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........

Similar Messages

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?

Is there a way to convert VHS tapes to iMovie?

Need to convert many tapes into iMovie? What do I need to set this up? Software?

I have recently been investigating this very subject.
The Elgato device you mention comes recommended by many in this forum (as least as many as respond on this particualr subject). It is compatible with BOTH Windows and Mac. Amzon reviews (for what what reviews are worth) put Elgato at 250+ of 330 reviews at positive, while the Roxio reviews have most at either end and a clean split between the numbers at best and worst.
I found Elgato on Amazon too late to get one (until they come back into stock), and $30 of gas for the round trip is my only way to get one in-hand within a day, while the Roxio is in-stock intown.

Foortage from vhs tape to iMovie??

how can i get home movies that are on a vhs tape to iMovie? do i have to buy a vhs/dvd burner? please help!

have a read… :
From VHS to DVD
Give New Life to Old Movies
http://www.macworld.com/2004/05/features/fromvhstodvd/

PAL VHS tapes---- NTSC??

Hello. I have a VHS tape recorded in PAL format and
NO PAL VHS player. Is it still possible to convert using FCP (X)?
Please help.
Thanks to you.

DJHenry wrote:
… I have a VHS tape recorded in PAL format and
NO PAL VHS player. Is it still possible to convert using FCP (X)? …
you need two kind of conversions:
• digitizing it => additional hardware to convert analogue to digital
• converting it => FCPX can handle both standards ...
but ...
PAL/NTSC were 'hardwired' into players; just very few, expensive ones were 'multi norm'.
so, your PAL tape is in a NTSC world of no use.
I would suggest to ask some professional converting service to 'digitize' it; in case, the resulting file has 25fps, you can use FCPX or many other free tools (eg JES Deinterlacer) for conversions. or the conversion-service does it for you 'in one rush'.-

Video Tape to iMovie

Can anyone tell me what hardware I can get to move my old VHS-C tapes and download them to iMovie?
Thanks
Paul

A pass through video camera will do the trick - but for a lot less $, an analog/digital "bridge" will work, too. I have an older Dazzle Hollywood unit that connects using S-video or analog video and right/left audio - to a VHS machine on one side and firewire connection to the computer. The computer does not "control" anything. Launch iMove, New Project, Name it, click Import, then hit play on the VCR (presuming you have the "adapter" that makes your VHS-C tapes fit in a regular VHS player)... or play them back in your camera connected to the bridge.
Pinnacle bought Dazzle out, and the Hollywood bridge is no longer made, but they make other bridges that will work. CompUSA may still carry their gear. The bridge should be less than $100. When I bought mine, there was NO reference to "Mac Compatibility" because the bundled software was for Windows only. The hardware will work with your Mac and iMovie...
There are other companies that make similar external analog/digital video/audio bridges - but I have not used them.

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?

Best Way to Import VCR tapes to iMovie

Hello, all.
I have a small problem that I hope somebody can help me with: I currently have an ADS Pyro A/V unit. I was told my the local Apple dealer that would be the best way to import VHS tapes into iMovie. It has worked for a few tapes, but now does nothing except give me a static-greenish-loud-high pitch sound when I try to import a tape.
I have given up on this unit!!!!!!
Can anybody recommend a decent way to import my old VHS movies to my MacBook and into iMovie??
Thanks for your time & input!

I have the same situation as the original poster (VHS tapes I want to edit and store on DVD).
However I don't have a CamCorder.
What I do have is a PVR that I have used to capture the video and I can write that to a DVD. That gives me the base video that I can work on.
However, the files on the DVD have a .VOB file type. I have tried StreamClip but it provides me with a number of options as to the format I can import it into.
Ultimately I want to bring the image into iMovie, edit it and then burn it back onto a DVD. I don't really care if the intermediate files are large, but I am a little concerned about loosing picture quality (which is not great to start with - the original images were on recorded on Super-8 movie film, then 'projected' and recorded onto the VHS tape of which I have a copy. However it is all I have!!!)
What is the best format (and if necessary, tool) to copy the .VOB files to - something that iMovie can use without conversion preferrable - and then write back to a DVD.
Thanks
Susan
(PS in case you haven't gathered, I'm new to all this side of things, but I have time and a strong desire to learn!)

