VHS capturing: what do I need to own and know?
 

I currently have one Panasonic NV-HV60, one BlackMagic Intensity Shuttle, one camcorder (Canon MV700i), one firewire cable, and one firewire port. I've been capturing with the red/white/yellow cables out to the camcorder, firewire out of the camcorder into my desktop PC, and then Windows Movie Maker to actually do the capturing.

Which is...not the recommended process. I've tried VirtualDub but never managed to get it to work, although I can't recall why.

I've found a JVC SR-S388E on eBay, but the photo of it shows a giant dent in the top, which is disconcerting. It also has no manual. On the other hand...I'm in Australia. Tapes are PAL. The vast majority of VCRs available are NTSC.

The SR-S388E is the only one on the Buying Guide that I can find on eBay (that will ship to Australia and isn't well over $2000). Is there anywhere else I should be looking? I don't mind letting go of a few hundred Australian dollars, but two grand is just not an option and that one's a Panasonic, which I hear aren't quite as good anyway.

I'm also figuring I'll need an AVT-8710, given the TBC-1000 no longer seems to be available anywhere (other than a 'for parts' one on eBay).

Would going through the BlackMagic and capturing as MJPEG be the way to go, or should I stick with the camcorder-and-firewire option? Anything I've missed?

A Pana NV HV61 and the USB3 shuttle I have here
Even the JVC SR-388

The menu settings can be read in the manual on page. 8
The PDF can be purchased [47 pages]

Always several recorder / feeder try
2 recorder is not enough there.

Capturing in DV-AVI = no ... not a good idea

AVT-8710 and also the Datavideo TBC 1000 I have here.

you can still buy
...patience
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no of course not

VDub with Lagarith YUY2 [4: 2: 2]
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonsvideo

http://www.videoproductions.com.au/h...downscale.html

he is the professional in Australia

He is also in the German Canopus forum and writes in German

I have neither the budget nor the need to go absolutely nuts with VCRs. I'm not doing this for a living.

Running it through the Firewire cable converts it to DV, right? So I'd have to get it from the VCR to the computer some other way?

The AVT-8710 is still available new, as far as I can tell, but I can't find a TBC-1000 available anywhere. I did see a TBC-5000 somewhere, but it was $800 or something like that.

Anton Strauss writes but as digitizing analog material.

Or here is my idea

JVC SR-388 ---> Pana EH65 DMR [Front in]
EH65 Back Scart out with S-Video + Audio -----> Shuttle
Capture with VDub in Lagarith

Really can't afford an EH65. VDub doesn't recognise the Intensity Shuttle, so that's not an option anyway.

it can also be a DMR EH 595 or EH585 or EH575.

The cost occasion the 50 AUD [Australian dollar]

The HV60 can spend no clean time constant signal
Give it himself.

The JVC SR-388 has a TBC [left behind the flap]
but that's just a line TBC and not for the entire image

Tomorrow I'm the JVC SR-388 pick times from the magazine.

How to properly analog capturt is here very much to read
of people who can read and write English.
I can only my translation swiss dialect ---> German ---> english
sometimes I have to laugh because of the errors.

Honestly ... I myself have a DMR EH65 in the cutting room.

You forget.......
You need then for the capture is a video editing program.
Edius Grass Valley is a good idea

by the end of 2016.
Trial
Previously, the demo only 31 days.

Regardless, plugging those into the BlackMagic won't let me capture lossless. If I'm going to have to buy new equipment to stick between my computer and the VCR, I'd rather it be something that'll co-operate with VirtualDub.

I don't understand this.

I'm aware, that's why I'm also figuring on getting an AVT-8710.

I don't even want to know how much that costs.

I have Adobe Creative Suite, so in terms of editing I'm all good. It's just the capturing I need to sort.

Most members in forums like this don't do it for a living, either. We take our cues from the pros who do. If your budget is that tight, how did you end up with Black Magic? Better capture devices for analog video don't cost that much. But if you're sold on BM, I guess you have to work with it.

We don't recommend analog tape to DV. But, yes, there are DV capture devices. I don't use them. People who use analog to DV can advise further.

