[XFactor]

Although there is an official thread that documents some of the finer points of the 169time system, I have some rather basis questions that -- if they are answered in that thread -- escape me. Hopefully any response to these questions will help myself and others who are interested in purchasing this system. I expect to purchase this system within a day or so (once my PayPal account is 'verified').


MY CURRENT/PLANNED SETUP:


System 1 (playback only): JVC 30000u, Sony HD-100


System 2 (recording): ProScan 105 + AVX-1, Mitsubishi D-VHS



QUESTIONS:


1. I am planning on purchasing either the Mitsubishi 1100 or 2000. Are both of these decks compatible with the 169time setup?


2. Will I have any compatibility issues when recording on a Mitsubishi deck and playing back on a JVC? This JVC will NOT be running through the ProScan STB, so it will be using the JVC decoder and outputting to the monitor on System 1 via component cables.


3. My monitor on System 2 has only 1 component input. Should I buy the transcoder for the ProScan STB and playback tapes through the firewire input on the ProScan?


4. The monitor on System 2 is actually a 17" widescreen computer monitor (Sony model) made to accept HD signals. As such, it has an input so it can be used as an external computer monitor. Will the ProScan output directly into this input? If so, is there a 3-way switchers for these types of inputs so I could have the monitor, the STB, and the AVX-1 all connected to this monitor and just switch the one that outputs to the monitor? Would picture loss be a concern?


5. There is some talk about keeping the deck separated from other components in the 169 time system. Is this still a concern with the new firmware update? It would be easier for me to keep the AVX-1 separate from all the other components than have the D-VHS deck. Is this likely to cause a problem?


Sorry for the questions, but I imagine these are concerns other 'newbies' to the 169time system may have.

 

[h2ofun]

1). As you have read, they work but not as clean as the JVC's.


2). I havent heard of any but others who have both will have to comment.


3). No idea


4). Dont know


5). No longer a distance concern with B3. I had the computer sitting on top of the dtc100. No issue.


Dave

 

[Kirby Baker]

2) I record from a JVC and playback on a Mits 2000. If you have the ability, I would do it this way, as the JVC is much easier to record with than the Mits.


4) I imagine you could use a high quality PC KVM switch to switch between the different display sources onto the monitor. Make sure you use high quality video cables though, as some KVM's come with cruddy cables that cant handle high bandwidth and you will experience double images among other problems.

 

[PVR]

Using the JVC for playback makes some sense as the JVC has a built in HD MPEG2 decoder and the mits does not.


Keep in mind that the Proscan/DTC100 has only RGB HD output, the JVC has only component HD output, and the Mitsubishi has no HD ouput (just the IEEE1394 signal).


Your 17" Sony computer monitor... Is that the LCD panel? If so - does it have component inputs?


I am not 100% that this configuration would work, but it might be something to consider:


Hook the 17" monitor to the Proscan for HD viewing.

Hook the Proscan/169time IEEE1394#1 to the Mitsu to be used as the playback deck.

Hook the Proscan/169time IEEE1394#2 to the JVC to be used as the recording deck.

Hook the AVX-1 to the other port on the JVC.


The mitsu is nice as a playback deck because it doesn't have any of the playback reliability issues (that plague the JVCs) and it does FF/RW much faster.


The one downside to this configuration would be that you can't play D-Theater encrypted tapes on the Mitsu. Do you plan to watch D-Theater tapes?

 

[PVR]

A Samsung T-165 connected to the Mits would also increase your options.

 

[XFactor]

Thanks for the advice. I had been ready to purchase the Mitsubishi 1100, but based on the comments I here I will hold off on purchasing a 2nd unit until the new JVC or Marantz is available and the compatibility is known.