Budget VHS workflow improvements?

[kothaufen]

Hey,

I am looking for a budget workflow that has good to descent capture doesn't need to be perfect or lossless tho.
I live in germany and need to capture a few thousand PAL Wrestling tapes and other Tv recordings from the 80-90'S tapes some are in a rough shape tho.

I own a Blaupunkt SVHS Rtv-925 Vcr ,Panasonic DMR-Eh575, a happauge USB Live 2.0 and a Windows 10 Pc to work with atm.
Is this workflow any good if yes what capture software should I usw to get a descent low loss capture?

I am also willing to spend 500-1000€ for a new workflow if this isn't any good and am up for advice what might be a good budget Workflow for me.

Thanks for any suggestions

[lordsmurf]

There is room for improvement here.

Understand that video costs, period. You either pay in dollars, or you pay in frustration/sanity and wasted time. And to many, time = money. The difference between how you pay is the difference in the quality of the hardware (the video gear).

Blaupunkt RTV-925 is a Panasonic FS88 rebadge, a non-TBC S-VHS VCR. In terms of non-TBC units, you could do worse. The JVC non-TBC tend to be vastly better than the Panasonic non-TBC, but both are better than generic consumer VHS VCRs. Or at least should be, assuming condition isn't terrible -- which it probably will be, if bought from eBay (feebay/fleabay).

A Panasonic DVD recorder adds the strong+crippled line TBC, but it's far from perfect. It's a DVD recorder, and quality is reduced some. Artifacts/errors include luma hotness and posterization. Essentially too bright, with "mouse trails". But better than no line TBC whatsoever. Offhand, I'm not entirely sure about that exact model, the EH575. Only certain DVD recorders (mostly Panasonics) have the passthrough line TBC, not any generic recorder, and not even all (or even half) of Panasonics.

The capture card is not the best, but also not bad.

For budget, what you have so far can be salved into a workflow. However, it's not yet a complete workflow.

You lack any form of frame TBC. The Panasonic recorders still pass issues, with its puny non-TBC frame sync, and strong+crippled line TBC. You need to chase the recorder with at minimum a weak line.

Line TBC fixes the image/visual issues, what you see.
Frame TBC fixes the signal, all the invisible issues.
You need both.

I have a perfect crass example of TBCs.
No TBCs = unprotected sex with a random stranger. Nasty. STDs, crotch goblins.
- Line TBC = pill. No babies, but STDs still easily possible.
- Frame TBC = condom/IUD. STDs less likely now.
You need both.
I started to use this crass example because some people simply couldn't (wouldn't?) understand why both types of TBC are needed.

That budget can acquire what's needed, also possibly upgrade the VCR to not even need the non-TBC deck with Panasonic recorder.

[kothaufen]

Thanks for the quick reply.

A frame TBC will cost me 1k upwards or are there any budget options?
I might go for a better VCR maybe a JVC SVHS with TBC refurbished from a trusted vendor there are quiet a few here in germany.

I would try like to try my luck with my current equipment before I decide if I want/need to spend much more or if the quality is enough for my liking.

What Capture software would you recommend to record?

[lordsmurf]

There are budget options, and you have a PM.

For software, VirtualDub, and a lossless codec.
- That Live2 card can have audio sync issues, so be aware of it. Some people immediately jump to other software, but that's the wrong approach. VirtualDub has many settings that can be tweaked, and VirtualDub2 is sometimes a fallback. VirtualDub2 is different, often in a bad way, but sometimes good.
- Note that some software "doesn't drop frames" because it simply doesn't report the drops, such as AmaRecTV or OBS, both tools created for recording and streaming video games, not capturing analog videotapes. Those tools both have quite a few other issues not present in VirtualDub.

Also understand that you don't have a basis for comparison. Just a one-sided comparison of what you see, and guessing at what you don't see. Very often, a haphazard "good enough" conclusion turns into a "that looks awful, what was a I thinking?" when better gear is seen at some future date. Being overly cheap only hurts yourself, and anybody else that has to watch the video conversions, so remember that. I've been doling out capturing advice for 20+ years, and I've seen that play out many times now. People do often return to redo a botched conversion project, generally due to cheaping out on their first attempt. Just do it properly the first time, and then you're done forever.

[kothaufen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordsmurf

There are budget options, and you have a PM.

Also understand that you don't have a basis for comparison.

Yeah that is pretty much the question I am asking myself on what I might be missing out.
If I hook up a good vcr to a modern tv is that picture pretty much the actual quality of the tape or do I have to guess what might be there to salvage in editing? (Which I know nothing about sadly)

Well I might want to spend more money after all but I suck at tech so I think good equipment might be wasted on me anyways

[lordsmurf]

Many people say "old VHS quality", not understanding that what they really are looking at is "lousy VCR quality". It's the decks, lack of TBCs, not the VHS tape itself. The tape itself has vastly more quality present than most people ever tap into. But that proper signal extraction requires more than a random cheap/old VCR and random cheap/Chinese capture card.

When somebody states "good VCR", odds are that it's not actually a good VCR. It's a random VCR, generally lower end consumer models (and from "big box" stores like Walmart in North America, or Tesco in Europe). So you get random lower-end quality.

What I'll add is this: when somebody gets gear from me, I make sure they learn how to use it. Generally here in forum posts, sometimes in private as needed (PMs, even emails). You're not left to fend for yourself. But the thing about good gear is also this: it just works. It's the cheap/budget routes that come with problems and frustrations, rarely the quality items. That honestly should be no surprise, it's true with almost everything in this world, hence "you get what you pay for". The more you pinch pennies/dollars, the more issues you invite in to your project. The more you spend, the easier it all gets, and can even be an enjoyable task (personal satisfaction from seeing your old videos in pristine digital quality).

I do my best to educate on what to do, and warn on what not to do. The cheapness devil can be tempting. I'm all for spending funds wisely, but cheap isn't wise.

Note that "cheap" isn't the same as "budget". Sometimes budget gear is what you need, sometimes better/more is what you need ... but never cheap random junk.

When you have 100+ tapes, especially 1000+ tapes, you don't want to screw around with lesser gear. You'll end up wasting more time fighting it to function minimally, or at all, rather than use it for the large project. Converting video takes enough time already, there's no good reason to make it harder on yourself.