes they pull the tape all the way in and down and then eject it. Eventually it will accept them but this is not acceptable.


BTW, my 40K isn't creasing tapes now *knocks on wood*. Don't know why it was doing that for the first couple tapes after pulling it out of storage, but it's working alright now.

Making yet another post...


There is definitely a handshake (?) issue with FireWire with the 40K and my new HLS Samsung set. I played the D-Theater tape of Terminator 2 today, and it would play fine through component out but would not display a picture at all (black screen) or have any sound when played under "D-Net". So I was not doing anything wrong as I was thinking earlier. I ended up unplugging both FireWire cables from the set, and reinserting just the one for the 40K and after that, it was finally displaying a picture through FireWire! Not sure if these are normal occurances.

Gave the 5U another shot and it still is funky. I regret not buying a backup 40K when they were $300 new! Most likely will get an RMA for the 5U and send it back. It was the last one (clearance), too... :(


Comments on T2 D-Theater tape? It looks very grainy, especially noticeable on faces. It looks like there's dot crawl on the edges of everything. I'm aware it's a launch title, but another one of those early tapes that I played (Motley Crue) looked fantastic. T2 still looks a lot better than the DVD, but doesn't look as good as broadcast HD like Discovery or NBC.

What suggestions are there for places to buy tapes in bulk for less than, Frys etc, for a DVHS player?

Tapewarehouse.com

Also: taperesources.com

Also abt electronics dotcom might be cheapest depending on quantity because of free shipping.

Gentlemen,

I know I've seen this on AVS Forum a few times, but what is the best quality, most reasonably priced type of tape for my JVC 30,000 D-VHS deck?

I have owned this thing for over two years and never actually recorded any HD material. I recall there was a secret for making high quality SVHS tapes work with a D-VHS deck. Anyone mind giving me the info so I finally can start recording movies from my SA 8300 to DVHs?

I sincerely appreciate any help you can offer.

Jim

Jim,

You will find this topic covered in great detail in the AVS Archives.

I have had 100% success with the Fuji ProS ST120 which can be found for $3.75 each. If I remember correctly this was one of the top recommended tapes in the archived threads.

Derek

Gentlemen,

I know I've seen this on AVS Forum a few times, but what is the best quality, most reasonably priced type of tape for my JVC 30,000 D-VHS deck?

I have owned this thing for over two years and never actually recorded any HD material. I recall there was a secret for making high quality SVHS tapes work with a D-VHS deck. Anyone mind giving me the info so I finally can start recording movies from my SA 8300 to DVHs?

I sincerely appreciate any help you can offer.

Jim

You only need to push the D-VHS button on the front of the VCR after loading the SVHS tape to make it record in HD. You must also have selected the proper firewire input and be receiving an HD signal when using a firewire source and D-VHS VCR that communicate properly. As with most things best quality and most reasonably priced will be mutually exclusive. I am convinced Fuji H471S SVHS is the best tape and likely the least reasonably priced new. Tape packaged as Fuji Super Pro has always been the same tape as H471S in my experience and bulk Fuji tape with spine numbers ending in WA and VA is also the same. Any D-VHS tape and TDK Pro SVHS has been tied for second best and works well enough that I can't tell any difference between it and Fuji H471S unless I use a D-VHS VCR with a quality test. I only buy used tape, but the TDK Pro has been discussed as being available new at a much better price than H471S, making it the likely best deal on new tape for this purpose. I don't know if any of this tape is still being manufactured.

It is also possible you will have to exchange the SA8300 for a box that has a properly working firewire port. It seems I have read that one often doesn't.

Chris

Thank you very much guys.

So there's no need to use the "drill trick", just press the D-VHS button? Even with an old JVC 30K?

By the way, I think I'm one of the few people with an 8300 box that has a working firewire output. It took the better part of a year going back and forth with Comcast to get firewire working...

On my Mits decks pushing the DVHS button doesn't seem to work. The light stays on but my TV won't timer record because it somehow knows its a non-DVHS, so I have to do the hole trick.

I use a sharp awl to form the hole, if you press it in slowly it doesn't seem to break off any chips inside the tape body. I tried the drill on some old tapes and it always left a few pieces of plastic inside the tape.

