Lately I've been doing some VHS digitizing. To get the best results one must start with the best picture, which means SVideo output for better color and time base corrector for better stability. There are half a dozen models of consumer-grade VHS VCRs that have built-in TBC, most of them by JVC. They are known, and their prices are high. Standalone TBCs are hard to come by and expensive.
I came across an industrial-use VCR, Mitsubishi HS-MD3000, which happens to have built-in TBC, yay! And it has SVHS! And it actually has SVHS-ET! And Hi-Fi! And jog dial and flying erase head, although I am not going to do any editing on tape. On the negative side, it plays only SP tapes. Oh, well. So, I got myself one. Here is
a short video with a couple of samples, if someone is interested.
