Capturing VHS tape recordings

Hello
I have VHS (PAL) tapes of my kids growing up. I'd like to record these on my HD and burn a DVD since the tapes will deteriorate over time.
I've looked at analog-to-DV converters (such as
Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Digital Video Converter USB 2.0) which are inexpensive. TigerDirect has many different ones.
However, all of these converters state that they are for Windows.
Has anyone used one of these converters on a Mac and how did it work out?
I don't want to buy a converter and find that it doesn't work (TigerDirect is not good with refunds).
Would love to hear others experiences and any advice.
Thanks
David

Thanks, Matthew
I was just looking up Canopus' website. They have two distributors in Canada but neither weblink works .
My camcorder is an old PAL system purchased back in 1990 in Dubai. Definetely no pass-through on this one!! The camera has died and can't be repaired in Canada. Luckily I had transferred my tapes to a regular VHS tape.
Most of the DV converters available seem to be marked "for Windows". My hesitation is that they may not work with my Mac.
I'll keep looking. Thanks for your help ... this is an interesting project for me!
Cheers
David

Similar Messages

A problem capturing VHS tapes into FCE via Miglia Directors Cut

I am trying to capture vhs recordings via Miglia Directors Cut into FCE. FCE does not seem to be recognising or capturing. The footage will be visible in the capture preview window but when capture is started nothing appears in the main capture window and the preview goes back to No preview available.
The VHS deck is connected to the directors cut via composite cables, and the Directors Cut is connected via firewire to my G5. Does this in itself create a problem?

Use the FCE Easy Setup called *DV-PAL DV Converter* if you are working with PAL video (DV-NTSC DV Converter if you are working with NTSC video).
Also make sure all settings in the Miglia unit are correct for PAL video.
Also, I have found it helpful to have the video running before you click the Capture Now button.
One other thing, the Miglia Directors Cut spec sheet says that it is not compatible with the PowerMac G5 or Mac Pro. I do not understand why this should be unless it has something to do with the unit being powered by the FW bus. Do you happen to have the optional power supply for your unit?
+Macintosh Compatibility+
+• Mac with FireWire connectivity+
+• Mac OS 9.1+, Mac OS X+
+• NOT compatible with PowerMacs G5 PCI-Express and MacPro+

Capturing VHS tapes

Hey, I'm trying to find a cheap video capture device that I can use with my iBook. I'm looking for something comparable to the Diamond VC500 One Touch Video Capture Device:
http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-VC500-Touch-Capture-Device/dp/B000VM60I8/ref=pdbbs1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1218161240&sr=8-1
But, obviously, I'd like to use it with my Mac. Can I just get a device like the VC500 and use iMovie as my software? I'm not a video pro, so I'm not concerned about the quality being perfect.
Any suggestions?
THANKS

I have used Canopus' ADVC (Analog to Digital Video Converter) products with good success. They convert the analog video from Composite or S-Video to DV thru a Firewire port, and as such will import right into iMovie, FCP, etc.
They aren't the cheapest things around, but the price on the lower models isn't too bad for a quality product. The 300 series does some video artifact clean-up automatically, but costs more.
http://desktop.thomsongrassvalley.com/products/videoconversion.php
Message was edited by: Dekstar

8mm and Canopus or Digital 8 for capturing 8mm tapes?

I have a Canopus 300 that I've been using for capturing VHS tapes. I also have an 8mm camcorder. Will that camcorder + Canopus do as good a job as a Digital 8 camcorder or Digital 8 playback deck?
Thanks!
MikeR

