Reliable miniDV Deck

This review is rather late, as we have used these decks for a couple of years where I work. We have four of these decks and use them for a variety of uses.

We have used this deck as a feeder for non-linear editing systems. They work well with Adobe Premiere 6.5, but are not as reliable when used with Avid XpressDV. The solution to making it work with Avid is to have the unit on and plugged into the computer BEFORE booting the computer or starting Avid.

The response time of the deck is a little slow compared to other miniDV Video Tape Recorders (VTRs).

These decks have also been used in a linear editing system as a feeder deck. They have over 6000 hours of operating time and over 1000 hours tape travel. And they are still working without any problems.

The biggest problem we have encountered with these decks is head clogs. There is an internal head cleaner that touches the heads, but it gets dirty and can actually deposit material. The fix for a clogged head (the deck warns you when this happens) is to insert a special tape that cleans the head. This always fixes the problem, but sometimes the tape head cleaner must be replaced with a new one.

The best tape stock for this deck is Panasonic's miniDV tape. JVC tape is not as high of quality and Sony tape will clog the head every time. I have not tested Fuji or other tapes with these decks. Only minDV tape can be used (not DVCPro or DVCAM) and it must be recorded in SP, not LP. There is a work-around with tape recorded in LP, but it is not easy.

There are only two RCA audio connectors for the input and two for the output. So if using the analog I/O, you can only use two tracks. If you are going DV (one four-pin connector on the back), then video, four or two track audio, plus time-code will be transmitted over the IEEE 1394 cable.

The deck can accept time code in, but make sure the signal is not above 2 volts (peak to peak) or the incoming analog video signal will distort. If the time code signal is too hot, use a BNC "T" and add a 75 ohm terminator to bring the signal down.

The deck has YRB (analog component) video in and out and has a selector in the front for the type of video coming in.

The deck has a great display on the front that gives all the data inclucing audio levels and time code.

The recorded video quality and playback is excellant and matches all but the best DV type recorders.

This deck has a separate genlock video input, but the timing is not adjustable.

To compare, we also have Sony's DSR-45 DVCAM deck. The JVC deck matches in performance plus has some advantages. The only disadvantages to the JVC compared to the Sony are allowing only miniDV tape, only two analog audio tracks, and lack of built in video monitor.

We have had excellent results with our four JVC BR-DV600UA miniDV tape decks.