VHS Tape Capture to Powerbook

I'm trying to copy VHS HI8 tapes, played thru my Sony CCD-TRV62 camera, via S Video cable to a Powerbook OS 10.5.8.
What is best method for video capture? Anything built in? Will IMovie do the capture? Or is another 3rd party program better? (Will then edit later in IMovie.)
Thanks!

You will need an analog-digital converter like the Canopus ADVC-110. Connect the s-video + audio outputs of your TRV62 to the analog inputs of the converter; then connect the FireWire out from the converter to the FireWire port on your PB. Then you can use iMovie to capture the video as you play it back in your TRV62.
As an alternative, you could use a miniDV camcorder that supports analog-digital passthrough instead of a dedicated converter like the Canopus box.
But in any case you need a hardware device to convert your analog VHS or Hi8 video to DV before you can edit it in iMovie or any other program.

Similar Messages

  • I would appreciate some help in capturing some VHS tapes into PP-CS6.

    Aloha,
    Just loaded CS6 and my 1st project is to convert some VHS tapes into HD DVD's.  The VHS player I'm using has R/G/B Component video out & HDMI in/out.  My PC video card is a Radeon 6750 with 1 x HDMI (in use for my monitor), 1 x DVI-I, and 1 x D-SUB.  My mobo, a Gigabyte GA-MA78GN-US2H, has 1x D-SUB, 1 x DVI-D, & 1 x HDMI. I don't believe I can use both HDMI slots simultaneously.  I'm not even sure I can use any of the onboard graphica ports while I'm using an external  video card.
    So my questions are; 1) which available graphic port on the video card will offer me the best VHS tape capture?  2) what are the capture settings (i.e. frame rate & resolution of most VHS tapes either home recorded or professionally recorded) that I should use?
    Mahalo-n-aloha from the big Island where the water is always warm and clear, and where now (Jan-March) the Humpback Whales play.
    konadon

    Usually, video ports on a video card or motherboard are out only. You would need a capture card, or external box to get VHS video digitized into your computer.
    For VHS tapes, I would recommend getting a Hauppauge HD-PVR available here: http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr.html
    It would save you a lot of headaches and make your job much easier.
    If you'd like specifics: the HD-PVR has component inputs with optical audio, along with S-video and composite connections.
    I've used it to capture many VHS tapes, and never had a problem.
    Good luck!

  • Converting my VHS tapes to a DVD using a Canon Elura 100 camcorder

    I'm new to iMovie and this discussion board
    I am trying to convert my VHS tapes to my powerbook G4 using iMovie 3.03. I've connected the wires correctly, I've tried it with a tape in the camcorder and without a tape. iMovie shows the camera connected, but I do not see the video from the VHS tape on my laptop. I changed the AV DV to "on" like the instructions stated.
    #1 do I need to upgrade to iMovie 6?
    #2 Anyone know of the common problems associated with this? Specifically with the Canon Elura 100
    G4 power book   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  

    Hi Karsten!
    Thanks for the response. Yes, I am able to import from my camcorder/miniDV to my laptop. I've also made sure I don't have any other devices connected except for the power cord on the camcorder and my latop, which shouldn't matter right?
    I have set up my camcorder to my VCR and tried to record on my camcorder, but that did not work either. I did not check in the manual if I had it connected right, or the settings right with this process. I'll try again and check with the manual. Also, I'm going to get iMovie 6 sometime this week, maybe that might make a difference?
    Thanks again

  • Imovie choppy when importing a vhs tape, stops importing every few seconds

    Hi, I'm importing a bunch of homemovies into imovie for a christmas present for my parents and I've run into a few problems. I've successfully done several vhs tapes using my powerbook, a new sony vcr and a dac-100, but for some reason I am having trouble with this tape. It imported fine for about 40 minutes and then it started showing static. Every few seconds static would fill the screen and imovie would stop importing and cut that part out completely, including audio. When I watched the tape on TV it had the same static but you could still hear all of the audio. Anyway, since the static is probably a problem with the tape, I just want to figure out if there's a way that i could get imovie to import straight through the static so you can at least hear the audio smoothly?
    If that's not explained very well let me know, or I can provide more detail. I'm new at this, so if anyone can help me I would really really appreciate it. Thanks!
    Powerbook G4    

