Transferring VHS to computer: capture card, USB, passthrough or ???
 

After many years of procrastination, I’m finally going to sit down and transfer the content of my 30-40 VHS tapes, most of which were recorded in SLP mode. (I was young and didn’t know any better.) After reading numerous threads here and elsewhere, I’ve bought the following equipment:

- Panasonic AG-1980. My understanding is that this TBC-equipped machine is generally good at handling tapes recorded on LP and SLP settings.

- JVC DR-M10S DVD recorder. Again, the reviews indicate that the LSI feature on this machine can help to remove chroma and grain from VHS recordings.

I’ve also read about using S video cable and L/R composite audio cables to connect the two machines, and that I should FF/RW the tapes to help “loosen” them up for smoother playback.

Assuming the above is good, my questions involve the fact that I’d like to digitize the tapes and try my hand at some basic editing. Now, I’m not so naïve as to think that I’m going to get HD quality out of 20-year-old SLP recordings. I also realize that a lossless, uncompressed file of a single six-hour tape would be enormous and that I’ll have to chunk them into manageable sizes. But I’m game to give this a try.

I’ve read several posts — many of them older — about transferring content from VCR to computer using a TV tuner/capture card, with ATI All-in-Wonder being among the most often mentioned. However, I’m also seeing that there are no AIW drivers available for Windows 7, which is what I’m running, and that various workarounds don’t always work.

With the above in mind:

- Is there a recommended tuner/capture card compatible with Windows 7? (One possibility I’ve seen is the Hauppauge Colossus 2 and the reviews seem to be okay.)

- Is it possible for the DR-M10s to function as a passthrough between the AG-1980 and the computer? (I’ve also looked at dedicated external capture/passthrough units, including the Black Magic Intensity Shuttle, but it appears to often have compatibility/performance issues.)

- Would a USB-based capture, like the Hauppauge USB Live 2, be a viable option? (I’ve also looked at the Elgato EyeTV Hybrid — given its price, the reviews seem a bit uneven.)

As for my computer, I have an HP Z220 SFF Workstation with an Intel Core i7-3770 3.4GHz Quad-Core processor, 20GB RAM, an Intel HD Graphics 4000 card and running Windows 7 Professional 64bit. I'll archive the VHS content on a 4TB Glyph Studio S4000 external hard drive.

Many thanks in advance for folks’ thoughts, cautions and suggestions!

Welcome to digitalfaq. :)

That's the optimal player for the source you describe.

Only if it's used for recording. Do you intend to record dirty crummy ugly aged noisy tapes directly to a DVD recorder? Stop right there.
The AG=1980 has very good noise reduction and playback stability. Add the extra, aggressive filtering you'd get from the JVC and you'll have the over-filtered washed-out smeary remains of what used to be an analog tape.

The s-video outputs of most high-end VCR's are superior to their composite video outputs.

L/R audio cables are not "composite" cables. Composite transmission applies to video, not to audio.

Repacking tapes helps to even up the spooled tape windings for better stability when exiting the feed reel.

Depends on what you mean by editing. "Basic editing" means to cut here, join there, maybe add some intro music or overlay a title. If you're talking about noise removal, dropout repair, eliminating bottom border head switching noise, color correction, or other cleanup and repair, that isn't editing. That's restoration. NLE editors are for editing. Restoration requires different software.

True, you can't get HD quality from SD. HD output requires HD source. But you can make considerable improvement over analog originals and get excellent quality with the right gear and some post-processing.

No one with at least a tentative hold on their sanity would capture varying program material for 6 hours at a stretch, Long tapes are captured in segments, particularly to exert more control over the kind of hysterical variations in input signal level that occur with various program sources on analog tape. If you don't know about controlling signals within broadcast-safe levels, I suggest you look into it before you start capturing.

As they sometimes say, everything old is new again. The AIW line is still a highly preferred device, and so is XP believe it or not. The tonnage of free and paid video tools for XP is still stunning and makes Win7 look like a cell phone. That aside, there are newer USB devices that give very good results.

They're not OK for capturing analog tape. For game capture only, lossy h264 only, progressive only. Anyone who recommends such a device for analog tape source is clueless.

No. And why would you? Pass-thru devices of that type are used for their line-level tbc. Your AG-1980 already has a line-level tbc that dances around the one in the JVC recorder.

Do yourself a favor and avoid all the hype about BlackMagic. No one here recommends it for standard definition analog capture. Too many hassles, as you've noted.

The USB Live 2 is recommended. So is the Diamond Multimedia VC500. It's a shame you're stuck with Win7 or (even worse) Win10 for capture, but both devices mentioned have drivers for XP thru 10. The reviews for Elgato are uneven because their performance is uneven, very noisy, and not optimized for the sources you mention.

The computer specs you mention will work quite well. But you don't want to use your OS drive as your working capture drive. You should install a second hard drive for that purpose. 500 GB will suffice -- you want to use that PC for capture and processing, not for permanent storage.

Hi, Sanlyn!
 

Hi, Sanlyn!

I'd first like to offer my appreciation for your detailed response and, second, to apologize for it taking so long to extend that thanks. I've no excuse -- no good one, anyway -- and I'm sorry for behaving like an ungrateful twit.

I've already learned a great deal just from lurking around the boards here and reading others' posts, and the additional info you've offered has answered several questions that I didn't know I had. While I'm sure that I'll still hit plenty of roadblocks, at least now I feel like I'm heading the right direction :)

Again, thanks so much for your help!

Cheers,

Duane....