Unusual Signal

[mrbl]

I've been successfully using the ADVC-110 to back up my VHSs not available on DVD, going into my mac laptop. I hit one tape which has an unusual signal: once EVERY second (all through the tape), the RH 20% of the frame gets transferred to LH side of the next frame, and between the two (the shifted 20% and the existing 70% of the next frame) there is a vertical spike, rainbow colored. The disruption lasts for one frame.

This is independent of whether the signal gets run through a signal stabilizer, whether the FW line runs through a FW hub, or whether the ADVC-110 and the signal stabilizer are separated physically from the VCR (or sitting on top of it). In a straight playback situation (VCR to TV monitor), the tape plays beautifully.

I checked with the vendor of the sig stabilizer, and he hadn't run into anything like this. I've been through all 18 pages of this forum, and didn't see anything either. But I thought I'd ask.

mrbl

[GrassValley_BH]

Looks like the chroma signal is getting whacked out of sync.

It might be some kind of unusual form of copy-protection, but I've never seen something like this (aside from recordings made over another recording) before.

Does your VHS deck has both Composite and S-Video output? If so, try switching the signal type.

[mrbl]

Looks like the chroma signal is getting whacked out of sync.

It might be some kind of unusual form of copy-protection, but I've never seen something like this (aside from recordings made over another recording) before.

I was assuming it was copy-protection, why else would the playback to a monitor be completely clean, and what's generating this spike every second, like clockwork?

Does your VHS deck has both Composite and S-Video output? If so, try switching the signal type.

I've got two VCRs, both Panasonics, ~8-10 years old. Besides RCAs, they both have composite and the two other boxes (Canopus and the stabilizer) have S- Video as the alternative. No handshake there.

All dip-switches under the Canopus are on except for #5. (We're talking USA, here.)

I did come across someone in a Zappa fan forum who mentioned transferring from VHS-.dv, and I can't imagine an obscure little title like this having a second edition to which more sophsticated c-p was added.

Thanks for your reply. I'm still pluggin' away on this one ('though I'm not that much of a fan that I'd manually drop one .dv frame every second for 93 minutes).

mrbl

[GrassValley_BH]

Since you have two VCRs, try running the signal from the source VCR through the second VCR, then to the ADVC. Sometimes this works to clean up signals that are slightly off.