Probably only a side-by-side comparison using the same test footage would provide a definitive answer as to which path produced the better result.
The data stream on a Digital8 tape is the same DV stream that is on a miniDV tape. The data is identical, it's just the physical tape that is different. You can only get 1 hour of DV onto a 2-hour Hi-8 tape, because the Digital8 camcorder runs the tape at approximately twice the speed.
My Sony DCR-TRV460 is smart enough to recognize the signal and switch between modes. I even have a few tapes which have regular analog 8mm video on part of the tape and Digital8 on a later part of the same tape. When it reaches one of these changes, the camera automatically stops and switches mode, then starts rolling again.
Not all DV is exactly identical, I have found out. There is a small discrepancy between the way Panasonic cameras record DV and the way Sony cameras record DV. I found this out when a colleague sent me a miniDV tape recorded on a Panasonic camera. I took it to a video shop to have it copied over to a Digital8 tape, which should have been a direct digital copy. But at the shop they told me Panasonic records DV in a slightly different way. The result is that there were some glitches and artifacts on the copy, and some audio problems as well. If you stick with all one manufacturer you should probably not run into that problem.
The downside is that I have found Sony camcorders to suddenly fail to operate at the worst possible moments, and for no apparent reason. This has happened to me several times, in fact my TRV460 died a couple of weeks ago. It is always wise to have an expert repairman who is knowlegeable about Sony available at all times.
I think that the Sony deck (GV-D200) might be exactly what you need for your project, but at $500 for a new one (or maybe $250-$300 for a used one on eBay) that would be a significant cost.
Message was edited by: Bob Weaver

Capturing in FCE from VHS Tape/VHS Player - Can it be done??

I capture no problem using a 4-6pin Firewire for DV Tapes; and pulling them in from either a Sony DV or a Cannon GL-2 DV.
Does anyone know of a (somewhat low-cost) VHS Player, that has a digital connection so I can pull in source from old VHS Tapes - or digitize some of these VHS Tapes I own, but can no longer get them on any other media..?
I have searched for USB-VHS Players and they seem expensive, however, I would imagine that a USB connection would be wrong... and anything else I find with better digital connections put the VHS Player/Recorders in the HD category and get muderously expensive. I seriously am just looking to capture maybe 10-12 tapes, and would love to have the capability if the need ever arises again for production work; but don't forsee a ton of it.
I have been contemplating daisy-chaining a VHS Player through my DV Cam(s) to see if that would work - but figured I would check here first, being that somebody may know an easy solution... or has done this before and knows the exact remedy.
Your help is greatly appreciated.Thanks.!
Office; Mac PowerPC G4 Dual 1.42 GHz Tower 2GB/120GB HD Mac OS X (10.3.9) Home; MacPro QuadCore 2.66Ghz 8Gb RAM; iBook G3 700GHz 1GB/80GB HD

I have done this many times, using my DVD recorder which has VHS tape and a DVD recording facility. If you can find a friend with one, it is simple. Put the VHS tape in the VHS side of the machine and a DVD recordable (recordable many times) into the DVD slot. Use the machine's dubbing feature to copy to the DVD. After that, Finalise the DVD to allow it to be read by a computer (or a stand-alone DVD recorder). Use Toast to read the DVD and to create a QT movie of your recording. Then Import the QT movie into FCE.

Capturing from old vhs tapes

I want to capture a bunch of old VHS tapes into CS6. I have an analog to digital converter that I'm going to plug a VCR into and a Firewire cable from the converter into my computer.
1.) Can anyone recommend any general settings for making sure I get the highest quality possible?
I'm looking at using the following settings:
Sequence Preset
DV - NTSC
Standard 48kHz
and then going to:
- File > Capture
- Press play on the controller at the bottom of the window
- Press record on the controller at the bottom of the window
Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

There are a few ways to take care of this. One is to crop the 2 pixels from the top and the 2 from the bottom from the source when you export. If you do that, you can scale it up a bit to take care of it, or stretch to fit. Either way, it is unlikely to be noticeable since the analog wasn't picture perfect to begin with. Or, you can just leave the black above and below. Hardly noticeable at all - depending on how you display it. If you put it full size on a white web site then it is a problem. Playing it out on a DVD is not problem at all. Nobody sees that far to the edge on most TVs anyway. Although more and more they show the entire picture.
Basically, I suggest that you capture a few seconds of video and play around with it before you get too far into the project. You might not even have the noise.

Best all purpose Audio Video Interface for capturing older Tapes,LP's, VHS?

I'm looking at the Elgato Video Capture Interface to use with my iMac to transfer both audio and video from Record LP's, Casette Tapes, and VHS. Wondering if anyone had any experience with getting this unit to capture just audio from an analog source?
Thanks in advance!!

