Can I start the capture and then just walk away or go to the shops etc. What I am worried about is once the VHS has stopped playing that Virtualdub will keep 'recording' and the capture will fail due to there not being enough space. Or does Virtualdub stopped capturing once the VHS tape stops playing?

Oh and can I (should I) capture first and THEN use Virtualdub to filter the avi file or filter during the capture?

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Unattended VirtualDub captures?
 

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You can walk away, but I usually don't. I work on another PC nearby or on a laptop, keeping an eye on the capture.

VirtualDub will continue to capture until you run out of space. Meanwhile a lot of things could happen. You could have a power outage (in my geographic area, that's always a possibility).

Or the tape could break (Ouch! And VirtualDub will just keep going).

Or something else unexpected. You never know.

The only filters that should be applied during capture are your proc amp level, brightness, etc. Never apply other filters during capture.

Another tip: When people first start capturing a bunch of tapes the temptation is to overdo it and rush the project. For example, capturing a full 6-hour tape is one path to a nervous breakdown, along with capturing a bunch of tapes wholesale and trying to fix them all at once. When you're first starting, do one thing at a time until you get a handle on what's happening. It won't take a long time.

Hi Sanlyn,

In my case I have to have the computers in different rooms.

And while I will be walking back and forth checking every half hour I might miss when the tape stops.

Can I just set a time limit in Virtualdub for capture e.g. 3 hours 10 minutes for a 3 hour tape.

That way if I accidentally fall asleep - common at my age :-) then the recording will at least stop.

Regards,

Paul

Set to capture and leave room, yes. Check back at least once every 10-15 minutes.
Set to capture and leave house? No!

You could use a screen sharing tool like Teamviewer to monitor your capturing computer from another.