VHS tape conversion to digital

Various discussions recommend using Canopus ADVC 110 or 300 to covert VHS to digital- does anyone know if this product is compatible with OS X Mavericks (10.9x)

It's not a mine field at all but you're going to need some hardware in order to do it. I use a Canopus ADVC 100 which has been replaced by the ADVC 110 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=349146&gclid=CPGe-diw-MMC FQgxaQodY0YAYA&Q=&is=REG&A=details
I import video from VHS straight into iMovie.

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How to convert old VHS tapes to digital

I am hoping someone can give me an overview of what kind of equipment/software is necessary to convert VHS tapes into a digital format that could be saved in iMovie. Do I just need the right cables for the VCR or something more complicated? Thanks!

I recommend that you download the free iMovie HD6 for those with iMovie 08 who do not have a prior version of iMovie HD6. You can get it here: http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/imovieHD6.html
And, do this tutorial: http://www.apple.com/support/imovie/tutorial/
It is more capable of creative editing and you have a quite a bit more control over your iMovie with it.
+So, your method worked using just a VCR, a camcorder, and your computer? No special converters?+
Yes, I just used the AV connectors that came with my camcorder to hook the camcorder to the VCR....which was in a combo TV/VCR unit so I could see the footage on my tv, just to make it easier. The AV connector cable has a special prong that fits into the camcorder, and those white/red/yellow prongs at the VCR end. The TV/VCR is a few years old, certainly not anything fancy or new.
I didn't bother with a converter since I just used the camcorder.
My computer and that VCR are not physically close enough to try to import directly, and since I wanted the digital tapes of the original footage, recording first to the miniDV tapes worked for me. Canopus makes a couple of nice converters...they are around $150-250, I think.
Then, to connect to the computer with the camcorder you will need a 4-6 pin Firewire cable.
+I might do it sooner or I might put it off for awhile while I practice messing around with iMovie.+
The benefit of recording from VHS to miniDV tapes is that the tapes are digital, they store easily and the footage will not degrade before you get around to creating your iMovies and DVDs. iMovies can take up lots of drive space, so don't be thinking that you will just import them all and save them for editing later. You would need a huge amount of space for this. Most of my movies are just under 2 hours, and occupy between 25-40 GB each. A couple of my movies were well over 100-140GB!!!! Yes, that is correct. I have a couple of external drives that I use for my movies while I am creating them. I usually have about two or three that I am working on at the same time.
+We want to put them in a digital format that will be easier to store and play and safer from eroding over time, so I guess the end format I'm looking for is DVDs.+
Because DVDs can break/crack/warp/melt/etc, you should consider exporting your finished iMovies back to the camcorder so that you have the miniDV tapes for more permanent storage and as a backup to your DVDs.
That is one of the big reasons that I don't use iMovie 08---it does not permit exporting back to a camcorder.
Although I do not save my created iMovies on my computer after I have made the DVD and exported the edited movie back to tape, I do save all my iDVD projects as disk images. A disk image can be up to 4.7 GB--even my large movies were automatically compressed down when put into iDVD. The limitation in iDVD is the total length of the movie in TIME, not SIZE. I use single-layer DVDs, which can hold up to 2 hours of content. Creating disk images allows you to have an exact copy of your iDVD projects, self-contained so that you can delete the original iMovies and the original iDVD projects. You can use the disk image to burn your disks when you first create them, and any time in the future. It is a good backup for the entire DVD.
Enjoy being creative with your movie projects! Post back with any more questions, and feel free to email me if you want.
Regards,
Beverly

Backing up VHS tapes

Hi,
I have a Mac Mini running Mac OSX 10.4. I am thinking of ditching my VHS player and would ideally like to back up my old VHS tapes - can anyone think of a way I can connect my VCR up to my Mac to let me do this in iMovie or similar?
Thanks,
Ian

It's not always necessary to record to a digital recorder, you can use some camcorders or another device to convert the analog VHS tape signal to digital to import into iMovie. I do know that all Sony camcorders can do this in a pass-through mode, but I can't remember what they call it right now. Some other camcorders can also do this. There are also some stand-alone devices.
Peggy

HT3775 This info is not helping. I am using VC500MAC digital video conversion system to record old VHS tapes to computer. The file is .mov, but quicktime is not playing it back. Help, please.

This info is not helping. I am using VC500MAC digital video conversion system to record old VHS tapes to computer. The file is .mov, but quicktime is not playing it back. Help, please.

Sorry for this question. Can you use this device with Vlc or QuickTime? Does skype support it? Is this device supported only by its own software?
I need a device that can work with my own software. My software can work only with a QuickTime supported device.
Thanks if you will reply to me.

