AMD Athlon 1.1 gig
768 RAM
Windows XP Pro, SP-2
ATI aiw 8500DV w/ MMC 8.9 (what a #*@ to install)
Creative SB Live
Plextor DVDR PX-708A
JVC S-VHS 9911U
----------------------------------------------------
ATI DIGITAL RECORDER SETTINGS (for VHS transfers):
353x480 MPEG-2 NTSC
Encoded interlaced
# of P frames = 2
# of B frames = 2
Closed group of pictures
Variable bit rate = 3.5 MB/S
Target bit rate = 3.42 MB/S
Motion estimation quality = 99
Audio = 256K, 48Hz, 16 bit Stereo
Video soap = NONE
Max file size = Windows max.
The following are NOT activated:
* High resolution display during recording
* Inverse 3.2 pulldown
* Record cropped video
-----------------------------------------------------
JVC S-VHS SETTINGS:
Video Calibration = ON
Picture Control = AUTO
Digital R3 = ON
Video Stabilizer = OFF
TBC/NR = ON
Using S-VHS connectior to ATI card.
================================================== ======

I have studied your many guides as well as member's questions in the Forum and have found them to be an invaluable source of information and help... especially when it comes to ATI cards.

THANKS!

Here is my initial question:

I am experiencing a slight jitter and occasional choppy motion when transfering older (vintage 1990) commercial standard VHS, non-Macrovision movies that I own using the hardware settings outlined above. These are not worn out rental copies and have been reasonably well maintained although, obviously, some edge damage may have occured. I exit from all programs that may be running in the background prior to beginning a transfer.

I monitor the VHS source material on a separate TV at the same time as I am viewing the ATI medium sized preview window (prior to actually starting saving to hard disk.) The image I see on the TV display does not show ANY of the problems I see in ATI preview window. The ATI preview window seems to magnify and exagerate any flaws that may be present in the source material. This problem occurs in both composite and S-video connections from the VCR to the ATI card.

I might tend to blame my less powerful 1.1 gig Athlon CPU... if it weren't for the fact that the problem only occurs with older VHS tapes.

I have played around with alternate settings on the JVC S-VHS machine (purchased after reading articles on your site) but get tearing unless TBC/NR is used.

Would you please review my ATI and S-VHS settings and suggest any changes you might think helpful?

Thanks again for sharing your experience.






- Triassical

Are the tapes physically damaged in any way? Peel back to plastic guard gate (use switch on side) and see how the tape looks. Any imperfections cause severe harm.

All digital equipment picks up analog signals in a different way than a tv set. It is more sensitive because digital is an exercise in precision, while analog was an exercise in controlled chaos. Imperfections in sync and timing are especially problematic, which is why full-frame TBCs (time-base correctors) are so needed.

The JVC is not a 100% perfect VCR. No VCR is. You may want to try another "less powerful" machine on these tapes. I have a SHARP VHS VCR for this very reason. See how it works. If you need a stable signal, but want the JVC audio and video filter, and the non-JVC plays the tape okay to the JVC, then copy the tape VHS to VHS. Then feed the copy from the JVC to the ATI card. I've done this 2-3 times in the years.

And finally, be sure what you see is not just overscan data.

I do not observe any physical damage or imperfections to the older tapes in question. In fact, they are pristine (at least to the naked eye.) They have been stored vertically in plastic cases in a cool, dry environment.

I previously tried using three other VHS machines to see if they produced jiggle-free images to no avail. That's when I decided to purchase the JVC 9911. To its advantage, the JVC TBC/NR does resolve the problem I was having with horizontal tearing at the top of the frame (which was not overscan data.)

Our train of thought is similar in that I had already test copied a problem tape VHS to VHS. It corrected the jiggling/choppy image but the resulting 2nd generation copy was not as clear as I desired. However, I agree this may be my only alternative, short of purchasing a full-frame TBC.

Is there a possibility that my current use of MCC 8.9 versus your preference of MMC 8.7 could make any difference?
- Triassical

The MMC will likely make no difference.

As far as the sharpness/clarity of an image, this is where detailers come in useful (Sign Video DR-1000 for example). Of course, it also costs about $300. There is no real way to enhance detail in software, not very well at least.