Converting/capturing old analogue tapes to digital

Can someone please outline the options and best way to convert my old tapes to digital. I have a new digital video camera and no longer use the old 8mm camera so I would like to convert the old video to digital so I can edit it and generally maintain it all in the same format, we never get to watch the old stuff. I asssume I can't use the digital camera unless it has a video-in port. Otherwise there seems to be a wide range of USB analgue to digital video converters on the market that are fairly inexpensive...do they work?
Thanks...any advice would be appreciated.

I am using the EyeTV Hybrid from ElGato. It works great for VHS. It should work for you too if your analog camcorder has either RCA jacks out (red, white, yellow) or coax cable out.
You first capture the video from analog to Mpeg2 using the EyeTV hybrid. Then you export from EyeTV in DV format so that iMovie can edit it.

Similar Messages

  • Fixing "Herringbone" Colors in old analogue tapes

    FCP 4.5; QT7
    I've been given some old analogue tapes to transfer to DVD.
    No problems with getting them into FCP4.5.
    I've used the 3 way colour corrector's auto options for black, mids and did a manual white balance to get a better looking picture.
    However being old VHS analogue tapes there's what I believe is refferred to has a "herringbone" colour "wash" through the lenght of the recordings even over the black lead in and out. (Sorry it's hard to describe, without a picture).
    OK, if that makes sense, is there anyway to "fix it"?
    thanks all.

    VHS can look great in black & white - it can be surprising how much definition can hide behind the lousy color and artifacts.
    I only bring this up because going B&W will completely remove the pattern as long as you take it as B&W right from the deck. You can do this by simply clipping the C (chroma) wire of a Y/C cable from say an S-VHS deck.
    Even if you don't do the luminance-only thing, the pattern should mostly disappear after being turned into B&W in digital land.
    Not that this is what you wanted...

  • 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

  • How to convert old VHS tapes to digital

    I am hoping someone can give me an overview of what kind of equipment/software is necessary to convert VHS tapes into a digital format that could be saved in iMovie. Do I just need the right cables for the VCR or something more complicated? Thanks!

    I recommend that you download the free iMovie HD6 for those with iMovie 08 who do not have a prior version of iMovie HD6. You can get it here: http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/imovieHD6.html
    And, do this tutorial: http://www.apple.com/support/imovie/tutorial/
    It is more capable of creative editing and you have a quite a bit more control over your iMovie with it.
    +So, your method worked using just a VCR, a camcorder, and your computer? No special converters?+
    Yes, I just used the AV connectors that came with my camcorder to hook the camcorder to the VCR....which was in a combo TV/VCR unit so I could see the footage on my tv, just to make it easier. The AV connector cable has a special prong that fits into the camcorder, and those white/red/yellow prongs at the VCR end. The TV/VCR is a few years old, certainly not anything fancy or new.
    I didn't bother with a converter since I just used the camcorder.
    My computer and that VCR are not physically close enough to try to import directly, and since I wanted the digital tapes of the original footage, recording first to the miniDV tapes worked for me. Canopus makes a couple of nice converters...they are around $150-250, I think.
    Then, to connect to the computer with the camcorder you will need a 4-6 pin Firewire cable.
    +I might do it sooner or I might put it off for awhile while I practice messing around with iMovie.+
    The benefit of recording from VHS to miniDV tapes is that the tapes are digital, they store easily and the footage will not degrade before you get around to creating your iMovies and DVDs. iMovies can take up lots of drive space, so don't be thinking that you will just import them all and save them for editing later. You would need a huge amount of space for this. Most of my movies are just under 2 hours, and occupy between 25-40 GB each. A couple of my movies were well over 100-140GB!!!! Yes, that is correct. I have a couple of external drives that I use for my movies while I am creating them. I usually have about two or three that I am working on at the same time.
    +We want to put them in a digital format that will be easier to store and play and safer from eroding over time, so I guess the end format I'm looking for is DVDs.+
    Because DVDs can break/crack/warp/melt/etc, you should consider exporting your finished iMovies back to the camcorder so that you have the miniDV tapes for more permanent storage and as a backup to your DVDs.
    That is one of the big reasons that I don't use iMovie 08---it does not permit exporting back to a camcorder.
    Although I do not save my created iMovies on my computer after I have made the DVD and exported the edited movie back to tape, I do save all my iDVD projects as disk images. A disk image can be up to 4.7 GB--even my large movies were automatically compressed down when put into iDVD. The limitation in iDVD is the total length of the movie in TIME, not SIZE. I use single-layer DVDs, which can hold up to 2 hours of content. Creating disk images allows you to have an exact copy of your iDVD projects, self-contained so that you can delete the original iMovies and the original iDVD projects. You can use the disk image to burn your disks when you first create them, and any time in the future. It is a good backup for the entire DVD.
    Enjoy being creative with your movie projects! Post back with any more questions, and feel free to email me if you want.
    Regards,
    Beverly

  • How best to Convert, and edit video tape to digital

    I want to convert, and edit VHS and Betamax video tapes to digital. My research indicates that there are a number of ways to achieve this, including:
    1. A video recorder with a hard disk and DVR (Which?)
    2. The "pass through" feature on a MiniDV camcorder (Discussion Sites)
    3. EyeTV 250 Plus (Magazine)
    4. Canopus' (ADVC300), which “cleans and stabilises analogue video before conversion so the digital is a higher quality than the original analogue” (Magazine and Discussion Sites)
    Some claim that an S-video connection is essential for best results.
    Can an expert advise the best solution?

