Digitizing equipment for VHS-C?
 

Hello,

Happy new year!!

I'm planning on digitizing my collection of PAL VHS-C tapes and would appreciate some input on whether my existing equipment is suitable for this task:

VCR: Sony SLV-ED1MJ
Cassette adapter: JVC C-P7U (Not yet purchased)
Capture device: Elgato Video Capture (Already bought)
Computer/Software: W10, Hybrid, VirtualDub

Keep in mind that while I aim for decent quality, I'm okay with some level of quality compromise. My main goal is to convert these tapes into a digital format for preservation and easier access. Any advice, tips, or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your help!

You won’t find any love here for the El Crappo.

Welcome. :)

VCR is low-end, but "a better grade" of the low-end. Not recommended, but not dreck.

Do not buy VHS-C adapters from generic ads on Amazon/eBay, you will get crap (and likely from China). These are all used (or NOS) items now, only buy when you can see the exact item you'll be getting. The C-P7U is excellent, but that's not at all what exists at the Amazon link.

You lack any form of TBC. TBC is not optional. At very least, you need to add the DRM-ES10/15 to your stack of gear. VCR > TBC > capture card.

That capture card is dreck, big POS. That must be replaced. Win10 has narrow options, but not hopeless for a quality card. What you don't want is garbage Easycaps, Elgato, ClearClick, etc. Junk, bad quality, problems with usage.

Computer is fine.

This is not a suggested workflow, but merely a "doesn't completely suck" uber-budget penny-pincher workflow. You'll still face issues, but less so. You'll hopefully at least get some sort of mediocre watchable quality. Not make unwatchable schlock.

To some degree, this is an oxymoron.

- You can't compromise on the capture card, or quality will tank, nothing but issues. Thankfully, the capture card aspect is cheap, well under $200. Do not try to buy some cheap garbage for $50 or less, and expect any degree of quality. Even many $100 cards are overpriced junk.
- Your compromise is the VCR.
- You cannot avoid TBC, and the meager ES10/15 is an extreme compromise.
- You just need a VHS-C adapter that isn't junk. It's not about price, all are $50'ish these days, it's merely a situation of choosing wisely.

It's not about feelings (love, hate), but merely of science (the quality is crap). ;)