I know it is not the same model, but I pulled out my 40K after having it stored away since September of last year. It creased the bottom edge (label side of tape facing up of course) of some tapes. WTF? .

For diagnosing tape transport issues, just use a standard VHS tape that you are not concerned about damaging. The transport is not different from some other non-D-VHS decks. It might be that you can get your problem solved by cycling the unit through the loading cycle multiple times, to "loosen" up the transport. It probably has slightly dried lubricant, and oxidized rubber components. A technician can clean this up fairly easily, and he would not have to alter the alignment.

Gene McCluney

For diagnosing tape transport issues, just use a standard VHS tape that you are not concerned about damaging. The transport is not different from some other non-D-VHS decks. It might be that you can get your problem solved by cycling the unit through the loading cycle multiple times, to "loosen" up the transport. It probably has slightly dried lubricant, and oxidized rubber components. A technician can clean this up fairly easily, and he would not have to alter the alignment.

Gene McCluney


After creasing a few standard VHS tapes I didn't care about, it seems to work well now. Thanks for this post. I do remember one other VCR which I had not used for about a year doing a similar thing with the first tape. But generally, when creasing on edges is happening and doesn't go away, is it usually an alignment issue or is it tape tension? Also, are JVCs notorious for this?, as the problem seems to be common...I returned a 5U which I bought because it creased tapes right out of the box. I have a pair of cheap $100 plasticy Panasonic decks and they never did anything like this.

I received a brand new JVC HM-DH5U deck late last week which will be the backup to my 40K. Anyways, I finally had enough time tonight (one week later) to test it. I have an HDMI video problem..


I played back the tape recorded on the 40K. No problem. Picture/Sound through FireWire and also HDMI. I then proceed to make several recordings ON THE 5U. With this 5U recorded tape, I can playback both Picture/Sound through the FireWire okay. When I try doing the same through HDMI, I get the Sound, but there is no Picture! I get a "303" Error, saying that there is no video on the tape. Confused here... I returned a refurbed 5U because the tape transport was screwed up, and I decide to go with a brand new one for a bit over $100 more...and this happens?

Any ideas?

my jvc 5u stopped being able to record onto 150/160 minute tapes recently, and my 30K is now eating every tape that goes inside of it. these machines aren't exactly reliable, and it's very unfortunate.

Brian81-
Try un/replugging the 5U. I had something similar happen once when i first got mine.

Brian81-
Try un/replugging the 5U. I had something similar happen once when i first got mine.


will try...

I just sold my 5U on e-bay and have a question. The buyer has contacted me saying the remote is not working and they cannot get into the setup menu. I asked them to check on the batteries or the slider switch (vcr,tv etc.) and if the remote would even turn the unit on or off. Until they answer back I can't remember if there is a setup button on the 5U?

Also anybody have a link to a copy of the manual? I tried searching JVC's site but came up with nothing.

I checked this unit before putting it on e-bay and everything worked fine so I'm not sure what's going on.

Thanks,

Jim

Motoman, it sounds like the remote may be set to control VCR B and the VCR is set as A or vice versa. The manual will have all of the specifics of things to try, but it is very unlikely the remote broke during shipping.

Chris

Motoman, it sounds like the remote may be set to control VCR B and the VCR is set as A or vice versa. The manual will have all of the specifics of things to try, but it is very unlikely the remote broke during shipping.

Chris

Thanks Chris I appreciate the response. I haven't heard anything back from them so I'm hoping they figured it out. I really didn't use my D-VHS player very much anymore so I just don't remember to much without a manual in front of me.

Is there a setup button on the front of the 5U?

I'll keep my fingers crossed they read the manual and got it figured out. :D

Thanks,

Jim

Motoman, it sounds like the remote may be set to control VCR B and the VCR is set as A or vice versa. The manual will have all of the specifics of things to try, but it is very unlikely the remote broke during shipping.

Chris

Here is their response. Almost sounds like the 5U is set to something and the remote is not picking up a signal.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
remote works on my other jvc dvhs,the problem is not with the remote but with the vcr itself.I have the jvcdh3000 and a 4000 model as well and none of their remotes work on this player either.I really don't understand the problem.Maybe there's a simple answer. thanks for responding.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Thanks,

Jim

Also anybody have a link to a copy of the manual? I tried searching JVC's site but came up with nothing.

