VHSSplitter: a tool to allow splitting VHS video tapes?

[vhssplitter]

Hi everyone,

I've had a problem for a while with my old family videos that they have many scenes from different events in a single file (converted from a single VHS tape). I've tried to separate them manually but it just takes way too long.

I decided I want to try and solve this with a tool that I want to share with you.
So here's- https://vhssplitter.com/

Basic idea - recognize the scenes within the tape. Recognize the date in them if you can. Add it to the video. And now you have your specific scenes with the correct date rather than the whole video.
With the magic of AI + WASM + ffmpeg this can be done without sending the video anywhere.
Let me know what you think!

VHS Splitter

[lordsmurf]

I will never use an unknown service that requires I connect my Google account to it. Too risky, never worth it.

[vhssplitter]

I understand, I added a google login to maybe eventually be able to upload to google photos (with the correct date tagged from the video) but maybe I can add usage without logging in for those more concerned with security

[lordsmurf]

Beyond the login issue, what formats does this work in? (There's literally zero details right now.)

Does it requires H.264 and/or H.265 imports?
Can it work with lossless files?

Does it actually export clips, or just time codes?

I'm having an issue seeing the use case here.
What most of us do here is convert lossless, and then scrub in a VirtualDub/Premiere/etc timeline, exporting clips into our own organizational needs.

I looks interesting, and may have an audience. But I'm not seeing who that would be.

[vhssplitter]

I actually removed the login based on your earlier suggestion, it's not reallly necessary (unless you upload directly to google photos) and I don't want to block people so it’s now easier to try out.

To your questions:

Formats: Supports H.264, H.265, MP4, MOV, AVI — most standard types. Lossless works too, though heavier files may take longer.

Output: It exports actual clips, not just timecodes.

Use case: It’s geared toward people with digitized VHS tapes who want to quickly split videos into scenes without scrubbing timelines manually — then optionally upload to Google Photos.

Appreciate you helping

-- merged --

If you're a bit familiar with web dev stuff it uses ffmpeg in browser (compiled to WebAssembly), therefore everything stays local. So pretty good on the privacy side (now that the google login requirement is gone)

[latreche34]

The name is not right, There are other formats that can contains hard coded time stamps such as Video8, Hi8, miniDV, DVCAM, Betamovie ...etc. It should be named accordingly in my opinion, Is it frame accurate or re-encodes the whole thing? I personally have no use for it but good luck.

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vhssplitter

I actually removed the login based on your earlier suggestion, it's not reallly necessary (unless you upload directly to google photos) and I don't want to block people so it’s now easier to try out.
To your questions:
Formats: Supports H.264, H.265, MP4, MOV, AVI — most standard types. Lossless works too, though heavier files may take longer.
Output: It exports actual clips, not just timecodes.
Appreciate you helping

All good stuff, I shall try when time permits.

Quote:

Use case: It’s geared toward people with digitized VHS tapes who want to quickly split videos into scenes without scrubbing timelines manually — then optionally upload to Google Photos.

I tend to wonder if Google Photo uploads has any audience, especially given the costs of GP.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vhssplitter

If you're a bit familiar with web dev stuff it uses ffmpeg in browser (compiled to WebAssembly), therefore everything stays local. So pretty good on the privacy side (now that the google login requirement is gone)

Ah, good to know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by latreche34

The name is not right, There are other formats that can contains hard coded time stamps such as Video8, Hi8, miniDV, DVCAM, Betamovie ...etc. It should be named accordingly in my opinion, Is it frame accurate or re-encodes the whole thing? I personally have no use for it but good luck.

Ah, good catch! I would agree. In fact, I would suggest that VHS is just a small % of overall videos of this tape, with most being VHS-C, Video8, Hi8, Digital8, and DV.

Timestamps were also rarely 100% for a duration, with many non-stamped areas within the same segment.

[Gary34]

I hope I’m not too far off topic here but how do you guys combine clips from the same tape without re encoding? I can see that is someone knows how to write script they can apply different settings to different clips but with a program like Hybrid is there a way for me to edit each clip and combine them so one MP4 without re encoding? What do you guys use?

I tried lossless cut and I couldn’t get it to work. It was saying the settings were different and from what I could see they weren’t. The clips all have different filters so I have to split them up.

[latreche34]

Frame accurate programs are picky about what codec they can do, But for capturing, as long as the footage is lossless you can do lossless edits in vdub/vdub2, However, if you are going full blast editing like color correction, levels adjustment and adding text layouts .... a re-encode is a must.

[Gary34]

With Hybrid if you do filters on one scene then those are the filters you use for that encode. The next scene may be in lower light and be noisier so it’ll require different filters. So you wind up with multiple clips. I was looking for a way to combine the H.264 files into one video without using an NLE to re encode.

