My ES-15 hasn't arrived, and I don't have an SVHS with TBC, but I wanted to test the two external USB video capture devices I bought recently. I have some observations to share for people with the same devices, and some questions about the distortions I'm seeing that I need help identifying.
My hardware and software
VCR: JVC HR-3910U (non-TBC unit)
External TBC: None
VHS tape: Memorex
Video material: Copy of a VHS or 8mm camcorder
Wire: Monster Cable S-Video
Capture device: ATI USB 2.0 (gray unit) and Diamond VC500
OS: Windows 10 (and Windows XP SP2 via WMWare Workstation 16 player)
Capture software:
VirtualDub 1.9.11
Capture codec:
Huffyuv v.2.1.1 - CCESP Patch v0.2.2
My tests
1. JVC HR-3910U to ATI USB 2.0 to Windows XP SP within WMWare (on my Windows 10 HP)
The ATI USB 2.0 capture device doesn't run in Windows 10, so I decided to install WMWare, and install Windows XP inside. I had never done that before, but it was surprising easy. While it captured the video, there were at least three issues, which are listed here and attached below:
- intermittent thin green lines
- another effect I don't have a name for
- something like zebra lines
Also, FWIW, the ATI USB 2.0 captured snow for about four seconds at the start of the video, which the Diamond VC500 captured more-or-less clean video.
2. JVC HR-3910U to Diamond VC500 to Windows XP SP within WMWare (on my Windows 10 HP)
To keep things consistent, I did the next capture in Windows XP, too, but this time with the VC500. I didn't notice any more green lines, but there were those zebra lines issue (sorry if not the correct technical term, I will edit post later when I get the right term).
3. JVC HR-3910U to Diamond VC500 to Windows 10
Finally, I captured the recording again but in Windows 10. There were fewer of those zebra line issues compared to the VC500 capture in Windows XP.
Other comments
The VC500 produced a redder tone than the ATI USB 2.0. On things like skin tone, the ATI USB 2.0 looked more natural. The ATI USB 2.0 gets really hot, as others have said.
I don't know whether my experience with the ATI USB 2.0 was due to it being damaged in some way, or affected by the heat about several hours of capture, or due to the fact I was running Windows XP inside WMWare. The fact that I saw a slight reduction in zebra line issues (sorry if wrong name) when I compared test 2 and test 3 suggests that maybe WMWare adds problems and that I would experience better results if I had added a fourth and fifth test: A dedicated Windows XP computer using both capture devices.
Conclusion
I am awaiting my ES-15 any day now. I will test the capture #3 workflow again, but with the ES-15 in the mix.
Help needed
Can you please let me know what to call the distortion illustrated in
ati USB 2.0 - unknown name.png , and the ghost image(?) file, and what I called the zebra lines? I'd like to know what these are called by the community. Finally, is there any technical reason for why the two capture devices captured a problem frame differently in the file
Same frame handled differently in ATI 2.0 v Diamond VC500.jpg?