How Does The Quality Ratings Work?

[Flying Dutchman]

You have a scale of 1 through 10 for picture or video/audio and how does that scale work? I should think that a 1 would be a very lousy picture and sound on a video or dvd and so would a 2 or 3 or 4 but what # is very bad what # is bad What # is fair, so you get what im asking? in other words comlete the #s below for quality.

1=
2=
3=
4=
5=
6=
7=
8=
9=
10=

[Agent 13]

I've emailed you.

[jasoncole]

to avoid confusion i made up my own detailed quality guage that i give to anyone who is interested in my shows.i put a lot of thought into it but of course it is still only my opinion.

see below

10/10 perfect (absolute pristine picture,the sort of quality you get from digitally restored movies)

9/10 :very good (standard dvd quality picture that you would get taping a show from tv straight onto dvd in sp.or buying a retail dvd from a reputable manufacturer)

8/10 :good (top quality vhs picture clearly defined with little/no blurrring of the image ,columbia house etc)

7/10 :good/fair (good quality vhs picture the sort you get from dubbing top quality master tapes to sp copies.slight blurring

6/10 :fair (acceptable quality vhs ,picture can still be easily defined but with slightly more blurring.pic may experience the odd jump )

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Flying Dutchman

You have a scale of 1 through 10 for picture or video/audio and how does that scale work? I should think that a 1 would be a very lousy picture and sound on a video or dvd and so would a 2 or 3 or 4 but what # is very bad what # is bad What # is fair, so you get what im asking? in other words comlete the #s below for quality.

1=
2=
3=
4=
5=
6=
7=
8=
9=
10=

i rather used Grading than the numbers because we is really a 3 rating?-lol Seems Like It's better to give Picture Quality an A or A- or B, B+, B-.

[combsisthebest]

Originally Posted by RetroTVCollector

i rather used Grading than the numbers because we is really a 3 rating?-lol Seems Like It's better to give Picture Quality an A or A- or B, B+, B-.

I also use a letter grade rating.

[lazygrae]

The problem with letters and numbers is that it is all so subjective and what one person thinks looks great another person thinks is crap. Jason Cole's system is fine as he's specific, but not everyone follows that exact system or is that specific in the first place. Heck, some people grade the awful looking 7 disc Batman set an 8/10 (I'd say it's more like a 3-4/10). So instead of an opinion "grade" I prefer to just know the specifics: original source, generation, format and recording mode.

So "TV 0 DVD SP" tells me it was recorded off of tv direct to dvd at SP mode.
Or "16mm 2 VHS EP" tells me it came from a 2nd gen VHS film print copy at EP speed. etc.

This eliminates opinion and one knows exactly what to expect. Of course, it doesn't stop people from lying so even this method isn't foolproof. Any additional flaws (bad tracking, jumpiness etc.) can be specifically noted.

[combsisthebest]

Oh that's a really good idea lazygrae! I'll have to implement that one next time I update my tape trading page.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by lazygrae

The problem with letters and numbers is that it is all so subjective and what one person thinks looks great another person thinks is crap. Jason Cole's system is fine as he's specific, but not everyone follows that exact system or is that specific in the first place. Heck, some people grade the awful looking 7 disc Batman set an 8/10 (I'd say it's more like a 3-4/10). So instead of an opinion "grade" I prefer to just know the specifics: original source, generation, format and recording mode.

So "TV 0 DVD SP" tells me it was recorded off of tv direct to dvd at SP mode.
Or "16mm 2 VHS EP" tells me it came from a 2nd gen VHS film print copy at EP speed. etc.

This eliminates opinion and one knows exactly what to expect. Of course, it doesn't stop people from lying so even this method isn't foolproof. Any additional flaws (bad tracking, jumpiness etc.) can be specifically noted.

I was shocked that some traders didn't know what I meant when I say that a certain TV Show or Sporting Event is for "DIEHARDS ONLY"-lol

[padre]

Originally Posted by lazygrae

The problem with letters and numbers is that it is all so subjective and what one person thinks looks great another person thinks is crap. Jason Cole's system is fine as he's specific, but not everyone follows that exact system or is that specific in the first place. Heck, some people grade the awful looking 7 disc Batman set an 8/10 (I'd say it's more like a 3-4/10). So instead of an opinion "grade" I prefer to just know the specifics: original source, generation, format and recording mode.

So "TV 0 DVD SP" tells me it was recorded off of tv direct to dvd at SP mode.
Or "16mm 2 VHS EP" tells me it came from a 2nd gen VHS film print copy at EP speed. etc.