You did say "Best".
Get the Grassvalley ADVC300.
I've played around with countless other conversion systems, ranging in price from $79 to $399. Short verison, this is the ONLY unit to own. No dropped frames at all, even with questionable quality tapes, no jitter, great color, excellent sound quality. Zero setup with iMovie 06 and iDVD 09/11.
This is a prosumer deck. The time code function is alone worth the price if you have old analog footage. Absolutely NO "Out Of Sync" audio.
ADVC300 is for anyone who wants to do editing and is concerned about quality of color and speed, for the novice it is an incredible gizmo that will restore VHS tapes to a state close to the original fixing midtones, highlights and shadows on the fly. Not only can you simply convert analog to digital you can actually manipulate the signal going in (if you want to).
A bit pricey but it WORKS.
The program that comes with the ADVC300 has some nice filters that can improve video and audio of the source material.
I would use iMovie 06 with iDVD 09/11. VERY easy and 100% "lossless"
Now for the bad news.
This product has been discontinued by the manufacturer. The included software (which is not really necessary but does enhance performance) is not compatible with OS 10.7 or newer.
You can still find the ADVC300 for sale in a few outlets as well as eBay. It will sell between 50% and 100% ABOVE its retail price. Yes, it's that good.
After lots of experimenting I get the best results using OS 10.6, iMovie 06, and iDVD 09/11. My movies look just like Hollywood!
My primary computer is a Mac Pro, so I just use one of the four hard drives and boot OS 10.6. You can also partition a single hard drive to achieve the same results.
This may seem like more trouble than you want to go through. However, I find the superior quality to be well worth it.
(NOT my listing) http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-UNUSED-Grass-Valley-Canopus-ADVC300-Advanced-Digital -Video-Converter-In-Box-/290822811418?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43b663ef1a

Capturing a VHS tape into FCP

Hello
I have a short VHS tape I need to get into FCP-6 and onto a DVD. I have my old Canopus ADVC-100 so I know the hardware.
My question is can I record directly to the timeline or do I need to log and capture? Reading the manual says something about 'capture now' to capture the entire tape.
Do I just connect my VHS player to the ADVC FW into the MAc Pro and go into FCP?
Thanks
Allen

Yes, you use the NTSC preset... I think you could also use Apple Pro Res as the compressor... it will look slightly better then NTSC DV... You simply Log and Capture... as you mentioned, just hit Capture now then hit Play on your VCR....
I do suggest though not capturing the entire tape in one session. Incase there is a glitch and you waste 45 minutes of recording... divide it into 15 minutes stretches. (I am speaking of experience)...

I would appreciate some help in capturing some VHS tapes into PP-CS6.

Aloha,
Just loaded CS6 and my 1st project is to convert some VHS tapes into HD DVD's. The VHS player I'm using has R/G/B Component video out & HDMI in/out. My PC video card is a Radeon 6750 with 1 x HDMI (in use for my monitor), 1 x DVI-I, and 1 x D-SUB. My mobo, a Gigabyte GA-MA78GN-US2H, has 1x D-SUB, 1 x DVI-D, & 1 x HDMI. I don't believe I can use both HDMI slots simultaneously. I'm not even sure I can use any of the onboard graphica ports while I'm using an external video card.
So my questions are; 1) which available graphic port on the video card will offer me the best VHS tape capture? 2) what are the capture settings (i.e. frame rate & resolution of most VHS tapes either home recorded or professionally recorded) that I should use?
Mahalo-n-aloha from the big Island where the water is always warm and clear, and where now (Jan-March) the Humpback Whales play.
konadon

Usually, video ports on a video card or motherboard are out only. You would need a capture card, or external box to get VHS video digitized into your computer.
For VHS tapes, I would recommend getting a Hauppauge HD-PVR available here: http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr.html
It would save you a lot of headaches and make your job much easier.
If you'd like specifics: the HD-PVR has component inputs with optical audio, along with S-video and composite connections.
I've used it to capture many VHS tapes, and never had a problem.
Good luck!