PAL VHS TO NTSC

I have a client my first with PAL format and he wants his wedding tape converted and pressed to DVD.
My question is am i able to do this with a standard VHS unit and FCP.
Will i have to do something special or just use a different preset while capturing in FCP5. Thanks Charles

You'll need a deck that can play back his PAL VHS tape (capturing it as PAL, then doing a conversion in the end in Compressor)... a multi-standard VHS player, and a way to capture PAL (like an ADVC-110)...
Or get a standards conversion done to NTSC, then capture and work in NTSC just as you have in the past.
Jerry

Creating NTSC DVD from PAL VHS input

I have a PAL VHS tape that I have just captured in AVI format using a Canopus ADVC-55 bridge. The settings I used in PE10 were DV PAL (as I am in Australia). I am now going to produce a DVD of the footage for use in Australia, but I also need to send a copy to my cousin in the USA, where they use NTSC. The whole PAL/NTSC process confuses me somewhat and I would appreciate some guidance.
1. If I create a PAL DVD for viewing here, is it right that it won't play in a DVD player in the USA? If it won't, can I create a DVD with output settings NTSC even though the input setting was PAL?
2. If I don't create a playable DVD as output, but instead just create an MPEG file and burn the MPEG file to a DVD to be read on a PC, will it read on a PC in the USA?
3. Should I recapture the footage, setting the ADVC-55 to NTSC (rather than PAL), and the project settings to DV NTSC? I have tried this and it seems to work, much to my surprise, as I thought the VHS tape itself was in PAL format and hence would not capture with NTSC settings.

Although most PAL DVD players will play NTSC video -- you are correct that virtually no US NTSC DVD players can play PAL video. And that's true whether you burn a DVD file or an MPEG to a disc. It's a different aspect ratio, resolution and frame rate.
But you can use Share/Computer/AVI with the NTSC DV preset to output an NTSC DV file of your project. Then you can start up an NTSC DV project, load that file into it and burn an NTSC DVD from that.
It won't be perfect. But the program does to a pretty good job of interpretting your video from one format to another.

VCR tape to iMovie

Is there a device (and 3rd party software) to directly, 1 step load movies from VCR tape into iMovie?

I have done lots of this.
To get your VHS video into iMovie, use 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 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 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.

Codec to use for archiving PAL VHS source

I want to digitise a whole lot of PAL VHS home movie stuff. What do you think are the best settings to convert it to?

this is a straight forward call. with your source of VHS at 256 lines at best + either SP or worse LL
P recorded mode and as hasbeen already recommended to preserve and edit in an economically efficient way, I'd also recommend PAL DV.
at 720x576 resolution to map those 256 VHS scan lines at 4:2:0 At 25Mbs is way more headroo
thAn you u might use for this footage.
as an I-frame format u can get it it easier with standard or mainstreAm codecs.
moreover u can ingest the vhs via your encoding device (dv camera or dv encoding box) and catch it on mini-dv media as DV for later ingest to something like fcp.
u must consider the ramifications of maintaini g your family jewels to the charge of spinning disk storage at roughly 11.75GB/hour as well. it is wise to consider how much storage on disk you need for a small amount of 100 hours of DV with only one instance.
this capturing directly to disk may not be economical for you.
also the trAgedy of losing this stuff on disk should be of concern as well.
so a big box of mini-dv media for use as a stop gap for your act of reclamation and preservation is a good way to stArt I think. (this is what I did some 4 years back)
I ditched all my VHS, hi8, dv, hdv and other guages and maintain all my psersonal and commercial content on LTO4 ultrium data tape. this may be more than u want to do however the concern of the access (future) and longevity of your family jewels should factor in greatly in any workflow and archive u wanna do.
I expect like most of us you may have 100's of hours of stuff that probable run and gun and uneditted and you wanna pass this to your grand kids. if so due to the digital world of cmf (contemporary media formats) that are outdated or superceded each 2 years (LOL) consideration for migrating your daily jewels every 8 to 10 yearsneeds great attention
yep stick with dv pal for the present maybe avc-infra may be worth a look inthe future or my personal favourite lossless motion jpeg2000.
also consider use of h.264 proxies and some shot or scene logs and any metadata scheme for your stuff. u can use a simple numbers / excel spreadshheet to tie the footage essence and proxies (on disk)
I use a OSX based MAM caLled CATDV. worth a look.
done this a lot so pm if u need help

Pal vhs?

