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

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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.

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.

Issue with importing DV from Canopus ADVC-300

My concern is this:
When I convert and import footage from VHS tapes through my Canopus ADVC-300 I have to babysit the import because whenever there is a spot on the tape without footage (blackness, snowy confetti screen) either the Canopus device stops sending the signal and iMovie stops importing because of this OR iMovie senses the same thing the Canopus does and stops the import.
Is there a fix for this? I would like to be able to just hit IMPORT and walk away for 2 hours, so I can do other things with my day and simply go back and edit out whatever frames are fuzzy or blacked-out.
Please help... Thanks!
Powerbook G4 17" 1.5GHz Mac OS X (10.4.8) 2GB RAM, iMovie 6, iDVD 6, Single Layer Burner

Hi Roots and welcome!
I use the canopus ADVC110, presumably not a universe away from your Canopus, but I have only once got the problem you describe from VHS tapes, and that was a tape that had been stored too long without use.
Try fully winding the tape forward and then rewinding again. It can loosen 'sticky tape'. Cleaning the tape heads of the VCR is also beneficial.

Importing VHS tapes into iMovie

I have several VHS movies that I am importing into iMovie from a VCR to a Pinnacle Movie Box DV which is hooked up to my computer. The box is a few years old and I am having a problem. I cant simply start the import and walk away because without fail every so often the video screen in iMovie goes blue and while the tape is still playing, nothing is being imported. I have to stop the tape rewind it to where it stopped being imported, and start again. This is VERY frustrating!!! Is it my box, or iMovie???

Hi
My Guess. There might be drop outs on Your VHS tapes and Your A/D-box stops
importing then.
I payed up for a more costly way. Canopus ADVC-300. But this costs.
Alt. I used was to connect my miniDV tape Camera and download 1 hour at a time
to tape and use this. The tape has been pre-recorded with eg a wall so that I get
an unbroken time-code on it.
one hour passes are better than constantly supervicing.
iMovie is more accepting to drop-outs than FinalCut Express or pro (my experience)
Setting iMovie to import without breaking up in individual clips works better
for me. (Material from VHS/VCRs doesn't carry the information that can divide
into separat clips anyhow)
Yours Bengt W

Importing VHS Tapes?

Hello,
I have a Honestech VHS to DVD converter package. It comes with a converter box that I can plug in audio and video cables, along with s-video. I don't prefer the software that the package comes with because it is Windows software. You plug the box into your computer with USB. Is it possible to let iMovie or some other Mac application import the my VHS tapes from this box? iMovie does not detect the box when I click "import from camera", so I am willing to try a different Mac application that would recognize it.
Thanks for your help.

If you want to import video on the Mac, there are several options.
1) There is the EyeTV Hybrid. Like the Honetech, it accepts the RCA cables and s-video. It also accepts high definition TV signals from an antenna or cable box. It records in MPEG2 format, so additional conversion is required before editing in iMovie. I do this with MPEG Streamclip (free) and the Apple Quicktime MPEG2 Playback Component ($20). EyeTV does not make DVDs but it can output files that can be burned with Toast or iDVD.
2) Canopus makes a line of converters that will convert analog input from RCA cable or S video into DV which can be imported directly into imovie.
3) Certain miniDV camcorders and Digital 8 camcorders will allow passthrough analog conversion. You plug in the RCA cable or the video cable into the camcorder and it converts to DV and outputs via Firewire. This can be imported directly into imovie. I recently bought a Digital 8 camcorder on eBay for a price much lower than the Canopus for the purpose of importing some old 8mm camcorder tapes.

Importing VHS tape from VCR into iMovie

I'm trying to find out if it is possible to connect a VCR to my iMac and import the content from a VHS tape into iMovie in a similar way to connecting a camcorder to the iMac.
Thanks in advance.

Welcome to Apple discussions!!
I have done lots of this.
To get your VHS video into iMovie, look at the Grassvally 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 09/11 (I have used it a few times with iMovie 09 also).
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 will treat it like a camera).
http://www.grassvalley.com/products/advc300
I would use iMovie 06 with iDVD 09/11, why?
iMovie 09/11 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.
If your primary 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. If you share your movie from iMovie 09/11, 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 Tape

I'm importing a VHS tape using a DataVideo DAC-200 dv converter. while importing, there is no audio coming from the screen showing the tape's progress during the import. I am not sure if this is because the tape has no audio (which I highly doubt) or if some settings are messed up, or if it just won't play the audio during the import. It is importing right now

Let me assume that these movies are important to you and that you want the best quality possible.
The DataVideo DAC-200 dv is a good video converter (now discontinued).
I tried many converters but found the Canopus ADVC300 to be the best.
With the Canopus ADVC300. Audio and Video go in, FireWire comes out (just like the DAC-200). It also comes with a nice Macintosh application that works flawlessly with iMovie 06 and iDVD 09 (I have used it a few times with iMovie 09). The software that comes with the Canopus ADVC300 has some incredible filters that can improve the picture as well as the sound. I sometimes use it to reduce the background "hiss" found in some tapes. Well worth the price.
http://www.canopus.com/products/ADVC300/index.php
iMovie 09 uses single-field processing. This means every other horizontal line of the video is thrown out, which reduces the sharpness of the footage.
Your primary 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, same 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 will give you audio when importing.
iMovie 06 and iDVD 09 is a "lossless" combination.

