Importing VHS-C Tapes

I'm a long time FCP 7 user but seem to still be scratching my head over FCP X. I've set up a VCR directly into a MiniDV Camcorder which I'm feeding into my Mac. I was doing this on FCP7 yesterday and everything was working fine. But due to some technical issues I had to swap computers and am forced to now use FCP X. All I want to do is import about 25 VHS-C tapes and then I'll use the RAW footage later for editing.
When I'm running FCP X I can see the footage playing but everytime I click 'Import...' the timer in the top left corner starts counting. ex. 'Importing (0:08m)...'
but when I click 'Stop Import' they're no files. What am I doing wrong? I don't even know if anything is importing. I'm use to setting capture scratches and capture presets...this iMovie hybrid is just messing me up. If anyone can help it would be very helpful. Thanks!!!

Tom this is quite upsetting. So you can't use a deck anymore for capturing with FCP X? Any other ways/programs one can use to just capture the .mov file coming from the camera?

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Importing VHS & 8mm tapes at highest quality?

I've been using the VHS-to-DVD USB device to import old VHS and 8mm tapes to my Mac (using S-Video cable, then work on them in iMovie. Simple, but I'm wondering if there are alternative means with higher quality results. The mpg files I get are 640 x 480. Are there some professional products that are significantly better, or should I be satisfied with the current results?

I have been using iMovie, since iMovie 02 (and now use iMovie 06 and iMovie 11).
I have been constantly exploring the best way to convert VHS to DVD with a Macintosh.
I like the Grassvalley ADVC300 A/D coverter.
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.
For maximum quality use iMovie 06, or Final Cut Express. If you don't need to do fancy editing, then there's no reason to have Final Cut Express.
Your workflow is editing DV clips and making DVDs, iMovie '06 is better suited. Your movie will arrive at iDVD in DV format, which is an ideal match for making a DVD: same resolution, same pixels, aspect ratio, and original quality.
iMovie 06 and iDVD 09/11 is a 100% "lossless" combination and my DVD's look like they came from Hollywood!

Import VHS-C with a sony camcorder

I am trying to import VHS-C tapes into iMovie using a VCR and passing through my Sony TRV-17.
I am able to do this but when I play it back in iMovie there are many breaks in the video. I get a blank grey screen that keeps popping up while the sound continues to play without interuption. I have played the very same VHS-C tape in the VCR while viewing it on a TV and it plays perfectly.
I tried a Canon Optura 600 and did not have any luck at all. Is there something I am missing? How do I do this?

Here is an update for anyone who is having trouble while using the same equipment......
I have a Sony TRV17 camcorder that I was using to "pass through" video into iMovie from a VHS-C tape playing in my Sony SLV N750 VCR. This setup was not working on some of my tapes giving me 1 second breaks in the video. NOTE.. the VHS-C tapes played fine on the TV with my Sony camcorder.
As a last resort I borrowed a JVC HR-VP77OU VCR and my problem went away. This confuses me because the Sony VCR played the tapes perfectly on the TV so I did not think to try another VCR. I was thinking that my problem was the cord from the camcorder to the VCR or the jack itself on the camcorder.
I am just glad it is working properly now. Thank you all for your input on this!!!
Kevin

Importing VHS tapes w/ADVC-300 help

Please help, I'm converting a large number of VHS tapes to DVD using a ADVC-300 Analog to Digital Converter and a Sony VCR. Everything imports fine but everytime the signal hits a break in the tape (the old VHS snowstorm) iMovie stops importing. Since most of these tapes were made by my mother in law, nearly every couple minutes there is a break in the tape and I have to constantly hit import to begin again after a break.
While I enjoy being glued to 45 VHS tapes of my wive's childhood, I rather set it and forget it! It might be a function of the ADVC-300 but I was hoping there is a way to configure iMovie to import till disk full or stopped regardless of the signal coming in.
Thanks!

Hi Tom
I have an ADVC 100. I've imported VHS video through a panisonic VCR snow and all with no problems into imovie 5. The problem could be with the VCR or the ADVC 300.
A possible work around could be to set the VCR to play the video through to a mini DV tape camcorder. It should record one continueous video on a single time code. Then you should be able to import directly to iMovie -- snow and all!
It's an extra step, but you don't have to baby sit the VCR.
Good luck
Carl

Importing VHS tape into iMovie.

I am importing VHS tapes into either imovie 09 or 06. When I play back in the program, it has good quality. But when I save it, no matter what format: mp4, .avi, .mov, etc. The quality is very poor when played back on DVD player.
Any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong?