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vhssplitter

I've had a problem for a while with my old family videos that they have many scenes from different events in a single file (converted from a single VHS tape). I've tried to separate them manually

Quote:

Originally Posted by latreche34

I personally have no use for it but good luck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary34

how do you guys combine clips from the same tape without re encoding?
The clips all have different filters so I have to split them up.

This is the dilemma of finding an audience for this tool.

Both latreche34 and myself just convert footage for others, and let them do whatever they want with it. In most cases, what they want is to simply archive it in high quality (lossless files), and watch a MP4/MKV/streaming copy. At very most, make a "clip show" for an upcoming event, using a full editor (Premiere, Final Cut, Vegas, or a budget Ulead/Corel type software). No further work/effort is desired, nor spent. And that's what I do personally as well.

vhssplitter had a unique problem, attempting to split up scenes for -- ??? -- what I'm guessing is his local DAM (digital asset management). Most people consider this too much work, possibly OCD, just to watch their "old videos". I don't necessarily agree with that work/OCD idea, but that is the prevailing opinion behind editing family home movies. Some even insist the many-scene recordings stay intact "for nostalgia" to the original tape (between-scene snow and all).

Gary34 is going way beyond most, wanting to not just split, but also re-merge content. Normally, that's done in an editor, for specific projects, not to the general held archives. I can see why that might be interesting, to re-order footage, perhaps by genre. For example, taking all the T-ball/baseball footage from the various tapes, and re-ordering it chronologically into a single (or several) long clips of just baseball. But that's the nichest of niche needs/users. Add the complexities of possible multiple encodes when not lossless.

I think this tool/project is an extremely interesting idea, a great use of image/video AI. But there are many questions as to the use cases, and find an audience for it, that need to be addressed. Inversely, it may be a case of it's never been done precisely because it's never be easy or available.

BTW, tangentially, what people have long wanted is an AI to remove commercials from their TV recordings. That had a huge audience in the 2000s, still large in 2010s, probably still present in 2020s. I know vhssplitter wants to strictly remain "home movie", but that's the real demand. Most people, who are video hobbyists, and thus willing to use tools like this, are usually far more interested in their TV recordings. As opposed to family videos of junior spitting up peas, screaming while opening Christmas gifts, and striking out at T-ball. For every 1 video my family shot at the dawn of VHS, I have almost 100 recordings from TV (mostly cartoons). I prefer to retain the show commercial-free, and retain the commercials in a separate folder. Nothing automatic has ever exists for me, and the many more like me. If you can do this with home movies only, somebody will make this for commercial removal.

All things for everyone here to consider.

[mbassiouny]

Quote:

BTW, tangentially, what people have long wanted is an AI to remove commercials from their TV recordings. That had a huge audience in the 2000s, still large in 2010s, probably still present in 2020s. I know vhssplitter wants to strictly remain "home movie", but that's the real demand

.
I have 100s of recordings with commercials that I am too lazy to trim, and I keep saying one day I am gonna trim those. So yeah, having something that does that, reliably, would be cool.

Still, I believe the VHSsplitter thing might be useful for many people who asked me about software to do exactly that, not for VHS, but mostly for VHS-C and Hi8 recordings as they tend to group videos by trip/day, and sometimes you can have a couple of totally unrelated events on the same tape.

[vwestlife]

My VHS capture machine is a Windows 7 system that's completely offline. Therefore anything "in the cloud" or "app-based" is useless to me.

Give me a Windows executable, preferably even one that can run in 32-bit mode, and then maybe I'll try it.

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbassiouny

Still, I believe the VHSsplitter thing might be useful for many people who asked me about software to do exactly that, not for VHS, but mostly for VHS-C and Hi8 recordings as they tend to group videos by trip/day, and sometimes you can have a couple of totally unrelated events on the same tape.

The problem, however, is that lots of videos don't have static 100% always-on counters, within the same scene. In fact, given my experience, almost none do. It's more unusual that not to have a clock always-on, as that often wasn't the default setting. And people are/were unable to change settings (like a VCR clock).

Quote:

Originally Posted by vwestlife

My VHS capture machine is a Windows 7 system that's completely offline. Therefore anything "in the cloud" or "app-based" is useless to me.
Give me a Windows executable, preferably even one that can run in 32-bit mode, and then maybe I'll try it.

More and more, I detest "the cloud", especially because I don't know who can access it, nor for whatever reason. The "fine print" is shameless for some of these cloud services out there. "We reserve the right to steal the soul of anybody in a video that is uploaded." Not really .... right?

If you don't have a fast up/down 'net speed, your also screwed.

But I doubt Nvidia AI chips will get cheaper any time soon. So no home-located AI servers, unless you're personally wealthy. Not just for the chips, but the cooling and electricity needs.