S-VHS conversion to digital using iMovie6

Okay, when in doubt always, always, always consult the apple discussion boards. I have learned this over the last couple of years. Anyway, I am trying to convert a 2004 S-VHS tape to digital format using iMovie. I have the VCR and computer talking to each other, but the video is very choppy and irregular. Is this a setting problem? Or, perhaps, does iMovie 6 not support S-VHS conversions. Pretty frustrating considering all I need is a total of 1min. 30sec. of footage off this tape. Help!!! Jeff.

Canopus makes great analog to digital converters. I purchased the ADVC-55 S-video or composite inputs to FireWire output. Works great not too expensive for semi-pro gear.

Looking fora camcorder that also has an s-video or rca jack input to convert my vhs tapes to digital

looking fora camcorder that also has an s-video or rca jack input to convert my vhs tapes to digital.

Hi ltcps,
Thanks for writing us!
None of Canon's current camcorders include S-Videos, RCA or other auxiliary inputs.
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Conversion steps and equipment of VHS tapes

I have seen on the forum several different (but usually old) references for converting VHS tapes. What I would like to see listed is a professionals explanation of the steps and equipment that will yield the best results. Specifically here is what I want to do with a lot of family VHS tapes of reunions, vacations, etc.
What is the best file format to store the new digital movies if you are going to further edit them using FCP X? When playing the tapes through a VCR and going through a converter, what are some possible converters to use now days? Is it best to use a Time Base Corrector? I know some of these things probably don't matter but if a person can afford to purchase a decent converter and TBC why not? Especially if it will yield better source files to work from. If some of this is overkill and it is just as easy to cart the tapes to a local Video store that will convert the VHS to DVD should this be done?
Again, after converting the analog VHS to digital, is there a preferred file format or file type to use?
Before I start editing the raw files I would like to have the best possilbe file and then I will select clips from within and make a more watchable home movie.
Its a big project but I would enjoy the process and learning more about FCP X in the process.
Any thoughts you have would be helpful.
Many thanks,
Greg

VHS was typically half-resolution broadcast, that is: 580 to 640 x 240. Some high quality units had 480, up to 520 lines of vertical resolution... but those were a long time ago and you really can't find any players today that support that resolution. If you have one of the older high-end players that still function well (I always wore mine out every 2 - 3 years) check the documentation and see how many "lines" of resolution you get from it.
I have an ADVC-55. It works with FCPX directly. It shows up in the Import media window as a directly connected camera. These units do not require "driver software" - they work "right out of the box." Quicktime Pro 7 can also import/record video from the ADVC-55 directly: just set QT7 to record and play your source. [Select the Video Source: ADVC-### in Preferences > Recording.] Quicktime X can record from the ADVC-55, and surprisingly, exporting (saving) preserves the framerate and codecs [click the disclosure triangle in the record window on the transport controls and select the ADVC unit from the Camera portion of the menu.]
The input (into FCPX) from HD sources (camcorder) is 720x480 (29.97 interlaced) and necessitates setting the Anamorphic Override to Widescreen.
The documentation does not specify whether timecode is supplied by the unit, but it does. Selecting Get Info for the saved recording shows the codecs used as: DV/DVCPro - NTSC; Linear PCM; Timecode. These are the codecs which the converted video will be saved. These are all perfectly compatible with FCPX and can be used natively or you can opt to transcode optimized/proxy media if you wish. You won't have much trouble editing SD video in FCPX. It's actually "smaller" than HD proxy media (which is 960x540 prores 422.)
The docs also do not specify whether TBC is used... it just states something about its ability to apply video "gain". I can state that it does a pretty good job of stabilizing video (from VHS decks). The fancier units probably do a better job. These converter units also seem to improve the video quality (as opposed to playing directly to a television set) -- a little more "vibrant."
The difference in price between the ADVC-55 and the 110 right now is about $31 US. If your budget is tight, get the 55, otherwise, don't skimp. I will offer this caveat as well: the 55 does not require an external power supply AS LONG AS you have FW400 connections (6-pin Firewire.) If all you have is 4-pin (FW800) then you will need to buy the "optional" power converter AND a FW400 to FW800 converter "cable" (or just the FW800 male/FW400 female plug -- phantom power is not transmitted through these converters cables). For the 55, you can connect anything that has *composite* connectors AND/OR S-Video (use S-Video if you've got it.) With the 110, you can connect a DV cable directly.
I have also used USB converters... two different kinds -- the kind you can buy from Roxio (they're all rather generic and specialized for just this one purpose), and the EyeTV Hybrid adapter set... don't waste your money -- there is no way to "clean up" the video from a VHS player -- they're cheap for a reason. At least the EyeTV Hybrid is an awesome tv receiver.
Here is a sample from the ADVC-55:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH7QeY__jCI
The VHS tape was about 10 years old and recorded on another recorder (tapes play best on the player they were recorded on), and I believe it was 2nd gen (a tape from a tape, aka, a dupe). The Player I used was a rather recent Sony VHS/DVD recorder combo thing (not "great", but adequate -- if you don't have a good transport, you won't get a good playback, you'll have tracking problems you can't fix.) Post was in FCP7.
Here's another sample that was in much worse condition starting out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvtrDwLkbPI&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL706EBF3 00562916B
Good luck!

