I'd recomend a Panasonic DVCPro. Relatively cheap ($3500 for one at B&H Photo Video), realy high quality, can play (only) back DV & MiniDV tapes, recprd/playback DVCPro tapes. Come in MiniDVCPro and L (large) cassets. Anywhere from 30min tapes to 3 hours (largest I've seen personaly is 2).

Downside is if you want IEE 1394 connection you need to buy the addon board.

They also make DVCPro HD stuff, DVCPro camera's, etc.

I like them very much.

DSR-11 or DVCPro like mentioned previously. Really depends on your needs (ie, playback, mastering, format preference) - DVC Pro decks play everything back.. mini-dv, dv and DVCam and personally I prefer DVCPro as a mastering format.

DSR-11 is about $1500 right now, AJ-D230H or D250 will run $3k+ and you'll need an optional dv card for firewire.. I've got an AJ-D230 and love it..

Also have a JVC BR-DV300U - Panny sells it also as the DV2500 - have some problems with sony mini-dv playback and 24p recognition....

Mike

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There is only one HDV deck available that I know of, JVC and it is $2000.00. And I am not sure if it is backward compatible.

JJK

Panasonic DV2500 is the JVC BR-DV3000 - same deck - even with the Panasonic name attached, it's a deck built by JVC. Last JVC product I care to own.

Mike

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If you don't need large tape format capacity, I'm pretty happy with my Panasonic AG-DV1000. Plays DVCAM, and plays and records mini-DV. It has a number of nice features, like two complete set of outputs (including 2 S-Video outs), front panel audio meters and timecode readout.
It also does "on-the-fly" analog to DV conversion over firewire, eliminating the need for a converter.

I've had it for three years now, and it rarely gives me any trouble. Twice I've too hastily inserted a tape, and had it jam. In both cases, I was able to remove the cover and manually eject the tape with no ill effects. Now, I'm much more careful about inserting a tape, and all is well.

Unfortunately, I believe Panasonic discontinued it, but you may be able to find some clearance or used ones around. And, of course, if you need large tape shell compatibility, this won't do the job.

I didn't know the AG-DV2500 and the JVC deck were the same. Our community access cable station has the JVC model, and have had nothing but problems with it. It seems (barely) functional if you feed it nothing but Sony brand tapes, but has fits of dropouts and jams if it even occasionally sees a Panny, TDK, Fuji or other brands.

>>>It seems that the JVC SR-VS30U could be a less expensive option that could be purchase instead of purchasing and A/D converter (i.e. Canopus ADVC or ADS Pyro), DV Deck and VHS Deck seperately.

What do you think?<<<

It is a great deck. Works fine with Vegas. It will play back DVCam (the miniDV sized tapes only), read Time Code, make S-VHS dubs onto normal VHS stock and allows pass through either from firewire to VHS or from VHS to firewire. (In other words you don't need to dub off to MiniDV first you can just go direct from Vegas to VHS/S-VHS via firewire or you can go direct from VHS to Vegas via firewire.)