Color corrector, mixer before tape capture?
 

Hey friends,

Curious if you know of any cool/ fun devices that you can plug into an analog video output and do some color correction, brightness/ contrast adjustments, and trippy visuals before going into a capture card.

Now before you get all nerdy, just know I am trying to have fun and experiment with some videotape.

Thank you for any insight!!!!

MK

Maybe you refer to a "proc amp" in the workflow.
They are getting rarer by the minute.
Avoid the SIMA consumer SCC1, I got my hands on 2 of them, the first one kinda worked but had leaky caps and the processed image was just not right. The 2nd SIMA had a cap blow up the moment I turned it on. POP!
Some capture cards have built-in proc amp functions, but only some of those work in Windows 10 with "unlimited" proc amp control, others only have contrast and brightness active.
You will have to hunt for a good device.
I recently struck gold with a mint BVP4plus proc amp, of all places at Goodwill auctions online. $106.

If it's for playing around with effects rather than to do accorate color correction you can try looking for an old video mixer. They're probably going to be a lot cheaper and easier to find than the specialized proc amp (though beware of bad capacitors on these too.) They can often have an impact on image quality though hence not being ideal for improving captures. For adjustments you may be better off using the cards built in controls if available.

PAL or NTSC? The advice differs per format.

This is a proc amp.

This is not a proc amp.
However, some weird things can happen from extreme pumping of values, mostly flickering (SignVideo) and tearing (Elite).

What does that ever mean? :screwy:

Software proc amp really is not a proc amp. By the time the signal is ingested to the capture card, most non-weak/basic corrections are too late. Actual proc amp needs to be done in the analog domain. Capture card "proc amp" is usually no different than post-capture software corrections. The only exception I've ever really seen is when using ATI AIW in ATI MMC.

Elite hasn't aged well over the years, sort of like JVC DD (9600-9900) or AG-1980P caps. You've probably noticed that I've not mentioned it much in at least 5 years now, and it's for that reason. I have at least one non-working unit in the attic gear graveyard, B&W only output. The most damning issue is luma bleed/halo, which has worsened over the years. Very often, issues can no longer be tuned out with the pots. Something drifted in the values.

It's a 1990s device that was never perfect, and aging has made it worse. Flaws are far more noticeable on modern 10s/20s large high-res HDTVs than it was on CRTs in the 90s/00s. Every unit differed, sometimes significantly, even when new. You had to twiddle the pots to calibrate it, and only the most basic of instructions for how to do this was ever mentioned in manuals -- usually with the useless advice to never do it, warnings to never mess with the al-mighty factory settings. I don't think Elite knew the device would drift values over time. And value drifting has to be caps based.

One of my unit still works decently (but still imperfect), and I actually have ALL of the original paperwork these came with (including the receipt for $800!). I've always had the intention to scan and upload those, LOTS of pages, just haven't had time. I bought it used from the original owner in the 2000s for about $425. If I ever sold it, I'd want the same $425 for it, though I'd keep the paperwork.

This all said, it's a strong unit, very powerful correction abilities. And it can be useful to "redline" settings for odd effects.

Yep. :congrats:

I am not schooled or have the expertise you all have here, but this thing seems to work great, though I really need to submit samples for study if anyone cares.
First I removed the cover from the BVP-4+ and it's spotless, no dust, no bulging caps, nuthin. And to be honest it looks like it spent the last 20 years in one of Gamemaniaco's airtight lightless silent DVD depositories. That's no baloney.

:congrats:

:laugh:

As a reminder, the Canopus / Edius NX also has a real ProcAmp as well as a couple of old TV cards with the Brooktree (848/878) chipset.

Well, here we go, my BVP4plus...I'll put my helmet on.
I hope I'm not "hijacking" this thread, however it does show a wide range of adjustments the OP might find interesting.
I go through each control, left to right.
Split screen, Color Level, Flesh Tone, 180 and 180 Color Adjustments, PTP Luminance, IRE, Resolution Boost, Black Restore.