Any way to use standard VHS deck to convert VHS tape to digital file (iMac)

I use FCE/iMovie. I've had old 8mm films converted to digital files to make family movies - very costly. Is there a way to use a standard VHS deck as a source with my newer iMac to convert old VHS tapes to digital files for editing?

I purhcased the Canopus 55 - it is working well. You can't preview in iMovie, though, which is a challenge and was a comment in reviews on Canopus 55. I did buy the power source with it based on reviews.
However, I am posting a question about iMovie 08 which has quit making thumbnails & writing the video even though the import screen appears to import.

Converting VHS tapes to Digital format to burn on DVD

Hi folks...
I did a search on this but was unable to find anything. So maybe some of you can help me out.
I have a number of VHS tapes that I want to get onto DVD. I do not want to spend hundreds of dollars though. Are there any in-expensive way of doing so??
Thanks

I did a search on this but was unable to find anything.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1015944
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1284669
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1557705
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1161010
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=1809629

Old VHS tapes to digital on iMac

I applogize if this is the wrong forum buit I couldn't figure out where else to post. I have a 1 week old iMac G5 and want to import old family VCR tapes to it. I heard of Eye TV but $300 plus is awfully steep for a one time use. I am not planning on using my iMac as a DVR or anything. Is there anything cheaper? I just want to convert some VHS tapes to DVD.

A couple of related threads:
Philip Hurrell, "Connecting VCR to imac G5", 06:28am Aug 4, 2005 CDT
tom manforte, "VHS to DVD -What do I need?", 04:39pm Jul 6, 2005 CDT

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.

Converting VHS Tapes to Apple TV

Hi,
I'm trying to preserve a lot of footage of ballet stage performances from VHS tapes - about 120 hours worth. I've read through all of the forums about converting to DVD, so I've got that. What I'd really like to do is preserve them on an external hard drive and view them on the TV by streaming through Apple TV -- but only if I can preserve the quality.
I've imported one 50 minute tape through a Canopus ADVC-110 into DV format in iMovie. I've tried exporting to Quicktime or mp4 using numerous default compression settings with unacceptable results in quality (compared to the quality of the DV in iMovie). Now I'm trying to export to Quicktime using H.264 with a max bitrate of 4800 bps (Apple TV max is 5000 bps). I think this is as good as I can get, but the estimated time to completion is at 12 hours and keeps growing (I've got plenty of harddisk space and all other applications are closed).
So I'm guessing that in order to accomplish my goal, I need:
13 GB/hour storage = about 1.5 TB (ouch, but I can deal)
120 hours for analog to digital conversion (acceptable)
12 hours or who knows how much longer x 120 hours to compress? (unacceptable)
Am I missing something here? Is there a better way to preserve video quality as an .mp4, .m4v, or .mov file? Or should I just give up and burn everything to DVD?
Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Welcome to the forums.
A few thoughts about your desired objectives:
a) Will you want to edit the footage in future? (Keep the original tapes and/or use a digital format with very little compression - like .dv, and/or export the converted video to miniDV tape since it is full quality but smaller physical size)
b) Will you want to share footage with others? (DVDs are hard to beat)
c) Do you want maximum flexibility? (see (a)
If you're happy with the .dv option for flexibility and/or editing, then the challenge you look like you're facing is how to view your video. Obviously, Apple TV is one option, DVD is another. For video conversion, I've had good experience (speed and quality) with Visual Hub, Roxio Toast, and the free MPEG Streamclip. Processor speed is important for video conversion, so you probably want to use your fastest computer.
You might check whether DivX format is supported via Apple TV. It's a high quality but very compressed format - good for viewing/not good for editing in future.
To establish a workflow, I'd create a short test video of representative footage and then monitor how much time it takes to convert into the various video format options.
John

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.

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

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?
Also, when I have the new dvd, how do I delete that entire import in iMovie. It just keeps appearing.
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.
In the past I have made DVDs that I can't play anywhere except on the TV that the recorder is connected to. I know other people who have the same problem,but I have also spoken to some who can play their recorded DVDs on anything. I have tried several different DVDs, but that didn't work either. My recorder is about 2 years old.
Once recoded to DVD, the DVDs can be played back on your computer using the Apple DVD player, the VIDEO_TS files can be copied to your computer hard drive and played back by either the DVD Player or Front Row. In addition, applications like MPEG Streamclip or VLC can play the VOB files. It is also possible to Convert the VOB files to other compression formats for editing but the quality may not be as good as converting directly from your VHS tapes to DV (or other compression format). It is all just a matter of having the right applications/components installed on your system.
So, if I purchase a DVD recorder with new technology, will this solve my problem?
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.

VHS tape conversion to digital

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