    Hi jag7423:
    You probably won't be able to seperate the static from the audio but you can try. Import the video and then select Advanced / Extract Audio. Then delete the video and see if the static noise remains.
    Like I said it is probably a long shot.
    SoundSoap is a program that helps reduce some background noises but i don't know if it will help here.
    Sue

  • Capturing in FCE from VHS Tape/VHS Player - Can it be done??

    I capture no problem using a 4-6pin Firewire for DV Tapes; and pulling them in from either a Sony DV or a Cannon GL-2 DV.
    Does anyone know of a (somewhat low-cost) VHS Player, that has a digital connection so I can pull in source from old VHS Tapes - or digitize some of these VHS Tapes I own, but can no longer get them on any other media..?
    I have searched for USB-VHS Players and they seem expensive, however, I would imagine that a USB connection would be wrong... and anything else I find with better digital connections put the VHS Player/Recorders in the HD category and get muderously expensive. I seriously am just looking to capture maybe 10-12 tapes, and would love to have the capability if the need ever arises again for production work; but don't forsee a ton of it.
    I have been contemplating daisy-chaining a VHS Player through my DV Cam(s) to see if that would work - but figured I would check here first, being that somebody may know an easy solution... or has done this before and knows the exact remedy.
    Your help is greatly appreciated.Thanks.!
    Office; Mac PowerPC G4 Dual 1.42 GHz Tower 2GB/120GB HD   Mac OS X (10.3.9)   Home; MacPro QuadCore 2.66Ghz 8Gb RAM; iBook G3 700GHz 1GB/80GB HD

    I have done this many times, using my DVD recorder which has VHS tape and a DVD recording facility. If you can find a friend with one, it is simple. Put the VHS tape in the VHS side of the machine and a DVD recordable (recordable many times) into the DVD slot. Use the machine's dubbing feature to copy to the DVD. After that, Finalise the DVD to allow it to be read by a computer (or a stand-alone DVD recorder). Use Toast to read the DVD and to create a QT movie of your recording. Then Import the QT movie into FCE.

  • Capturing from old vhs tapes

    I want to capture a bunch of old VHS tapes into CS6. I have an analog to digital converter that I'm going to plug a VCR into and a Firewire cable from the converter into my computer.
    1.) Can anyone recommend any general settings for making sure I get the highest quality possible?
    I'm looking at using the following settings:
    Sequence Preset
    DV - NTSC
    Standard 48kHz
    and then going to:
    - File > Capture
    - Press play on the controller at the bottom of the window
    - Press record on the controller at the bottom of the window
    Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

    There are a few ways to take care of this. One is to crop the 2 pixels from the top and the 2 from the bottom from the source when you export. If you do that, you can scale it up a bit to take care of it, or stretch to fit. Either way, it is unlikely to be noticeable since the analog wasn't picture perfect to begin with. Or, you can just leave the black above and below. Hardly noticeable at all - depending on how you display it. If you put it full size on a white web site then it is a problem. Playing it out on a DVD is not problem at all. Nobody sees that far to the edge on most TVs anyway. Although more and more they show the entire picture.
    Basically, I suggest that you capture a few seconds of video and play around with it before you get too far into the project. You might not even have the noise.

  • Capturing a VHS tape into FCP

    Hello
    I have a short VHS tape I need to get into FCP-6 and onto a DVD.  I have my old Canopus ADVC-100 so I know the hardware.
    My question is can I record directly to the timeline or do I need to log and capture?  Reading the manual says something about 'capture now' to capture the entire tape.
    Do I just connect my VHS player to the ADVC FW into the MAc Pro and go into FCP?
    Thanks
    Allen

    Yes, you use the NTSC preset... I think you could also use Apple Pro Res as the compressor... it will look slightly better then NTSC DV... You simply Log and Capture... as you mentioned, just hit Capture now then hit Play on your VCR....
    I do suggest though not capturing the entire tape in one session. Incase there is a glitch and you waste 45 minutes of recording... divide it into 15 minutes stretches. (I am speaking of experience)...