This eliminates opinion and one knows exactly what to expect. Of course, it doesn't stop people from lying so even this method isn't foolproof. Any additional flaws (bad tracking, jumpiness etc.) can be specifically noted.

But there's a problem with this type of rating system too - source. I record in very high quality because of my connection (svideo) to my satellite receiver. So when I record 3 hours worth to a single dvd, it's better quality than just saying "TV 0 DVD EP". That rating doesn't really give the person an idea of the true quality of the recording.

I've had people send me stuff recorded in SP mode that was crap. So SP, EP and others sometimes are meaningless.

[jasoncole]

there are also a couple of very important points to consider when you expect a copy to come out a certain way
here are some things that make a difference

1.6/4/2 head vcr's each one reads the picture information differently and will add a certain amount of signal boost to the video output.using a 6 head vcr i have found that i almost don't need a tbc!!

2.poor quality audio/video leads,the cheaper and thinner the cable the worse the result.using cheap cables for the audio output will induce noise into the cable to create bad hissing in the sound and for the video cable the picture will degrade more than it should.

3.the recording vcr needs to have a clean recording head,if this is a problem the picture/sound will be poor no matter how good the playing vcr!!

this is really only true of vcr's although dvd players can experience point number 2

[BeefyBoyGod]

I'd call a 10 rating the picture quality a show has when/if it was released on video. What with different shows having a different look, and alot from the 1980s being shot on video to begin with, I'd say that's accurate.

3.the recording vcr needs to have a clean recording head,if this is a problem the picture/sound will be poor no matter how good the playing vcr!!

It's also very important to test the recorded tape on another VCR to see that there are no added problems like tracking or sound glitches, because 9 times out of 10 the recorded tape will playback fine on the VCR it came from, but not on others. If this is an issue, then the Heads on the recording VCR are most likely damaged. I've only found this an issue on Stereo VCRs, so it seems to have something to do with the Hi-Fi audio track.

[Agent 13]

Originally Posted by BeefyBoyGod

It's also very important to test the recorded tape on another VCR to see that there are no added problems like tracking or sound glitches, because 9 times out of 10 the recorded tape will playback fine on the VCR it came from, but not on others.

DVD trading is such a relief, compared to video trading. It gets tiring rotating VCRs to find the right machine for the job, whether the tapes are slp or even sp.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Agent 13

DVD trading is such a relief, compared to video trading. It gets tiring rotating VCRs to find the right machine for the job, whether the tapes are slp or even sp.

I'm sure when u were a VHS trader that never bothered you. But We get it Jen, you love being a DVD Trader-lol

[Agent 13]

Originally Posted by RetroTVCollector

I'm sure when u were a VHS trader that never bothered you. But We get it Jen, you love being a DVD Trader-lol

On the contrary...It always pesters me to have to rotate VCRs nonstop. I do it every day as I'm constantly transferrring videos to DVD.

[lazygrae]

But there's a problem with this type of rating system too - source. I record in very high quality because of my connection (svideo) to my satellite receiver.

I think you misunderstand "source", as the equipment one uses does not factor into this at all. It's just a way of designating what the source material was to get a general idea about the quality to begin with, that's all. For instance, it's safe to assume that a master 16mm film transfer VHS will not look as good as an officially released VHS under any circumstances and that neither of those would look as good as a retail DVD. As an added bonus, if you collect older shows that haven't aired for a long time, "source" also serves, potentially, as a designation as to whether the show is uncut or not.

So when I record 3 hours worth to a single dvd, it's better quality than just saying "TV 0 DVD EP"

.
You can always define "TV" as meaning "digital satellite via SVHS cords". Or there's no rule that says you can't create a 5th field of info and add "SVHS Cables" as extra info into your grade if you feel it is important. It's flexible, so add as much non-subjective info as you like - it all helps.

The subjectiveness of this "better quality" comment is exactly what this grading system eliminates. It sounds like you are of the opinion that such a video looks really good (when you record it at least) and so maybe you give it a 9/10 on a grading scale. There are other people who are of the opinion that all EP mode DVDs look lousy. So what does a 9/10 tell them? Nothing. What does "TV 0 DVD EP" tell them? All they need to know. Moreover, it does so without turning off anyone who would be happy to get an EP mode dvd (since you can't improve upon off-air quality assuming the broadcast is clean).

I've had people send me stuff recorded in SP mode that was crap. So SP, EP and others sometimes are meaningless.

Generated SP stuff can look worse than low-gen EP stuff, true. But if you split your tv signal (or any source) into two machines and record one at SP and one at EP the SP one will win out everytime. Luckily, "generation" is incorporated into the grading system and taken together, I'd say that the SP/EP info becomes very meaningful.