Hello to DigitalFAQ!
I have scoured through the threads, enjoyed the friendly discussion environment, quality of information, and most importantly the hard effort and work that DigitalFAQ seems to put into helping others for free as well as other fellow premium members. Because of this and after a few months of reading many threads, I have decided to become a premium member myself as a way to give back and contribute to this website! Also, I may later donate as a way to say thanks as I move forward on my project. Therefore, today I welcome myself officially to the website. As for my background, I have grown up and live in California
. So hello to all the DigitalFAQ staff from the sunny side of the USA!
Obviously, everyone has a purpose to be on here. Some are here for fun and pleasure, others for their hobbies, some perhaps for work related issues, others for their own projects, ...etc. For me, I am getting everything together so I can transfer my family videos from VHS into the digital world. This is important for me to do before the VHS tapes deteriorate from age. Also, I want them transferred because they do take up room, and I rather not keep the VHS tapes forever.
Below is the hardware I have collected over time in hopes that it can be used to transfer my VHS tapes into digital; if anything it gives me things to try, play with, and experiment with; after all, isn't this what we all are really doing
? Collection is based off what I have learned from reading many threads:
1) JVC HR-S7800 (have already had for some time)
2) JVC HR-S9911U (can I suffice without the JVC HR-S9800U? Should I still spring for one?)
3) DataVideo TBC-1000
4) Elite Video BVP+
5) Grass Valley ADVC300
6) ATI TV Wonder 600 USB 2.0
7) DataColor Spyder3Pro
Choice of software so far:
1) VirtualDub
2) Sony Vegas Pro (sophisticated enough yet cheap enough for me to buy)
Currently, I am running Windows 7 64-bit. I am among those who have successfully installed ATI TV Wonder 600 USB 2.0 in Windows 7 thanks to lordsmurf's thread and capture drives for Windows 7. The 600 USB seems to work in
VirtualDub, but I don't seem to be able to get it to work in any other application. For instance it doesn't work in
Sony Vegas Pro 64-bit.
My workflow is setup as follows (all S-Video through the chain):
[JVC HR-S9911U] --> [DataVideo TBC-1000] --> [Elite Video BVP+] --> [ATI TV Wonder 600 USB 2.0] --> [Window 7-64bit].
Please bare with me as I ask my questions. I need to start somewhere so that I can start to move forward on transferring my family videos in the coming weeks and months. As I grow, I'm sure I'll be able to ask more specific questions. For now, these questions I have wondered about and may be something I dig deeper into as I move forward with you and everyone else who cares to share their own opinions and thoughts:
1) Now that I have all my hardware (and some software), what's the best way for me to calibrate or ensure that I have everything working correctly? Test patterns (e.g. SMPTE color bars)? Software based Waveform monitor and VectorScope monitor (does this fit in and if so when and how)? Any realtime Waveform/VectorScope software during live capture?
2) When capturing video, does it really matter that the captured video is NTSC video compliant? In other words, if my video is not in-between the black and white levels of what is considered broadcast safe NTSC video on capture, does that even really matter? It would seem, though I could be wrong, that I am still capturing all the analog signal into digital data even when the video is outside the black and white levels for NTSC. That through post processing I could THEN make the video NTSC video compliant later on. Or, is it better to capture all video within the black and white levels of NTSC video? I'd like to capture at the highest quality possible.
3) Let's take the pure color black for instance. When I see black on the VHS tape, how do I ensure it maps to black in the computer world? The same question goes for red, green, and blue. How do I get the colors to properly map to the computer space? How should I be thinking about this as I transfer the VHS tapes to my computer?
4) Though I can get into this more later by showing some examples (I can attach pictures and/or video later on), currently I seem to have a slow upward moving wave running through the video when the TBC-1000 and BVP+ are chained together. If I plug each in independently and look at the video, the video seems fine. It's only when they are chained together do I get a slow horizontal wave that slowly moves upwards. Actually, it's not really that noticeable. However, without a doubt, you can still slightly see it in the video. Maybe someone has also experienced this issue?
5) 720x480 seems to be the recommended capture resolution. Yet, today's higher resolutions consist of HD at 1920x1080. Why can't I capture my VHS tapes at 1920x1080? Or, why isn't there a capture card that will take the NTSC video signal and capture at 1920x1080. Or, if there is such a way, why is it not recommended? When I look at 720x480, why should I believe that it's a resolution that should satisfy the transfer of my family VHS videos to digital? In the future, when I share and watch these family videos, I most likely will have a larger video display with a higher resolution. How will 720x480 upscale (or look) at 1920x1080? Since larger displays are 1920x1080 or greater, why not capture at 1920x1080? Or, will it suffice simply to capture all VHS at 720x480 and then upscale it somehow in the future to 1920x1080? Obviously, what I am trying to get at is why I should be satisfied with capturing at 720x480 in terms of viewing in the future?
6) In my workflow, do you recommend I view the captured video on a 1920x1080 HD display? Should I have this in my chain to make sure the video looks good?
7) Is there any additional hardware you suggest I purchase that may be helpful towards my endeavors to transfer my family videos? Better capture card? Anything better then the ATI 600 USB since I am in Windows 7? I am considering setting up an additional XP box, but if possible, would like to stay in the Windows 7 world. Or will the ATI 600 USB suffice? Is there really any benefit to a better card? If so, please help to explain why.
As I move forward, I thank you all in advance who contribute to the conversation and this thread as it moves forward!
-Erik