I am importing VHS tapes into either imovie 09 or 06.
Use iMovie 06 with iDVD 09.
iMovie 09 and 11 uses 'single field processing' meaning every other horizontal line of the video is thrown out, which reduces the sharpness of the footage. iMovie 06 uses ALL of the image to form the video.
Your workflow is editing DV clips and making DVDs, so iMovie 06 is better suited. Your movie will arrive at iDVD in DV format, which is an ideal match for making a DVD: same resolution, same pixels aspect ratio, and original quality. If you share your movie from iMovie 09, it gets re-rendered at 640x480 or less, and then iDVD upscales it back to 720x480. The end result is obviously not as good.
iMovie 06 and iDVD 09 is a "lossless" combination.

Importing VHS tapes to iMac on the cheap?

Is there a way to import a VCR tape to the iMac on the cheap? I guess some type of cable convert from a composite out on the VCR to an input on the iMac? These are just tapes of tapes and such and do not need to the quality output of either the Canopus ADVC 110 or Elgato EyeTV 250. I copied a VCR tape to a mini-DV and was able to output into iMovie with no problem. But that seems a bit tedious!

I have this device. I don't know if $89 will be considered "on the cheap."
http://daystar-store.com/xlr8xtraview-theeasytousevideo-insolutionforthemac.aspx
It takes RCA composite or S-Video input and sends it to the Mac over USB 2.0 (must be a direct connection). It comes with software to convert that input to MPEG-4 or other compression format. It also has audio input (a pair of red/white RCA connectors); you can use that for audio or the iMac's built-in audio input.
I mostly use it to watch the output of my old TiVo box on my iMac's screen.

How can I import VHS video into my macbook pro

I am trying to import VHS tapes into my macbook pro. I want to use them in iMovie. Any suggestions.

You will need something like this

Importing VHS into iMovie - Communication Error

Hi
I have just got a new iMac with iLife 08.
I am trying to import VHS tapes through a Canon camcorder into iMovie. I have done this many times before using Final Cut Pro on my old computer. My old FCP isn't compatible with OSX 10.5 so I have to use iMovie for the first time.
My problem is when I connect everything up, I get a 'communication error'. I can play the VHS and see it playing on the camcorder but it won't play on the import window in iMovie. i have tried importing it anyway and it does capture a couple of seconds and then stops.
Does anyone have any ideas?
Thanks.

I have the same problem, used the info from the above link....
Live import workaround #2: Put a tape in the camcorder and put it into CAMERA mode. Launch iMovie HD 6.0.2 -- its import mode should show the live feed from the camcorder. Remove the tape -- iMovie HD should continue to show and import live feed from the camcorder. The drawback with this approach is that it produces wear and tear to the camcorder. If you keep the tape in the camcorder, it may also go into standby mode if the tape is paused.....
But then switch from camera to play (VCR) on my canon MV500i
imac Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Importing VHS into iMovie

I just bought and hooked up a Canopus ADVC-110 between a TV/VCR combo and my computer. Several questions:
1. When I first hooked up the canopus, the iMovie project I had been working on began displaying this message when I would open the project: " The camera you have connected is a different video standard from your project. You can edit but you will not be able to capture any new clips or export to camera". It didn't seem to affect importing digital video clips or still photos, so I just continued without worry.
2. Now that I am TRYING to import VHS tape, when I am in my current project, nothing happens with I click the camera button and turn on my TV/VCR combo. I didn't know WHAT was wrong....until....
3. I opened a new blank project. Suddenly, I could import video just fine. So I thought I'd try editing the clip in the blank project and then just copying it into my current project. When I tried that I got the following message: The DV file Clip is the wrong video standard and cannot be imported into this project. What is going on!?!?
4. Lastly, I just noticed that at the top of my iMovie project it says the title and then says (PAL). Is that normal? Is that going to burn to a DVD okay? I thought North America had to be NTSC instead of PAL.
thanks for any suggestions/advice!

1. When I first hooked up the canopus, the iMovie project I had been working on began displaying this message when I would open the project: " The camera you have connected is a different video standard from your project. You can edit but you will not be able to capture any new clips or export to camera". It didn't seem to affect importing digital video clips or still photos, so I just continued without worry.
I think there are small switches (DIP-switches) on the Canopus. Make sure the switches are set to NTSC.

