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-   -   VHS to HDMI Hertz Sync Issues (https://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-restore/10557-vhs-hdmi-hertz.html)

Roareye 04-21-2020 09:09 AM

VHS to HDMI Hertz Sync Issues
 
Hi everyone, thank you for this incredible resource. There's an awful lot to take in and I think I'm getting towards the necessary answers, however before I lay down further cash I just wanted to verify with you guys. You seem to know your stuff.

I'm trying to convert VHS tapes to digital in the highest possible quality. I understand this is relatively limited given the nature of VHS, but I'll explain my set up and what I think may be the solution.

I have a Sony SLV-SE700 VHS player, it does both PAL and NTSC (I have both types of tape to convert so any player has to do both). I'm aware this may not be the best player, however we'll come to that in a bit.
This is being wired out via composite to a Key Digital KD-VP8 via composite RCA, and outputs in component and HDMI simultaneously. This allows me some testing I'll explain in a moment.
The component signal is going into an OSSC, which has one of the best scalers built in I've ever seen, and can line-multiply the picture up to 5x. This clean signal is my key reason for needing to keep this in the loop.
The OSSC outputs HDMI to a 4K Panasonic TV, as does the Key Digital box, allowing me to test quality.

Okay so to simplify
Sony SLV-SE700 -> composite -> Key Digital KD-VP8 -> component -> OSSC -> HDMI -> Panasonic TV.

The Panasonic TV doesn't accept any analogue inputs, but my old Samsung does. I tested the VHS Player via SCART on my old set and it operates just fine with no sync issues. When wiring through the above setup, I get mostly a blank screen. When a tape is playing the OSSC just says "No Sync". When I go into the VHS player menu, or stop the tape and it sits on a blue screen, I get a signal.
Luckily the OSSC gives me a readout, so I can see the problems.
On the menu, or on the blue screen (tape stopped), it will cut to black and back again when the Hz frequency momentarily drops from 49.84Hz to 49.76Hz. Sometimes this also has the OSSC try to change the signal from 627i to 314p, maybe misunderstanding the signal during the frame drop.
Oddly, this frame rate issue doesn't affect the TV signal coming directly from the Key Digital box, giving it no signal dropouts - however image quality is far far worse than via the OSSC, noticeably so, so would not be beneficial to record for a digital transfer in the highest image quality. I definitely want to keep the OSSC in the loop because of this.

Regardless of stability in menus, I get no signal at all (or No Sync according to the OSSC) when I'm playing a tape and outside of the menus. Not via the OSSC nor via the Key Digital's HDMI port. Neither with Progressive Output turned on or off on the Key Digital box.

So this is where I say what I think the solution might be and you can tell me if I'm right or wrong. The issue would appear to be a lack of a TBC. The Sony VHS doesn't have one and I don't have an external one anywhere in the chain. This is my first foray into TBCs, never heard of them until doing this research, so my potential options seem to be;

Cheapest: Panasonic DMR-ES10S DVD player on passthrough mode. The Panasonic includes a TBC, however I'm unsure how good this is. LordSmurf stated in 2010 that these TBCs don't always do much, that the ES10 can overprocess the video etc. It's also not a true standalone TBC, but I'm still fuzzy on the details there. Would this at the very least allow me to produce a digital video signal the OSSC can pick up with a great degree of stability?

Most Likely: Time Base Corrector.
This is likely to be the most expensive part, as I have a good PC with more than enough heft. It would need to be a standalone unit, and one that can handle PAL and NTSC signals. Looking at the DataVideo releases there are TBC-1000s for about £500 from the US, including shipping to the UK. TBC-3000s and TBC-5000s are waaay expensive at over £1200, though they are in the Netherlands.
I don't know of any UK TBCs, anyone got any ideas? Or am I on the wrong track and this won't fix my sync issues?

Finally: This might not be necessary, albeit maybe it's advised. Depending on the worth of the TBC to fix my signal issues, perhaps a VHS player with built in TBC may be better? They're certainly cheaper, at a few hundred instead of over a grand. From other posts here, it's suggested to have both this and a standalone TBC, is that to improve image quality only or also to get a stable/consistent image?

Thank you for your help. I hope you'll be able to help me get this problem resolved 😄

Roareye 04-21-2020 10:24 AM

Slight update.

