Dscaler audio capture settings?

[tpaxadpom]

Hello,

I am trying to use BT878 based video card to capture VHS. I am trying to maximize video/audio quality so Dscaler appears to be the right ticket as it is the only way I was able to capture 720x480 at 30Hz (I am in US). Though I have ran into a problem with Scaler when it comes down to audio settings. I have tried onboard audio card as well as external audio card (Emu 0404 USB) and the audio is always captured as 16 bit 44.1kHz. I cannot find a way to change audio to 48kHz sample rate so that audio and video are perfectly in sync (16 bit is enough, don't need 24 bit for VHS). No matter what I pick as default recording configuration in windows audio mixer it makes no difference. I am using Windows 7 32bit OS. The help would be greatly appreciated.

[lordsmurf]

Welcome.

Which exact capture card?
BT8x8 is/was a terrible card overall, but especially from some brands.

Location = USA, check. So NTSC, correct?

What exact audio card? Note that most Creative/SoundBlaster are pretty terrible for capturing. Fine for video games, horrible for video timing. Also very tinny in general, no depth, regardless of bits.

USB audio cards never work for capture. And that card is a Creative. No, it doesn't matter than the card is "professional", it's not professional for using in a video workflow. It may not go beyond 44.1kHz, either at all, or under certain scenarios.

All of your capture/audio card problems could be resolved with a specific USB capture card for under $150.

Why did you settle on this setup? Are you attempting to scrounge gear? If so, realize that never works well, or at all.

That also begs the question: What are you using for VCR? TBCs? Because random VCRs, no TBCs, will give random (bad) quality conversion. The incoming signal to the capture card matters, so even the best capture cards cannot be fed a bad/junk/crap signal.

Capturing shouldn't be, doesn't have to be, this hard. Proper gear is all that is required for capture/ingest to not be a PITA.

[themaster1]

Last time a tried Dscaler that was on Xp like 10 years ago. I used to like it as far as viewing (best deinterlacing algo) but for capping it was very buggy, hence my move to VirtualVCR a.k.a The real deal

[tpaxadpom]

Thank you lordsmurf.

DScaler detects the card as AVerMedia TVPhone 98. I think it has a different name, but I don't want to take it out. I believe it had 205 in its name. It is definitely from AverMedia and came with remote control and FM support. I am in USA so the tuner was likely supporting NTSC only.

I don't like the playback quality of Creative EMU 0404 USB, but it is a very decent sound card even by today's standards in terms of signal to noise ratio/distortions. I was going to use the onboard C-Media AC97 but ran into this 16 bit 44.1kHz configuration issue. I have set it to 16 bit 48kHz in the sound settings but it made no difference. So pulled EMU 0404 and used it instead. Emu supports 24 bit with up to 192kHz. With 16 bit for some strange reason in Windows settings I can only pick 88.2kHz and higher sample rates but with 24 bit any sample rate can be chosen. The only place in Scaler I was able to find sample rate is if I go to: Recording/Options/Compression Options. It shows 44100Hz, 16-bits, stereo and Configure button is greyed out regardless of which card I select. EMU has no problem recording 24/192k with other programs. It is something with DScaler configuration that I need to figure out.

I am using JVC HR-VP720U. I have 3 VCRs now but only 1 is functional. I don't have S-VHS or D-VHS machine. I need to read about TBC. First time I saw this term is in this very forum.

In the meantime I keep on digitizing my old tapes (family videos). The next stage is to deinterlace video. I have been experimenting with various configurations in Topaz. Iris MQ seems in manual mode seem to work quite well deinterlacing video. Deon was awful. Handbrake tool with standard deinterlacer was low quality as well. Read about QTGMC but it is not available in Topaz.
Thank you for your help guys.

[tpaxadpom]

Update: tried to install AVerMedia card into more modern PC. Waste of time as I couldn't find windows 64bit drivers for it. If my captures have problems with this PC will have to create windows 7 to go 32bit and boot off external drive. Really not looking into that...

[tpaxadpom]

I forgot to answer the questions. I do have a few VHS tapes that I am trying to convert. I don't want to invest in buying new HW and simply trying to get the most from what I have available (no much lol). Those tapes are important but not important enough to do serious investment. Unfortunately some of them were recorded on slow speed and now cannot be played without serious artifacts. I should have started with my DV captures since a lot of content was duplicated on VHS. I bought JVC DV1 in 1998 and the quality of the video is pretty decent. The one video I am working with was recorded on VHS in 1997 in PAL format. I transferred it to NTSC later on (wonder if I still have the original tape).

I have read more on the subject (not audio sample rate) and learn a few things. Saw lordsmurf comments about topaz Topaz is on the back burner now. I will experiment with different models later on but noticed a lot of artifacts on the closeup evaluation with some settings I have tried.
I have Hybrid installed now and am deinterlacing with QTGMC. I am cropping the image to 704x480 and saving it as h264. Perhaps I should have stayed with lossless codec, but didn't see how to choose QTGMC with one of the lossles codecs I have tried. I have used HuffYUV codec with DScaler but it doesn't seemed like it have set 4:3 aspect ratio in the metadata. Capturing with uncompressed didn't have this problem. A lot to learn on my end and perhaps I will find a quiet with some generic steps outline (work sequence). My goal is to digitize the tapes, deinterlace, resolve aspect ratio situation and then experiment with noise filters and potentially some sharpening. Not sure if upscaling is necessary.