Massive Video Project

[BlazingSpeed]

Hello all, this is my first post as a member of Videohelp.com and I'm also completely new to the area of Media Editing, so if I post this in the wrong place I'm sorry.

I have a massive video conversion project that I need, well, massive help with. I have lots of questions, and I'll probably have more once people start responding, so please be patient with me.

Some background:

My girlfriend has this movie that she loves, it's called Santabear's High Flying Adventure, and it was one of those cute & sweet but weird holiday specials from late 80's. Recently, her copy got taped over and when it did she was devastated. Since it was a pretty low key film even when it was first aired, it only got a VHS release between the late 80's to early 90's. In spite of that though I managed to acquire a brand new factory sealed copy of it, as well as a second Santabear film which proceeded the one I mentioned previously, and that she has never seen before (talk about luck right!). Now while I may be no expert at video editing I do know enough about media in general to know that VHS's don't last forever, only about 20 to 30 years in really good condition, and that I need to transfer this media out of their tape formats so that I don't loose them forever.

The Questions:

1.) I have heard people mention various times about needing video stabilizers to override the copy protection in VHS's. Do I need one considering these tapes were released between 1988 and 1992?
2.) If the answer is yes, which one would give the best quality rip? Please be as specific as possible when answering this one especially.
3.) I have also heard of devices called Time Base Correctors that are found in VHS players and are supposedly easy to make. Would these be better for the super-high quality rip that I'm looking for? or is that all just a bunch of nonsense?
4.) If I do use a stabilizer, will it in any way screw up the tape media in the process of making the transfer? This is very important to me, as I want her to have both the ripped copys and the originals (without any issues with the originals).
5.) I've also looked around the net and noticed that sites like newegg.com offer Professional Video Capturing Devices, would I need something like that in addition to a Video Stabilizer? Or could it be used instead of a video stabilizer?
6.) I am also looking for hardware that could upscale the quality as much as possible, I would really like it if I could make this film really "pop" on the DVD's I want to create, any help here (products, softwares, whatever) would be massively appreciated.
7.) A big part of this project is software (obviously), and I would like to know which software would allow me to give a truly professional feel and quality to the DVD. Think all the normal bonus's of a professionally made DVD (i.e. menus, pictures, extra content like a video message from me, etc.), in addition to whatever movie makers, transcoders, and other software that I will be needing.
8.) Finally: My computer doesn't have a graphics card, just integrated graphics (sucks I know). Will this make it impossible to do the kinds of things I want to do, or will it just make it harder/take longer?

I'm a total newbie at all of this and I have no idea what I'm going to need to take this 80's tape media and put it seamlessly onto a DVD without a loss of quality. I really need a lot of help here, so please be as specific as possible when responding.

In closing let me say that I know that I'm asking to do a lot (and for a lot of help), but please understand that I really do get that this is a tremendous undertaking for anyone (especially a newb), but I am also very desperate to make this all happen.

Looking forward to your responses, and Thanks in Advance!


My Specs:

HP Pavilion dv6926nr Entertainment Notebook PC
Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit SP2,
Intel Core 2 Duo T5750 Processor @ 2.00Ghz,
3GB DDR2 RAM @ 333Mhz 5-5-5-15,
250GB HDD @ 5400 RPM,
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 with 358MB Cache and Mobil Intel 965 Express Chipset,
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW Single Drive with Double Layer Support,
15.4" WXGA High-Definition BrightView Widescreen (1280 x 800) Display,
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection Integrated Wifi Card;
Ports:
1 x ExpressCard/54 slot (also supports ExpressCard/34),
1 x 5-in-1 Integrated Media Card Reader (SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro, xD-Picture),
3 x USB 2.0,
1 x VGA (15-pin),
1 x TV-Out (S-Video),
1 x Notebook Expansion Port 31 IEEE 1394 Firewire (4-pin),
1 x Consumer IR Reciever/Transmitter,
1 x RJ-11 High speed 56K modem,
1 x RJ -45 Integrated 10/100BASE-T Ethernet LAN,
2 x Headphone-Out,
1 x Microphone-In.

[filmboss80]

Do you really want to spend hundreds of dollars just to transfer a couple of VHS tapes to DVD? Don't worry about the tapes not lasting very many years, because a) in due time there will be DVD releases of the movies; b) your girlfriend will outgrow those movies; or c) your girlfriend won't be your girlfriend a few years from now.

Yes, you would need: 1) a copyguard stabilizer to remove copy protection, 2) a time-base corrector to improve the image quality, and 3) the dvd recording device, which could either be a standalone DVD recorder or an analog capture card that would record to your PC for later authoring and burning to DVD.

Nothing's going to give you a real professional result, since the source is VHS; and keep in mind that it will be a 4:3 aspect ratio, and new TVs are 16:9.

It seems like an awful lot of expense and effort for this girl. Why not just buy her some flowers?

[Alexstarfire]

Well, I don't know about providing the best quality conversion, but I do know the method that my father has done for a lot of his tapes. It's quite simply actually. VHS player hooked up to a DVD recorder. Once you get the movie on DVD transfer to a computer to do editing, if needed, is very simple.

