Video and Audio not syncing when capturing
 

I would like to preferece that I know that video and audio signals not syncing up because I do not have a TBC currently. For most of the time I had my eyes set on saving up for a DataVideo TBC 1000 and now I am seeing that there are more options for TBCs other than DataVideo. Furthermore, I would imagine that different TBCs are needed for different problems or what not.

Also my current set up is:

• JVC HR-S7600U
• ATI USB 600 Capture card

So my issue as mentioned in the title is that whenever I capture wedding or party footage of family I notice that the audio and video were not in sync when the footage changed to another scene or when you look at people's mouth moving. That has been my biggest problem when capturing tape and I have been able to "fix" it by manually changing the audio to sync it with the video. However, it is very time consuming, especially when the footage is 2-3 hours long.
The bottom line is that I would like to know what type of TBC should I be looking for? For audio-video syncing issues and to correct the signal. Thank you all.

Is the audio delay fixed a certain amount of time, or does it drift further and further from the video as the tape advances? Also, what are you using to capture? If virtual dub, can you post a screenshot of your capture statistics with dropped/inserted frames after something like 10 minutes of capture as well as a screenshot of "capture timing options" settings.

preface :wink2:

Correct, 99%+ of audio skew/sync issues are due to lack of frame TBC, when it comes to digital conversion. (An actual frame TBC, not a DVD recorder, not a random mixer, etc.)

When I started to convert video almost 25 years ago, we essentially had two affordable (sub-$1k) choices: DataVideo TBC-1000, and (green) AVT-8710. But throughout the early 2000s, we did get a few more options. Then the late 2000s and early 2010s saw flawed TBCs, before all TBCs ceased production. Skip to the now-mid 2020s, and everything is falling into disrepair, everything needs a refurb, and pricing for all is at least double MSRP now (which tracks AV/photo used+quality inflation, so nothing unsual there). Worse yet, all of the early/mid/old units are a jumble, so newbies can get easily screwed buying the wrong TBCs (as sold by somebody that doesn't even know what a TBC is or does).

So the source/seller of TBCs matter, condition matters.

No, I'd not say that. In general, a good/quality TBC will work for all (or almsot all) of your tapes. Of course, if you have both PAL and NTSC, the conversation gets more complex (but units for it exist, mostly Cypress). This is why I ask somebody to tell me more about their project(s), and/or future desired use of the gear. That way, I can pair you with the best unit for your needs. Not generic advice (one-size-fits-none).

That is good gear, but it's not a workflow.
It must be VCR > TBC > capture card

Not VCR > capture card.

And no, the "built in" (line) TBC does nothing for sync. Line TBC fixes the image (in-frame/intraframe), not fix the signal (the job of framesync TBC; interframe/frame-to-frame/temporal).

Your "fix" will still have a % of offset. You can never fully correct it.

Budget is the limiter. Realistic number needed. If you want a quality problem-free TBC, for consumer sources (VHS, Hi8, etc), then $2k range is expected.

The audio drifts further and further with time. Like I mentioned it is an ATI 600 USB. I am using AmaRecTV to capture, although Virtualdub now works, I have become accustomed to AmaRecTV.