VHS to DVD transfers - whats best in UK?

[derick007]

Hi, I have joined the forum so please bear with me.

I have some old vhs tapes which I would like to convert to dvd. I know vhs tape quality is not particularly good but I would like to improve it as much as possible as I am thinking of offering this as a service and not just for home use. However, I do not want "professional" standard either as this would be much too expensive.

At the moment I have an old basic matsui player, and have just purchased Virtualdub software/hardware which allows me to connect the scart connections on the matsui player to my pc through an adaptor which converts scart to usb.

I have an old JVC camcorder which had 9mm tape which was used for copying the original video/audio which I then transferred to VHS.

I have noticed some jitter at the top of the screen when I play the vhs tapes and would like to get rid of this and improve the quality. I believe a time base corrector is what I need ?

If so, presumably this would connect to my matsui vhs player scart output and to the scart to usb converter i.e. in between the matsui player and pc ?

I have looked at the data video TBC-100, which connects directly into pci slot in the pc. Unfortunately i do not think this has the right connections to sit in between my pc and matsui player. I looks as if I will have to go for the more expensive TBC-1000.

Any advice/suggestions would be most welcome.

Many thanks, Derek

[volksjager]

1st off you need a much better VHS VCR and 8mm cam.

never transfer 8mm to VHS - (8mm is better than VHS so doing that is a downgrade)

if you want to offer this a service then you need to step up and get the right equipment - anything less will be doing your customers a disservice.

[derick007]

Thanks Volksjager.

Approximately how much would it cost to upgrade to a reasonable vhs vcr with on board TBC ?

Can you recommend any ?

I maybe able to get my hands on old JVC SA-T441E or FA-330P at a reasonable price ? Would these tbc's increase the quality of matsui vcr output significantly ?

Best regards, Derek

[volksjager]

dont waste time with any non Super-VHS deck

see LordSmurfs good VCR list:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vide...ing-guide.html

you will also need a stand-alone TBC like a TBC-1000 or AVT-8710

[derick007]

ok thanks again.

Unfortunately I think some of this "professional" equipment will be out of my price range.
Presumably,those links above advertising vhs to dvd use "professional" equipment ?

Kind Regards, Derek

[volksjager]

a good VCR can be had for as little as $100-$150 if you shop around.
for under $500 you should be able put together a decent setup .

the transfer service offered by this site is good.

but dont trust alot of these "pro" services you see elsewhere - many are idiots
if you use a service make sure they know what they are doing and use good equipment.
if they are not using a deck on recommended list i wouldn't use them.

[derick007]

I have found 2 panasonic vcr's on ebay which although they do not appear in the guide are very similar in model no. and only cost £10 - £15 and definitely would consider buying to upgrade from my old matsui, if these panasonic vcr's were substantially better.

Panasonic video vcr NV - HS 820B
NV - HS 850

Thanks Derek

[volksjager]

those dont appear to be good models.

[juhok]

There are no shortcuts to good SVHS VCR with TBC. Have you read the VCR buying guide yet? It's pretty comprehensive.