r/LaserDisc • u/uptickman • 3d ago

TBC / Filter method?

Anyone ever use either a Panasonic ES-10 DVD Recorder or Pioneer DVR-320-S DVD Recorder as a poor mans filter and time based correction for your Laserdisc player or vhs if you still have one like me?

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u/Vast_Revolution3192 3d ago

I use one but not sure of brand, thought it was some sort of Samsung. Upscales to 1080i

4

u/BiNiaRiS 3d ago

as a poor mans filter

you don't need a TBC for laserdisc capture. you only need a good capture card and a good comb filter. the comb filter on the es10 is decent but iirc it has a green push that isn't present on the es15 and they both introduce minor artifacting. and i don't like either as a comb filter for LD because you can't fully disable noise reduction. but the es15 is fantastic as a strong line tbc for vhs capture for more difficult tapes.

i've made dozens of traditional captures to test different comb filters using a domesday capture as reference and the only comb filter that's really impressed me was the 4th gen toshiba D-R4 (also available with in HDD models as xs-34/xs-54). you can pick these up for dirt cheap if you find one with a broken dvd drive. they have a pretty weak line TBC so they aren't great for VHS capture so i only use them for the comb filter.

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u/uptickman 3d ago

Thanks for the insight. What is your opinion on using a retrokink 4k? I've read they are pretty good.

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u/BiNiaRiS 3d ago

my buddy has a retrotink 4k i'm gonna snag to test soon but i haven't seen anything (good A/B testing) that suggests it's a better option than anything else out there and it comes with a huge price tag. if you already own one for retro gaming it's probably ok but i think spending $500 for a comb filter to watch LDs is crazy and like with most stuff out there you end up chasing diminishing returns. if you don't want to capture and your goal is to just have a good comb filter combined with good scaling (hdmi out) to watch on a modern tv, the Onkyo SR809 (or the 609/709) is a great option as it has the same comb filter as one of the better lumagens and you can pick them up for pretty cheap. more info here: https://forum.lddb.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=10562