Device recommended to capture VHS?

Some weeks ago, this forum provided advice about the best device to capture VHS in a format PE ready. I was unable to follow up on the advice at the time ... any chance someone remembers what it was? I think it was "Pyro" something ... could not find the postings on the forum search. Thanks for any help!!

Bobbi,
This is the Photoshop Elements forum. I believe you meant to post (and search) the Premier Elements forum.
Is this what you were looking for?
http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx/.3bc42a1c/0
Bob

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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.

How tto capture VHS footage?

So far I have been capturing footage from MiniDV/ Dvcam format.
I have a project which requires me to capture footage from VHS tape. Can somebody please tell me what settings do I need to change to capture it?
Thanks.
MANDAR

Presumably you have the hardware to capture in the first place, if not;
http://www.canopus.us/US/products/ADVC-100/pm_advc-100.asp
should sort you out.
Other than that you need not change any settings, although you may need to switch the capture setting to 'non controllable device' if the capture hardware is not computer controllable and do the capture manually.
IF it's NTSC video then leave your capture setting alone, likewise if it's PAL, as long as the video format is correct it should be simple.

Capturing VHS

Hi all,
When I was on Final Cut Express, I would capture VHS by connecting my video recorder to my DV camera, then choosing Easy Setup > “DV PAL – DV Converter”. This selection doesn't appear in Final Cut Pro. Can someone tell me the best way to capture VHS?
Many thanks,
Andrew

Same process as before, just instead of “DV PAL – DV Converter”, use "DV Non-Controllable Device".

Different approach for capturing vhs to fcp

yes i know an often asked question ... i happen to have a kona 3 card but it doesn't have any analog input capabilities. so the way i've captured vhs has been to simply to run it into my mini dv camera and record dv out from the camera through firewire. i think that's how most folks do it. works fine but i'm wondering if i'm losing some quality this way. does it make sense or does anyone convert the component analog out from the vhs deck to sdi which in my case can then be captured through kona. i guess canopus, black magic, and decklink make converters that do this. would i be gaining any quality this way? thanks.

You have a grasp of the issues and no, you are not really losing anything by using the DV cam as a converter. VHS was such a sucky format to begin with, the only thing that really might help is to put a TBC between the VHS source and the A/DV converter to deal with any timing/chroma issues.
The Canopus ADVC300 has a line TBC built in which does help some. It's not as effective as a frame TBC.
x

How do you add a device to Image Capture?

Does anyone know how to add a device to IMAGE CAPTURE?

You don't need to add a device just connect your camera and it will find it, if the camera is comparable.

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+

Proper external capture device recommendations

Hi All,
I need some input. I want to transfer about 25 VHS tapes (home movies) for editing in iMovie08, and burn the final output through iDVD08. Here is the problem. I had many Super 8mm home movies done professionally. The tech guy at the company was great, and he pointed out at the time of placing the order that I DIDN"T want the films put to DVD. He suggested that since I wanted to edit them, and that Mac software is native with Quicktime(MOV) format, that they would transfer them as raw files in MOV format and put them on an external drive, which was shipped to me. Great idea, and no issues. He also explained that MOV is frame by frame, not multiple frames like MPEG formats; so quality would be better, and I wouldn't lose quality and time re-encoding. So it stands to reason that I should do the same with the VHS tapes as well. I cannot seem to find an external capture device that does this. Dazzle and Canopus seem to go to MP4. Can someone steer me to the right product? I will be doing this from VCR to external capture to iMac. I DO NOT have a camcorder, so it has to be this way. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi -
You have been fortunate to receive excellent advice.
To convert your analog tapes to DV you will need an external convertor such as:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/462758-REG/ADSTechnologies_API_558_EFS_Pyro_A_V_LinkBidirectional.html
The cost of these devices will probably be in the $150 range, which is not to bad if divided by 25 tapes works out to about $6 a tape. Probably much cheaper than having someone do it for you.
The one piece of advice that is a little suspect is that converting mpeg to a DV or non mpeg format degrades the signal. This is not strictly true, if done correctly.
That is why I would suggest another option is to use this device:
http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/videorecorder/
which is less that $100 and then take the files that are created by it and convert them to be edited by using this free application:
http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html
You would then import the files into iMovie after they are converted. I mention this to give you an option.
My biggest concern is that you back up your disc drives! After loading in all this footage, you would not want a drive failure to make you redo all that work!
Good luck!

