Distorted picture from VHS tape s-video?
 

This is all I'm getting at the moment. VCR->TBC-1000->USB-Live2-AmarecTV

All via S-Video at the moment. If I use composite video out of the TBC instead, I get a decent picture. If I use composite out of the VCR, I get nothing whatsoever.

Audio was working before, but isn't now. Works in VirtualDub, though. Even start/stop recording, which usually plays a sound in Amarec, is silent.

The attached video is a VLC recording of the original capture, because when attempting to use FFMPEG to trim/re-encode it (since it needn't be lossless to convey what I'm trying to convey here), I get the errors "scale/rate is 0/0 which is invalid. (This file has been generated by broken software.)" and "Invalid sample rate: 0"

Wow that video is horrific.

I'm not sure which capture chain you're referencing when you say
"composite video out of the TBC"
(was that still s-video input?) and
"composite out of the VCR"
(was that still with the TBC in the capture chain? if so, was that composite or s-video output?)


Please clarify:

1- Who refurbished (or at the very least simply recapped) your TBC-1000, and how long ago was that?
2- VCR --composite--> USB capture = ??
3- VCR --y/c--> USB capture = ??
4- VCR --composite--> TBC-1000 --composite--> USB capture = "composite out of the VCR, I get nothing whatsoever"
5- VCR --composite--> TBC-1000 --y/c--> USB capture = "composite out of the VCR, I get nothing whatsoever"
6- VCR --y/c--> TBC-1000 --composite--> USB capture = "decent picture"
7- VCR --y/c--> TBC-1000 --y/c--> USB capture = horrible distortion as seen in sample clip


Because we want to determine:

1- Does your TBC-1000 need diagnostic & repair work?
(A: ??)
2- Does VCR composite output & USB capture composite input function properly?
(A: ??)
3- Does VCR y/c output & USB capture y/c input function properly?
(A: ??)
4- Does TBC composite input & TBC composite output function properly?
(A: no; "composite out of the VCR, I get nothing whatsoever")
5- Does TBC composite input & TBC y/c output function properly?
(A: no; "composite out of the VCR, I get nothing whatsoever")
6- Does TBC y/c input & TBC composite output function properly?
(A: yes; "decent picture")
7- Does TBC y/c input & TBC y/c output function properly?
(A: no; horrible distortion as seen in sample clip)


Then, having all those answers, further determinations can be made.

It seems some of the composite issues I was having were related to the SCART cable. It's branched, so the one SCART plug goes out to two separate sets of RWY cables. RW go into the TV, and I'd been using the other yellow to test. Using the Y that's attached to the RW plugged into the TV, I'm able to get a picture on setups that previously didn't work.

I also can't get a preview at all in VDub. I'm not seeing a blank window or anything, there's just literally nothing, like I never opened anything to begin with (though I can hear audio playback if I enable that). AmarecTV, meanwhile, seems to search for an S-Video signal even if I switch the input in the AmarecTV settings to composite.

And as a result of testing all these outcomes, plus a couple of others...it works now. I have no idea why. I tested all of them myself over the past few days and it remained broken.


It hasn't been modified since I bought it back in 2016.

Blank screen in AmarecTV, the AVS works.

Works.

Blank screen in AmarecTV, the AVS works.

Works.

Blank screen in AmarecTV, the AVS works.

Works.

For additional data:
8- VCR--composite-->TV: Works
9- VCR--composite-->TBC-1000 --composite-->TV: Works.
10- VCR--y/c-->TBC-1000 --composite-->TV: Works.

So something in Amarec doesn't like composite input, and the rest of it is gremlins.

However, none of these setups yield audio in AmarecTV. Which is...an issue, to say the least.

Just a quick reply for now, am I reading correctly that:

1. You have at least one fully working composite video + R&L audio output via the SCART cable for testing this
2. Composite video output from both VCR & TBC always displays properly on TV
3. Y/C video output from both VCR & TBC always displays properly on TV
4. Composite video input to the capture device never works
5. Y/C video input to the capture device always works

If that's all correct, and there were some other comments you made in that last post, it sounded like a potential hardware issue with your capture device composite input. Unless you've had a successful composite video capture with the capture device.

I don't have an S-Video input on my TV, so that's untested.

Composite into the USB doesn't work in AmarecTV. It does work in AviSynth via GraphEdit. I can't get a video preview in VDub under any circumstances.

No combination of options gets me audio in AmarecTV.

If I can fix the AmarecTV audio, I'm good.

Try deleting your AmarecTV.ini file in the AmarecTV folder, then restart it.

That did the trick.

Good oh! :D

Rebooted my computer and lost audio again. Same solution, but am I going to have to do all my settings from scratch every time I boot now?

-- merged --

False hope, I've got this garbage going on. VCR->S-Video->TBC->S-Video->USB. VCR->Composite->TV was free of glitches.

Given how intermittent it was, it's rather more difficult to test all the different combos.

-- merged --

Anyone have any ideas here?

Ordinarily, I'd suggest an ES-10 or 15. That'd sort that glitchy nonsense out quick-smart.

You know the tape and VCR via Composite is basically OK because of the TV test.

If you are in Perth and you don't have access to an ES-15, I'm happy to bring mine (or my EH-57) around for you to try.

I see some sort of chroma misread, likely the VCR, but it could be elsewhere in the hardware stack.

In between the VCR and TBC?


Not really sure what you mean by this but if the VCR is misreading the tape it would be an issue on the TV as well, would it not?

Try VCR>ES15>USBLive2.

Removing the TBC-1000 from the chain does seem to eliminate the glitching.

Do you not still have that green AVT-8710? :hmm:

Where is that TBC-1000 from? It may be that the caps have failed. It's really expected now with any TBC-1000 unit. My TBC-3000s have all failed, my 1000 is finicky, and I'm just waiting for the day that my venerable TBC-100 cards give me grief.

timtape can maybe help "down under" with soldering/repair? Or mailed to Diopter_Doctor stateside.

Somewhere.

eBay.

Try eliminating the distribution amp and connect directly to the TBC board.

I don't know what a distribution amp is.

It's essentially a high-quality splitter. The 4 outputs on the back of the TBC-1000 is to to the distro amp board (the VP299). It can be bypassed, but I have a feeling that's too complicated for you. Even I don't mess with the bypass mods much.

He could send it out to one of the members who modded this before. I mean it's an expensive investment, you don't want to let sit unused.