VHS (C) settings in Elements 11

Question

Hello
I have recently download a VHS (C) tape onto my PC with the free software that came with the hardware. The tape is saved as .mpg. There is a qualitative difference in the VHS tape when played via a VCR connected to my TV and the .mpg file when viewed through Windows Media Player. That is secondary, but the .mpg file was saved to the PC with the following settings:
MPEG2 format/codec with a resolution of 720x480 and an aspect ratio of 16.9. It is a UK camcorder tape so there are 25fps and a video bit rape of 8.0Mbps. The audio format has a MPA Codec and a audio sample rate of 48KHz. The audio channel is 2 and the bit rate is 192Kbps.
I attemped to emulate this in Elements 11 - that is the application I have bought - to see if I could obtain a similar quality. In Elements 11, I firstly went to File | New | Project and in 'Change Settings' I clicked on PAL (under Available Presets), the DV, then Standard 48KhZ (see _Settings screenshot).
I then added the movie. Then, to export it, I used the following settings (Settings4Elements screenshot).
The result, also an .mpg file and also played through Windows Media Player, is of a significantly lower quality. Most noticeable is that there are soldiers with trumpets (during a Disneyland parade) and, unlike the movie I can see when the VHS tape is played via a VCR connected to my TV, and unlike the finished movie from the free software that came with my VHS (C) tape hardware, I cannot hear the band AT ALL in the finished Elements 11 .mpg file. Moreover, the figures move a little like something out of the Keystone cops.
How may I improve the quality of the Elements 11 .mpg file, please?
The following, for information purposes, is information from MediaInfo about this particular movie:
General
Format                                   : MPEG-PS
File size                                : 1.04 GiB
Duration                                 : 31mn 17s
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 4 746 Kbps
Writing library                          : ArcSoft MPEG-2 PAL
Video
ID                                       : 224 (0xE0)
Format                                   : MPEG Video
Format version                           : Version 2
Format profile                           : Main@Main
Format settings, BVOP                    : Yes
Format settings, Matrix                  : Custom
Format settings, GOP                     : M=3, N=10
Duration                                 : 31mn 17s
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 4 427 Kbps
Maximum bit rate                         : 7 500 Kbps
Width                                    : 720 pixels
Height                                   : 576 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 4:3
Frame rate                               : 25.000 fps
Standard                                 : PAL
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Interlaced
Scan order                               : Top Field First
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.427
Time code of first frame                 : 00:00:00:00
Time code source                         : Group of pictures header
Stream size                              : 991 MiB (93%)
Writing library                          : ArcSoft MPEG-2 PAL
Color primaries                          : BT.601 PAL
Transfer characteristics                 : BT.470 System B, BT.470 System G
Matrix coefficients                      : BT.601
Audio
ID                                       : 192 (0xC0)
Format                                   : MPEG Audio
Format version                           : Version 1
Format profile                           : Layer 2
Duration                                 : 31mn 17s
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Bit rate                                 : 224 Kbps
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 KHz
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Delay relative to video                  : -34ms
Stream size                              : 50.1 MiB (5%)
Many thanks.
Steve

Answer 1

Steve,
Since a fair number of people have posted here about this same issue, would it be fair to say that Elements 11 is more geared to the demands of camcorder (whatever their guise) owners who use Elements 11 to capture and edit their work, as opposed to those who may have boxes of old VHS tapes stored somewhere and wish to burn them to DVD?
Not really. PrE works perfectly fine with digitized analog footage, BUT will only do so directly from an A-D Bridge, like the GrassValley/Canopus, hooked up to the computer via FireWire. When using many other digitizing devices and cards, thre can be issues, and usually with the software that they use. Before my Canopus, I had a high-end Turtle Beach card, but had to use it's software, since it was PCIe, and not FireWire. I always ended up with OOS of 12 Frames, even though that software could capture to DV-AVI Type II files - just a common problem with the software, that comes with most of those devices/cards.
With the Canopus units, one just basically plugs in the composite cables from the VCR deck, to the Canopus, and then use the FireWire to connect to the computer. The beauty of that arrangement is that one can then Capture directly into PrE. The only limitation is that one does not have Device Control, since the VCR deck is hooked up via its composite cables, which are one-way. With but a bit of practice, one will soon learn to hold the VCR remote in one hand, and the mouse in the other - start Capture with the mouse, then hit Play on the remote. You will get a few blank Frames, but those are easily Trimmed out of the Clips.
Good luck, and if John T. did not link to it above, please see this article: http://forums.adobe.com/message/3748554#3748554
Hunt