Jim, I have the manual as a .pdf file. If you want me to send it to you, PM me.

Bruce

Here is their response. Almost sounds like the 5U is set to something and the remote is not picking up a signal.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
remote works on my other jvc dvhs,the problem is not with the remote but with the vcr itself.I have the jvcdh3000 and a 4000 model as well and none of their remotes work on this player either.I really don't understand the problem.Maybe there's a simple answer. thanks for responding.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Thanks,

Jim

That is consistent with all other VCRs set to A and the HM-DH5U set to B. Of course if he has more than one JVC VCR already, he must know how to do this but to change remote to control a VCR set to B:

1. Press and hold A/B.
2. Press 2.
3. Press Stop and release A/B.

Changing remote to A:

1. Press and hold A/B.
2. Press 1.
3. Press Stop and release A/B.

Turning the VCR off by front panel and then hitting power with a remote sets the VCR to whatever setting that particular remote uses.

Chris

Now that I think about it the HM-DH5U, unlike the HM-DH30000U he has, can use up to 4 different codes, A/B/C/D. The instructions are the same except 3 for C and 4 for D. Holding play on the VCR front panel for 5 seconds should prompt the VCR to display remote code for that VCR. The other possibility is having the HM-DH5U remote operation set to off, but I don't recall if that is possible or how it is done if it is. If possible, then there should be a simple mechanical on/off switch on the VCR, probably the back. I own all of those as well and don't recall being able to turn remote operation off.

Another possibility is some kind of interference with a different infrared remote signal. Remote stuck in the couch can cause that. And of course, another likely option is the VCR remote sensor is blocked by something but surely he can see that if that is the reason. And last the remote receptor on the VCR is broken.

Chris

Thanks for the help guys. I passed along the suggestions from Chris and Bruce hooked me up with a pdf of the manual so I can look things up myself.

Can't tell you how much I appreciate it. :D

Hopefully we will get it resolved.

Later,

Jim

A quick way to test the VCR code is turn off power from front panel , then hold the PLAY button for 5 to 10 sec , this will show the code, if you push the stop button on the remote it will change the VCR to what ever the remote is set to.
Worst case which happens alot on VCRs UPS or MAIL is the front board gets cracked...
so no remote and other functions.
Also if the VCR was left in 480P of any of the the HD output settings the customer will not get any display on the composite out, common error.

The buyer contacted me and says the VCR was set to "b" while the remote was on
"a". Problem solved.....

Thanks for all the help.

Jim

Neat way to record anamorphic video to DVD from cable box using a JVC D-VHS VCR.

Here's a tidbit for some Cox Cable users. I've recorded some HD material off of cable and recently purchased a Philips DVD recorder. Why the Philips? It's fairly cheap and is one of the only recorders that has component video input recording. It will only take 480i on those inputs however.

I have the cable box firewire output connected to the VCR and HDMI from the VCR to the TV. The component video is set from the VCR as 480i but in 16x9 mode. This allows the DVD recorder to record in anamorphic 16x9 video mode, something my cable box (Motorola 6412) won't do. While it's not HD by any means, it gives you the best video for the regular DVD format. Works like a champ.

I have a Charter Motorola 6200 STB, want to time shift regular HD programming, and have a TV which does not have a firewire connection. Can I use a JVC HM-DH5U? Specifically, I propose to connect the STB to the JVC VCR with a firewire link and then connect the JVC VCR to the TV with either HDMI or component. Will this work?

Any cheaper or simpler way?

Question for JVC DVHS owners:

I have a JVC 30K which I just started using again to record HD movies through its firewire connection (my cable op turned on 5C copy prot for HBO & ST in August, so I can't record them on my HTPC anymore :mad: ). I mostly use Fuji and Maxell SVHS tapes tho I have some of the JVC DVHS ones. Even though I routinely use head cleaner tape, whenever I record and playback a movie on the JVC deck, I get glitches at a rate of about one every 15 to 30 minutes. These vary in severity from a couple seconds of audio dropout or video artifacts, to (rarely) having to Stop and start again in order to get the audio back.

Question is, does this level of playback issue seem "normal" to you?

I have a Charter Motorola 6200 STB, want to time shift regular HD programming, and have a TV which does not have a firewire connection. ...