Problems capturing VHS video - help please (Elements 11)

I've tried without success trying to capture a VHS tape into Elements 11 for two hours now and really need some guidance please.
The hardware is a Win 7 64 bit desptop and my VCR player is connected to the PC via a Canopus ADVC55 firewire connection, through an S-video and L/R audio inputs. The VHS tape is a Japanese one whihc plays fine through the VCR when it is connected directly to my TV.
The capture process I'm trying to use is "DV Camcorder" but I keep getting an error message in the capture window stating that "Camera settings do not agree with project settings" and that the capture process may not work properly.
To solve this I've tried almost all the NTSC settings in the New Project dialogue box. Sometimes the Canopus isn't recognised, sometimes it is but I get the above error message but nothing gets captured.
I would have thought the correct project setting would be NTSC/DV/Standard 48kHz but i just get the error message. When I ticked the "force these settings for the project" box I got an immediate blue screen of death!
I'm obviously doing something - or several things - that aren't right. I'd be very grateful if somebody could put me straight. All over the internet are articles saying how easy this VHS to DVD transfer is!!
TIA. John.

Thank you very much gentlemen for your help and advice. I've had a whale of a time this afternoon trying to make some sense of the problem.
I've downloaded WinDV and updated the Firewire drivers. I've checked Device Manager and there is nothing there about dropped frames or timcodes. I've also tried every combination of the Canopus dipswitches making sure that I reboot bewteen setting changes. I've tried 2 different VHS players and also swapped out the cables. I've also found an old Miglia capture device and tried that as well in case the problem lies with the Canopus.
The conclusions so far:-
1. Using WinDV with the Canopus set to NTSC I get a picture straight away no problem and audio works as well. BUT the pictures are in black & white not colour.
2. The Canopus doesn't pass the video through to WinDV with the dipswitches set to PAL - the status light stays red.
3. So going back to elements 11 I've tried both dipswitch settings. With PAL the Canopus doesn't pass the signal through as for WinDV.
4. With Elements 11 with the dipswitch set to NTSC and the New Project settings at PAL/HD/Standard 48kHz I get the error message about "Camera settings and Project settings being different" and my PC hangs completely.
5. With Elements 11 with the dipswitches set to NTSC and the New Project settings at NTSC/HD/Standard 48kHz I get the message as above but if I close it then the "record" button is inactive and no video is recorded.
6. And those results are the same for both VHS players.
7. With The Miglia device I get no picture or sound with either WinDV or Elements 11 no matter what type of VHS tape I try to record.
And that's as far as I've got.
Are there any other Project settings I should try? Can anybody help with the Black and White issue with WinDV?
I just want to get the VHS recorded via any piece of software now!
Thanks again.

Limiting capture when capturing VHS via DV converter

Hi,
Is there any way in FCPX or iMovie 11 to limit the capture of a VHS tape via a DV convertor (e.g. Canopus ADVC)? Alternatively, will capturing stop when the VHS tape comes to an end, or will it keep capturing until I click stop?
I have hundreds of VHS tapes to transfer and I don't want to have to babysit the machine!
Ideally, I want all the files in .mov or .dv format so I can edit in FCPX.
Many thanks!

BenB - thanks for confirming there isn't a way to limit the capture duration
Thomas - thanks for info about analog not being able to capture in FCPX - I have also come to that conclusion, and I am currently using iMovie to transfer my 8mm tapes using a Digital 8 camcorder. I also assume canopus would have the same issue as there wont be timecode in the signal.
1 Open Loop - My specific question on this post is about limiting the capture duration, which I now have confirmed you cannot do (i.e. is a VHS tape is 1hr 20min, I want it to stop after that time, rather than recording a blank signal till I click stop. Same goes for iMovie).
Do anyone recommend other software to do this job (other than FCP7 which I am trying to avoid using for now)?
Thanks

What do I need to capture VHS?

