PAL Video8 captured converting to NTSC?

[Hanania]

I tried four different devices, each has RCA input, and each converts the signal to digital. Three of them have HDMI output and one has SDI output.

My Sony camcorder plays Video8 PAL. I sent the signal via RCA to the four devices, one device at a time. Each device sent the digital output over HDMI or SDI (depending on the device model) to a Blackmagic DeckLink Mini Recorder HD PCIe card within a PC. The recording process was controlled on the PC with Media Express (an application provided with the recorder PCIe card).

My concern: In each of the four setups, Media Express reported that the input to the PCIe card was 60p. My camcorder's RCA output is PAL, hence I assume it is 50i. From this I must believe that all four devices (from different manufacturers) converted the output to un-interlaced 60 fps. I expected the output to remain 50i.

Am I missing something? How do I go about investigating this?

My intentions:

• Archiving some 100 hours of home video.
• Creating digital files with resolution just enough for the source, i.e, SD.
• Preserving the original information as is (un-interlaced, uncompressed or lossless)
• Adding TBC to workflow once the rest seems to be satisfactory.

[dpalomaki]

What model camcorder and what (make and model) devices were you using to convert the PAL Video8 to SDI or HDMI?

[Hanania]

Camera: Sony CCD TR501E

Converters (digitizers):

• Wiistar AV to 3G-SDI (SDI output selectable between 3G-SDI:SMPTE 424M or 3G-SDI:SMPTE 292M)
• Some no-name brand with HDMI output (selectable between 720p or 480p and between 16:9 or 4:3)
• Some no-name brand with HDMI output (selectable between 720p or 1080p)
• Some no-name brand with HDMI output (no selection)

[aramkolt]

Couple issues I see with your goal of getting the best quality - I doubt any of these can accept S-Video which would be better than composite and it's also doubtful that the camera you have outputs S-Video either, so to get the best quality, you'd also want that camera to have an internal TBC. These are somewhat more common for Digital8 cameras that have backwards compatibility along with a TBC in their feature set.

As for an analog to SDI converter that won't change your framerate, won't deinterlace, and can take S-Video as an input, I'd go with the Blackmagic Analog to SDI mini converter. It'll require an S-Video to BNC breakout as well as 1/4" to RCA adapters for it to mix the audio. It does require a relatively stable input though which is why you still need a camcorder that has a TBC.

[Hanania]

Thanks for pointing me to this device. I'll give it a try.

My camcorder has a Component output, not an S-Video. I might get an S-Video player, but AFAIK, an S-Video player is likely to introduce artifacts when it separates between luminance and chrominance of the Component recording. Would you agree that its better to stick with Component?

My understanding is that you mean this device: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/pro...pecs/W-CONM-00. Is it so?

Last but no least, the device has BNC inputs. Do you have experience with, or at least the knowledge if I can simply connect an RCA male jack to the BNC with a simple, passive RCA-to-BNC-adapter?

[aramkolt]

Yeah, that's the correct Blackmagic analog to SDI device, but I'd definitely just get a used one on ebay for like $70 or less. they do require a power adapter, so would make sure it comes with one.

I think you have composite mixed up with component. Composite is the single yellow plug which should be what your TR501E has. I believe Video8 does store the color (chroma) separately from brightness (luma), so by outputting composite, you are mixing those (which is not ideal if you don't have to), which is what using S-Video output of a newer camera that has it avoids. Both S-Video and composite can be easily converted to BNC with adapters passively as only the connector used is different.

Your current camera probably will not work with the "Analog to SDI" device because the TR501E lacks a TBC to make the signal stable enough for the Analog to SDI converter. Off the top of my head, a camera that should be able to play all 8mm formats in PAL land (8mm, Hi8, Digital8), has a TBC, and has S-Video output (and DV/Firewire output even) would be the DCR-TRV120E, but there are many others. I'd avoid any camera that has a number ending in "8" because those tend to have mono audio output.

[Hanania]

You are absolutely right. I was conscious of the alliteration trap, I tried to not confuse the two terms, and then -- I did.

The rest of the information you gave, is new to me, and should be useful.

Thanks a lot.