VideoHelp Forum - Capturing and VCR

VideoHelp Forum - Capturing and VCR https://forum.videohelp.com/ Everything about capturing analog TV, S/VHS or Cam using Video cards, TV-Cards, or MJPEG or MPEG1/2/4 hardware realtime capture cards. Also VCR, VHS hardware recording problems. en Sat, 11 Apr 2026 11:40:41 GMT vBulletin 60 https://forum.videohelp.com/images/misc/rss.png VideoHelp Forum - Capturing and VCR https://forum.videohelp.com/ <![CDATA[AmaRecTV's "Internal RGB Conversion"]]> https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/420367-AmaRecTV-s-Internal-RGB-Conversion?goto=newpost Thu, 09 Apr 2026 06:19:20 GMT I found this on a site:

Quote:

Amarec’s internal RGB conversion. As experts frequently warn, this process can clip "illegal" whites and blacks, permanently destroying detail in the highlights and shadows that a pure YUY2 capture in VirtualDub would have preserved.

So what this means is that if you use Amarec, make sure that your video levels are within the 16 to 235 range. Adjust the brightess and contracts on the levels screen to set it perfectly before you capture.

I'm banned from the site so have no way of making enquiries there.

My understanding is that the digitiser/capture card determines the levels, not the program. I also understand that if the captured file is opened in VDub, it is converted to RGB. The file is not captured in RGB by AmaRecTV (or VDub, for that matter).

Of course, the levels should be set within the limits, but the capture program has nothing to do with the values set.

Any thoughts on the veracity/correctness of the quoted claim? ]]> Capturing and VCR Alwyn https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/420367-AmaRecTV-s-Internal-RGB-Conversion Requesting advices for beginner (both ways analog/digital) https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/420351-Requesting-advices-for-beginner-%28both-ways-analog-digital%29?goto=newpost Mon, 06 Apr 2026 17:47:14 GMT Hello, i am planning to buy some equipement and wanted to ask the hobbyists and pros for advice before actually putting money into it. I am looking to get a PAL Panasonic ag-455 https://archive.org/details/manual_AG455M_SM_PANASONIC_EN/page/n59/mode/2up (i found one available for really cheap... Hello, i am planning to buy some equipement and wanted to ask the hobbyists and pros for advice before actually putting money into it.

I am looking to get a PAL Panasonic ag-455 https://archive.org/details/manual_AG455M_SM_PANASONIC_EN/page/n59/mode/2up (i found one available for really cheap and it seem in great shape) to both shoot stuff and backup S-VHS/VHS, im only struggling to find a camera that also have a analog video IN, wich i'd like to find to go from digital to analog for some specific projects. But, i'm thinking, that's probably not especially the best to go that way right? If what i want is giving a handheld shot analog style to a digital made video. And simply doing that with a nice VHS deck would have the same, if not better results. (By better result i mean, im looking to have the cool artifacts that VHS can create like chromatic aberation and slight grain and lines glitching, i prefer to specify bc its not usually a good thing in restoration)
If you have any feedback and advice as to that part let me know, especially if u know how to create chromatic aberation and control it without damaging the camera/vhs deck, i'd be curious to know.

On that note, let's say i have digital media i want to apply those "effects" to, would it be better to burn a dvd, feed it to the dvd recorder and output with analog to the VHS deck to record? Or, get an actual card for my pc that have an analog out directly to the VHS deck? (that card would need to operate on win 10 or 11, and idk if the usb capture cards can do that, can they?)

As to going to digital from analog, i have been looking at other posts and figured out that i might want to either have the VHS in the camera and outputing with analog or using a VHS deck also outputing in analog into a dvd recorder like the Panasonic ES15 (wich i think i have one similar somewhere) to benefit from the Line TBC passthrough. But from there, would it be better to just record on a dvd and use the dvd on my pc or pluging the signal into a capture device?

For a possible capture device i'm looking at a second hand AVERMEDIA Game Capture HD: https://www.amazon.fr/AVERMEDIA-Capture-Bo%C3%AEtier-dacquisition-%C3%A9l%C3%A9ments/dp/B005YR0M0W Mostly because i found one available for cheap and it records to a HDD then u can simply copy paste the file to the PC, and dont need to run software on win 11 and have a mess of cables and devices near the PC. (convenient)
But tbh, i dont know which resolution i should aim for, nor if outdated equipempent is passable or if recent stuff perform just better in every way, and i dont know how that device will do, if you know, any feedback on that would be very appreciated. And if u have another device to recommend that's not going 100$ let me know.

Thank you in advance for your advices, this whole process is pretty daunting when u first get into it and i'm eager to see how i could improve the process before commiting with money. ]]> Capturing and VCR Azhash https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/420351-Requesting-advices-for-beginner-%28both-ways-analog-digital%29 Overexposed U-Matic Captures https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/420331-Overexposed-U-Matic-Captures?goto=newpost Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:13:51 GMT I am working with a company to transfer a collection of U-Matic tapes from the 1980s. Some of these tapes I captured myself before my deck died, but I decided to send them to a company for re-capture because I was not using a TBC and did not have the ability to bake tapes. All this the company can... I am working with a company to transfer a collection of U-Matic tapes from the 1980s. Some of these tapes I captured myself before my deck died, but I decided to send them to a company for re-capture because I was not using a TBC and did not have the ability to bake tapes. All this the company can do.