I know I need a capture device of some sort, but there are so many, and the prices range from $20 to over $500. Don't they all do the same thing? Can anyone recommend one that works with Leopard?

maitlandmom2 wrote:
I know I need a capture device of some sort, but there are so many, and the prices range from $20 to over $500. Don't they all do the same thing? Can anyone recommend one that works with Leopard?
I have and use an ElGato HDTV Stick, which also has video/audio inputs for copying.
However they also make a less-expensive device for exactly what you are looking to do.
It's called "Video Capture" and the info is here:
http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/Video-Capture/product3.html
There may be others, but I cannot vouch for any, except that their HDTV Stick works for me.

Help with capturing VHS onto the FCP drive

Hello, I'm a new (novice) G-5 FCP user and I'm trying to attempt to capture video through my VHS player (from the VHS Tape) and dub it into my new Panasonic PVGS31 mini dv camera, or if possible, bypass the dubbing to mini dv and capture the video straight into the G-5 using the dv camera. I tried to connect the av adapter to the back of the VCR, but no luck...can anyone advise on what to do. I keep spending more and more money at the dubbing house putting VHS onto mini dv and that's got to stop.
Thank you!!
G-5 2.7 Mac OS X (10.4.5)

First off, make sure you're using the correct cable(s) to connect the VHS VCR to your camcorder and that you've connected to the correct outputs on the VCR as well as the right inputs on your camcorder. I know its a simple thing, but sometimes its easy to get the INs and OUTs crossed up.
Next, make sure your camcorder is set for the proper line input. Usually its a menu setting while in VTR mode. Now here's the important part; if your camcorder can pass through an analog signal to its digital output, you should be able to capture directly with FCP without dubbing to tape first. But be aware that not all camcorders have this capability. If yours doesn't, just go ahead and dub to DV tape first then capture the new DV tape with FCP.
Of course, you'll need to have the Firewire port of your camcorder connected to your Mac, and assuming your camcorder is compatible with FCP you should be good to go.
I tried to connect the av adapter to the back of the VCR<<</div>
What exactly is this "AV Adapter" you're referring to? Most all VCRs will have an RCA output jack for video and one (mono) or two (stereo) for audio. You connect these to your camcorder's line input jacks.
-DH

Capturing VHS-C footage: Will this method work?

Ok, I'm new to the whole Video and Digital manipulation realm, but I wanted to run this by everybody before I tried it out.
Two questions:
1. Would this work:
- Capturing at DVD quality (I mean, it's VHS-C tapes, not exactly IMAX level stuff)
2. I'm using my S-VHS player and my DV player as a bridge to my computer. Which of these two is better/higher quality (or either I guess):
         a. Plug my s-video into my vcr and dv player, then usb into my computer, then capture that video using the dv camera as a bridge
          OR
          b. S-video into my dv and vcr, capture the footage onto my DV camera, then import that captured footage from the DV camera.

If you are passing the video through your DV camcorder using AV-DV option, the camcorder is converting the AV to DV, the camera would do the same if you were recording that input to tape. Either way it is DV. When you capture DV via Firewire, you are capturing a stream of binary data that meets the DV IEEE1394 standard. It makes no difference if the stream comes from the pass-through, or from recording to tape first and then capturing the tape. There is no change in quality loss between the methods. Recognize however, the source was only VHS and the DV copy by either method can't be better than the VHS.
As for USB, I do not believe that Premiere pro can capture a USB input, the Premierr pro miniDV/HDV option is only for IEEE1394 capture.
Your USB connection may be passing through a camera-specific utility and being recorded as a AVI file on your HDD. You then have to import that file to Premiere using the project panel

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

Capturing VHS through DV cam to FCP - Audio clipping!!

Hey all,
I'm capturing a VHS through my DV cam (it has analogue to digital version) and when it comes into FCP the audio is clipping (going above 0db)
Is there anyway to lower the input volume?
Thankyou
Paul

The camera doesn't let you change the input volume
What I did was:
Made the VIDEO ONLY go from VCR > DV CAM > MAC
But made the audio go to VCR > PC LINE IN > PC LINE OUT > DV CAM > MAC
When the audio came through my PC - I lowered the LINE IN volume so on the FCP audio level meters the audio peaked at -6dbs.
Not a bad idea hey
Lucky I had all the cables and connectors laying around.

Device recommended to capture VHS?

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