I have a Moto 6200 from adelphia/twc, with an older JVC DVHS (30000) connected to it by firewire, with Sony LCD proj TV connected to the deck using its component video. I'm using the deck to record HD movies from HBO & ST and play back later, yes they are played back from tape in full res over the component video. Some specifics differ but this is similar to your scenario, which should work.

IMO however, this is not issue free, and in fact I'm hunting for a better solution (which looks like it is probably going to be Vista with cablecard) . In addition to my question about glitches (prior post) I note that 30k cannot be set for timed recording of firewire input, and with the 6200/30000, at least, it is very very fussy about negotiating to decrypt the 5C protected content; the deck must be turned off, then the 6200 tuned to a non-copy prot channel, then the deck turned on, then the 6200 tuned to the copy prot channel, then wait for it to settle. A real PITA, but I got the process working in my HTPC s/w; until I did I had to be at the machine to record.

(If I turn on the JVC 30000 with the 6200 already tuned to a 5C prot channel, the JVC outputs a gray screen and in a minute or so the 6200 goes berserk, displays a couple of meaningless segments on its panel, won't respond to anything until the deck is turned off, and as a bonus, clears its entire program guide. Great stuff, Motorola!)

Question for JVC DVHS owners:

I have a JVC 30K which I just started using again to record HD movies through its firewire connection (my cable op turned on 5C copy prot for HBO & ST in August, so I can't record them on my HTPC anymore :mad: ). I mostly use Fuji and Maxell SVHS tapes tho I have some of the JVC DVHS ones. Even though I routinely use head cleaner tape, whenever I record and playback a movie on the JVC deck, I get glitches at a rate of about one every 15 to 30 minutes. These vary in severity from a couple seconds of audio dropout or video artifacts, to (rarely) having to Stop and start again in order to get the audio back.

Question is, does this level of playback issue seem "normal" to you?
I had trouble with numerous sound dropouts with the 30K when I would record from a SA 3250HD (software was Passport, cableco was TWC). I then upgraded to the JVC 5U, and after that sound dropouts were very rare. I see you're using a different STB, so you might want to search the forum to see if anyone is using the 5U successfully with it.

I have a Charter Motorola 6200 STB, want to time shift regular HD programming, and have a TV which does not have a firewire connection. Can I use a JVC HM-DH5U? Specifically, I propose to connect the STB to the JVC VCR with a firewire link and then connect the JVC VCR to the TV with either HDMI or component. Will this work?

Any cheaper or simpler way?

I re-read your post and finally focused on the "regular HD". A likely better way to timeshift regular HD off cable - rather than buying a JVC 5U - would be to not use a DVHS deck all, but to connect that firewire to a WinXP PC and use the hacked driver for the 6200 along with free capture software like CapDVHS; hunt around in the HTPC or other forums for tons of info. Once I got that working, my JVC deck started to gather dust - when you can do it capture on PC is a lot more flexible and has no tape glitch issues. This will probably not seem simpler to you - you also need to work out playback from your PC - but if you already have a Windows HTPC it could well be cheaper.

PS I hear that some cable ops copy protect (5C) all their HD content over the firewire, even broadcast network signals that they take off the air and have no ob or right to encrypt. You then need to either pursuade them to stop that or use a 5C-capable device such as a JVC DVHS deck.

PPS This gets to be off topic if HTPC pursued further here - I suggest checking out other boards here.

tempest790-
I tried this setup with my Moto cable box, JVC5U & Sony RDR900 DVD Recorder. I was unable to record HBO, MAX or SHO.(I was able to record INHD to DVD in 16:9) Is there any way around the copy protection?

I recently used a 5U to make a 2nd recording onto a Fuji ST120 tape (starting from the beginning of the tape). The 1st recording had no glitches, but the 2nd one has frequent glitches during the first 5 minutes or so (and no glitches after that).

Is this typical?

In general, is it a good idea not to record anything important on the first few minutes of a tape, especially if the tape has already been used?

By the way, I tried packing the tape, but the glitches still appear.

The problem isnt the tape. I have used and reused S-VHS tapes many times on my 5U with no problems. Try manually setting the 5U to record at HS. At Auto it may be more sensitive to source bitrate variations. What STB are you using?