    I have a Canopus ADVC-300 that I use when digitizing VHS and Hi8 material.
    It works quite well. The included software allows you to adjust the quality of the image as it is being converted.
    Connect the tape deck to the ADVC-300 using SVHS cable and an audio RCA cable then firewire between the ADVC-300 and your mac. Turn on everything and launch iMovie to capture the playing video stream.
    If you have technical questions regarding iMovie and or iDVD, each has a specific forum here on the Apple Discussions site.
    Good luck,
    x

  • Weird problem with capturing old 8mm tapes with my hi8 camera

    ok, so i'm trying to capture an old 8mm tape from like 1995 i think, and when i capture nothing shows up. this might be a problem with the tape though because it won't even play on the camera. however, the weird thing is that when i push fastforward while it plays a very fuzzy image shows up of whats on the tape, but then when i play it in real time again it just shows blue screen. This is happening consistently with a few other tapes from the same time. Is this happening because the tapes are shot? or is there something i'm not doing right?

    Are they tapes you shot? Could they be PAL? Sometime PAL or a tape recorded in a non-standard speed will only show up fuzzy in FF. Not sure if 8mm had an LP speed and whether all Hi-8 camcorders will play that back.

  • 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

  • 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

  • Capturing old VHS tapes via Dazzle DV Bridge issue

    Hey Guys!
    I am capturing some old VHS footage (>20 years) in hopes to restore it digitally as much as possible but on one tape I've run into an issue. When using the playback on the DV bridge to my TV, the audio and video are great. However, in FCP after I have captured, I am noticing several audio and video "jumps" and distortions. I checked other segments of the capture and they seem to be fine, so I am assuming it may be the tape but since my playback on the TV was excellent, I'm not sure what to consider. Any ideas?

    The tape has light physical damage. You need a converter that has a built in Time Based Corrector, such as [this one|http://desktop.grassvalley.com/products/ADVC300/index.php]. Expensive if you only need it for one tape, but you should be able to hire a unit.

  • Old VHS tapes to digital on iMac

    I applogize if this is the wrong forum buit I couldn't figure out where else to post. I have a 1 week old iMac G5 and want to import old family VCR tapes to it. I heard of Eye TV but $300 plus is awfully steep for a one time use. I am not planning on using my iMac as a DVR or anything. Is there anything cheaper? I just want to convert some VHS tapes to DVD.

    A couple of related threads:
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    tom manforte, "VHS to DVD -What do I need?", 04:39pm Jul 6, 2005 CDT

  • Can I convert my old vhf tapes to dvd using my MacBook Pro?

    I have many vhf home movies that I would like to convert to DVDs.  Can I connect my VCR to my macbook pro and burn to a dvd on the computer?

    What model MacBook do you have?
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    . It may be better to pay a service to do the conversion and supply the DVDs
    This is the Mac Pro desktop forum. I requested your post be moved to the MacBook Pro laptop forum.

  • Any way to use standard VHS deck to convert VHS tape to digital file (iMac)

    I use FCE/iMovie. I've had old 8mm films converted to digital files to make family movies - very costly. Is there a way to use a standard VHS deck as a source with my newer iMac to convert old VHS tapes to digital files for editing?

    I purhcased the Canopus 55 - it is working well. You can't preview in iMovie, though, which is a challenge and was a comment in reviews on Canopus 55. I did buy the power source with it based on reviews.
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  • 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.
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    I'm looking at using the following settings:
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    DV - NTSC
    Standard 48kHz
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    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.
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  • Capturing Old Hi8 footage using Sony TRV310 DIgital 8 Camera Using Firewire

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  • Converting analogue tapes to iMovie

    I have a Canopus advc100 converter and I wish to convert some old tapes to my iMac. My old camcorder is a Sharp Hi8. I am running with Snow leopard and I have connected precisely to the instructions according to the manual. Settings on the converter indicate indicate correctly. iMovie recognizes the camera is connected and when I commence the recording the counter commences but immediately stops at "2" and stops the recording process. iMovie converts 1 x 2 second clip. I am positive that my settings are ok but have read on this forum that it is a problem with Snow leopard. If that is true will installing Mountain lion fix my dilemma? What alternatives do I have? Can anyone help please

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    Do you have ANY other FireWire devices connected the same time as your ADVC (for example, an external FW hard drive)?

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