IDK about the cost of the DVD recorder though as I didn't buy the one he has.

[BlazingSpeed]

Do you really want to spend hundreds of dollars just to transfer a couple of VHS tapes to DVD? Don't worry about the tapes not lasting very many years, because a) in due time there will be DVD releases of the movies; b) your girlfriend will outgrow those movies; or c) your girlfriend won't be your girlfriend a few years from now.

Yes, you would need: 1) a copyguard stabilizer to remove copy protection, 2) a time-base corrector to improve the image quality, and 3) the dvd recording device, which could either be a standalone DVD recorder or an analog capture card that would record to your PC for later authoring and burning to DVD.

Nothing's going to give you a real professional result, since the source is VHS; and keep in mind that it will be a 4:3 aspect ratio, and new TVs are 16:9.

It seems like an awful lot of expense and effort for this girl. Why not just buy her some flowers?

First off, thank you for your response.

Secondly, I have been with my girlfriend for two years now and we are very close. While you may be correct in speculating that our relationship may not last, you seem to have failed to read the post with any sense of thoroughness. I say this because I openly stated many times that I was well aware of how much effort this was going to take, both in terms of time and money. I also stated that these program's were LOW KEY even in when they were aired (I.E 1985 - 1987), so in regards to your obviously uncaring statements:

A.) If there hasn't been a DVD release yet there will very likely never be one, considering that we're in the age of Blu-Ray now, and with the lifetime of these VHS's depleting every day (especially since the tapes themselves are about 20+ years old!) this is something that has to be done now.
B.) You again failed to read the post, as I said these movie's aren't primarily for entertainment value but for the Sentimental Value of her childhood memories. She's won't be watching them for there sheer plot, she's primarily going to be watching them for the fond childhood memories they bring back. So they (and by extension this project) are important!
C.) As I have said before, you may be right about that, but I care about my girlfriend and I want to make her happy. I may not be the richest man in the world but I do not have a problem spending time and money on my loved ones, particularly my significant other. I'm sorry that you don't seem to understand that.

In regards to the rest of your post, I thank you very much. It has been very helpful. I am curious as to which Stabilizer and Time Base Corrector you would recommend, as well as how I should set the whole thing up, I do have a Cyberhome CH-DVD 300 dvd player, as well as a Sony SLV-N81 vhs player and I also listed all the ports and parts that my laptop has in my original post.

Look forward to hearing from you

P.S. I buy my girlfriend flowers quite often.

[BlazingSpeed]

Well, I don't know about providing the best quality conversion, but I do know the method that my father has done for a lot of his tapes. It's quite simply actually. VHS player hooked up to a DVD recorder. Once you get the movie on DVD transfer to a computer to do editing, if needed, is very simple.

IDK about the cost of the DVD recorder though as I didn't buy the one he has.

Thanks for the response, I would be interested to know what kind of setup your dad has if you could find out. If you do manage to find out, ask him if his setup can do the copying with a copyrighted tape (macrovision removal/override).

[Alexstarfire]

I'll check it out in the morning when I've had some rest. I don't see the copyright being a problem since it literally plays the tape in real time and copies it to the DVD. I could check and see if he's copied anything that has protection on it, but I'd need a list of VHSs that have the protection you mentioned. I'm not going to check them individually since he has stacks and stacks of DVDs just laying around (literally).

[videopoo]

Buy a DVD recorder, hook it up and hit record. I seriously doubt that VHS title has Macrovision applied. Any "improvements" will be fairly minimal at best. Your girlfriend wont be able to see them but thats not the point I guess. If you then want to make custom menus I would get a second hand copy of Photoshop and DVDLab Pro for the authoring. Demux your MPEG 2 stream from the disc you've made and author away.

Many others hear will provide other options but if your a newbie then you have alot a work ahead of you. To do what you describe will take apprx $500 for software and hours and hours of learning. Way too broad line of questions to answer in a thread.

There's a guy on here Lordsmurf who, I believe, has dedicated his life to this kind of stuff...Im sure he will offer some good advice.

BTW..... Filmboss wasn't baggin on you. It was all just tongue and cheek. There's alot of that here.

[AudioParadiso]

You don't need to worry about copyguard or stabilizers. That's because the copyprotection on he video only works if the recorder has the smarts to recognize it. So you don't use a commercial recorder -- you simply go straight from any VHS via a simple connector into the USB2 port of your computer. I Use this one: http://www.camerastore.com.au/Kaiser+Baas+Video+to+DVD+Maker_4123_details.htm

This comes complete with Cyperlink Power Director capture software.

Keep the project simple. You can't upscale VHS resolution( well, in fact it will upscale to DVD resolution -- but that 's just stretching the pixels and it will look the same) so just be content with a good capture.

[jagabo]

1.) I have heard people mention various times about needing video stabilizers to override the copy protection in VHS's. Do I need one considering these tapes were released between 1988 and 1992?