Try manually setting the 5U to record at HS. At Auto it may be more sensitive to source bitrate variations.
I'll try that next time, to see if it makes any difference.
What STB are you using?
SA 3250HD

since i can no longer make ANY successful HD recordings on anything but TDK SVHS tapes (and even then things are hitand miss), i think i need my 5U serviced. I don't think i'm under warranty, and the JVC US website looks like it's down. How much do you think they charge for repairing the recording heads?

since i can no longer make ANY successful HD recordings on anything but TDK SVHS tapes (and even then things are hitand miss), i think i need my 5U serviced. I don't think i'm under warranty, and the JVC US website looks like it's down. How much do you think they charge for repairing the recording heads?

I don't think replacing the heads will be cost effective if it is out of warranty. If you are comfortable with taking the VCR apart and cleaning the heads you might try that first. Do you have an estimate of hours of use? Assuming you have been using high quality videotape, I wouldn't think the heads would wear out at less than 2,000 hours and would expect 3,000 or so.

Chris

i definitely have around 2500-3000 hrs on it, i used do a LOT of archiving before my recent problems.

i have the tape cleaner everyone around here was recommending when the 5U came out but that isn't working, would opening it up and cleaning it really be worth it? any pointers on what to use and how to go about doing this?

it is likely this is my problem if my recordings are littered with pixels (sometimes constant, sometimes every few seconds).

playback of older recordings and D-Theater is flawless....

Oleus, don't assume it's dirty heads. My 40k started exhibiting the same problems (recordings full of artifacts, macroblocking, and dropouts) when my TWC outlet recently sent out a new version of the SA3250 and SA8300 software. Since I can see the programming perfectly thru the 40k via firewire, but the recordings are crap, and every other recording I made before the software upgrade as well as all D-Theater tapes play perfectly, I'm convinced it's a new 5C problem or some other glitch in their new software package. Sounds exactly like your problem.

I've started a couple of threads about this, but haven't really gotten any response. Looks like D-VHS recording is dying, or at least a much smaller segment of the HT population here on AVS than it was just a year ago. I was hoping to build a "database" of people with similar problems as a way to try to find the reason or a solution, but I still don't know how many people this is affecting. The lack of response here has been depressing.

Please list your provider, your STB, and what software version they've installed. It would be nice to know if these problems of yours started with a recent upgrade, as mine did. In summery, it may not be your deck that's at fault. In fact, I'm of a belief that a great many problems people attribute to the mechanical build of the D-VHS decks are in actuality the fault of their cable company not getting the 5C flags set correctly.

archiguy -

you might be right, but in my area i have only heard of ABC and NBC having the incorrect "copy never" flag on, and if my memory serves me, last summer when my Comcast system (atlanta) accidentally had the 5c set to copy never for a month or so, it gave me an error message through the firewire, not recordings full of artifacts.

also the fact that when i record on the fuji svhs tapes (as opposed to the Fujis which used to work so good for me), i get relatively artifact free recordings. Whenever i use ANY kind of 150 or 160 min. tape it's unwatchable so that rules out any of the real dvhs tapes i used to use like JVC and Maxell.

With that kind of usage, it is certainly possible that the heads are worn out. Yes, removing the cover and cleaning does a better job of cleaning the heads than even the best cleaning tape. I also agree that most of the glitches I have seen are software or data related if the heads are clean assuming I am using good videotape. I have so many D-VHS VCRs that I haven't worn out the heads on one yet, although I suspect I am among the world's leaders in total D-VHS recording over the last 6 years.

The way I clean the heads internally is simple:

1. Unplug the VCR.
2. Remove the top cover.
3. Using a chamois with denatured or isopropyl alcohol (100% if possible) held against the head drum, I spin the head drum manually. Be careful as too much pressure holding the chamois can damage the heads. It is just a feel I have after years of doing this to get the right amount of pressure, but start with very light pressure. I would describe the pressure I use as minimal but too light won't clean thoroughly.

I will soon have 5 D-VHS VCRs connected again with two at my girlfriend's house. I am using a Comcast Motorolla DCT6412III, Samsung SIR-T165 (2), DirecTV Hughes HIRD-E86, and DirecTV RCA DTC-100. I am stuck with this goofy format and I used to clean the heads by removing the cover every hundred hours of use or so until I found the cleaning tapes that work pretty well. I have definitely seen glitches caused by dirty heads. I know it must sound funny but I get some kind of pleasure from keeping videotape out of landfills.