I think the Key Digital box is incompatible with PAL (though I was certain I checked for that). I just tried an NTSC tape and I get a video signal, albeit one that still shows the same sync issues where it'll change between Hertz frequencies at random points for about a second.
One mystery solved, seems the Key Digital will be useless for PAL. Perhaps using the Panasonic DMR-ES10 going into a TBC would be the best next step?

If so any TBC recommended for both PAL and NTSC, open to any price but obviously the cheaper I can get a quality deck the better.


Update 2
I own one of these : https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B078JJMR..._uwXNEbYZ21JBR
It has no issues whatsoever with signal stability, it's pretty clean. That being said it only converts to HDMI, which is not compatible with the OSSC. Does anyone have any thoughts on these boxes?
Only major issue I can see is chromatic aberration, with white text being bordered by red/green. I can imagine it's not the cleanest output method.

It would seem to be adding too much processing if I used this, then went through an HDMI to Scart converter just to use the OSSC. There has to be something like this that can output to the OSSC, either converting the composite to RGB Scart, component or VGA.

I'm after best quality, not just "that'll do" and I don't think this is the best option for that.

Roareye 04-21-2020 11:41 AM

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EU-Yellow...UAAOSwSlZbzfIi

Perhaps something like this? I can always put a decent TBC between the VHS Player and this, then use this to route the signal into the OSSC to get the best image resolution. After checking the signal from the SCART to HDMI converter listed above, it's not very good. It's great and stable, but image quality is not good and aspect ratio is off (stretched to 16:9). The OSSC preserves the aspect ratio and has a better scaler.

I know I'm throwing a lot of options here, but I really want to get the best image I can and I know the OSSC is the best solution for a cleaner digital image. A shame it has no capacity to accept composite signals or convert them.

NJRoadfan 04-21-2020 11:51 AM

If your intended application is just viewing analog sources on a 4K TV, do the following:

-Input Composite/S-Video into the Key Digital box
-Turn OFF deinterlacing and scaling on he Key Digital (Progressive Output LED must be off)
-Let the TV's internal scaler handle deinterlacing and upscaling of the video signal from its HDMI port.

The OSSC isn't designed to upscale regular video content. It was purpose built to upscale computer graphics with the least amount of lag possible.

If you intend to capture to a computer, you need none of the above. A good analog capture card and TBC in the chain is all.

latreche34 04-21-2020 12:28 PM

I think the Kdigital does both PAL, NTSC, something is not right with your setup.

Roareye 04-21-2020 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJRoadfan (Post 68165)
The OSSC isn't designed to upscale regular video content. It was purpose built to upscale computer graphics with the least amount of lag possible.

If you intend to capture to a computer, you need none of the above. A good analog capture card and TBC in the chain is all.

I'm not too bothered in plugging in to the TV, this one doesn't have composite or Scart ports anyway, to that end the cheap Scart to HDMI box is the only way to watch it.

Capture is my thing. However I'm looking at the best possible quality, and the USB capture devices are cheap toot, no better than the HDMI box I have. Is there another device type I could use?

I've been looking at mixtures of VCRs, VTRs, TBCs etc but I'm none the wiser on getting the cleanest and best possible image recorded.

There's a TBC split I'm looking at too. There's the DataVideo TBC-1000 which is recommended on here, however it's also mentioned that there are better sets by companies like For.A but there's no mention of the For.A range here, so I'm unsure if they're actually better than the TBC-1000? They use BNC connectors but from what I've read small adapters should make them compatible.
I'm looking at the For.A FA-450p, would that be better than the TBC-1000?

I don't want to just accept a cheap input. If I'm going to put money into this I want to invest in high quality transfers, and the OSSC did at least give a clearer picture than the KeyWest direct, which I can only assume it might do for final footage, however if you're certain it can't be adapted for then I need a decent alternative to get the cleanest, crispest recording.

jjdd 04-22-2020 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roareye (Post 68168)

There's a TBC split I'm looking at too. There's the DataVideo TBC-1000 which is recommended on here, however it's also mentioned that there are better sets by companies like For.A but there's no mention of the For.A range here, so I'm unsure if they're actually better than the TBC-1000? They use BNC connectors but from what I've read small adapters should make them compatible.
I'm looking at the For.A FA-450p, would that be better than the TBC-1000?


