No Picture to capture?

[Brainfire]

Hi all...

Daft questions from someone totally new to this capture business...

My father has been attempting to transfer his VHS stuff to his laptop so he can edit and burn to DVD - he's now tried two USB capture devices, but can't get any picture to capture using the composite connections provided - nothing at all shows in the capture window from the VHS player or the TV, and we've also tried two different makes of software, so that's not the problem.

Do the composites' on a VHS player only do input, or output also? Is analogue/digital something to do with it, as both USB devices 'see' the picture through composite ok with a DVD player attached, which is obviously digital?

We all have to start somewhere...

TIA

[JohnnyMalaria]

Can you list all of the connectors that are available on the VCR to help determine if it does have composite output or not? Also, what make/model is the VCR?

Do you have a TV with composite input? If so, can you view the tapes that way?

[Brainfire]

Hi - thanks for replying.

The VHS is part of a Philips TV combi unit, 14PV225/07. It has white/yellow composite on the front panel, and a single scart on the rear. We've also tried a scart to composite with no luck. I just had a quick flick through the combi unit instructions which I scanned for him some time ago, and it does state that the composite is input...

I've just tried both of the USB capture devices with my own laptop using the composite on my own Philips TV with no luck either - the TV is a 42PF7621D, which I think has every input/output known to man - still no picture through composite though, but once again it works fine though my DVD player... extremely frustrating.

The option of finding another VHS player is harder than I thought these days!

[JohnnyMalaria]

What kind of SCART to composite adapter are you trying? Some are only intended for input (i.e., from a composite device to a SCART device), some are output only and some have a selector switch.

[Brainfire]

The scart to composite actually has four cables; the two audio plus one marked video in, and the other marked video out, so I guess that kind of covers it? I wish I knew more about this stuff!