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Lot of stuff here, long reply possible, will try to be brief, replying as I read...
3 capture workflows
- VHS + VHS-C
- Hi8
- Digital8, which is digital DV on 8mm Sony tape
VHS/Hi8 needs standard VCR/camera > TBC > capture card. Not any gear, but players with line TBC, ideally to frame TBC (or you just make your own capture life harder), and quality capture card.
DV can be camera > computer, or analog captured with same method as VHS/Hi8. And sometimes that's needed, as DV tape can miss important seconds at tape start/stop. You have options. Or do both, compare later.
SR-S365 is not good, Magnavox isn't good for this task (use only as DVD recorder from a TV).
Mac is useless for capture. I'm not anti-Mac, I have several, great at what they do. But Mac for captur is like trying to race a dump truck. Or haul lumber with a sports car. Wrong tool.
- Dell 7080 probably fine. OS matters more. WinXP/7 best, Vista/8 fidgety, Win10/11 usually problems.
- Being Dell doesn't really matter. What matters is capture sanity, and not using old P$ IDE type system. Get SATA, multicore CPU, clean OS install that is decrapified.
- Aja, eh. With analog, HD cards are generally a boondoggle, not a benefit.
- Blackmagic = no. Same reasons as above, but way worse.
- HDMI scalers are not useful for analog videotapes, and always make quality worse. But at least Gefen isn't Chinese junk, that's refreshing to see.
- generic/random USB devices = generic/random (non)quality -- those I do wonder if you're idea of "generic" may actually include some decent cards. Not everybody knows gear brand names.
Yes, you need a quality S-VHS VCR with line TBC. Not using one automatically removes about 50% of your potential transfer quality. (On average, with exceptions, as always, for the argumentative readers.)
No, not a "Panasonic VCR-DVD/HD recorder". I'm assuming (hopefully) that you refer to the ES10/15 type units, but those have downsides, and also essentially repeat part of the quality S-VHS VCR with TBC (but worse, aside from rarer tearing issues).
In general, I don't condone selling junk. But I live in reality, and "greater fool theory" exists. Take that crappy Canopus ADVC-300, both Blackmagic cards, and sell them. Some schmuck will buy them -- either due to their own ignorance, or due to believing one of those Youtuber idiots with bad advice. Those are where quick money is.
That Gefen may have value, depending on model. Those have legitimate non-capture uses. I won't tell you to sell it, or that Aja, but it's something to consider, if you need funding. Those are the better pieces from this lot. The generic USB cards probably have no value, though I'd still be curious on brand/model of each.
Nobody wants to spend needless money, and people have been trying to skimp on video hardware for decades (even myself, in the 90s, before I learned better, and adopted S-VHS and TBCs). You only hurt yourself (frustration, headaches), and quality suffers. "I don't want a new car, I want to use whatever I find broken down on the side of the road!"
Video gear is tools. Don't bang screws with a hammer, or slap at nail with a screwdriver. Use the correct tool for the task. For example, random old VCRs were for mom/dad/gran/kids to play tapes on CRT TVs, not to be used as capture/edit tools. There are stark differences, and you're unaware until seeing it with your own eyes, in person, with your own tapes. No, Youtube doesn't help, it must be experienced to understand.
So, full circle, VCR/camera > TBC > capture card. Again, not any random units, but those know for quality.
Quality gear holds value. Buy it, use it, resell it. You don't buy it, use it, then stick it in a box.
Video gear can be hard to acquire, and even harder to vet as properly working (especially for video newbies), and properly clean/repair as needed (and it's always needed, to some degree). That's why I try to keep a limited number of refurb'd workflows available in the marketplace, and at several price points (premium, budget, some in between).
I think you're fine on the computer, and the cameras, but the analog video gear needs severe attention.
You're already redoing the (I'm assuming) bad quality first attempt. Just do it properly this time, and you'll be done forever. If you try to cheap out, there will be a 3rd attempt.
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Which capture device above should I use? or Buy a different one and sell what I have ?
