[lordsmurf]

It's always interesting what a Google Alerts will find.

To further the content of this conversation, I think this recent post about the definition of timebase correctors is a must-read for you:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/show...=9889#post9889

Just some general comments to things I read above...

• Videohelp does have professionals, although few of them advertise it, for various reasons. But, alas, yes, it is heavily loaded down with "vid kiddies" that want to copy and download only, having no creative interests.
  
• Many JVC S-VHS machines are considered late-gen pro decks, aimed at freelance and digital-age needs, rather than 1980s style rack-mounted analog workflows. These are not "consumers VCRs" to be lumped in with a $50 Quasar from Kmart.
  
• If this is your hobby, then spend $500 on it to make a good product for yourself, and others that you share it with. DVDs with tracking errors, shimmering red/blue chroma noise, and hissy audio is sad. That can all be fixed with just a little bit of effort. It's still cheaper than a lot of other hobbies, be it cars or comic books.
  
• Early series JVC DVD recorders are not "bottom barrel" consumer items, being higher-end prosumer items available only from choice outlets like B&H, Fry's, J&R, Crutchfield, etc. These were not from Walmart or Best Buy, like so many crappy Panasonic machines. The machines use an LSI Logic chipset, and various LSI chipsets are used all the way up to high end broadcast workstations. Several pro JVC models used these chipsets, too, before LSI was acquired, and JVC ended their own DVD lines.
  
• ADVC300 filters are well known for excess filtering, often inducing posterizing (color palette compression), temporal blended (ghosts) and other artifacts. The Panasonic ES10 exhibits similar problems when it's rudimentary DNR is turned on.
  
• I've seen $20 USB capture cards from a grocery store outperform a $1,000+ pro Matrox card. Why? The codecs, chipsets and designs. There's more to video gear than brand, age or cost. Do not mistakenly think a device bought in 2010 will outperform a device from 2000, just because of age. If anything, gear from 2006-2010 is very inferior to some of the items available in 1995-2005.
  
• Most DVD recorders record at 720x480, even when it's a stupid idea. For example, Panasonic machines (ES10 is one!) in 4-hour mode, where the image is almost Lego-like because of the blocks. The best ones drop to Half D1, which is still higher res than VHS, when the compression starts to ramp up.

I do see a lot of good video gear and software (and methods) being talked about here. It's a nice little debate you have going on.
Don't see much talk about audio mixers and processor boards, though.

Take care.