I am going to be digitizing from a pal vhs tomorrow and someone told me that i need to get a pal black burst generator....could this be right...i though i would just need the power adapter and away we go.....? no?

ok i got these tapes, pal vhs, i opened up my hdv project, hooked up the vcr, and set it to pal, not using the BBG, then the picture was just flipping, I then switchd it to ntsc on the vhs and switched my capture preset to ntsc, and it works just fine, what is that, is it not pal, and they just though it was. I am using one of those analog to digital converter bridges, I mean is seems like everything is just fine, I was hoping to learn a little something here but I am confused why its working and everything is set to ntsc?
Thanks

Transfering VHS-C tapes to FCE

I am transfering home movies from VHS-C tapes (the small tapes that are fatter than miniDV, that you have to place into a VHS tape adapter) into FCE 4.0. I have to use a VCR and am running that through a DV converter which runs into my external HD by means of firewire. I have easy setup set to DV converter box, but when I am done capturing, I get the error message that the audio might be out of synch due to inproper settings, that's not verbatim but the jests of the message. Since there is only one DV box setting, how do I get the correct setting?

The DV-NTSC DV Converter easy setup expects 48KHz audio. I suspect your converter box may be set for 32KHz audio - you should check it. BTW, what make/model is it?
First check Item Properties for one of the clip(s) you captured - what does it say for Aud rate?
If your clips really are 32KHz audio, you could try creating a new sequence, then before doing anything with it, click on the +sequence name+ in the FCE browser, select Settings, then click +Load Sequence Presets+ and select +DV-NTSC 32Khz.+ Then go ahead with your editing.
One other thing, you really should have the converter box connected directly to your Mac, no other Firewire device connected at the same time. With a daisychained setup, you may run into capture problems, and actually the audio sync message you got may have been caused by the daisychained devices.

Why Is There A loss In Quality When I impoer a Minidv tape into Imovie 08

I have the latest version of Imovie and this is my first Mac.
I am using SD MiniDV camcorder (NTSC). I import the entire tape into iMovie. Then I export it to a large h.264 m4v file. I am somewhat disappointed about the picture quality of the m4v file.
When I play the tape through my camcorder connected to the TV through svideo things it looks pretty good.
When I play the m4v file on MacbookPro connected to a TV via svdeo or using the TV (DVI to HDMI) as second monitor the picture quality isn't as crisp.
Any idea what I am doing wrong. My goal is to move all my Minidv home moves onto a hard drive at the best possible quality. My tapes are getting old and this seems like the best way of preserving them.
Thanks,
Dan

sorry for 'overwhelming' you with info
yes, all apps copy the dv-encoded material from miniDV devices 'natively' = lossless import..
but only iM08 then adds some 'loss' .. nobody knows exactly, what & how.. but you are not able to EXport lossless from within iM08 ..
example: import dv, export dv = adds blurr and 'magnifies' somehow the same file .. ( ! )
using iMHD≤6, FCE/P allows you, to export lossless = highest quality possible (except the parts of your project, which need renderning, e.g. titles, transitions...)
example: import dv, export dv = same quality ...
so, if _pic quality_ is your major concern, avoid iM08 ..
if you want fast results and export quality doesn't matter: iM08
if you want a Library off all imports ever and full integration into AppleTV/, YT.. = iM08
if you want other codecs than dv and simple use = iM08
if you want all imports for any future project and high dv quality = FCE/P
if you want easy to use and high dv quality = iMHD≤6 ..
if you want other codecs than dv and Hollywood quality = FCP

PAL VHS Windows tape to iMovie

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