Yikes! Out of my salary grade. I've used my AVT-8710 for 12 years now when it's needed.

I invested in the BlackMagic and DoStudio for HD capturing and Blu-Ray authoring, not for anything to do with VHS. I just listed it as a thing I have that might be an option, I'm not "sold on" it for analog work.

I did this relatively recently. It was expensive. Therefore, I can't really splash cash around right now. One good VCR should do, at least for a while. If there are any tapes that cause a particular issue with that machine I can look at it further, but I see no sense in immediately grabbing multiple machines. Particularly when I've only found one machine available.

You misunderstand. I was saying I have a firewire cable from my camcorder to my PC at the moment. Which, from my understanding, converts the tape to DV before it gets to the PC, meaning lossless capture isn't an option, and therefore to capture losslessly I'd need something else.

I studied this space for several months and decided to let the experts do the 100 VHC tapes I have of my son and family who are no more. I still believe the digitalfaq folks have unique skills and experience. If you only have a set amount of legacy media that you want to convert it could be less expensive to let them do it. I have tried some other methods and its all about the quality of your original analog media when it comes to the cheaper methods. Sorry this is so non-technical, just an impression from one optimistic customer.

I've just come across a Philips VR 1000 and a Philips VR 1100 on eBay as well. They seem better taken care of than the JVC unit.

Any input?

are both good Recorder
partially JVC Clone
I have here the 1000/1100 + 1500

lord smurf wrote
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vide...00-1600-a.html

Any suggestion as to which of the two is better?

Philips VR 1000 plays tape A from better
Band B plays the VR1100 from better quality.

you have to play each band capture, and then compare the resultat.

I would buy both again

Both are good, and any differences are just nitpicking in most cases.

The major issue is that tapes can react differently to different decks, so it takes a lot of experience to see when decks are truly "better". For example, the JVC 9500-9900 vs. the 9911/SR/7600+ lines. And even then, the 9600 usually acts best. I like the 9800s, however, due to my sources.

The only difference between the listed features is that the 1100 doesn't list a TBC or the ability to play EP tapes.

On the other hand, the front of the 1100 clearly says "Time Base Corrector", so.

At least with the JVC the manual is available on here and I was able to read it, but the two Philips units don't have manuals indexed.

Manual page 25 TBC, see Appendix

EP bands I have not here

otherwise I agree lord smurf to
the young has almost always right

Alright, I've picked up the VR-1000. I'll grab an AVT-8710 as well...then what?

This sort of thing seems to be the recommendation in terms of getting the footage onto the PC. Any good/bad versions I should be looking out for? The other thing I notice is that that one doesn't ship to Australia.

Some factors to consider if you are not going to do this for a living, and the budget for gear (and/or time) is limited.

For a moderate number of tapes paying to have it done can be faster and lower net cost. And less time required to learn the tricks of video capture, restoration, and editing.

Decide how good is "good enough" for your purposes. Each of us has different thresholds for unsatisfactory and perfection. What is good enough for Tom may be unsatisfactory to Dick, and overkill for Harry. In general, the higher the quality, the more time and investment required.

VHS gear is generally old now, and the professional and commercial gear is often beat to death. The consumer gear was often cheap quality, especially toward the end of the VHS era, and may have been abused. Gear sourced from the used auction market (e.g., eBay) is often a risk - there is no reliable way to know its condition without hands on, and obtaining parts and repair services is generally problematic at this point in time.

The capture gear favored here is out of production, and not supported with drivers on current computers (e.g., Win 7/8/10). You will likely need a W2K or XP machine.

Capturing to DV AVI files is not a good choice if you plan to do serious restoration work. But if all you intend to do with the capture material is some simple editing and then author to DVD or other SD media it may meet your needs.

Since you have the BM Intensity gear already, give it a try to determine whether or not you are satisfied with the results.

Anyone know anything about this? More expensive than the AVT-8710, but I got mine and it's faulty, which seems to be happening a lot. And it's still cheaper than a TBC-5000, and has the proc amp controls.

I picked up a USB-Live2 on the advice of someone at VH, and that's co-operating with VDub and the new Philips deck, as well as my new Windows 10 laptop.