Why no built-in TBC in 1980+ VCRs?

[kf4rca]

The first one I ever saw was a CVS-504. It used digitally switched glass delay lines. It had 2 modes of operation-direct and heterodyne. The heterodyne mode looked awful but the direct mode looked pretty good. CVS won an emmy for it!
Stations loved them. They were able to get out from the expensive yoke of quadraplex.
The one I really liked was the DPS Phaser 1 (and later Phaser 2). It was made by Digital Phaser Systems out of Toronto who was later bought by Scientific Atlanta.
It would take any old crappy signal and make it broadcast-able. I remember live shots, that were falling apart, and we put them on the air.
It would make chicken salad out of chicken$#!+.

[DVtyro]

Originally Posted by kf4rca

The first one I ever saw was a CVS-504. It used digitally switched glass delay lines. It had 2 modes of operation-direct and heterodyne. The heterodyne mode looked awful but the direct mode looked pretty good. CVS won an emmy for it! Stations loved them. They were able to get out from the expensive yoke of quadraplex.

What do you mean by "direct mode"? AFAIK, 2-inch had their own built-in mini-TBC, controlled with knobs and dials.

I thought that fixing crappy Umatic (heterodyne color) and earlier B/W portapaks (no color, so cannot be called heterodyne, can they?) was the primary reason for TBC. If Umatic looked awful, how CVS could win an Emmy for it? Could you clarify, please.