Not sure but there is a Aja FS1 TBC to and it look´s that it works to if you read this site POST nr:7
https://forums.creativecow.net/docs/...=31165&pview=t i have seen them on ebay for about 600 dollar

Roareye 04-22-2020 04:28 AM

Thanks jjdd. The FS1 looks really good. I've just contacted AJA (the manufacturer) to verify a couple of details, but it seems to be a really good device.
https://www.aja.com/products/fs1
There's images of the internal architecture etc on that page.

There's the FS1-X too, which suggests it has additional video processing on board.
https://www.aja.com/products/fs1-x

The important differences in the way the conversion is stated to occur on both are as follows;
FS1: Up/Down/Cross Converter, Framesync, ARC (Aspect Ratio Converter) -> Component RGB
FS1-X: Optional Frame Rate Converter -> Video Converter and Framesync -> Video Proc Amp and Color Corrector -> Component RGB

Both seem pretty similar, I can't tell if there's much in it. The main difference I can see is the frame rate converter can be made optional on the FS1-X and it also includes a Video Proc Amp and Color Corrector - hopefully not too much a requirement depending on the source.

Thanks for the advice, this may be the solution I was looking for.

jjdd 04-22-2020 05:18 AM

it look´s that Aja FS1-X do not have S-video in and out but it has composite

Aja FS1 does have S-video in and out but the newer units does not have maybe it´s possible to use this adapter to get s-video https://www.svideo.com/fsvto2mbnc.html but i do not know

msgohan 04-22-2020 06:15 AM

Quoting for emphasis:
Quote:

Originally Posted by NJRoadfan (Post 68165)
The OSSC isn't designed to upscale regular video content. It was purpose built to upscale computer graphics with the least amount of lag possible.

If you intend to capture to a computer, you need none of the above. A good analog capture card and TBC in the chain is all.

I don't own an OSSC, but I think NJRoadfan does, and I watch the RetroRGB podcast every week which discusses these video game scalers. They are specifically designed to do Nearest Neighbor resampling, i.e. it's designed to "enlarge" the original pixels of 2D video games.

If you scale normal video content this way, you'll get a pixellated mess. The same applies to 3D video games, though for some reason I see otherwise-knowledgeable YouTubers posting N64/PS1/PS2/Saturn footage in Chunky-OSSC-Vision all the time. Apparently some people prefer this to using an appropriate interpolator.

https://videogameperfection.com/foru...gh/#post-23360

From your post it sounds like you've never been able to see how normal video looks input to the OSSC. You compared the VCR menus between the OSSC & Key Digital and concluded that this crisp, clean look carries over to real content.

My advice for a workflow:
If you have a lossless HDMI capture device, use one of the known-good Panasonic DVD recorders with HDMI output. Capture 576i and archive in this original format. If you want to deinterlace a viewing copy, use QTGMC via Selur's Hybrid. In terms of upscaling the resulting 576p file, it's unlikely you can do better in software than your TV hardware does.

There is an enormous German-language guide linked from this post that details the Panasonic HDMI workflow: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vide...html#post65310 (I think someone here once posted an English translation as PDF, but it may have just been machine-translated.)

I have a ton of hardware here, and of all the workflows I've evaluated since I started capturing VHS in 1999, I prefer the results obtained by capturing HDMI from specific DVD recorders (with upscaling turned off).

latreche34 obtains similar (possibly superior) results by capturing SDI output from a BrightEye TBC. If purchasing a full-frame TBC, I would pursue that one instead of the old standbys AVT-8710, DataVideos, etc.

Roareye 04-22-2020 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msgohan (Post 68181)
From your post it sounds like you've never been able to see how normal video looks input to the OSSC. You compared the VCR menus between the OSSC & Key Digital and concluded that this crisp, clean look carries over to real content.

That much is true. There really isn't much video content out there for scaling of VHS players using modern scalers - which is somewhat understandable. I haven't applied anything newer than a Saturn through the OSSC, so I've not actually checked video content through it. I assumed the result might be blocky but at least crystal clear. I could be wrong, though.