Chris

tempest790-
I tried this setup with my Moto cable box, JVC5U & Sony RDR900 DVD Recorder. I was unable to record HBO, MAX or SHO.(I was able to record INHD to DVD in 16:9) Is there any way around the copy protection?

Unfortunately, from what I've read on this forum and elsewhere, different cable companies (in different locations) flag the content. However, if you're outputing throught the analog component jacks, it shouldn't be copy protected. I was under the impression that component out couldn't be copy protected which is why content providers (mainly Hollywood) wanted to use HDMI with HDCP copy protection so they could protect their content.

If you cannot even record to your D-VHS deck, then it must be flagged to copy none. You may have to complain to your cable company about this. Most channels and shows arre usually set to copy once or copy freely.

tempest790-
I can record fine to the JVC via firewire, just not the Sony through the JVC's component output. It must be that it regards the setup as copying twice, even though it is just passing through the JVC. The Sony will record fine directly from the Moto box, but only letterboxed 480i.

Got my spankin new 5u unit. D-vhs tapes are expensive. Will buy Fuji svhs in future (still, costly little buggers). Thanks forum on svhs tip. Had to buy a 2 pin by 4 pin firewire cable. Try Ebay if you don't mind waiting a week - half the cost of "worst buy". Going with Radio Shack's VCR remote for timer recording since cable box or unit can't do timer record - also on Ebay. Again thanks forum on Shack tip. Using Time Warner Cable box 3250HD with HD package. Cable bill is $75/mo now that I have required HD cable box, and optional HD package - a must have option(ESPN,DISCOVERY,INHD1 & 2, HDNET/HDMOVIE). Only problem expericed with unit so far other than above, is when doing frequent pausing/recording/playing the video and audio often go out of sink. I find that a simple pause and play on the remote puts them back in sink.
These JVC 5u units rock. No clue why they never caught on. Sure you can DVR high def., but how you going to achive, especially copyprocted material. I can archive any fricken HD channel I my heart desires. Although I did hear that HD burner units with hard drives are available now in Japan. Cost is over $5000 though. So until they are priced for the masses, I am set.
As a new HD viewer I am pumped, and all the more so now that I can record frickin HD in all its spledor!!!!!!!!

HD FOOTBALL FANATIC

tempest790-
I can record fine to the JVC via firewire, just not the Sony through the JVC's component output. It must be that it regards the setup as copying twice, even though it is just passing through the JVC. The Sony will record fine directly from the Moto box, but only letterboxed 480i.

Oops, I think I know what it is. You need to turn off HDMI. There is a button on the front of your VCR that will shut it off. Component outputs are not activated when HDMI is on. Forgot about that. I learned that the hard way too. See if that works.

Oops, I think I know what it is. You need to turn off HDMI. There is a button on the front of your VCR that will shut it off. Component outputs are not activated when HDMI is on. Forgot about that. I learned that the hard way too. See if that works.
I gave it a try, but it still wont work. The letterboxed recordings still look pretty good.

tempest790-
I tried this setup with my Moto cable box, JVC5U & Sony RDR900 DVD Recorder. I was unable to record HBO, MAX or SHO.(I was able to record INHD to DVD in 16:9) Is there any way around the copy protection?


I am working on a similar config using a Moto 6200, an older JVC deck and a Sony RDRHX900. I can record ST and HBO in anamorphic widescreen to the HDD of the Sony but it will not record or dub to DVD; but it will do with a HD PBS channel. This is consistent with TWC having tuned on 5C copy-once on the the HD premiums in early August on my local cable system, when I lost firewire capture of HBO & ST, while the PBS still works. (The anamorphic recordings on the HDD look surprisingly good!)

My interpretation is that the JVC deck applies the semantics of the 5C flags it sees on its 1394 input, to its component video output - and yes, macrovision etc. have jammed a whole bunch of CP schemes into component video. Since the cable co itself does not CP its component video, I do not view this behavior of the JVC deck as legitimate.

One might look at this device: http://www.xdimax.com/grex/grex.html

I recorded US Women's Open final last night to the 5u. That Sharapova is awesome! :) Does anyone know if is possible to to move the tape recording to my computer?