  • Correct preset for video captured from VHS tape

    I have bought a cable which connects to my PC USB slot and has red, white and yellow component connections to connect to my (old) VCR or Video-8 format camera.  It comes with software called ArcSoft ShowBiz that allows me to capture the footage.  I have used it for both VHS tapes and Video-8 tapes.  The only options I have when capturing are the filename and a choice of MPEG1 and MPEG2, with MPEG1 being the default.
    I have successfully captured footage (in MPEG1 format) and now I want to edit it in PE10.  The trouble is I do not know what preset to use.  The VHS tapes were in PAL format.  If I open a project as DV PAL and add the footage to the timeline it has a red line above it, which I assume means I will lose resolution when I render.  The quality is already not great and I don't want to make it worse. 
    Any advice would be appreciated.

    Most likely that footage will not work well or look good in Premiere Elements. The capture device you're using is a low-end digitizer and likely came with some software for editing (ArcSoft Shopbiz). It's designed to work pretty exclusively with that software.
    MPEG1 is a very low quality format.
    You can try using the project settings for Hard Disk Camcorder/Standard Defintion for that footage -- but I make no guarantees about the quality.
    The best device for capturing analog video is a DV bridge, like the Canopus AVDC, as we discuss in this FAQ.
    http://forums.adobe.com/thread/431853?tstart=0

  • Capturing old VHS tapes

    Hello.
    Can anyone out there tell me the best way to capture old VHS tapes on to my imac? i.e. what software is best to use? What format is best? Best way to clean up the tapes/ machine before playing them? Basically any little tip and tricks for a good result.
    I have searched and googled but cannot find information relavent to my set up. I have already imported quite a few tapes and the results vary from not too bad to terrible.
    I would say that I have about 30 tapes that I want to go through and take bits from and am willing to give up a lot of time but only if the results are worth it. So far that has not been the case.
    The set up I have at the moment is:
    Hitachi VHS recorder (good one at the time)
    Canopus advc-55
    27" imac i7.
    Also have Final Cut Express installed but find the capture/ achiving far easier in imovie.
    Any help appreciated,
    Pat.

