Evaluate my setup and test captures?
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Hi guys, first post here. I've been closely studying guides and forum advice here in preparation for a VHS/Video 8/Digital 8 archival project that I've been ignoring for far too long, and I'd like to share what I've got so far in the hope of receiving some constructive feedback/guidance.
I've had a decent VCR ready to go after coming across a great deal ($20!) on craigslist several years ago. At that time, I originally planned (like many other visitors here) on just using the Digital 8 camcorder as a hardware DV capture device for the analog tapes. Inevitably at some point I stumbled upon DigitalFAQ, which brought to me enlightenment, followed by a lack of motivation upon the realization of the true scope of the project ahead of me. Well... fast forward to now - I'm sick of the zip-locked pile of tapes collecting dust in the corner of my desk. I've had plenty of time to re-calibrate my expectations. Meanwhile, data storage has continued to become cheaper and more abundant, and Blu-ray is now a financially reasonable archival media. Motivation has manifest itself. I went ahead and built an early-2000's era machine that I believe should receive the nod of approval. I found a brand new 9200 AIW on eBay for $40 shipped. It still had the retail price stickers on the shrink wrap and everything... it was a pretty cool experience to unbox. I've already captured a few old tapes, and it seems to be going well. No frames dropped over the course of a 4.5 hour capture (mid-80's era, multiple speeds). Before I go any further though, I wanted to test my hardware and get some opinions, which could potentially save me a lot of time and frustration in the event that I'm doing something wrong. A box of new old stock tapes arrived this morning, finally giving me the opportunity to put the VCR's health and performance to the test. Here's the test setup! Source: msgohan's VHPatterns2 test DVD Sony PlayStation 3 CECHP01 160 GB @ 480i > S-video JVC SR-V10U (Video calibration: ON, Picture mode: EDIT, Digital R3: OFF, Video stabilizer: OFF, TBC: ON) Capture PC: AMD Athlon XP 2500+ @ 1833 MHz Asus A7N9X v2.0 Deluxe 1 GB dual channel DDR333 (2 x 512 MB) ATI All-In-Wonder 9200 AGP 128 MB On-board Realtek C650/nForce MCP2 audio OCZ Vertex 3 120 GB SSD Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM 2 TB HDD Windows XP Professional SP2 ATI Catalyst 06.11, MMC 8.8.0.0 VirtualDub 1.10.4 using settings from VDub capture guide. 1st capture: Direct real-time capture of test DVD playback through entire hardware path 2nd capture: Playback of S-VHS recording on new old stock TDK XP Super Pro ST-120XPSP |
Onboard audio is iffy, better test it for distortions and level issues. Be sure NOT to capture more than 50-65% max audio value. Not play, but record settings in XP audio controls (OS, not ATI, noting that ATI+OS are connected).
Otherwise, single-core capture setup looks fine, fit for lossless or SD res MPEG capturing. :congrats: I don't see major issues from the test, but it's just a pattern. I prefer actual footage tests. True, it adds a variable to the equation (the tape), but patterns are what the manufacturer used. Real-world testing offer differs. |
Thanks for the input lordsmurf!
I did have a feeling that the on-board audio might raise a few eyebrows... I tried two other cards (SB Live! 5.1 and SB Live! 24-bit) prior to making that choice - both cards were failing the clock sync test in MMC's self-diagnostic. I have exercised with caution and am capturing at 50% record level. This is the Windows/audio driver's default value and the levels are hot enough not to worry about huge SNR loss while still staying out of danger of clipping. The processor is at 25-35% load while capturing to Huffyuv @ 640x480, and that's the only thing I need it for. That utilization seems high to me, but it has been relentlessly stable with no frames dropped whatsoever. I've gotten through capturing 5 or 6 tapes with little to no drama, but the other morning I came across a tape that did not want to play nicely. I was getting a ton of the JVC TBC vertical shaking, my sync graphs were going crazy, and even though VDub was reporting no frames dropped, I could visibly see that it was happening. After doing some further testing it appeared to be the TBC itself dropping frames. Turning it off just made things even worse though, with the top edge bending, flickering and fading to white. At this point I figured I needed an external TBC of some sort. Coincidentally, I happened to snag a DVD recorder off craigslist for $5 at around the same time I purchased the VCR. It was DOA, but after an easy re-cap, I got it up and running and it has been collecting dust on the shelf up until now. The unit is a Panasonic DMR-ES65. I knew nothing about it, but I recalled other Panasonic DVD recorders being used for this purpose so I figured I'd give it a shot... And... holy crap, it's awesome! With the DMR-ES65 daisy-chained in between the VCR and capture card, I am able to get a rock solid image with the JVC internal TBC turned off! VDub's sync graphs are extremely stable, and there are no frames being dropped by the TBC. This is both exciting and very confusing, as everything I've read regarding this type of TBC (if it is even considered to be a TBC) is that they're basically worthless. I will post some samples when I get home. I have some questions to ask but I'll save them for later... I'm worried my posts are too long for anyone to bother reading. |
MMC's clock-sync test can be fubar. It may give false results.
You probably need an external full-frame TBC in there. Note that I have some available for about $400 each: a Kramer, and I'm about to add a DataVideo TBC-1000. All my 8710s and TBC-3000s are now gone, assuming there's none hiding in a box still. The ES10/15 have a TBC (not 100%, but close enough). The ES65 may be similar, but I didn't think so. We need to make a list of viable TBCs sometime, aside from the obvious choices. If you have S-VHS-ET, bad VHS, an ertail tapes, etc, you''ll still run into issues. |
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Haha, you've definitely got a point, there. $400 is a lot to float (for me), but that's certainly an option as long as there's a demand out there.
Before we rush to any hasty decisions though, here are some capture samples, as promised. The following VHS clip takes place 38 minutes into a compilation of scenes which originated from Video 8 sources. It is a worst-case example for disrupting TBC and capture sync. Filenames should be self-explanatory I think. The "no tbc" sample is basically useless, except to illustrate that that is the source I'm feeding directly into the E65. I will follow up with a typical example in a bit. |
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Shameless double-post so I can make good on my promise of another set of captures. This is from an original, direct from camera to VHS EP recording. It seems to be easy for the JVC to digest.
Fun extra bonus score: help me date the footage. I was born in Q4 '82. How old would you say I was? :unsure: |
Thanks for the samples, dude.
Shouldn't you be able to guess your age better than we can? :) No photos from that time? |
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