Quote:

My advice for a workflow:
If you have a lossless HDMI capture device, use one of the known-good Panasonic DVD recorders with HDMI output. Capture 576i and archive in this original format. If you want to deinterlace a viewing copy, use QTGMC via Selur's Hybrid. In terms of upscaling the resulting 576p file, it's unlikely you can do better in software than your TV hardware does.
Following your suggestion, a Panasonic DMR-EZ48V would seem to be the best foot forward, a PAL and NTSC VHS solution with built-in HDMI and Component outputs that (according to posts I've seen) do play VHS via these outputs. Pretty impressive considering it effectively knocks out the need for a TBC etc, almost too easy haha.

Quote:

There is an enormous German-language guide linked from this post that details the Panasonic HDMI workflow: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vide...html#post65310 (I think someone here once posted an English translation as PDF, but it may have just been machine-translated.)
That is super helpful, thanks ^_^

Quote:

I have a ton of hardware here, and of all the workflows I've evaluated since I started capturing VHS in 1999, I prefer the results obtained by capturing HDMI from specific DVD recorders (with upscaling turned off).

latreche34 obtains similar (possibly superior) results by capturing SDI output from a BrightEye TBC. If purchasing a full-frame TBC, I would pursue that one instead of the old standbys AVT-8710, DataVideos, etc.
Useful. Thank you for your expertise. I'm pretty much knowledgeable on video game systems, but my knowledge of VHS is limited to plugging one in back in the 90s when I was still a child haha! I'll check the HDMI Panasonic solutions first, and do some research on the BrightEye TBCs too. Good to see a modern variant instead of trying to grab at old, potentially dead boxes.

msgohan 04-22-2020 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roareye (Post 68183)
Panasonic DMR-EZ48V would seem to be the best foot forward, a PAL and NTSC VHS solution with built-in HDMI and Component outputs that (according to posts I've seen) do play VHS via these outputs. Pretty impressive considering it effectively knocks out the need for a TBC etc, almost too easy haha.

Too easy indeed. The VHS playback side of combo units are some of the worst VCRs out there. And all or almost all of these use a composite connection from the VCR to the DVD recorder section and all outputs. I haven't seen a non-SVHS model that bothered to keep Y/C separate. Even the VHS-DVD combos with S-Video output just take the composite signal and digitally comb filter it, resulting in dot crawl.

I used the phrases "known-good Panasonic DVD recorders" and "specific DVD recorders". Other users have verified this model's TBC capability? I thought that the EZ series has minimal correction ability.

Most of your budget should be focused toward acquiring an excellent VCR, preferably one from DigitalFAQ's Recommended list. You also need to be sure that you either get a VCR that outputs native PAL & native NTSC, or get a normal "PAL/NTSC" model (really outputs PAL60) and pair it with one of the DVD recorders that can handle PAL60.

Roareye 04-22-2020 02:52 PM

I'm a little confused now. I may have misinterpreted your post, but I'm still unsure by what you meant.
You stated that your solution would be to output via HDMI via a recommended DVD Recorder, however the only recommended DVD Recorders mentioned on here are the Panasonic ES10 and ES15s, which do not have HDMI output at all.

The DVD Recorders mentioned on that German link include the DMR-EZ49V (Though I just realised I accidentally typed the 48V in my post), and the DMR-EZ49V is a combo recorder. Did you just mean to use the unit as a pass-through and not as the VHS player itself? Essentially get a recommended S-VHS Player and route that through the DMR-EZ49V or equivalent?

If that is what you meant, then I think I'm getting towards a solution. How do these sound?
Blaupunkt RTV-950 (Panasonic NV-FS200 rebadge, comparable to NTSC Panasonic AG-1980P. This also does PAL and NTSC Playback) (Includes built-in TBC)
Panasonic DMR-EZ49V or possibly a Panasonic DMR-EH65 and output via HDMI and record losslessly.

If those particular items work, then I need to consider connection methods and potential TBCs. The two will connect directly together via Euro-SCART, however I'm not certain that would be the best solution. I certainly can't add an external TBC this way, but according to that German Page I can get around copyright issues with an HDMI Splitter, so it's just whether or not an external TBC would clean up the signal by much.