    Hi
    Canopus advc-55 - should work OK
    I use a Canopus ADVC-300 as this has two important (to me) features
    • TimeBase correction - mend's small drop outs
    The Capture doesn't halt
    Audio is keept in sync - even when drop out frames
    • Picture enhanzing
    Then I prefer to use
    • iMovie HD6 - and this set to Capture NOT in a cut up version as then drop out frames will trigger new clips (called save as individual clips in iMovie HD6 pref - I turn it off)
    Else I don't need anything else.
    Capturing in FinalCut Express or Pro - is more problematic to me as they are much more sencitive and halt's Import much easier. (Much more baby-sittings) - my notes on this following.
    Analog to Mac/Digital
    From
    • S-VHS, VHS, VHS-C - Camera or VCR (VHS-C needs adaptor cassette - SVHS/VCR in such cases)
    • Video 8, Hi8 ...........................................( Camera / Digital8 Camera or special VCR-player )
    Can be done via
    • Camera and tape or video trough (if present) (miniDV or Digital8)
    • A/D-box
        Several brands (Must be FireWire)
            Canopus ADVC-55 (now Grass Valley ADVC-55) - (only on way)
            Canopus ADVC-110 (now Grass Valley ADVC-110) - (two ways)
            Canopus ADVC-300 (now Grass Valley ADVC-300) - (Timebase/code-correction)
            EyeTV
    • VCR --> DVD (result needs conversion to be of use)
    Captured/Imported by
    • iMovie 1 to HD6
    • iMovie’08 & 09 & 11
    • FinalCut Express or Pro
    • Final Cut Pro - X ( iMovie’11 Pro? )
    • QuickTime Pro
    • iDVD
    SCART - Must use an SCART-adaptor with in and out switch. The one that came with Camera is one way. Camera ----> VCR/TV - not other way around.
    RCA - Connect right way around
    USING the S-Video out than RGB-video (Composite) from SCART will give a significantly better result !
    Why
    • Want to do a  DVDs
    • Want to edit
    Connect VCR to A/D-box via SCART---RCA (EU) or via RCA---RCA (US) and set SCART switch to out (if used). The A/D-box may have an in resp. out side. Connect to in-side. Set A/D-box Input selector to Analog in.
    My ADVC-300 has two sets of dip-switches on bottom - for PAL they are set to
    Left one number 6 is set to on - all others in off state.
    If 6 in off state then it is NTSC
    From A/D-box via FireWire 6-pin to 6-pin or 9-pin end to Mac FW port.
    Now turn A/D-box or Camera ON
    Start iMovie or QT or FinalCut
    Select Import or Capture
    Re-wind tape in VCR or Camera
    Start - Play on VCR or Camera
    Import or Capture Now
    See that the saved movie is collected on a hard disk with sufficient space
    1 hour needs 13.5Gb
    8 hour needs 105-110Gb (e.g. a 240VHS tape recorded in LP-mode)
    How to store the material
    • As is - Icon with a Star on it (iMovie HD6)
    • As a set of DVDs
    • Collected in a folder - FinalCuts Scratch folders + Movie document on an external/second hard disk
    • As DiskImages
    • Back to miniDV tapes
    Do not use LP-mode with miniDV tapes. Two major problems.
    a. When Camera dies - so does the tapes - Can’t be play-backed securely on other Camera even if
    brand and type number is the same - the tolerances are to small
    b. Audio goes out of sync due to 12-bit recording and/or drop outs in video makes video and audio
    not walk in pace / parallel. Resulting in a very tough re-sync problem.
    Yours Bengt W

  • Capturing old VHS tapes - synching issues

    Firstly as I am only a very infrequent user of Premiere Pro  I apologise if this has been asked before but my searching hasn't found an answer.  Sorry to ask on here but I don't seem to be using the right keywords in search to find the answers either on here on the Premiere Help files.
    My problem -
    I have an ION VCR 2 PC device that plays VHS tapes and converts them to digital format.  However when I used it to capture a long VHS tape the resultant capture was useless as the sound was out of synch after a few minutes because a blank (red?) frame was not inserted where a video frame was dropped although the sound ran on uninterupted.  I want to try again but don't want to waste time if all that will happen is the same issue recurs.  What settings do I need to make for the capture so that the video and sound timelines match with points where frames have been dropped at the very least marked so I can hand edit the soundtrack back into synch?*
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    I know nothing about an ION device, but will "guess" it then connects to your computer via Firewire, since Firewire is all that PPro will use
    Yes, using a USB drive will cause problems due to the file transfer speed
    Adding a 2nd 7200rpm hard drive inside your computer, or one connected by eSata, will work better - I have not used this device, but it may work for you, if you have an eSata connection http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-BlacX-eSATA-Docking-Station/dp/B001A4HAFS/ref=cm_cmu_pg_ t
    The external conversion devices most often mentioned here are...
    http://www.grassvalley.com/products/advc55 One Way Only to Computer
    http://www.grassvalley.com/products/advc110 for good tapes, or
    http://www.grassvalley.com/products/advc300 better with OLD tapes
    Or
    ADS Pyro http://www.adstechnologies.com

  • Getting the best quality out of capturing old VHS tapes?

    I want to capture some old VHS tapes using a ADVC55 and Final Cut 6 or maybe 7. The VCR I have does not have S Video.
    1. Will using S Video make any difference with visual quality?
    2. Are there any settings in FCP that I can make that will improve visual capture quality?
    3. Any other general tips?
    Thanks!