Overall, they have done a great job. On certain segments of certain tapes that they converted, the scenes appear overexposed. However, on other scenes on the same tape there is normal exposure. But with the version that I captured previously, none of the scenes are overexposed. The only format difference is that I converted to .dv and they convert to Pro Res.

I have attached one example, my personal capture originally from .dv (I just ran it through ffmpeg to copy to .avi), the company's capture before Premiere Pro and Avisynth, and the company's capture after these tools where I tried to lower the whites. As you can see, the forehead detail is visible in my personal capture while it is lost on the professional capture, even after trying to lower the exposure.

They claim that because ten years passed between my capture and their's, that the luminance could have degraded during that time, and that they have no ability to set a different white point on their capture system. My guess is that possibly because I was capturing in .dv 4:1:1, that automatically prevented the overexposure compared to their Pro Res 4:2:2.

Is there anything I can do about this or advise to them for their set-up to prevent this for future tapes I send to them?

Thank you.

Attached Files

personal_capture.avi (72.28 MB)
professional_capture_before.mp4 (15.65 MB)
professional_capture_after.mp4 (2.34 MB)

]]> Capturing and VCR Winsordawson https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/420331-Overexposed-U-Matic-Captures VirtualDub 1.9.11 Capture: Timing settings reverting https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/420320-VirtualDub-1-9-11-Capture-Timing-settings-reverting?goto=newpost Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:38:15 GMT I use VirtualDub 1.9.11 for analog capture on Windows 7. I just noticed that my Timing settings revert to defaults constantly. I read that one can use the "Save current settings as default" command but that option is missing from my Capture menu.

After selecting/checking on my timing options, I would then typically begin the capature. However, yesterday I got distracted, didn't start capture, and when I went to check the Timings screen, I disovered my settings have changed. So, now I'm wondering of my capture is being done with my prefered Timing settings.

What I tried:
- Ater setting my settings, I exited Capture Mode and closed the app. And then re-opened it. But that didn't make it remember my settings. ]]> Capturing and VCR Darryl In Canada https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/420320-VirtualDub-1-9-11-Capture-Timing-settings-reverting Capture device https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/420275-Capture-device?goto=newpost Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:41:11 GMT Years ago, I sold my video capture device and software. Now I need to capture some VCR tapes again. I purchased a EasyCAP device from eBay that came with software. It captures in some format I never heard of before, in short it sucks. I have the NCH VideoPad... Years ago, I sold my video capture device and software. Now I need to capture some VCR tapes again. I purchased a EasyCAP device from eBay that came with software. It captures in some format I never heard of before, in short it sucks.

I have the NCH VideoPad Pro and Debut. I need you find a capture device that captures MPG and will work with my software.

Any recommendations? ]]> Capturing and VCR jimlong https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/420275-Capture-device Strange digital noises on capturing linear audio VHS tapes https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/420272-Strange-digital-noises-on-capturing-linear-audio-VHS-tapes?goto=newpost Mon, 23 Mar 2026 04:50:46 GMT As the name implies, I've noticed on my Panasonic Omnivision VCRs (the PV-9450, PV-9451, and PV-9662) whenever I play mono/linear audio tapes, I have this horrible sounding audio that sounds kinda scratchy (for a lack of a better term). Strange part is, Hi-Fi audio tapes are not affected by this. I also have other VCRs, like a JVC HR-DVS3U which seems to not have this particular problem.

EDIT:
I did try the following to no result:
Switched audio cables
Put them on a grounded power strips
Verified it wasn't the room that I'm in's light bulb causing the issue (its florescent)
Adjusted the linear audio heads on all

Attached Files

amarec(20260323-0044).avi (163.01 MB)

]]> Capturing and VCR Originalsboy https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/420272-Strange-digital-noises-on-capturing-linear-audio-VHS-tapes Magewell Capture Express https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/420250-Magewell-Capture-Express?goto=newpost Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:24:16 GMT i made c/c++
you need NVIDIA
Magewell Capture Express

it a screen capture or it support usb device capture

[Attachment 91575 - Click to enlarge]

c/c++ source code
https://github.com/codeboxqc/Capture-

x64 exe https://github.com/codeboxqc/Capture-/releases/tag/1 ]]> Capturing and VCR codebox https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/420250-Magewell-Capture-Express Panasonic AG 1980 w/inferior replacement heads? https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/420213-Panasonic-AG-1980-w-inferior-replacement-heads?goto=newpost Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:13:07 GMT Hello,

I have a 1980 serviced/recapped by T Grant a few years ago. He also replaced the heads. It just dawned on me that he might have used whatever non-glass, cheaper model Panasonic heads that would fit. I reached out but he can't recall.

If so, would this affect the image quality? I want to compare with a JVC 9900, but it might not be a fair comparison since the heads aren't original. ]]> Capturing and VCR clashradio https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/420213-Panasonic-AG-1980-w-inferior-replacement-heads