If an External TBC is advised then I'll need one that deals with S-Video.
The DataVideo TBC1000 will deal with S-Video directly via both the input and the output.
The AJA FS-1 may not be the best tool, I'm unsure, as AJA have just confirmed it doesn't include a TBC. The official site says it process the image via S-Video to S-Video, but I'm assuming it will only Frame-sync given that it won't be converting the source anymore (the DVD Recorder will do that) and the TBC will deal with mostly everything else. I'm torn because generally the lesser number of units the better. I don't think a framesync will be much needed at this moment, but correct me if I'm wrong. The tapes I'm converting at the moment are in very good condition and barely used.

So which would you advise (if any)
1. Panasonic DMR-EZ49V -> hdmi -> PC
2. Blaupunkt RTV-950 -> s-video -> Panasonic DMR-EZ49V -> hdmi -> PC
3. Blaupunkt RTV-950 -> euroscart -> Panasonic DMR-EZ49V -> hdmi -> PC
4. Blaupunkt RTV-950 -> s-video -> DataVideo TBC1000 -> s-video -> Panasonic DMR-EZ49V -> hdmi -> PC
5. Blaupunkt RTV-950 -> s-video -> DataVideo TBC1000 -> s-video -> AJA FS1 -> s-video -> Panasonic DMR-EZ49V -> hdmi -> PC

I'm thinking 4 sounds like a potential winner, as you've mentioned combi VHS/DVDs have poor VHS units (removing 1), most people seem to be recommending an external TBC (removing 2 and 3). I'm just not sure the AJA FS1 is necessary in the chain, but feel free to let me know otherwise if you think not getting it would be a huge mistake. Without the AJA this is already around the £1000, mostly due to the TBC-1000. There just doesn't seem to be a UK/Euro equivalent, and certainly none I can find online (though I've not checked this forum's marketplace), so the increased cost of postage and then tax duty on import really does a number on the price.

Is anyone able to grab me a still image from a similar model of the video they get out of this method? I'd be intrigued to see the final image/video clip outcome of this set up. There are obviously cheaper alternatives I've found but the image quality isn't what is recommended here and image quality is the most critical element of this process for me. I want to do some restoration of shows stuck in VHS format (Such as GamesMaster in the UK, which itself only had a very minimal official VHS release here with it's Gore Special), as well as the best transfer of a video tape of unfinished advertising spots for the 1993 Super Mario Bros movie that was sent to me by the director of the film, Annabel Jankel. The Super Mario Bros. Movie Archive has asked me to archive and restore this footage, and if I can get the right equipment I plan on doing similar work with other shows. Audio doesn't both me as I have professional level audio equipment that can handle that if needs be.

Bogilein 04-22-2020 05:00 PM

Blaupunkt RTV-950 -> s-video -> Panasonic EH-495, EH-595, EH-65-> hdmi out->HDMI-Splitter (which removes the HDCP protection)-> Capture card (Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle)

msgohan 04-23-2020 03:45 AM

One reason for using this workflow is that you don't need to add the external TBC.

Follow Bogilein's advice. He uses this workflow and reads the Gleitz forum. I've only glanced over a few posts there, and I have no personal experience with the PAL models.

I wouldn't recommend the overpriced and fiddly Intensity Shuttle though, or any Blackmagic product for that matter. I use AVerMedia C027 & C127 PCIe cards to ingest the HDMI data. The original release of the C027 can even be tricked into capturing HDCP-protected content, which I used to do before HDCP-stripping splitters were available. Note that you need to get specific models of splitters for this purpose, which other reviewers have recently verified to strip HDCP. The manufacturers sometimes change the chipsets while keeping the same externals / name / model number and remove the stripping function.

Roareye 04-23-2020 03:59 AM

Thanks guys. That's such an easy workflow, thank you. I'll be sure to grab one of the splitters that helps with HDCP.
I already have the Blackmagic, so unless it breaks I'll stick with it. It works perfectly but you're right about how fiddly it is.

You guys have been such a massive help. This will make my restoration efforts much better and easier. Working with mpegs people have recorded, likely through cheap players and then compressed, severely limits how well the video can be restored. It's a question of diminishing returns to a degree, but starting as close to the source as possible will defo be the best improvement I can put into the process.

cbehr91 04-25-2020 01:32 AM

The AJA FS-1 is not a TBC. It's a frame sync/cross converter. AJA is a renowned manufacturer of broadcast gear ($$$$). It would work as an excellent scaler, on par with one in your TV or computer, but make sure the video being fed into it is from a TBC and not direct from your VCR. While I don't know for sure, it would probably bypass Macrovision and other forms of copy protection.