Import VHS Tapes to DVD and iMovie

I have many old VHS tapes I want to finally digitize so I don't lose them. Most are old football games, generally between 1-2 hours per tape. I am working off of a new iMac - 27inch 3.1gHz 1TB hard drive.
I want to do 2 things:
1 - Backup each tape to a high quality DVD for backup purposes - to be played in a DVD player
2 - Store lower quality versions on my iMac hard drive to be viewed/ edited/ possibly uploaded to YouTube or other web based video sites
I have iMovie, and would like the ability to edit if possible - nothing major, ading scores, dates, etc...and possibly manipulating video (cropping of scenes, etc...) but not much.
I have researched and found a few different options. Most threads I have read seem to indicate the need for one of the following:
Canopus ADVC300
Canopus ADVC55
Elgato Eye TV Hybrid
I am willing to spend $100 - $200, but this I'd rather not go crazy. At a certain point it would just be easier to sed them away to be professionally archived to DVD.
Any advice?

I have many old VHS tapes I want to finally digitize so I don't lose them.
I have done lots of that.
To get your VHS video into iMovie, use the Grassvalley ADVC300. With the 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 09/11 (I have used it a few times with iMovie 11).
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 (VCR, Tivo, Satellite Receiver) and convert it to FireWire (iMovie will treat it like a camera).
http://www.grassvalley.com/products/advc300
I would use iMovie 06 with iDVD 09/11, why?
iMovie 09/11 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.
If your primary 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. If you share your movie from iMovie 09/11, 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 11 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.

Importing VHS tape to imovie

Hi there im geting a new macbookpro but i will need to transfer my video wedding video which is on vhs, so I can import it in to imovie or quicktime. Please please if you have any idea on what i can use to do it please help.
PowerBook G4 1.5 15, 80Gb 5400rp128mb grahics Mac OS X (10.4.3)

As you will have read in Sue's link, you need to connect your VCR player to an analogue to digital converter (like, for example, a Canopus ADVC110), and the converter to your Mac by firewire in order to import the digital signal into iMovie.

Import VHS Tape from VCR

Hi all,
I have some old family tapes on vhs to import imto the mac.
in the past I used a canopus and imported to quicktime 7 with h.264 and all was good - but now it seems as though QT 7 is broken and won't import more than a few minutes
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=quicktime+7+maximum+duratio n&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Basically I want to just do some basic clean up after then save them as h.264 for archiving
So what is the best way to import these videos now?
IMovie or final cut pro or Adobe premier or another app (I'm not very good at final cut or adobe)?

Use the Canopus to import into iMovie.

Converting VHS tapes to CDRs? Help Needed

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I have done lots of this.
Let me assume that these movies are important to you and that you want the best quality possible.
To get your VHS video into iMovie, use the Grassvalley 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 08/09 (I have used it a few times with iMovie 09).
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 (VCR, Tivo, Satellite Receiver) and convert it to FireWire (iMovie will treat it like a camera).
http://www.grassvalley.com/products/advc300
I would use iMovie 06 with iDVD 08/09, why?
iMovie 08/09 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.
If your primary 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. If you share your movie from iMovie '08 / 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.

VHS tapes drop-out while importing

Im importing VHS tapes to iMovie and without fail, every so many minutes they drop-out and the screen goes blue, though the tape hasnt stopped playing. Is there some way to stop this? Do I just need a new box? I have a Pinnacle Movie Box DV from a few years ago, and Id prefer not to spend a fortune!

Sometimes it is just the poor quality of the original VHS tapes, especially if the tape was recorded at extremely long play. I think the code was EP rather than SP or LP.
I have recorded ALL my VHS tapes to miniDV so that I would not cause further degradation as I tried to import VHS footage. Probably around 100 hours of miniDV tapes. Most of the tapes were ok with occasional blips of dropped frames.
However, one of my son's baseball games was recorded by someone who made copies of his original tape and gave all the team members copies. It is about 14 years old, and had become absolutely terrible with multiple video drop-outs. I copied the entire game to minDV, and then imported that into iMovie.
I spent a lot of time editing out the bad video drop-outs. Most of them were ok to lose, but some had important audio in the midst of the blue screen. It was tedious editing, and my iMovie quickly bloated up to 100 GB of space. Yes, that is correct......100 GB. Fortunately, I was making the movie on an external drive and had enough space.
I did the final version by sharing the iMovie as Full-Quality QuickTime movie and making a new iMovie with the quicktime one--which ended up being only 8GB!!!
So, you will have to decide if it is worth it to edit those sections on a nearly frame-by-frame basis. Is it worth the time and effort and large size of the movie, or can creatively put some good video clips over the bad to preserve the good audio segments?

IMovie quits importing with gaps in VHS tape

I'm using a Canopus ADVC110 to import old family VHS tapes into iMovie, and the import will quit whenever there are gaps in the VHS tape. Unfortunately there are many gaps, because it was our habit to separate clips that way. Is there an iMovie setting to prevent the import from quitting? I currently have to sit with every tape I'm importing to identify where it quits, and the start a new import, repeatedly, and it's frustrating. I'd rather edit clips once the whole tape has imported. Thanks for advice!

I'm using a Canopus ADVC110 to import old family VHS tapes
The Grassvalley ADVC300 will fix this.
The Grassvalley ADVC300 will "fill in" any missing time codes from tape.
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.
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. ( iMovie HD 06 is the best to import VHS tapes. )
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 ADVC300 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.
For sale on Amazon and eBay.

Importing VHS tapes w/ADVC-300 help

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