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-   -   My VHS capturing plan with EasyCap USB and VirtualDub? (https://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-capture/5438-vhs-capturing-plan.html)

Renowned 10-12-2013 02:37 AM

My VHS capturing plan with EasyCap USB and VirtualDub?
 
Recently my family brought up the fact that our family VHS recordings are roughly 2 decades old :smack: and gave me the task to convert them to a more permanent storage solution . A local video store was asking for 30 dollars per hour/film which is way above my price range considering i need to convert roughly 25 hours worth of video. Knowing nothing about video converting/filtering i set upon my journey today .

Being in an extremely tight financial issue:2cents: I bought the cheapest capture device a week before which is the widely sold (EasyCap) later finding out today after scavenging through this forum that its complete shit :knock: . After 1 hour tampering with drivers and software I finally got easycap working on virtualdub. I installed 2 Codecs first one being XVID MPEG-4 2nd one HUFFYUV V2.1.1 . Not having nearly enough harddrive space to accommodate 20+ hours of video on my 1 tb external hdd using HUFFYUV codec i started tampering with XVID settings (i achieved semi decent results /some quality loss/30 minutes film=800mb) I also added some filters .In conclusion I received average results but my VCR plays videos somewhat clearer on my tv compared to the digital recreation. All my VHS tapes are in extremely good quality and work without any errors. I understand that if i wish to achieve better quality i must purchase the following:
  • Good capture card (ex ATI 600)
  • Good Super-VHS VCR
  • External TBC
Now that you all know which position i'm at i wish to expedite my learning curve and list my problems ive currently run into. Hopefully you guys can provide me with some information :D.

My setup :
  • Intel i5 Processor
  • EasyCap Video Capture Device
  • Virtualdub (XVID / HUFFYUV Codec with some filters enabled)
  • Panasonic Dynamorphous Metal Head 4 VHS Player
1) Good capture card such as ATI 600 is very hard to come by and not the most financially viable choice for me . That also applies to the Super VHS VCR. Is there some way i can work around these two devices perhaps with some different sort of equipment thats easier to obtain/in production and much cheaper?

2)Is there a specific codec I should be choosing that will give me a good quality/low file size aside from XVID. If so what are they and which settings should be used? Would it be more wise to use HUFFYUV codec and use video converting software such as handbrake to compress it afterwards? Will it retain more quality?

3)Which filters should I use to make my video more appealing? I currently use : deinterlace (unfold) , deinterlace (fold), dynamic noise reduction , and static noise reduction.

4) Would i be better off going to a large retail store (walmart) offering better rates $/hour for services such as VHS-DVD? Would they give me better quality compared to my current setup?

5)Is there any sort of noob friendly mega guide that covers all aspects of VHS video converting on virtualdub?

If someone could answer those following questions it would be greatly appreciated. If im missing any pieces in the puzzle when it comes to video converting please fill me in. Thanks everyone :):thumb:

volksjager 10-12-2013 02:19 PM

the VCR is the single most important piece. there is no way around using a good VCR.
TBC decks can be found for under $150 if you shop around
keep in mind you can always resell it later.

with only 25 hours of footage you are probably better off paying a pro service (like the site staff here) to do them.

the cheapest piece is infact the capture card - ATI can be found on ebay for dirt cheap
i sold a ATI600USB for $25 no long ago.

DeeSeven 10-15-2013 05:19 PM

you can get a free ati card by signing up for an amazon credit card...no strings attached etc etc. that is how I got mine :)


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