AntcuFaalb said:

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, everyone! The image I posted is from my first full-length capture test with PS78 and the Panasonic AG-1980.

I'm going to have to do the captures sans audio because VirtualDub's "Sync audio to video by resampling the audio to a faster or slower rate" resync mode doesn't work well with the ATI Theater HD 750 (it's well-documented) and I don't want to mess with the video by resampling it or adding/dropping frames. Don't worry -- I plan to capture the audio separately and sync it myself.

I've decided to use AviSynth's TooT() filter, so I'll have to do three captures. I'm going to post screenshots of the various settings involved (including a picture of the Panasonic AG-1980's front panel) tonight for everyone to critique. I think they're fine, but I'd like the experts here to chime-in.

Does anyone have any tips for setting the tracking on the Panasonic AG-1980?

The 1980 has pretty good automatic tracking, if the tape isn't giving you any problems, you shouldn't have to mess with it. I only ever had a couple tapes give me trouble over the years, and that was mostly keeping the Hi-Fi track from dropping out on poorly made pre-recorded cassettes.

If you are having tracking issues, repeatedly press the + or - buttons and see if the video gets better or worse, This will adjust the tracking in finer increments than simply holding the button down. Keep in mind ejecting the tape will reset the tracking from whatever "sweet spot" you find.