Beta equivalent to a Panasonic AG 1980?
 

so I need a good Beta for digitizing some tapes I have, I was told when looking for a VHS machine of pro quality, you should get a Panasonic AG 1980 and not any of the other AG models because they are "too good" for homemade tapes and store bought pre recorded tapes.

So whats the Beta equivalent? I'm looking for a pro or prosumer as they say Beta machine, whats the best model to get?

thanks!

Can't weigh in on your Beta issue, but re: AG - series Panasonic decks...

The main issue with decks like the AG-7750 is that they are SP-only, and won't play LP or SLP tapes. They have really nice TBCs, but those can't fix the speed problem.

There are a few beta decks to mention - Sony. If you want industrial, look up models SLO-1800 and GCS-50. These are SuperBetaHiFi units however the tape speeds available vary. The SLO-1800 plays all three speeds, but I think only records BII. GCS-50 is basically an industrial version of the SLHF-1000, it plays three speeds, records in BII but "can" be set to BI record. There is an ED-Betamax EDW-30F too. Beware industrial decks could have seen some long hard use. On the consumer side, my personal favourite is the SLHF-1000 but good examples are expensive ($600-1000) , but they are still worth servicing if need be. The Japanese equivalent is SLHF-3000. Or look up SLHF-750, SLHF-900, SLHF-2100 (very expensive), and ED-betamax EDV-9300/9500/7300/7500 . These were all top-the-line in their day but are getting on in age, though there are some good ones out there still. When working properly they are all excellent decks.

Max