I believe, if the recording isn't 5C protected, that if you have a Firewire port on your PC you can use CapDVHS to transfer the HD material from DVHS to your PC as a transport stream with no loss of quality. AIUI this is also possible on a Mac.

I've used CapDVHS to import HDV material (which is a similar structure) over Firewire - but DVHS isn't in widespread use in the UK so I've never done this with DVHS.

There is a sticky thread on this I believe?

My team, GB Packers, are 0-2. My 5U recordings are solid :) , but not many highlights unfortunately. I understand that I can dub the good parts to another d-vhs and not lose any picture quality since it is digital recording. Is this correct, and can I use the cheaper Mitsubitchi models for dubbing? Any thoughts, suggetions greatly appreciated.

Football Fanatic

5C protection might keep you from copying DVHS to DVHS. Depends how the flag is set.

But isn't all over-the-air HD taged copy freely? And does anyone know how time warner cable flags local programing?

But isn't all over-the-air HD taged copy freely? And does anyone know how time warner cable flags local programing?

OTA is copy freely and cable company should pass it that way. If they do not, then they are breaking the rules.

has anyone ever seen a issue where D-Theater tapes don't playback correctly on the 5u??, I have owned 5 of these things and have never seen this, a brand new 5u deck shows lines of pixels and flashing green blocks about every 30 seconds, the image never breaks up, sound never goes and it does it with ALL the tapes I have, random in nature and just a few flashing pixels here and there, I am a diehard D-Theater user and have never seen anything like this :confused:

I am guessing a simple alignment prodecure, so I have bought the service manual which should be available anytime now

-Gary

well, about a month ago my JVC 5U started getting breakups on any tape i used other than TDK SVKS pro tapes....as of this weekend it started on those tapes too, so i decided to take it to the local JVC service center in atlanta. i am hoping the repairs aren't too costly since they said these have to be serviced by their "pro equipment" technicians even though technically they aren't pro devices. The playback of any dvhs/svhs tapes i made prior to these problems is fine so i am assuming the record head is shot.

anyone have any repair history with JVC? are they pricey?

PS- i also took in an older 30K deck that randomly eats tapes, strangely enough the serial number popped up as still being under warranty; i bought it as an unused floor model for peanuts a few years ago from a local HT showroom. JVC does not sell extended plans but they comnfirmed with me twice that it is indeed still under warranty, unfortunately the transport issue with that deck would have been much cheaper (I think) than the apparent recording head issue with my 5U....

oleus

the folks at he local JVC service center were cool enough to cover my repairs under warranty service even though neither of my decks were still under warranty. now i get to check and see if they are actually fixed (nervous!)

oleus

ugh...the 30K is no longer eating tapes, but the 5U is definitely not fixed. bad breakups on any tape i try and record with except for SOME tdk svhs tapes. the guys at the JVC service center said they tested it with a dvhs tape after cleaning the heads but i tried 2 different new dvhs tapes and i am still getting bad breakups.

luckily the jvc service center is only a 20 min. drive from my house, but my guess is the service won't be free this time.....

I wish I had a local JVC service center :( that would be sweet

-Gary

I wish I had a local JVC service center :( that would be sweet

-Gary

well judging from the work on my "fixed" 5U, i might still be having to send this off somewhere else to get fixed.

they did fix the tape transport in my 30K but it's still constantly crashing my motorola DVR so firewire recording is basically impossible for me right now.

I believe, if the recording isn't 5C protected, that if you have a Firewire port on your PC you can use CapDVHS to transfer the HD material from DVHS to your PC as a transport stream with no loss of quality. AIUI this is also possible on a Mac.

I've used CapDVHS to import HDV material (which is a similar structure) over Firewire - but DVHS isn't in widespread use in the UK so I've never done this with DVHS.

Thanks, I got CapDvVHS to record my D-VHS tapes to hard drive. But windows media player would not play them. So read on another thread to try VLC Media Player which plays just about anything. Sure enough, they play. Just a heads up, to watch from hard drive you need a 2.8Ghz to watch without the jumpies. For slow motion the 3 settings(.5,.25, .125) do not cause 100% CPU usage. Nice for checking out football replays, and panty shots(you pervert). Now I can achieve my tapes to a big old 1/2 Teryabyte hard drive for permanent archive. Will have to upgrade my 1.8 Ghz box though. Time to start planing for a HTPC.