Roareye 05-12-2020 10:12 AM

4 Attachment(s)
Okay, first of all a massive thank you for all your help.
Today I received a Blaupunkt RTV-950 and a Panasonic DMR-EH495. I’ve connected them via S-Video, with an HDMI output to my TV. This system is working brilliantly, with the Blaupunkt’s TBC active and a very crisp and stable image.

I’m having one small issue, which might just come down to my understanding of analog PAL/NTSC playback. When playing PAL VHS tapes, the image is perfect. I’ve set them to keep their 4:3 aspect ratio and the video fills the height of my screen.
However when playing NTSC tapes I have this issue (see photos). It’s as if the top of the screen is appearing at the bottom and I’m seeing the overscan area. I’ve tried the PAL/MESECAM button, but it doesn’t affect this (which probably isn’t surprising as SECAM is from France). I’ve tried looking online for answers but aren’t getting much luck.
Does anyone here have a solution for this problem?

hodgey 05-12-2020 10:48 AM

When plaing NTSC tapes in PAL VCRs, they usually output a special PAL-60 format signal, rather than NTSC.
It is essentially NTSC but with PAL color encoding, using the PAL color frequency made it easier to adapt TVs/VCRs to output/accept it without too much extra components like an additional oscillator.

What's happening is that the PAL-60 signal from the VCR is being interpreted as a normal PAL signal by the DVD-recorder. The PAL Panasonic DVRs can be switched to NTSC mode, and used with NTSC, however at least the older ones do not support the PAL-60 format most PAL VCRs put out though, so you would only get a black-and white image out. You can change from PAL to NTSC format in the DVR menus somewhere. The only DVRs I know that support PAL-60 are the later Sony/Pioneer models, while they do have a decent line-tbc they're not quite as capable as panasonics.

Some PAL decks can also be set to output in NTSC-4.43 format instead of PAL-60. I'ts possible the Panasonic DVRs support this but I haven't gotten around to testing it yet (though I do remember e.g the AVT-8710 TBC accepting it in NTSC mode). I don't think the Blaupunkt VCR can output NTSC-4.43, but I know Sony is capable of it. There's a switch on the back of the VCR that switches between NTSC-4.43 and PAL60 , so you you give that a try in combination with setting the DVR to NTSC mode.

There are multi-system VCRs that can do both proper NTSC and PAL playback (and often SECAM variants) though almost all of them are variants of a manufacturers hi-fi or 2-head models with extra stuff added for multi-system playback/recording. I think JVC made a handful of multi-system SVHS decks but they're rare and expensive.

Roareye 05-12-2020 10:54 AM

I have two setups acting differently. The physical connections are both the same.

These settings are altered on the Panasonic DMR only via Function Menu -> Other -> Setup -> Connection

1 - This is the menu settings for this;
TV Aspect - 16:9 (only affects menu, video image is still 4:3)
TV System - PAL
HDMI Settings
HDMI Video Format - 576 / 480
Aspect for 4:3 Video - 4:3

RESULTS - Full colour, image has additional info at the bottom, as photos in previous post. Sends signal out as 720 x 576 at 50Hz (PAL signal, incorrect frame rate and frame size).

2 - This is the menu settings for this;
TV Aspect - 16:9 (only affects menu)
TV System - NTSC
HDMI Settings
HDMI Video Format - 576 / 480
Aspect for 4:3 Video - 4:3

RESULTS - Black & White, image fits frame perfectly despite colours. Sends signal out as 720 x 480 at 60Hz (NTSC signal, correct frame rate and size)

As you can see, neither of these are ideal. My entire setup can handle both NTSC and PAL (and these ave been tested with over 30 games consoles of varying PAL/NTSC output) and the amplifier understands and displays the outputs with no issues. The issue is somewhere between the VCR and DVD recorder. I can’t understand why the DVD recorder can understand the NTSC colour signal but only while displaying at a PAL frequency, unless the issue is on the VCR’s end. Would the VCR convert the colours? Or maybe I’m missing a setting on the VCR.

I’m very confused right now.

