Dazzle DVC100 or Hauppauge USB-Live2, and VCR?

[juanjo123]

Hi, I'm new around here. I will try to keep my question short and concise.

purpose: digitize old family videos on vhs

the videos are copies of originals i think vhs-c ("big old black camera" from the 90's) connecting the camera to the vcr and recording them.

I'm in Europe/PAL

first question:

My budget only allows me to buy a dazzle dcv100 or a Hauppauge usb-live2. Which of the 2 will give me the best result? or is it indifferent? the VcR will be a "normal" one without TBC.

I also have a choice of WinTV-HVR 1100 / 1110 / 1200 / NOVA-S-Plus (and others) pcie cards but I will use windows 10 and I don't know if they will give me compatibility problems (I assume that dcv100 and usb-live2 will work fine with windows10)

second question:

I have read that it is best to play the tapes with the same VCR with which they were recorded. Is this true? Right now the VCR I have isn't the same one the tapes were recorded with, but I might get it.


If the VCR is not super-VHS, (or the tapes) is it better using s-video or is it the same as using composite?
In my current VCR I don't have an s-video output, but I do have SCART. Is a scart to s-video adapter better than a scart to composite or is it the same?

thank you so much.

[latreche34]

I can answer the second question, Playing tapes on the same VCR that recorded them is not a general rule, Only if the VCR that recorded them was miss aligned. And yes playing normal VHS tapes in a S-VHS machine using S-Video socket or the Y-C pins on a SCART connector yields better quality than composite connector from the same S-VHS machine or a normal VHS machine.

[Xhumeka]

I would personally recommend AGAINST the Dazzle... I have heard that results are hit or miss depending on the hardware you received, and for me, it was definitely a miss. I didn't compare against the Hauppauge but others have reported that unit works better than the Dazzle. Here are my Dazzle test results: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIjl2mLvaPk

[juanjo123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by latreche34

I can answer the second question, Playing tapes on the same VCR that recorded them is not a general rule, Only if the VCR that recorded them was miss aligned. And yes playing normal VHS tapes in a S-VHS machine using S-Video socket or the Y-C pins on a SCART connector yields better quality than composite connector from the same S-VHS machine or a normal VHS machine.

Sorry, I think I expressed myself poorly. I meant to ask if I would notice an improvement using an adapter to s-video with a regular VCR that has a SCART output. Is it the same as using a SCART to composite adapter?

[juanjo123]

Double post sorry

[juanjo123]

Double post, sorry

[latreche34]

If the VCR is not S-VHS that means it does not have S-Video out or C pin on the SCART connector therefore there is no benifit of converting composite (CVBS pin on SCART) to S-Video (Y-C) unless the convertor itself has a good comb filter to eliminate chroma artifacts, such as a DVD recorder, a TBC ...etc. Passive cable connectors will not add any benifit other than the convenience of connectivity.