Chris Gerhard wrote:
> Assuming you have been using high quality videotape, I wouldn't think the heads would wear out at less than 2,000 hours and would expect 3,000 or so. <

Just an FYI, I have over 3,000 hours on one of my 7 D-VHS decks (a JVC-30K), and it's still going strong (it does need a lube job though, since something started squeeking a while back). Need to check the SM for lube procedures, since most of the stuff inside should be self-lubing (or sealed perma-lubed). Workhorse #2 only has 2,000 hours on it.

#3 has probably ~1,000 or less, and just last week stopped recording completely... though it still plays back fine (also a JVC-30K). I've run multiple cleaning passes with the good Sony cleaner, with no luck, so next step is disassembly for chamois cleaning. In the meantime, I just rotated another deck into its spot.

I've discovered more than once that a single microscopic speck of oxide lodged in the wrong place can result in a variety of playback and/or record anomalies. And that no one cleaning technique is always the most effective. Counterintuitively, I once found a case where the Sony cleaner cleared a clog that the laborious disassembly/manual cleaning failed to correct.

- Tim

wow you guys are insane, and i mean that in a good way.

my 30K is now recording like a champ after service and remembering how to facilitate the "handshake" between the deck and my motorola 6412 before recording.

i used both "high quality" and svhs tapes with my apparently broken 5U. the reason i didn't think the svhs tapes were "low quality" was because the recordings on the fuji and tdk svhs tapes i was using were almost always more reliable and consistently breakup-free than the dvhs tapes i was using (especially maxell dvhs). slowly, jvc dvhs became unreliable, then fuji svhs....it was like the brands were being picked off by my 5u.

we'll see what happens this week when i take my 5U back to the jvc service center for the second time in a week...

my 30K is now recording like a champ after service and remembering how to facilitate the "handshake" between the deck and my motorola 6412 before recording.

I just tried to make my first D-VHS recording from a 6412 at my girlfriend's house. Although the 5U recognized and decoded the signal, a brief recording got nothing I could play back. I didn't have time to try a second time, but will soon. What is the proper procedure to facilitate the handshake between a 6412 and JVC D-VHS VCR? I also have a 30K at her house now as well if that is preferrable.

Chris

I asked this in another thread, but has there been sufficient evidence to show that using SVHS tapes clogs or damages the heads moreso than using DVHS tapes? Reason asking is I'd like to keep these decks working as long as I can..


Highly considering getting rid of all my VCRs other than the DVHS ones. SVHS recording on these decks seems just as good as my high-end JVC SVHS decks. Sure I lose some features like flying erase head, multiple play speeds, audio scan, etc, but honestly I'll likely be sticking to digital recordings from now on for the most part.

Just a heads up, to watch captured HDTV from computer hard drive you need a 2.8Ghz to watch smooth video.

I just read that Windows OS computers need 2.4Ghz Pentium 4 to play 720 Progressive, and 2.8Ghz for 1080i. Consensus is Pentium is beter for HDTV - it plays smoother. My AMD 64 3000 plays but not watchable at full speed. Only option seems to run in Linux which has 1.8Ghz as minimum CPU power for AMDs. Now I may have to fart around with Linux, and no guarantee it plays smoother on my crappy video AMD machine. Back to the drawing board? Any sugestions appreciated......

Chris-
I used to have a 6412, but a software download fendered the firewire uncopyable on my 5U. When they came out with the 6416 phase III box with HDMI, it worked again for copy-once use. See if your girlfriend can swap for the 6416. Also, it could be a firewire cable issue. Try another, possible shorter cable.

I asked this in another thread, but has there been sufficient evidence to show that using SVHS tapes clogs or damages the heads moreso than using DVHS tapes? Reason asking is I'd like to keep these decks working as long as I can..


Highly considering getting rid of all my VCRs other than the DVHS ones. SVHS recording on these decks seems just as good as my high-end JVC SVHS decks. Sure I lose some features like flying erase head, multiple play speeds, audio scan, etc, but honestly I'll likely be sticking to digital recordings from now on for the most part.

I have been recording HD to SVHS tapes using my two 30K machines for over a year with no problems. I have not read anything that suggests that SVHS tapes clog the heads.