Capture VHS Using TV With Built in Video

JonnyAlpha · Member Joined: 05 Nov 2009 Location: United Kingdom

Hi;

My VHS Video Player has given up the ghost and I am about to start archiving all of my Familiy Home Videos onto DVD (Or at least try).
Is it possible to capture video output from a TV with a built in Video Player?

Apart from a composite input and L/R audio input on the side it does have a SCART connector on the back which seems to be marked with a two way arrow. DOes this indicate video in and out?

If so I have a whole load of cables:
SCART (20 Pin) - S Video & L / R Audio RCA (JVC)
SCART (10 Pin) - S Video & L / R Audion Out and S Video & L / R Audio In
SCART (20 Pin) Switch Unit (In / Out) with S Video, Composite Video and L / R Audio

Which of the above will work (assuming the LG outputs video via the SCART and of the above what would be the best quality for capture, S Video or Composite Video.

Many thanks for looking

P.S. I will be capturing to a HAUPPAGE HVR1300 which has Composite and S Video.
Not sure what software to use yet.

JonnyAlpha · Member Joined: 05 Nov 2009 Location: United Kingdom

Hi;

I have been having a play and YES the LG TV/Video Combi does output video.

The only cable at the minute that I can get picture and sound with is the 10 Pin SCART to S Video.
The JVC 20 Pin SCART to S Video gives no picture and I dont have an S Video Cable to test the 20 Pin SCART Switch Unit.

I have connected the S Video to S Video In on the Hauppage HVR 1300 TV Card, I tried connecting it to the S Video on the Geforce 9800GT but again no picture (maybe its just Video Out?)

Anyway Iv'e got video and sound but I cannot get colour?

The software I am using to test is Cyberlink Power Director, i have also tried Windows Movie Maker but that too is Black and White and is restricted to WMV file output.
Cyberlink outputs to several formats including Mpeg2 DVD High Quality (but creates very large capture files.

Any ideas

jagabo · Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Location: none

The TV is probably not putting out s-video but rather composite video (this is usually the case for VHS decks). The luma (grayscale) channel of s-video and composite video are shared on the same pin of a SCART connector. So if the player is putting out composite video and you connect it to an s-video capture device you will see a black and white picture. There is no signal on the s-video chroma pin. You need a SCART to composite adapter.

There is one other possiblity if you are playing an NTSC VHS tape. But you didn't mention that so I'll assume it's not the case.

JonnyAlpha · Member Joined: 05 Nov 2009 Location: United Kingdom

Many thanks, after having a think about this I seemed to recal having some similiar problems with only getting Greyscale with S-Video. Seemed to remember some hack involving shorting two pins on the S-Video connector but this was not using a signal output by SCART.

I have a 20 PIN SCART connector which has S-Video, Composite Video and L/R Audio which I will try out with a composite cable.

The only issue is SCART and Composite is not going to give me the best of pictures but I'll give it a go.

Any ideas on the best software to capture and what format to capture to (AVI, Mpeg2 etc).
I will probably be converting to DVD.

jagabo · Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Location: none

JonnyAlpha · Member Joined: 05 Nov 2009 Location: United Kingdom

Thanks for the reply.

Looks like composite then using software that allows capture using HuffYUV codec.
There are lots of guides on here but basically do I capture to AVI using HuffYUV codec and convert to MPEG2 for DVD?

Big Hard Drive needed.

Ta.

jagabo · Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Location: none