Recording Video: Capture from Old 8mm Camera

joseversion1 · #1 03-05-2003, 09:14 PM

Ok, I've been capture from my tv for a few months and that's has been going quite well. Now I've moved onto a new project, capture my parents old 8mm video tapes. I understand this is old technology so there's no way I'm going to improve the quality, but this stuff is like 12 years old so I want to save them before the quality gets worse. My main question is when I view the tapes on TV, it looks fine, the contrast is a bit high (mainly our fault for not understanding how that affects the picture), but when I view the tapes on my computer using a Visiontek Xtasy Everything capture card, the contrast is EXTREMELY high to the point where the whole screen is white and I can barely make out movement. The camera has two 'out' options, the standard coaxal (sp?) and composite video, but they are both very white. I definately know that the resolutions differ from tv to monitor screen, but does anybody know what might be causing the contrast to be higher or can anybody point me to where this is explained in more detail?

Thanks in advance as everyone's been very helpful in the past.

jv1

kwag · #2 03-05-2003, 10:15 PM

Hi joseversion1,

Seems to me you have some kind of an impedance mismatch from your camera and your input device (Visiontek Xtasy Everything capture card). What about using a VHS player in pass-thru as a buffer/amplifier

You feed your camera to the input Composite (IN) connector of your VHS and connect your "Visiontek Xtasy Everything" capture card to the Composite (OUT) of the VHS. This should solve the problem. If you still have a problem, then something is screwed up in the Visiontek Xtasy

-kwag

joseversion1 · #3 03-05-2003, 10:38 PM

Thanks a lot Kwag, that was something I was thinking about but I thought I'd see what people say here. I'll give that a shot right now....thanks again!

jv1

kwag · #4 03-05-2003, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joseversion1

I'll give that a shot right now....thanks again!

jv1

Let me know

-kwag

el_mero_zooter · #5 03-06-2003, 04:35 PM

Jo...1,,
i came across some old tapes in vhs (and some beta) of our high school dayz. Played no probs on my tv. The moment i fed it to my ATI Radeon, the tracking and display in general were way off. I over came the prob, to a degree, the deterioration, by using a video clarifier/stabalizer (sold at Future Shop, RadioShack, etc...) to feed the composite in and out through it. I hear those things may also block out macrovision, I wouldn't really know

, since i wouldnt use that.

. Anyway, i also used a sony minidv camcorder and captured to the sony and then fed the video thru svideo to my Radeon.
Seemed to help my cause, somewhat. Still didnt make the ugly Jefa's from HSchool any prettier though.

zTr....