Apologies in advance for what is probably going to be a longish post.
I've a large collection of old VHS tapes - some over 20 years old - and I'm looking at capturing them onto the computer for the purpose of storing them on DVD. I've no plans to author any DVD's from the footage. Just store them for now. The tapes are mostly sport, but there's a mix of other stuff that I'd struggle to replace that I'd like to salvage - movies, TV shows, etc. Being in the UK, they are all in the PAL format.
I'm already in possession of a Hauppauge HD PVR, which i use to record from my Cable box. I've hooked it up to an old VCR and, while it works, the footage isn't of the best quality. It's also rather temperamental, halting recordings if there is any sort of jitter or break in the picture. And the whole process seems rather sluggish using it. It has a habit of freezing and needing to be turned off and back on again.
So I'm looking at another method. One that will give me better quality, as well as removing some of the footery problems I encountered with the PVR box. I'm not expecting miracles, some of the tapes have seen better days, although most play fine. I've been reading through forums and I've a rough idea of what I might need to do. I'm really just looking for reassurance that I'm on the right track, and guidance back onto it if I'm not. I've broken down my questions into three parts.
[Note : My computer is a Windows 7 machine, 4GB Ram, Gigabyte P35-DS3R Mobo, Q6600 processor and Radeon 5770 Hawk gfx card]
1. VCR. I have consumer LG model, which is decent for what it does. But from what I've read, having the correct VCR can make a huge difference. I've read a list of recommended models, but it can be difficult to find these higher end machines. Since a fair chunk of the tapes are recorded in long play, it would seem that the Panasonic machines would be better for me. Is that correct? Would the NV-HS1000 be a good choice? And what is the difference, if any, between this model and the NV-HS1000B. What sort of price would be fair for either of these? Anything else I should consider? Would the models on this list
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vide...ing-guide.html still be accurate, or is there anything else I might consider?
2. TBC. It seems one of these will be a must. Would the AVT-8710 do the job for me? And would I be better buying a TBC first and seeing the difference it makes to my current machine before investing in a new VCR?
3. Lastly, the capture device. I like my Hauppauge PVR. It works well for what it does. But I would prefer to capture the data uncompressed, for editing and archival purposes, then compress down once editing is complete for computer storage. On the other hand, using it would save me money. Would a TBC help with the problems of it dropping out of the recording whenever some jittery/broken footage is encountered? And would I avoid this problem if I used a capture card, rather than one of these boxes? If I go the route of the capture card, what would be recommended, given that I'm using W7? I've had a look for the ATI TV Wonder 600 USB devices, but they seem hard to find in the UK.
Think that covers it. I don't mind paying the money for the proper equipment to do a good job with this. But I don't want to spend money on new equipment I don't need. Thoughts?
Thanks for reading.
