Recommendation for the best software and hardware for archiving SVHS tapes.

[pshooper]

I currently own an ATI Theater 550 PCI card. I have the registered version of AMCap. I have a few other pieces of software such as GBPVR. I am trying to archive VHS and SVHS material from a JVC HR-S5912U deck. The purpose of this project is to create an archive set of these tapes that will serve to completely replace the tapes with as perfect reproduction as is financially reasonable. For me that means not spending more than a few hundred dollars for improvements and then only if it really makes a difference. With that in mind I have these questions:

What is the best software for capturing lossless video from analog sources?

Is there something better than my ATI Theater 550 for capturing from analog sources?

Given the financial limits, is there a strong reason to go to a different source (the JVC) machine?

[lordsmurf]

That exact JVC model does not filter like the higher-end JVC 7000, 9000 and SR series machines. That would remove chroma noise that is present on your tapes. Look here for models and more info:
- http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video/capture-playback-hardware.htm
- http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/showthread.php/vcr-buying-guide-1567.html

A DVD recorder in 1-hour mode would likely do as well (or better than) that exact capture card. It's not as good as the older ATI AIW AGP cards. Consider:
- Sony RDR-GX257 new for about $110
- Philips 3505 or Philips 3506 refurbs/used for under $100
This assumes you feed it a good signal with a VCR better than the one you have now.

If you insist on a computer solution, the even the cheap consumer Dazzle USB box with the included Pinnacle Studio 12 should work okay. Manually select a high bitrate MPEG-2 capture, maybe DV. Of course, I don't know that I'd call this
perfect reproduction. It's definitely inferior to the above DVD recorders. Alternate software like iuVCR may get a decent HuffYUV capture.

If those tapes were recorded on an JVC VCR, then I'd certainly keep playing them on an JVC line of equipment.

That JVC you have now was probably one of the worst ones, the last of the consumer S-VHS line.

[pshooper]

Most of these tapes may have been recorded on a JVC SVHS camcorder, perhaps I can still find the box and be sure. I would be willing to buy another higher end JVC deck, but every recommended deck in your list did not show up as available new in a quick Google search. Do you know where I might find one of these?

The DVD recording decks you mention would take an SVHS input and then make an MPEG2 DVD, correct? Wouldn't I be better off getting a capture to lossless so that I can archive at the highest possible quality and then create my media (MPEG2 DVD, H264, whatever...) from the lossless source. That is, unless my capture equipment does more damage to the signal than the MPEG2 compression in these decks. Am I thinking properly here?

I am not set on a computer based solution. I am trying to archive my tapes in the highest quality method possible at a reasonable expense, regardless of how it is done. I guess I am thinking $500 in total new purchases is reasonable to me. I would be willing to buy media and a new video card on top of that.

So what is best?

1) A new or used capture card such as an older ATI AIW AGP (I have an AGP machine, but it is old and slow),
with a better source deck (what can I actually get?),
and software capture (AMCap. iuVCR, or ?)
to HuffyUV or Lagarith codecs,

or

2) A standalone DVD recorder with better source deck,

or

3) An all in one solution like the JVC SR-MV45US deck on the B&H website,

or

4) another alternative not yet posted.

[pshooper]

I have located several AIW cards on fleabay, the 9600 being the most offered. Which AIW is the best?

I could capture to an old Asus A7N8X with 1 GB memory in it. It has an AGP slot in it. It has an AMD Athlon XP CPU in it, it is at least an AMD Athlon XP 2000, probably better. Is that fast enough to capture lossless video with an AIW?

[lordsmurf]

Most of the best gear is no longer sold new.

The AIW 9600 will work. Use ATI MMC that comes with the card, not something else.

A standalone with a better VCR will be about the same as a good ATI AIW AGP card with a better VCR.

The JVC SR-MV45US sold at B&H is probably the best solution.

I was capturing without problems with a P4 1.8Ghz @ 512MB RAM, and a AMD 1800+ @ 1GB RAM. Anything newer should be perfectly fine.

There is even more you can do for "best" quality, but that would blow your budget, so I've not bothered mentioning any of it.

[pshooper]

Most of the best gear is no longer sold new.

The AIW 9600 will work. Use ATI MMC that comes with the card, not something else.

A standalone with a better VCR will be about the same as a good ATI AIW AGP card with a better VCR.

The JVC SR-MV45US sold at B&H is probably the best solution.

