Hello guys/girls!
I'm in the making of a new workflow.
I will update this thread as my knowledge grow stronger.
Feel free to follow me on this journey and give comments. :congrats:

The setup:
1. VCR: Panasonic FS200 (not yet aquired)
2. - - Panasonic DMR- EH55 (not yet aquired)
3. Capture: XP SP3 Computer
- Pentium 4
- AIW 8500DV. Driver Date: 3/23/2004 Driver Version: 6.14.10.6462
- Soundcard: Terratec DMX6fire 24/96
- Software: Recommended VirtualDub
4. Post-process. (In the making) Hybrid ->DaVinciResolve

PAL Region. VHS-C and S VHS-C tapes from the era 1990-1995. Recorded on Panasonic MC10 and Panasonic (NV-S700)
S VHS-C adapter VW-TCA7E

Aim to order on VCRShop.

-- merged --

Time to make an update to this thread.

I have now bought the FS200 and the DMR-EH55 and ripped the majority of my VHS-C tapes. Still a few more to go. (Around 300 Gb in avi-files now.)
The EH55 had bad capacitors when I bought it. I have solder and replaced the bad ones but when I put it to work in my workflow I can not se any improvements in the picture. I have another thread about this in the hardware section in this forum.

I guess the FS200 and AIW 8500 works fine together. Here are some test photages. What do you think?
- 1. Virtualdub Edit-mode
- 2. Virtualdub Normal-mode
- 3. MMC7.7 Normal-mode
I have read on the forum that you should use normal-mode(Off) in stead of Edit-mode on the NR-button FS200.
I think VB gives better results than MMC when I capture. The picture is smoother in some way, hard to explain and may be not the best test photage to se this. But for example I can se that the sky above trees is smoother. the sky from MMC are more cripled (gives artifacts?).
Hopefully I am on par, using VirtualDub.

Hm, noticed two duplicated frames on both captures at different points. Other then that it seems fine enough. The Virtualdub capture is clearly better then MMC, especially because the MMC capture has clipped whites, basically the video was captured with illegal white and black levels. Causing detail to be lost in the whites and blacks

https://imgsli.com/MzM2MTM3

For fun, did some restoration work to the VirtualDub edit sample using Selur's Hybrid, the duplicated frames are now noticeable as they produce a small stutter once deinterlaced. First time I worked with a PAL source as I'm from the US

Nor will you. In fact, if anything, you'll see it adds noise, reduces image quality. Certain specific Panasonic recorders have strong+crippled line TBC, and non-TBC frame sync.

The first line TBC in a workflow "wins". So that FS200 has a line TBC, and the EH55 does nothing. At most, it can give it a weenie frame sync'ing, but it's not TBC'd frame sync (there is a difference!). Odds are, however, that it just barfs up luma/AGC value issues, and posterization noise.

That sounds like you're capturing MPEG (DVD-Video specs) on MMC, and lossless AVI in VirtualDub. :hmm:

Also, never use MMC 7.x nor 9.x, only 8.x

Unsure if this is the cause here, in this exact situation. However, it need be noted: DVD recorders are not transparent passthrough devices, and dupe frames are a chronic issue with them.

Again, the ES10/15 type should only be used for tearing-type issues, where the net gain is better video. DVD recorders are amusing quaint devices (sometimes even a POS), in terms of an actual "TBC replacement" (it's not!). It's merely "better than nothing at all" (no TBC in VCR, no TBC anywhere). Those DVD recorder devices have many, many issues. In Panasonics, PAL has added luma gain problems, while both NTSC/PAL have issues with AGC, posterization, and some others I don't recall off-hand. It's a list.

When using budget gear, the exact devices (VCR, TBC, capture card) become even more important than normal.

My next goal is to take a deep dive in to Hybrid. Thank you for pointing this out about duplicated frames. Important when you deinterlace in post.

I did a new testrun and hooked up the EH55 again. Important to mention it was newer user in the testphotage above. I think it did help me to get rid of inserted frames in the new testrun. :wink2:
But the EH55 should only be used if you really need it cause it gives side effects.

I have tried for some time to get MMC 8.7 working but I can not figure out what drivers that will work with my capture card.

I do capture Huffyuv in both softwares but I have now notice that the resolution is different. Virtualdub gives me 720x576 and in MMC7.7 I can set it to 704x576.

I will continue to use Virtualdub but here is a new comparison from a VHS television set for kids.
https://imgsli.com/MzM2NTgy

I think MMC is just alittle bit sharper. Here is the comparison of the tree/sky issue I was talking about. This is a really bad tape. It is a copy of a VHS-C tape to a VHS.

https://imgsli.com/MzM2NTk0

-- merged --

2025-01-10: Just a small update
I tried to set custom format to 704x576 in VirtualDub to se if it affect sharpness. If I could get the video to look more closely to the MMC capture. But I got the same results as with the 720x576 resolution.

I have read in the forum about Virtualdub Levels settings where you can adjust sharpness. But I am missing this setting for my specific capture card. I can only adjust brightness, contrast, hue and saturation. In VB 1.9.11 and in VB 1.10.4.
https://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vid...-settings.html