Inporting VHS-C tapes

Hi
I am trying to import some old VHS-C tapes into iMovie. I bought the Canopus110 converter. I have a VHS-C cassette adapter (where the mini tapes go into a normal VHS) and i have put this into a tv/vhs combi. I have connected the tv/vhs to the converter with a audio/video cable (the one where there is a yellow plug for video and another one for audio - RCA?) and then the converter is connected to my G4 laptop via a firewire cable.
When i play the video through the tv nothing is showing up in iMovie and when i try to input nothing comes through. The blue screen does say 'camera connected' or 'camera playing' as if it recognises something. I have tried the converter set to digital and analogue input and it makes no difference, i've also been through all the help options on iMovie and can't find an answer.
Help! Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks. K.

Sorry; don't know anything about Canopus.
Make sure, if it has that kind of switch, that both the Canopus and iMovie are set up for PAL video, or 25 frames-per-sec video. (..In iMovie, go to Preferences - under the word iMovie HD at top-left - and under the 'General' tab select 'New Project frame rate: 25 fps'..)
If you can borrow a miniDV camcorder which has 'pass-thru' you might try connecting the VHS machine's analogue output to the camcorder's analogue input, and simultaneously connecting the cam via FireWire, and see if anything's recognised, or visible, that way.
P.S: Are you sure that the connection you're using on the player/tv combo will actually send out video from the tape? ..Some of the cheaper 'combos' have very limited capabilities (..such as only one connection for audio, instead of white and red for both left and right stereo..) ..are you sure that it's an output, and not an input?

Problem importing VHS on intel iMac

I import VHS into iMovie using a Canopus ADV C100 converter via Firewire. I used to import onto an iMac G5 no problem. Now I switched to a new iMac Intel. When I now preview the VHS tape there is no audio, although the audio is captured when I import.
But I really need the audio to work during preview.
Could this be related to the built-in camera? I noticed when
the converter is on and I open Photo Booth all I see is a green screen. When the converter is off, the camera works fine. Could the camera and converter be interfering with each other?
Thanks for any help!

Another option would be to check your preferences in iMovie and uncheck "filter audio from camera".
this may be working overtime and removing all audio.

Importing VHS using ADVC-110

I have a Canopus ADVC-110 to import my VHS into the iMovie 3 program. I have done this successfully before. Today, however, the computer will not recognize "camera connected". I have checked that all wires are connected properly. I tried unplugging all other firewire and USB port cables except the ADVC-110. I have tried both firewire ports on my Mac OS-X 10.3.9. They both produce different (albeit both unsuccessful) results. Here is what happens:
1. On one firewire port, BOTH the digital in and analog in lights light up and the status light IS lit up. Clicking the input select button does not do anything. The computer still says "camera not connected".
2. On the other firewire port, the status light is NOT lit up, and I can click the input select to go back and forth between the digital in and analog in being lit up. The computer still says "camera not connected".
I am quite frustrated---please help! I'm halfway through a project, and have no idea what has gone wrong!

Hi
One can press in the FireWire connector (6-pin) 180 deg wrong.
This is destructive and the Camera or A/D-box needs an expencive repair.
(the connector on the Mac can also be broken by this)
Test Your Canopus on another Mac with another FireWire Cable just to see that it
still is OK and working.
Else read ( Camera = A/D-box )
*When Camera doesn't connect*
Test another FW-Cable.
Test Your Camera on another Mac so that DV-in still works OK
Toogle in iMovie pref: Play-back via Camera (on<->off some times)
Other ways to import Your miniDV tape:
Use another Camera. There where tape play-back stations from SONY
but they costed about 2-4 times a normal miniDV Camera.
If Your Camera works on another Mac. Make an iMovie movie project here and move it
over to Your Mac via an external hard disk.
(HAS TO BE Mac OS Exchange formatted - USB/DOS/FAT32/Mac OS Exchange WILL NOT DO)
(Should be a FireWire one - USB/USB2 performs badly)
FireWire - Sure not using the accompany USB-Cable but bought a 4-pin to 6-pin FW one ?
Using WHAT ? :
• Mac OS - X.5.4 ?
• QuickTime version ? (This is the heart in both iMovie and FinalCut)
• iMovie 8 (7.1.?) ?
• iMovie HD 6 (6.0.4/3) ?
Free space on internal (start-up) hard disk ? (Others don't count)
Does Your Camera work on another Mac ?
Sorry to say it is to easy to turn the 6-pin end of the FW-cable 180 deg wrong.
This is lethal to the A/D-chip in the Camera = needs an expensive repair.
(Hard to find out - else than import/export to another Mac ceased to work
everything else is OK eg recording and playback to TV)
Delete iMovie pref file may help sometimes. I rather start a new account, log into
this and have a re-try.
from LKN 1935:
Hi Bengt W, I tried it all, but nothing worked. Your answer has been helpfull insofar as all the different trials led to the conclusion that there was something wrong with my iMovie software. I therefore threw everything away and reinstalled iMovie from the HD. After that the exportation of DV videos (there has not been any problem with HDV videos) to my Sony camcorders worked properly as it did before. Thank you. LKN 1935
from Karsten:
in addition to Bengt's excellent '9 yards of advice' ..
camera set to 'Play' , not rec/computer/etc.?
camera not on battery, but power-line?
did your Mac 'recognize' this camera before...?
a technical check:
connect camera, on, playback, fw-connected...
click on the Blue Apple, upper left of your screen ..
choose 'About../More..
under Firewire.. what do you read..?
Yours Bengt W