Correct preset for video captured from VHS tape

I have bought a cable which connects to my PC USB slot and has red, white and yellow component connections to connect to my (old) VCR or Video-8 format camera. It comes with software called ArcSoft ShowBiz that allows me to capture the footage. I have used it for both VHS tapes and Video-8 tapes. The only options I have when capturing are the filename and a choice of MPEG1 and MPEG2, with MPEG1 being the default.
I have successfully captured footage (in MPEG1 format) and now I want to edit it in PE10. The trouble is I do not know what preset to use. The VHS tapes were in PAL format. If I open a project as DV PAL and add the footage to the timeline it has a red line above it, which I assume means I will lose resolution when I render. The quality is already not great and I don't want to make it worse.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Most likely that footage will not work well or look good in Premiere Elements. The capture device you're using is a low-end digitizer and likely came with some software for editing (ArcSoft Shopbiz). It's designed to work pretty exclusively with that software.
MPEG1 is a very low quality format.
You can try using the project settings for Hard Disk Camcorder/Standard Defintion for that footage -- but I make no guarantees about the quality.
The best device for capturing analog video is a DV bridge, like the Canopus AVDC, as we discuss in this FAQ.
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/431853?tstart=0

Capturing old VHS tapes

Hello.
Can anyone out there tell me the best way to capture old VHS tapes on to my imac? i.e. what software is best to use? What format is best? Best way to clean up the tapes/ machine before playing them? Basically any little tip and tricks for a good result.
I have searched and googled but cannot find information relavent to my set up. I have already imported quite a few tapes and the results vary from not too bad to terrible.
I would say that I have about 30 tapes that I want to go through and take bits from and am willing to give up a lot of time but only if the results are worth it. So far that has not been the case.
The set up I have at the moment is:
Hitachi VHS recorder (good one at the time)
Canopus advc-55
27" imac i7.
Also have Final Cut Express installed but find the capture/ achiving far easier in imovie.
Any help appreciated,
Pat.

Hi
Canopus advc-55 - should work OK
I use a Canopus ADVC-300 as this has two important (to me) features
• TimeBase correction - mend's small drop outs
The Capture doesn't halt
Audio is keept in sync - even when drop out frames
• Picture enhanzing
Then I prefer to use
• iMovie HD6 - and this set to Capture NOT in a cut up version as then drop out frames will trigger new clips (called save as individual clips in iMovie HD6 pref - I turn it off)
Else I don't need anything else.
Capturing in FinalCut Express or Pro - is more problematic to me as they are much more sencitive and halt's Import much easier. (Much more baby-sittings) - my notes on this following.
Analog to Mac/Digital
From
• S-VHS, VHS, VHS-C - Camera or VCR (VHS-C needs adaptor cassette - SVHS/VCR in such cases)
• Video 8, Hi8 ...........................................( Camera / Digital8 Camera or special VCR-player )
Can be done via
• Camera and tape or video trough (if present) (miniDV or Digital8)
• A/D-box
    Several brands (Must be FireWire)
        Canopus ADVC-55 (now Grass Valley ADVC-55) - (only on way)
        Canopus ADVC-110 (now Grass Valley ADVC-110) - (two ways)
        Canopus ADVC-300 (now Grass Valley ADVC-300) - (Timebase/code-correction)
        EyeTV
• VCR --> DVD (result needs conversion to be of use)
Captured/Imported by
• iMovie 1 to HD6
• iMovie’08 & 09 & 11
• FinalCut Express or Pro
• Final Cut Pro - X ( iMovie’11 Pro? )
• QuickTime Pro
• iDVD
SCART - Must use an SCART-adaptor with in and out switch. The one that came with Camera is one way. Camera ----> VCR/TV - not other way around.
RCA - Connect right way around
USING the S-Video out than RGB-video (Composite) from SCART will give a significantly better result !
Why
• Want to do a DVDs
• Want to edit
Connect VCR to A/D-box via SCART---RCA (EU) or via RCA---RCA (US) and set SCART switch to out (if used). The A/D-box may have an in resp. out side. Connect to in-side. Set A/D-box Input selector to Analog in.
My ADVC-300 has two sets of dip-switches on bottom - for PAL they are set to
Left one number 6 is set to on - all others in off state.
If 6 in off state then it is NTSC
From A/D-box via FireWire 6-pin to 6-pin or 9-pin end to Mac FW port.
Now turn A/D-box or Camera ON
Start iMovie or QT or FinalCut
Select Import or Capture
Re-wind tape in VCR or Camera
Start - Play on VCR or Camera
Import or Capture Now
See that the saved movie is collected on a hard disk with sufficient space
1 hour needs 13.5Gb
8 hour needs 105-110Gb (e.g. a 240VHS tape recorded in LP-mode)
How to store the material
• As is - Icon with a Star on it (iMovie HD6)
• As a set of DVDs
• Collected in a folder - FinalCuts Scratch folders + Movie document on an external/second hard disk
• As DiskImages
• Back to miniDV tapes
Do not use LP-mode with miniDV tapes. Two major problems.
a. When Camera dies - so does the tapes - Can’t be play-backed securely on other Camera even if
brand and type number is the same - the tolerances are to small
b. Audio goes out of sync due to 12-bit recording and/or drop outs in video makes video and audio
not walk in pace / parallel. Resulting in a very tough re-sync problem.
Yours Bengt W