Roareye 05-12-2020 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hodgey (Post 68611)
When plaing NTSC tapes in PAL VCRs, they usually output a special PAL-60 format signal, rather than NTSC.
It is essentially NTSC but with PAL color encoding, using the PAL color frequency made it easier to adapt TVs/VCRs to output/accept it without too much extra components like an additional oscillator.

What's happening is that the PAL-60 signal from the VCR is being interpreted as a normal PAL signal by the DVD-recorder. The PAL Panasonic DVRs can be switched to NTSC mode, and used with NTSC, however at least the older ones do not support the PAL-60 format most PAL VCRs put out though, so you would only get a black-and white image out. You can change from PAL to NTSC format in the DVR menus somewhere. The only DVRs I know that support PAL-60 are the later Sony/Pioneer models, while they do have a decent line-tbc they're not quite as capable as panasonics.

Some PAL decks can also be set to output in NTSC-4.43 format instead of PAL-60. I'ts possible the Panasonic DVRs support this but I haven't gotten around to testing it yet (though I do remember e.g the AVT-8710 TBC accepting it in NTSC mode). I don't think the Blaupunkt VCR can output NTSC-4.43, but I know Sony is capable of it. There's a switch on the back of the VCR that switches between NTSC-4.43 and PAL60 , so you you give that a try in combination with setting the DVR to NTSC mode.

There are multi-system VCRs that can do both proper NTSC and PAL playback (and often SECAM variants) though almost all of them are variants of a manufacturers hi-fi or 2-head models with extra stuff added for multi-system playback/recording. I think JVC made a handful of multi-system SVHS decks but they're rare and expensive.

Thankyu for the feedback. That effectively gives me a problem. I need to record NTSC tapes as losslessly as possible, and forced conversion to PAL isn’t going to allow for that. The issue is that while it may be called PAL60, it’s not playing back at 60hz so I can’t rely on that.

Is there an actual American VCR I can use instead that would be recommended? And would that work okay with the Panasonic DMR-EH495? I won’t get shot of the Blaupunkt as the PAL recordings will be better through it, however I can’t deliver the video footage to my American clients in the wrong image size and framerate.

hodgey 05-12-2020 12:13 PM

PAL60 is playing back at 60 hz (or 59.97 more accurately). The framerate and resolution isn't changed like it would if put through a standards converter box or similar, it's only the color signal that is a little different.

A pal VCR will (when playing NTSC tapes) the luma signal will go through as normal (other than in-VCR TBC and possibly some noise reduction being disabled). The difference is that instead of upconverting the chroma from the ~627khz signal on the tape to a normal NTSC 3.58 Mhz color signal, it will upconvert it to the PAL color frequency (4.43 MHz). NTSC 4.43 is purely NTSC with chroma at a different frequency, while with PAL60 the color encoding is changed to the PAL format as well. NTSC 4.43 should in theory (all else equal) not lose any quality compared with normal NTSC. In practice there may be some slight difference (in either system's favour) especially with composite video but I haven't done test captures with test patterns to spot minor differences as of yet. Don't know if there is a noticeable difference with PAL60 either, but a bit less sure there.

One comparison I did do when transferring some Video8 tapes was between a PAL Sony Hi8 camcorder (NTSC 4.43 and PAL60 seemed identical) and a Sony NTSC Video8 player and the former looked better, so the format difference was not enough to outweigh the better playback device at least.

Since you have the Sony, I would at least check if playing a NTSC tape in NTSC 4.43 mode gives you color with the Panasonic DVR in NTSC mode, if the Pana can handle NTSC 4.43 that would make it a bit easier to track down a VCR at least. You can of course import a nice SVHS deck from the US, but that will end up costing a fair bit in shipping.

Roareye 05-12-2020 12:59 PM

Looks as if the Sony can output NTSC 4.43 via a switch on the back, but with it on or off it still shows black and white.

Looks like an NTSC S-VHS is the only way to be sure.

retartedted 09-16-2020 07:45 AM

Concerning the AJA FS1 and TBC, from their own documentation:

https://www.aja.com/assets/support/f...2.1_r1_Web.pdf

"Composite/S-Video input and output with TBC"

User here on Digitalfaq, VideoTechMan, may have more insight as he has the unit and has claimed that it has since replaced all of his TBC's.


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