    A TBC will correct timing errors that are inherent in analog tape playback.  You'd probably recognize timing errors visually as wavy-ness (i.e.; not straight) in vertical objects in the image.  Most of the stand-alone TBCs also have proc amp controls that would allows for phase, contrast, luma and chroma adjustments.
    Thinking about it more, using an S-Video cable will help eliminate Y/C delay, which has the affect of shifting chroma slightly to the right of where it should be.  S-Video (aka Y/C) transmits the luminance and chroma portions of the signal separately instead of together like a composite signal would do.
    Using a different or newer NLE won't make any difference.  It's the capture codec you choose that can make a difference.  Most people would use DV NTSC (or PAL, depending on your country) since VHS resolution is only about 240 lines.
    -DH

  • Capturing VHS tape recordings

    Hello
    I have VHS (PAL) tapes of my kids growing up. I'd like to record these on my HD and burn a DVD since the tapes will deteriorate over time.
    I've looked at analog-to-DV converters (such as
    Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Digital Video Converter USB 2.0) which are inexpensive. TigerDirect has many different ones.
    However, all of these converters state that they are for Windows.
    Has anyone used one of these converters on a Mac and how did it work out?
    I don't want to buy a converter and find that it doesn't work (TigerDirect is not good with refunds).
    Would love to hear others experiences and any advice.
    Thanks
    David

    Thanks, Matthew
    I was just looking up Canopus' website. They have two distributors in Canada but neither weblink works .
    My camcorder is an old PAL system purchased back in 1990 in Dubai. Definetely no pass-through on this one!! The camera has died and can't be repaired in Canada. Luckily I had transferred my tapes to a regular VHS tape.
    Most of the DV converters available seem to be marked "for Windows". My hesitation is that they may not work with my Mac.
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    Cheers
    David

  • Transferring VHS tapes

    I am transferring some of my VHS tapes to my iMac and iMovie (using a hones tech converter) with the plan to make them into DVD's. I have transferred a tape, made the edit, but the only thing I see is to just "burn a dvd". This could only be played on a mac computer. Is there any way to change the format so the dvd can be played on a dvd player?
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    Thanks

    So, I need a converter and a DVD recorder?
    No, just one or the other. If you plan to edit the files and own a DV camcorder, I would check the manual to see it it has a passthrough option than can be used as a converter. (E.g., both my Mini-DV HDR-HC3 and older Hi-8/Digital-8 TRV-DCR520 will do this.) If you need a fixed conversion station, then a DAC or EyeTV device might be better. (E.g., I keep a Canopus ADVC300 connected to my entertainment system for capturing TV/Sat programs by a very old 400 MHz Ti Powerbook.
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    It probably is not necessary to purchase a new DVD recorder -- merely having the correct software to process the DVD encoded data. Appleman's sample video demonstrates what you can expect going through MPEG-2 whether using an EyeTV device or a DVD recorder. And depending on the VHS source quality, a DAC like the ADVC300 going directly to DV might be marginally better.

  • 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.
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    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.
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    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.

  • Trying to copy VHS tape using PINNACLE MOVIE BOX to FCE 4

    Hello,
    New to FCE and trying to transfer VHS tapes to clean up and movie them.
    The salesperson in the local Apple Store suggesting using FCE and Pinnacle MovieBox. I connect an VCR using the RCA cables to the Pinnacle, then Firewaire to my MBP. Using FCE as per instructions and forums, Capture and hit "Now".
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    Thanks,
    Art

    Hi,
    when you use that DV converter setup, is your device already connected and working?
    Can you see it listed using the system profile under the firewire devices?
    I have a Canopus device which does the same kind of video conversions and it works fine on FCE4 using the DV PAL converter (in my case I work with PAL).
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    I have noticed my Canopus did have some trouble when it was connected through a firewire hub on an external disk. Now it's on a dedicated firewire hub and it works fine.
    Regards,
    Armando.

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