Capturing old VHS tapes - synching issues

Firstly as I am only a very infrequent user of Premiere Pro I apologise if this has been asked before but my searching hasn't found an answer. Sorry to ask on here but I don't seem to be using the right keywords in search to find the answers either on here on the Premiere Help files.
My problem -
I have an ION VCR 2 PC device that plays VHS tapes and converts them to digital format. However when I used it to capture a long VHS tape the resultant capture was useless as the sound was out of synch after a few minutes because a blank (red?) frame was not inserted where a video frame was dropped although the sound ran on uninterupted. I want to try again but don't want to waste time if all that will happen is the same issue recurs. What settings do I need to make for the capture so that the video and sound timelines match with points where frames have been dropped at the very least marked so I can hand edit the soundtrack back into synch?*
Version of PP = 5.0.3 fully updated. System is Windows 7 64 bit on a high spec machine.
*NB I have noted from other found posts that to minimise dropped frame risks during the capture run I need to stop all background processes and virus checks etc., and capture to the main HDD on my PC not to the external USB network drive.

I know nothing about an ION device, but will "guess" it then connects to your computer via Firewire, since Firewire is all that PPro will use
Yes, using a USB drive will cause problems due to the file transfer speed
Adding a 2nd 7200rpm hard drive inside your computer, or one connected by eSata, will work better - I have not used this device, but it may work for you, if you have an eSata connection http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-BlacX-eSATA-Docking-Station/dp/B001A4HAFS/ref=cm_cmu_pg_ t
The external conversion devices most often mentioned here are...
http://www.grassvalley.com/products/advc55 One Way Only to Computer
http://www.grassvalley.com/products/advc110 for good tapes, or
http://www.grassvalley.com/products/advc300 better with OLD tapes
Or
ADS Pyro http://www.adstechnologies.com

Getting the best quality out of capturing old VHS tapes?

I want to capture some old VHS tapes using a ADVC55 and Final Cut 6 or maybe 7. The VCR I have does not have S Video.
1. Will using S Video make any difference with visual quality?
2. Are there any settings in FCP that I can make that will improve visual capture quality?
3. Any other general tips?
Thanks!

A TBC will correct timing errors that are inherent in analog tape playback. You'd probably recognize timing errors visually as wavy-ness (i.e.; not straight) in vertical objects in the image. Most of the stand-alone TBCs also have proc amp controls that would allows for phase, contrast, luma and chroma adjustments.
Thinking about it more, using an S-Video cable will help eliminate Y/C delay, which has the affect of shifting chroma slightly to the right of where it should be. S-Video (aka Y/C) transmits the luminance and chroma portions of the signal separately instead of together like a composite signal would do.
Using a different or newer NLE won't make any difference. It's the capture codec you choose that can make a difference. Most people would use DV NTSC (or PAL, depending on your country) since VHS resolution is only about 240 lines.
-DH

