Good capture card with TBC?
 

I am trying to digitize my VHS tapes. I am wondering what is a good HDMI capture card? I already own Hauppuage USB Live 2 and Diamond VC500 but due to TBCs being too expensive I had to improvise. I got a analog to HDMI convertor that supposedly has a TBC circuit. It seems to work but problem with it is it outputs HDCP 1.4. I had to improvise more. First attempt is converting that signal to component and component back to hdmi (removes HDCP 1.4) which seems well and fine but the recorded video colors on OBS (lossless) and VDub (lossless) does not seem as smooth as when I did it with Hauppage Collosus 1 on the Hauppage software (mts). Hdmi capture card I used for this is not the Hauppage as it does not work with other software like Vdub and OBS. It only works with is own software. I am not sure if the Collosus 2 has this same issue. I used those Chinese hdmi PCI cards widely sold on eBay. Second attempt I got a HDMI USB capture card that supposedly ignores the HDCP. It works but same issue not being color not being as smooth and has a slight audio issue being somewhat muffled. Any suggestions?

FYI I am using Panasonic AG1980 to play the tape.

I also have a 8mm tapes I need to digitize but I have a Digital 8 camcorder that plays analog 8mm tapes. Should I go for firewire input or should should I use the S video for that also?

I don't think it has TBC, What it does is upscales the video and re-writes the HBI and VBI signals so the new video looks stable but any minor imperfections will be baked in before the upscaling is done. The rule of thumb is if the HDMI cannot capture in 480i it is usually a bad idea, A lot of things can go wrong when upscaling and de-interlacing on the fly.

What kind of problems you are having with the Hauppuage and Diamond capture cards, post samples maybe we can help you fix them.

Are you sure about my Video convertor not having a TBC? It was specifically sold as having builtin Time Based Correction. Main problem is no TBC in between using USB Live 2 and Diamond. I remember the usb live 2 has a Vdub preview issue meaning I cant really see the preview of the filters etc. I have to capture it then look at it. Diamond had a compatibility issue with my computer. The Happauge Collosus did a pretty good job but no lossless and I am stuck with the Happauge software with it. No manual configuration options. USB live 2 video was not that smooth in Vdub lossless capture plus the color wasn't that smooth or rich. The playback also seems slightly jumpy in fast scenes. The new method I mentioned above in Vdub same no preview issue plus the capture on the hdmi seems very jumpy repeating same frames thrice previous frame current frame. In OBS lossless (via the cheap hdmi pci capture card with component convertors) it did not have this issue but the colors don't seem as smooth as my Collossus sample. The USB HDMI adapter had the same issue but audio on it was kind of muffled. I will try to post samples for each method at the same spot.

What's your HDMI converter? Any Brand, any model #, a link?

Orei XD-901

https://www.amazon.com/Orei-XD-901-S-Video-Multi-System-Converter/dp/B004UNYX9M/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3ED8JZDS8GACV&dchild=1&keywords=or ei+xd-901&qid=1608675356&sprefix=orei+90%2Caps%2C158&sr= 8-1

No, it's not built in anything. Chinese products don't add features to their products, they rather strip them from any hardware that adds to the cost, Like I explained the upscaling makes the resulting picture stable for the capture card but any baked analog imperfection will be part of the upscaled video signal.

You can get around older HDCP versions (but not modern ones) with certain HDMI splitters. I've used one together with the hdmi output on my sony and panasonic dvd-recorders. Which models sold works or not seem to change a bit though, so you would have to look up recent reviews.

It's not impossible that there is some sort of TBC function in the scaler, there are some video decoder chips that come with some of that, or it may be a bit like what you find in a TV, though manufacturers do play fast and loose with that term. That said the video chip used in the hauppage and diamond (conexant ones) are especially bad at handling raw video input from a vcr so it doesn't take much to do better than those.

That said, if you hare having specific stability issues, maybe getting a second-hand DVD-recorder model that is known to have stabilizing functionality may be a less gambly option that won't be overly expensive.

What is you suggestion on what I should do in the meantime with what I have so far? I still have a pending TBC from lordsmurf I am still waiting for.

You need a TBC. I'll try to finish this up with you, expect an email reply soon. :congrats:

I will be awaiting for your email :). What is your suggestion for 8mm Video? I have a Digital 8 camcorder that plays analog 8mm video. Should I capture it via firewire or should I go with S-Video? It has both connections.

Since you are getting a TBC use S-Video out, much better quality than DV.

I actually have more 8mm home video tapes than VHS.

BTW, there is no card with an actual TBC, as needed for converting consumer analog formats to digital.

Understand that "TBC" is a wide term, and can mean almost anything (and often does). Many "TBCs" do nothing, and that has always included so-called "TBCs" in capture cards, and almost all DVD recorders (with ES10/15 being a known exception, but it's a crippled line only).

Several capture cards include an ADV chip, but it's not really strong (it's not Cypress or DataVideo!), and often not even programmed correctly on-card (ie, TBC not even enabled).

... and I'm getting closer to writing you back. :)

That explains why I saw no difference in my capture with Hauppage Collosus 1 which supposedly has TBC built in when I enabled through registry. The capture looked the same as the one with it disabled.

One should not bring HDMI "in the picture" when trying to capture VHS/video, HDMI is a source of trouble for that, better try to find a deck set that outputs VHS to YUV component video output (there are really some available if you look for it) And also a capture device that will capture component video, you are not locked to using only windows XP, 7 or 8, so that way, you can use good PC hardware, which help you giving a speedy capture.

How is it possible that the analog s-video output is better than the converted data from that same tape ?
(i want to learn something)

DV converts to 4:1:1 (NTSC) or 4:2:0 (PAL) DV.
The analog output is analog equivalency of 4:2:2, better sharpness and color retention.
The source is analog Hi8/Videeo8 tapes, using Digital8 camera.
That's how/why.

What data? It's an analog tape. That's what happens when you read the tail of the thread..:laugh:

It's still data, but the definition has been usurped in the digital age.

But "signal" was always more accurate. For example, in 1950, if you said "data" in reference to video, somebody would probably look at you like you walk into the room naked. :laugh:

No, What he meant by data is DV data on a digital8 tape, You can call an analog signal data but not the 0's and 1's data as in a digital8 tape.

Not really.

s-video is most ideal, it matches the Y/C signal on the tape. Component not only requires processing, but sometimes that processing is part of a "processing package" that does other things to the video (deinterlace, etc).

Several suggested quality capture cards currently work fine in Win10, either directly, with workarounds, or with forced driver install. Win8 was never suggested by anybody. It is true that the best capture cards are locked to WinXP and Win7, but don't make the mistake of thinking "new=better" (ie, Win10), which is not true whatsoever. Modern cards are mostly a downgrade over what existed 15 years ago, especially HD cards that "also do" SD (and quite poorly, an afterthought feature).