Find capture card to sync VHS audio properly?

[808socialmedia]

But the most important thing is the audio sync. The whole point of my research is to find a capture card that will sync the audio from VHS properly without slipping. I'm sure you're familiar with the issue. He will be using a VCR and windows 10.

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[lordsmurf]

Audio sync issues are almost always related to dropped frames, due to lack of TBC.

Or the computer
- trying to multitask
- allowing OS to "do stuff" in background like Win10 OS updates
- leaving computer connected online during capture

Or using the wrong capture software, wrong settings, trying to compress video at capture time (rather than after capturing lossless, encode to H.264/MPEG/whatever).

A good capture card is important, and can help to maintain sync. But the card alone isn't the fault that causes audio sync issues.

[808socialmedia]

Well crap. I don't know - if the card won't solve the issue then I dont know. Heard good things about the ATI but I also see SO MANY POSTS on the internet complaining about audio sync with every setup known to man. People say TBC may not fix it. I've heard that Grass Valley Canopus won't get out of sync. I just can't justify buying a fairly expensive clone that I can't return if it doesn't eliminate sync issues. Need to do more research. Thanks, sorry to take your time.

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 808socialmedia

Well crap. I don't know - if the card won't solve the issue then I dont know. Heard good things about the ATI but I also see SO MANY POSTS on the internet complaining about audio sync with every setup known to man.

This is because too many people try to plug a ratty old POS consumer VHS VCR into a cheapo capture card, and expect it to output magical video quality.

VHS conversion has an easy recipe: VCR > TBC > capture card
Not just any VCR/TBC/card, but items known for quality.
Ideally JVC S-VHS deck with line TBC > external DataVideo/Cypress type TBC > ATI/clone capture cards

There are budget items that can be used in certain configurations, with some sources -- ES10/15, DVK, non-TBC JVC S-VHS, certain VHS decks, etc -- but every shortcut is a quality hit. Too many shortcuts, and you can't even capture correctly, ie audio sync issues.

TBC is not optional, but required. Some form is TBC is required, the end.

Quote:

People say TBC may not fix it.

"people" are stupid, a person is (or can be) smart.

bad TBC = doesn't work, and can actually induce dropped/inserted frames
good TBC = works, prevents dropped frames, thus preventing audio sync issues

But again, the computer (hardware conflicts), OS, settings, and even user error can be at fault. You can drop frames even with the best DataVideo TBCs, if not doing video properly.

Quote:

I've heard that Grass Valley Canopus won't get out of sync.

Nonsense. The Canopus DV boxes are not magic, and can just as easily drop frames. Lots of myth surrounding those, the users are suckered by old Canopus marketing from 20 years ago (the company doesn't even exist anymore). That device is from the 90s, and was designed for Pentium III computers. Let that sink in for moment. You're wanting to use a video conversion box from the era of floppy disks. Video gear is often legacy, but that thing is just plain damned old outdated tech that harms quality.