I was capturing without problems with a P4 1.8Ghz @ 512MB RAM, and a AMD 1800+ @ 1GB RAM. Anything newer should be perfectly fine.

There is even more you can do for "best" quality, but that would blow your budget, so I've not bothered mentioning any of it.

The reviews at Amazon on the SR MV45US give me concern. Further, I read the description of the JVC SR-MV45US and it was not clear to me if it had all the good features the HR-9800U has. However, the condition I might get a used but recommended deck in is also a concern.

I think I am more likely to want a good ATI AIW AGP card with a better VCR because I could capture to any format I want instead of being locked into MPEG2.

Unfortunately, an eBay search for the Go Video SDV-650 and the original HR-9800U turned up zero results.

The reason I am not so hot about MPEG2 is that I would eventually like make end use my archives to create BluRay disks and H264 recordings to store on a computer hard drive. Once I have used a lossy format such as MPEG2 any further editing or codec change would entail more loss of quality. I am hoping I can find a solution that will allow me to keep a lossless archive as an intermediate codec. I have noticed you have not commented on this. Can you tell me if you do not think of this as a concern and why?

BTW - All my tapes were recorded at the highest quality (full) speed.

[lordsmurf]

Blu-ray uses MPEG-2, too. 720x480 is already upscaled beyond both VHS and S-VHS --- there's no point making it 720p or 1080.

ATI @ HuffYUV or YUY2 is good choice.

For "later" editing, I suggest high-bitrate 15k MPEG-2 (I-frame only),
For "now" editing, I suggest HuffYUV or uncompressed YUY2. The files are just too big to store for long periods of time.

Reviews left at Amazon are about 75% dipshits when it comes to tech (about 50% for everything else). One of those guys whines in all JVC products threads, clearly not having owned any of them. The other was user error with blank DVDs. Another one is also probably using cheap blank DVDs, given the "stopped recording" comment. The negative comment in the 4-star review is somebody that can't read product descriptions before buying (how many VCRs have Firewire output?). Once you weed out the goobers, there's really nothing negative there.

[pshooper]

I searched for all the JVC decks you recommend at your site on eBay, not one was listed. The Panasonic AG-1980P was listed at $150. I know you said I should stick with a JVC since I believe my tapes were recorded on a JVC. Does that still apply between the JVC SR-MV45US sold at B&H and a used Panasonic AG-1980P?

I looked over the specs on the JVC SR-MV45US, it appears that it max's out at 10 Mbps internally, although that would not stop me from capturing over the SVHS out and doing the conversion in the computer at the rates that you recommend. So as it stand right now, I should probably get the AIW card and one of these decks for capture, unless I can find a better deck somewhere else. I might spend a day or two looking, it seems a shame to spend so much for a SVHS to DVD machine that I will only use for capture to an AIW card. Any suggestions on where else to look?

You had said you knew of other solutions that were out of my price range. I suppose if I could buy and resell more expensive equipment after I use it for this it still might be an option. What might the more pricey options entail?

Thanks.

[lordsmurf]

Go to eBay, type in "JVC s-vhs" into the search.
Right now I see a 9600, a pair of SR-VS30, a 9900, a SR-VS10, a SR-V101, 1 9911, a 9800, two more 9600s .. and that's just the first page.

[pshooper]

You are so right. I had cut and pasted the exact model name from your page. Ebay search appears to be lame. I put jvc s-vhs as the search term at the same time into two desktop computers here and one came back with 133 hits and the other with 88...

Out of this group would the "almost new" hr-s9800u be your pick?

Do "professional" decks like the BR-S811U offer any useful quality improvements for my purposes?

[lordsmurf]

SR-V10U, 9600 or 9900 would be my pick.
No on the other question, stick to models listed.

[pshooper]

I actually found my old SVHS camera, probably not in great condition from being stored in the unheated garage. It is a JVC GFS-550.

I found one HR-S9600 and one HR-S9900 listed, I did not find the SR-V10U.

The 9600 looked okay at $45, but the seller wants $43.31 shipping and says no returns. That kind of pricing doesn't make me feel comfortable. These look like they have been selling recently at around $200.

The 9900 out of Chicago has zero bids and a starting price of $249.99 + $22 shipping. This one had previously been listed at $299 and did not sell. Does a total of $272 seem high to you?

[pshooper]

I bought the 9900. I have decided to increase my budget and purchase a TBC and the AIW 9600 with the ATI MMC. Is there anything else that would help?