Easycap more stable than VC500? (no TBC)
 

To preface this, I sincerely apologise for how unproffessional this comparison is! Definitely nothing to be proud of :laugh:

I'll get right into the specs:

• Filmed on Canon UC-X55Hi Hi-8 camcorder
• Captured with Diamond VC-500, generic EasyCap and VirtualDub on Win 10 system
• Output is directly from the camcorder with composite

Ignoring all the bad mistakes here, including ones not mentioned, how does a $9 easycrap have MUCH less of a problem with the unstable signal from the camcorder? I've run the VC-500 on a Win 7 system and combed over all the software settings, but predictably the VC-500 seems to just be much more sensitive than the easycrap.

The tape runs without a hitch through the camcorder to the TV (of course!). Should a TBC fix the issue or will it have to be a combo of better capture card + TBC? Just need to decide before the return period ends for the VC-500 - which I will have no hesitation to take advantage of if need be :D

And sadly, the VC500 is still better than the Easycap. :laugh:

Make no mistake, that Easycap is having lots of issues, and churning out really damaged video. The cooking of colors, loss of detail, and over-contrast is revolting.

The VC500 isn't that great of a card either. Few people like it. It has some ugly AGC issues, amongst others.

What you're seeing here is not unusual. Cards can react differently to source tapes.

All this proves is that both cards suck.

Fixing this situation required TBC + better capture card.

Thanks for the quick reply lordsmurf, exactly what I was expecting to be honest. Didn't plan on shelling out money just for digitization but nobody else was either :D. I'll return the VC-500 and try and acquire some better equipment.

For the folks who are thinking of buying the VC-500, I would recommend against it like many do, as you are just wasting your time. It's driver hell over here!

Remember to always check the marketplace subforum for good capture cards. ;)

Yeah the VC500 and other cards based on the same chipset have good image quality, but their ability to handle unstable video is really bad, you need a TBC of some sort.