VHS to DVD - LongPlay VHS Problem

[zanzi81]

Hi there! Through a couple of months I'm searching for a capture device for my PC. I've had:
Hauppauge WinTV-PVR USB2
Pinnacle Studio 12 MovieBox Plus USB
Leadtek WinFast PxPVR2200 PCI-E
Compro Compro M300F VideoMate
None of these can't help for my problem with VHS tapes recorded in the LongPlay mode. The standard capture with SP tapes is OK. But when I've tried to capture the LP tapes, picture is unsteady and it's moving from the left to right, I don't have a sample of that, but it looks like the picture from fredhoward's post.

However the tuners behaves a little different - on the Hauppauge picture is so shaky that I can't see a damn thing, Pinnacle and Leadtek did the job a LITTLE better. The Compro M300F don't have that horizontal crossing issue, but the screen "bumps" up all the time.
I don't have any of this tuners by now, I sell them all. Is that a tuner that I'll be able to record those LP tapes without a problem?
P.S. Soory for my english
P.S. I forgot to mention - the video recorder is Sony SLV-SE70.

[lowellriggsiam]

I'd check the dazzle multimedia recorder, such as the DVC 150. I have had one for years without isse. Quite frankly this is where having a DVDR/VHS combo comes in handy. Also did you happen to record in NTSC instead of PAL? Meanwhile check your LP vhs tapes for damage like the tape having ruffled edges.

[danno78]

What you really need is a better vcr that can track well LP recording. I recommend S-VHS models with TBC (time base corrector) from Panasonic and JVC. You may also need a external TBC for tapes in very bad condition.

[jagabo]

However the tuners behaves a little different - on the Hauppauge picture is so shaky that I can't see a damn thing

Only when there is motion? Or all the time? If the former you may simply have a field order problem.

Pinnacle and Leadtek did the job a LITTLE better. The Compro M300F don't have that horizontal crossing issue, but the screen "bumps" up all the time.

If you're talking about the picture bobbing up and down very quickly this may simply be a deinterlacing problem.

Can you upload a few small samples?

[zanzi81]

I'd check the dazzle multimedia recorder, such as the DVC 150. I have had one for years without isse. Quite frankly this is where having a DVDR/VHS combo comes in handy. Also did you happen to record in NTSC instead of PAL? Meanwhile check your LP vhs tapes for damage like the tape having ruffled edges.

I'm a 100% sure that the tapes were recorded in PAL on the same VCR, it's Europe you know The tapes aren't damage, when I playback them on the TV they look absolutely OK.

What you really need is a better vcr that can track well LP recording. I recommend S-VHS models with TBC (time base corrector) from Panasonic and JVC. You may also need a external TBC for tapes in very bad condition.

Well... quite frankly I KNOW, i know that the Sony SLV-SE70 it's not a brilliant VCR but in Poland it's hard to get an JVC7600 or better with a TBC. But if you consider a difference between a Leadtek WinFast PxPVR2200 PCI-E and Compro Compro M300F VideoMate it's not a VCR that makes ALL the difference.

However the tuners behaves a little different - on the Hauppauge picture is so shaky that I can't see a damn thing

Only when there is motion? Or all the time? If the former you may simply have a field order problem.

All the time.

Pinnacle and Leadtek did the job a LITTLE better. The Compro M300F don't have that horizontal crossing issue, but the screen "bumps" up all the time.

If you're talking about the picture bobbing up and down very quickly this may simply be a deinterlacing problem.
Can you upload a few small samples?

Well, I can't, as i said I sell them all, none of the recording were not saved. It's not a very quick bumping, it's happening about every 2-3 seconds.

[lordsmurf]

it's not a VCR that makes ALL the difference.

When it is a VHS tape, the VCR is the most important device in use. TBC comes next.

[lowellriggsiam]

I know you are Europe that's why I asked if you could have mistakenly recorded in NTSC.

[jagabo]

However the tuners behaves a little different - on the Hauppauge picture is so shaky that I can't see a damn thing

Only when there is motion? Or all the time? If the former you may simply have a field order problem.

All the time.

That not a field order problem then.

If you're talking about the picture bobbing up and down very quickly this may simply be a deinterlacing problem.

It's not a very quick bumping, it's happening about every 2-3 seconds.

And that's not a deinterlacing problem.

Video capture devices are intentionally made to be sensitive to timing errors so as not to capture commercial video tapes with Macrovision (a large part of Macrovision is the introduction of timing errrors that upset recorders but not televisions). Unfortunately, problems with unprotected video tapes sometimes look like Macrovision to these devices.

The problems that occur when attempting to capture PAL video with an NTSC capture device can vary depending on the device. So I suppose it's possible you did that by mistake. Since your tapes look good when watched on TV you can at least be glad there's some hope...

[classfour]

Long play recordings typically look crappy - I nearly always have tried to locate a (box set) of VHS over the long play alternatives because of this. I can only tell you this: I've only had one Sony VCR, and I gave it away because of poor tracking. It was so bad that it couldn't even play tapes that it recorded, and would only play OEM tapes. If you can get your hands on a good VCR, it might make a ton of difference.

[juhok]

Well... quite frankly I KNOW, i know that the Sony SLV-SE70 it's not a brilliant VCR but in Poland it's hard to get an JVC7600 or better with a TBC.

Not true. Check eBay(EU area), it's full of models with TBC. I've even bought JVC HR-S9600E from Poland last year! Cost 96€ and was in mint condition.

[victoriabears]

Sharp 19 micron head vcr's with super picture can solve many tracking problems is a cheap alternative. My experience with PAL JVC VCR's is that they track LP recordings poorly.why not use a dvd recorder rather than sticking to the capture device idea.

take it to a pro studio and see if they can do it for you if its just one tape?

[zanzi81]

Alright... So you suggest to change the VCR...
But... Since I've sold all the tuners I've had what next? I can spend max 50-60€ for that. What capture card do you recommend?

[danno78]

Buy a cheap card based on SAA7131, SAA7134, or SAA7135 cipset and use DScaler with these settings:

[Endzone]

I used my JVC HR-S9600U to clean up some EP tapes for a girl at work when I lived in Seattle. It took all the jitter right out of the picture. I converted the video/audio to DV, then MPEG-2 and burned DVDs for her. She thought that because I used DVDs that was the reason the picture looked so much better. But actually it was the VCR that really stabilized the video and improved the quality. Don't ask me how the VCR does it.

[lordsmurf]

Sharp 19 micron head vcr's .... can solve many tracking problems

Yes.