Replying as I read...
Mac just isn't a quality system for consumer analog SD videotapes. It's almost entirely DV-based (1990s tech with blocks and 50%+ color loss), with a few oddball methods that require 15-year-old OS X versions, or semi-screwy workarounds.
Windows is just easier, even Win11. And most Win11-able cards are USB, not internal.
XP is only an option, in order to use the best card (AIW). But there are several quite good cards for Win7-11, all USB, and I use several myself. Namely the same
Pinnacle cards that I have in the marketplace.
Good to see you've done research on VCR, TBC, etc. You got it.
DV converters have nothing to do with TBCs. DV boxes can, and do, have issues like any other capture card. Some form of TBC is required, whether a minimal TBC(ish) ES10/15 type passthrough, or actual quality TBCs for better quality.
Blackmagic cards are horrible at SD, an afterthought feature for the quality HD capture. Even with DataVideo/Cypress TBCs, it can still have problems.
ATI 600 USB is fine up to Win7. The issue is 8/10/11, because of how Windows changes the AV operations, and new drivers don't exist post-Vista (and Vista works fine in 7). The Vidbox drivers are a problem for it, as ATI is not 100% generic eMPIA bridge.
Hauppauge Live2 is a bad card, very sensitive like Blackmagic. And other issues. It's not an Easycap clone, but it sucks all the same.
GV-USB2 can be an Easycap clone, lots of scams on eBay/
Amazon/etc. But even the actual Japanese card poses it's own set of problems, such as forcing you to use then analong-streaming software AmaRecTV. That can work, but mostly for PAL (not NTSC), and it comes with it's own set of challenges involving default values and histograms. You save ~$25 or so, but you buy that back in time spent.
Component is not good. To extract the separate luma/chroma from the tape (sent via s-video), you have to process the video. That processing is never good, even from broadcast appliances. The final file, capture s-video, and internally saved YUV (YCrCb) will look better.
Standard workflow applies:
VCR > some for of TBC > capture card
Ideally actual TBCs, to save time and sanity/frustration.
So
JVC/Panasonic VCR with line/field TBC > actual frame TBC >quality capture card.
The capture card is the easiest and cheapest piece to get. I ever have a full workflow available, right now, one the best TBCs made (early BV10), one of the best JVC models, and capture card of your choice. I built this for a hobbyist that had to back out at the last minute. I wasn't supposed to have workflows this year, but I do.
If you plan to have a side business, quality of gear matters. Not just for visual reason, but in terms of having gear that plays/cooperates with the tapes you'll get. People often make the mistake of thinking their limited VHS tape collection represents the wider VHS tape world. That's when TBCs, tape transports, etc, really come into focus.
eBay isn't good for those Pinnacle cards. There are versions, and odds of the bad/wrong version is greater than 50%. That's why you see mixed reviews on those cards, because it's never "the same" card version.
"Buy cheap, buy twice" is a real problem in video.
Or, for some, "buy cheap, make crap" and then refer to it as "
VHS quality" as an excuse.
I can actually make budget setups, which still has TBCs, for about $1k. I just don't do it often, as I have to modify some firmware each time. But it looks good for the price. It's not ideal to use for service to others, or at least not as primary. However, I can build out a sort of 50/50 setup, similar to DVK setup, but still better priced.
Essentially, you have several options here.
If you want any of my gear, PM me a budget, I'll get you setup. I work with small businesses, large orgs, archivists, etc. Get them the gear, give some quick one-on-one training via forum (sometimes email/PM), and you'll be off to capture videos with quality and ease.
If you want to go it alone, that's fine. Just be aware some of this isn't easy to acquire, nor cobble together randomly. There's some art to building out workflows without problems.
