Video8 artifacts during capture, multiple tapes and cameras?

[Anonymmm]

I'm trying to digitise my old Video8 tapes. There's a lot of them, so taking advantage of a digitization buisness isn't financially viable for me.

Attempting to do so with a component video/S-video capture card I've previously used to capture footage from my other MiniDV camera without issues (but I used the S-video port as opposed to the component video ports I'm trying to use now), I get heavy artefacting in the footage, though on the display of the actual camera, there's no issues. I thought there was something wrong with the camera, so I ordered a new one. I got a friend to test the new arrival with his 8mm tapes first and it worked for him, yet when I try, I still get heavy artefacts (again, none on the camera display). I've tried multiple tapes and different component video cables, didn't help.

What should I do? Could the capture card perhaps be parially faulty, in the sense that the S-video capture works, but the component video doesn't?

[themaster1]

Os system used ? (Xp is better generally )
What compression used (lossless,else )? What kind of artifacts

[bookemdano]

Yeah, we need details

What capture card is it (Brand/model)?

Is it really component video (three RCA plugs for video--Y, Pr and Pb + red/white RCA plugs for audio) or did you mean composite (yellow RCA plug for video + red/white RCA plugs for audio)? I'm guessing the latter, but it would be good to clarify.

What operating system and what capture application are you using?

What settings are you using when capturing?

Just as an aside, I'm curious why you used a capture card for your previous miniDV tapes. They are already holding digital video data and miniDV is meant to transfer that data over to the computer via a firewire cable. There are sometimes justified reasons to do an analog capture of miniDV tapes but generally it is best to minimize analog<>digital conversions.

[dpalomaki]

Unsatisfactory capture of SD component video, but OK S-VIDEO capture. Sounds like the problems that plague the Intensity Pro 4K card.

In any case we need to know your gear; make model and the software you are using, and what type of artifacts you are seeing. Do you have line and frame TBC in the system

FWIW: Hi8/Video8/VHS/S-VHS are all recorded in what amounts to an S-VIDEO (Y/C) like format, not component, so conversion to component has benefit only if your playback and capture system does a better job of that conversion than your capture card can do with s-video.

[Anonymmm]

Apologies for the late reply, here are all the details you asked for.

I'm on Windows 10, and yes, I'm in fact trying to use composite video, not component, my bad there.

Here's the capture card: https://i.imgur.com/X62e47l.jpg

The artefacts: https://i.imgur.com/jKRHyCW.mp4

... and finally, I'm using OBS for capture. Here are the settings: https://imgur.com/a/3hKn96Z

Redgarding my miniDV capture, I didn't know Firewire was a possibility, so I just used my capture card.

[themaster1]

I don't see component (y'pbpr) input plugs on this cheap usb card; s-video and composite (yellow) only

Stick to s-video and capture with a software like virtualdub or virtualvcr . For minidv: capture the digital data tape with a firewire card and cable.

[Anonymmm]

The camera only has a composite video output (I've mistakenly called that component in my original post); that is one plug for video and one for audio, so I cannot use s-video.

[bookemdano]

Haha--LordSmurf will have a field day with that workflow.

Sounds like you're happy with the miniDV transfers anyway, so you may not want to go through the bother of transferring them again via firewire. Just know that is the intended and most straightforward way to capture miniDV video, since it is already digital.

Your capture card and/or capture app are the likely culprit. Do you have a budget for this project? If so, what is it? We can recommend some stuff you can buy to improve things. With analog video, you should be using line and frame/field time base correctors. Some camcorders have a line TBC built-in--what model camera are you using to play the tapes?

As a first step, you may want to consider picking up a Panasonic DMR-ES10 or ES15 DVD recorder to use as a passthrough device. They're old and long discontinued but are available on ebay. Sort of unique among DVD recorders, they can really clean up a video signal for capture. To be clear, you would not even be using the DVD drive of the ES10/ES15--just passing your signal into and then out of its circuitry en route to your capture card.

TBCs are super expensive and practically unobtanium now, so a DMR-ES10/ES15 is your best bet unless you have a lot of money you can spend.

They also have pretty decent comb filters, so you could *possibly* avoid having to buy a camcorder with S-video output. You would feed the composite signal into the ES10/ES15 and then use its S-video output into your capture box.

Just as an aside, you wouldn't have needed a TBC to do your miniDV captures. Since they originated as a digital signal, they don't have the time base issues inherent in analog tape formats.

OBS is not a good capture app. You should look into whether your card can be used with VirtualDub or AmarecTV.

[Anonymmm]

I don't have a set budget, I just want to keep costs as low as possible.

The camera is a Sony Handycam CCD-TR565E PAL.

Does that change anything about your advice?

[bookemdano]

Can't find an owner's manual for that model--do you happen to have it? If so, look for a mention of a TBC/Time Base Corrector. If you don't have the manual, you can look in the camcorder's menu (usually under "Player"). If no mention then it surely doesn't have that functionality. All the more reason to pick up an ES15 or ES10 (ES15 is usually more plentiful and easier to find at a decent price).

Wait and see what other responses you get. Maybe someone will recognize that sort of glitching and give you something simple to solve it. I suspect though that you'll be advised to pick up a different capture card and use an app designed for SD capture (OBS is intended for streaming). I would pick up an ES15/ES10 regardless.