Probably. If you have two VCRs try recording the tape to another. If you get garbled video or a video that's alternately too light and too dark the original has Macrovision. Some capture devices will ignore it, most not. If you buy a capture device and it refuses to record the VHS tape you'll need a stabilizer or TBC. Many stabilizers also have proc amps which allow you to adjust levels and colors. This can be useful since consumer VHS decks often output bad levels and colors.

2.) If the answer is yes, which one would give the best quality rip? Please be as specific as possible when answering this one especially.

Two that I have: the old Hauppauge PVR-250 and the newer Hauppauge HD PVR ignore macrovision. But these aren't suitable if you plan on doing a lot of filtering after capture.

3.) I have also heard of devices called Time Base Correctors that are found in VHS players and are supposedly easy to make. Would these be better for the super-high quality rip that I'm looking for? or is that all just a bunch of nonsense?

You have two basic issues that TBCs correct:

1) A line TBC realigns scanlines so that they are not wandering left and right randomly. All VHS has this problem. It's best to get this built into the VHS deck. Which means buying a $300 (used) S-VHS deck. Such a deck will also get you better playback than a typical consumer VHS deck. This is the single most important piece of hardware if you really want good results.

2) A full frame TBC maintains a steady, perfect, signal in the event of VHS drop outs, stretched tapes, etc. If your tape and VHS deck aren't having this type of problem you can get away without a full frame TBC. But another advantage of a full frame TBC is that some can remove macrovision.

If you're not willing to spend US$1000 on equipment you can find a used Panasonic ES-15 DVD recorder for maybe $60 on ebay. It has a built in line TBC and frame sync (a crude full frame TBC). Since your video is only 20 minutes long you can record in SP mode and get pretty good results. You can also use it in passthrough mode where the input signal is cleaned up and passed to the output, then use another caputure device. It will not record macrovision protected tapes. I don't know if the passthough ability is effected by macrovision.

4.) If I do use a stabilizer, will it in any way screw up the tape media in the process of making the transfer?

No.

5.) I've also looked around the net and noticed that sites like newegg.com offer Professional Video Capturing Devices, would I need something like that in addition to a Video Stabilizer?

No.

Or could it be used instead of a video stabilizer?

You would have to find out which ignore macrovision.

6.) I am also looking for hardware that could upscale the quality as much as possible, I would really like it if I could make this film really "pop" on the DVD's I want to create, any help here (products, softwares, whatever) would be massively appreciated.

Since this is animated content you can probably do a lot of filtering in AviSynth. It will take a lot learning, trial and error. But low resolution VHS is never going to look like a good DVD.

8.) Finally: My computer doesn't have a graphics card, just integrated graphics (sucks I know). Will this make it impossible to do the kinds of things I want to do, or will it just make it harder/take longer?

The graphics card isn't used for anything but showing you what the software is doing. What you have is fine -- although it will help to tune the display so you have a better idea what the output will look like on TV.

[greymalkin]

does she have an iPhone? You can get away with murder shrinking it down to that resolution :P.

[LJB]

For what it's worth, you could buy a cheap a/v capture device (like one of the dazzle thingys) and (in real time) record the video to your hd as an mpeg2 capture. Once the video files are on your hd, use your favorite authoring software to put together a neat little package for your girlfriend. DVD moviefactory or the equivelent will do just fine as long as your software of choice can import mpeg2. There are several authoring software choices that have been suggested by the videohelp forum readers over the years. Just have a look at the tools section for dvd authoring if you don't already have a favortie software package. And remember to burn that darn thing with imgburn and stay away from crap media.

This simple solution will earn much appreciation from your girlfriend.

[BlazingSpeed]

To all of you who have responded since my last post: Thank you so much for all the amazing advice and suggestions you have given, it has been so incredibly helpful.


@Alexstarfire: I think just about any professional film has the protection on it, though I think Disney and it's subsidiaries (touchstone, etc.) were well known for using it, so you could see about any of those films. Thanks for the response!

@videopoo: Thanks for the menu creating/video editing software, and thanks also for the heads up on filmboss80 and that part of this forum - it didn't completely sound that way to me, but then again it's always been hard for me to tell when all I have to go on is text (guess I'm kinda slow that way). Oh, and thanks for the heads up on Lordsmurf, he actually PM'd me and we're talking about this project.

@AudioParadiso: Thanks a lot for the USB capture device suggestion, I'm looking at other similar devices too, but the one you mentioned is definitely in the front running now.

@jagabo: Thanks so much for the extremely detailed and thorough reply, it was incredibly helpful and very illuminating. I'm looking at ALL the awesome stuff you suggested, and it's turning out great. Thanks again!

@greymalken: LOL, but no, she does not have an iPhone. Cool thought though!

@LJB: Thanks for software and the capture method suggestions. Haven't looked at the Tools section of the site yet, but thank you for pointing that out and reminding me. I will do my best to stay away from crap media, and I am sure your right about the simple solution :P


Thanks again everyone! I'm always open for more suggestions and comments!