Possible to import VHS?

New to imac and would like to get all my imports into imovie. How can I (if I can) import VHS and older model Sony camcorder tapes? The camcorder does not link up when plugged in.

To get your VHS video into iMovie, look at the Canopus ADVC300. Audio and Video go in, FireWire comes out. It also comes with a nice Macintosh application that works flawlessly with iMovie 06 and iDVD 08 (not sure about iMovie 08).
The program that comes with the ADVC300 has some nice filters that can improve video and audio of the source material. The ADVC300 will take Audio and Video from any source and convert it to FireWire (iMovie 06 will treat it like a camera).
http://www.canopus.com/products/ADVC300/index.php
Video and Audio go in, Firewire comes out. SUPER E-Z

PAL VHS Windows tape to iMovie

I have family in the UK. They have PAL VHS videos and a windows computer. They have the software to convert VHS to digital format on their computer (Windows based). In what format can they send it to me so that I can import the movies into my USA iMAC imovie program.
Please help.
iMAC Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Hi mushanga,
welcome to this forum
* PAL/NTSC are both supported by your Mac.. (both video standards use diff. resolution, diff. frame rates/depends on frequency of powerlines, we have 50Hz you have 60Hz...) so, that is no problem... a few words about that at the end...
* VHS is analogue, that has to be "digitized" in some way, you told us, this is no problem either...
* Windows... hm?
* Transport... hm (again)?
best quality/storage problem:
a modern PC is able to create "dv" codec; that is the native compressor of iM too... they should import VHS and create "dv"-files... problem: 1hour = 13GB.... or, 20min on one dataDVD (NOT! videoDVD!)... or, they should buy a ext. drive, send later that to you... $$$$$$
less quality/dataDVD...
a modern PC is able to create mp4... that IS a lossy processor, but with a higher bitrate creates good/very good pic quality... (all Apple Keynotes before '05 were trasnmitted in mp4); you can store 1, 2 hours on a dataDVD... needs conversion (=lossy process, but, hey, it was just VHS!)
less quality/video DVD
they should create a videoDVD (PAL), can accomplished by MANY PC apps; 2h on per disk; get DVDxDV, it has a 30d trial period (testdrive sets a watermark)... and cost 25$; convert videoDVD into dv (PAL); process files in iM; follow advice at end of this posting...
conversion to and from videoDVD is lossy... but in means of coast & efficiency.. this is a home project.......
worst case:
they are just able to create .wmv files/store to a dataDVD; then, you need to buy a plug-in form www.flip4mac.com and will realize some dramatic loss of quality....
PAL/NTSC:
as said, your Mac doesn't care for video standards...
but, if you want your family's footage finally on YOUR tape or a videDVD for a USplayer, it needs standards-conversion:
DeInterlacer is a fantastic tool (for free!) doing format conversions; you edit in iM (in PAL), export as FullQuality QT, import that into JESDeinterlacer, get a new dv, import that into iDVD (now, as NTSC)..
iDVD allows the import of PAL for creating NTSC videoDVD, but results are... not so overwhelming.
lots of info, but give it a try.........
hope, that helps........

Import VHS through DSR-11 to FCP?

Hello. I have a DSR-11... can I import VHS by hooking up a VHS VCR to the 11 which is in turn connected to my Mac in FCP? I am not a techie and man, I just can't get this to work. If there is anyone out there who imports VHS this way... please advise. Thanks!
Dual 2GHz G5 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

I myself prefer what Shane said about what David said, except I shall add a technical sidebar. you rally should have a TBC and a waveform/vector display if you're going to be investing in VHS-to-DV dubs via composite.
Overkill? Possibly. But correcting the levels and rebuilding for coherent timing will make your life much easier when you ingest the DV. Put some bars and tone on that tape!
bogiesan

Importing VHS-C Tapes

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