It sounds simple enough. Take one VCR and attach it to another VCR using RCA cables (Video Out to Video In, and Audio Out to Audio In).
I have two relatively new 4 Head hi-fi VCRs connected to copy television programs so that I can have my favorite TV shows collected on one tape. So there isn’t Macrovision or any stuff like that. I just want all my “Whose Line Is It Anyway” on one tape.
My problem is that when I tape from an original recorded in SP (2 hour) mode I get a really crappy copy. When I tape from an original recorded in EP (6 hour) mode I get an incredibly terrible copy. However as it copies I see a perfectly good image on the TV screen.
I know Go Video makes a dual deck VCR, but I already have enough VCRs and would like to make due with what I have.
Is there any way I can get a better copy of my television programs?
I don’t think there’s much you can do, except try using better cables (although that probably won’t help much).
You might try swapping the VCRs- try dubbing from TV->VCR A->VCR B, then try TV->VCR B->VCR A, and see if you notice a difference.
You can also play with the tracking on the first VCR to see if that helps when playing into the second VCR. You should monitor the second VCRs output when dubbing.
I use a nice video-enhancer made by Archer. It’s called Video Noise Sweeper. I don’t know if the company still exists, but I bought this one in Miami in 1992.
Just an FYI to Uniball’s post. Archer used to be a Radio Shack brand name (like Realistic and Tandy) which, I think, has been retired. Many “Archer” products still exist (… possibly the video enhancer… Idunno…) and are sold by Radio Shack – they just don’t carry the “Archer” label anymore.
As for the OP, in the professional video world you can make “composite” dubs (where all the color signals are carried from the play deck to the record deck via one cable) or “component” dubs (where each of the three colors gets its own cable). Component dubs are higher quality than composite.
I do not know if consumer-quality VHS decks allow you the “component” option, but if they do it might improve your results. Maybe another poster can weigh in with more/better information.
As I stated before I own two 4 head hi-fi VCRs, one Sony and one Panasonic.
I use the Panasonic for making my original television tapes and it is hooked up to my television set. My originals look and play great.
When I want to make a copy I hook up the Sony to the Panasonic and watch it through the television attached to the Panasonic. The picture looks great to me coming though.
If the A/V ports or cords were causing the problem, I shouldn’t see such a great picture.
If the record heads on the Panasonic were bad, I shouldn’t get great looking originals.
In doing some research on the web, there is plenty of talk about “generational loss” copying from tape to tape. Apparently VHS tapes are a lot like photocopies, as you make photocopies of photocopies they get progressively worse.
So the heads on the Panasonic appear to be OK, but what about those on the Sony? I assume that is the VCR that is recording the duplicate copy from the Panasonic VCR.
It’s not very hard to clean VCR heads. Just get some residue free alcohol (eg methanol), dab it on a lint-free cloth like a handkerchief, hold the cloth against the drum with the video heads, and rotate the drum gently while applying gentle pressure with the cloth. If the heads are dirty, you should see a thin line a oxide on your cloth.
If this still doesn’t help, then maybe your VCR is due for retirement…
The play heads may be clean but the record heads may be dirty. You see, there are more heads than you think.
“handkerchief”? No, I wouldn’t use one of those. Too many fibers could catch something. The best is denatured alcohol about 4 bucks a quart & a coffee filter or a business card.