Audio Drift when importing VHS Tapes-Do I need a Canopus ADVC 300

Embarking on the daunting task of importing/editting >100 2hr VHS tapes, and want to get the best results for my efforts.
I pop a tape into a VCR connected via S-Video (video) and RCA (audio) cables to a Sony DVMC-DA1 AD converter, and from there to my Mac Pro via Firewire. Use FCE "Capture Now" using NTSC DV Converter setup. Start capture, let it run unattended, and return at my leisure to do some rough editting.
Problem is the audio on the imported clip gradually loses sync, by about 2 seconds by the end of the clip. The sync problem is present on the clip when played with Quicktime as well.
Questions:
1. Is there a reasonable way to correct this in FCE?
2. Since my Sony converter is nearing 10 years old, will use of a more recent AD converter such as the Canopus ADVC 300 result in a perfectly synced import?
3. If so, can you comment on the Canopus's purported video noise reduction and image stabilization capabilities? Is it noticable/worthwhile?
Thanks for your time.

Hello,
The problem is the audio is not 'locked' to the video, and your old Sony DVMC-DA1 does not appear to support locked audio.
The only way you might deal with this in FCE itself would be to capture shorter clips (say, under 15 minutes each) which would minimize the degree to which the audio drifts out of sync in each clip. (The longer the clip, the greater the drift.)
Given the large amount of video you wish to digitize (some 200 hours), it will be far preferable to use a Canopus ADVC-100, 110 or higher model - +they all support DV locked audio+ - so the video & audio are sync'd without the need for manual intervention or capturing short clips.
I have used the Canopus 100 & 110 extensively and have been very happy with the results. Sometimes, depending on the VHS tape, there is some slight banding at the very bottom of the image but 1) this is +usually not visible+ in the finished movie because it is outside the 'image safe area' and 2) if necessary can be compensated via about a 2%-4% enlargement of the image in FCE (which is not enough to soften the image).
I have not used the Canopus 300 because I never felt the need, as I am happy with my results from the 100 & 110. Users of the 300 have been pretty positive about its built-in TBC and image cleaning capabilities.

Hardware recommendations for capturing VHS / RCA composite better than Hauppauge USB?

Hi folks,
I am trying to archive our old VHS tapes (NTSC 720x480 29.97 fps). I am using a $45 Hauppauge USB-Live-2 Video Capture. It's certainly adequate to see what's happenning in general, but it's also not as good as one would see e.g. playing these tapes on a TV. In particular, the right side of the image is missing some pixels (as though the right-most 20 or so pixels are blacked out, all up and down the right edge). Quite possibly, there are other subtler problems.
FWIW, I am doing the initial capture with AVS Video Recorder (to UYVY AVI format), then importing this (DV NTSC 720x480 29.97 fps) to PE11 and exporting to DV NTSC 720x480 29.97 fps MP4. PE11's MP4s are about 30% the size of the AVS AVIs.
Bill Hunt here recommended looking into DV Bridges (thanks, Bill!). However, I am not entirely sure what to look for. I found some Canopus devices on NewEgg, but they are $170, $200, or more. I'm not sure it's worth $200 just to save a 20-pixel edge on approximately 30 home videos. Anyway, can anyone point me toward hardware that works well with PE11 and VHS composite?
Thanks if you can help!
Mike

You get what you pay for.
I have been using a Canopus ADVC100 for almost 10 years, and have had 100% success right out of the box the first time I used it. As noted above the model 55 (which wasn't available when I bought my unit) should be all you need.
Before I got the Canopus unit I tried several 'cheaper' (USB) devices but never got satisfactory repeatable reuslts. Be sure you have at least a Firewire 400 connection. If you need to add such a port make sure the device uses a TI chip to avoid conversion problems. I purchased a " Syba Low Profile PCI-Express 1394b/1394a (2B1A) Card, TI Chipset, Extra Regular Bracket SD-PEX30009 " (which has both FW 400 & 800 ports) apprx $26 from Amazon.
By the way I use the Canopus to convert/capture both VHS and Hi8 analog tapes.

Capturing VHS tape recordings

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