How is this setup?

[NA87]

I am looking to capture somewhere around 25-40 VHS tapes of home videos to digital. I know, probably the most covered topic on this site. Just wanted some feedback on my setup and some settings advice. I am not really looking to switch out or add equipment at this point unless it is a cheap fix as I have already invested a fair amount.
Here is what I am working with:
-JVC Professional Super VHS ET SR-V10U with TBC/NR http://pro.jvc.com/pro/attributes/svhs/manual/srv10u.pdf
-Canopus ADVC-55
-AVT-8710 TBC
-Audioquest S-Video & RCA Audio cables
-2010 MacBook Pro with 8GB Ram
-Adobe Premiere Pro CC

JVC S-VHS-->AVT-8710 TBC-->ADVC-55-->MacBook Pro/Premiere

I am curious about the redundancy of the TBC in the VCR and the outboard AVT-8710. Is it a good idea to have both TBCs running to make sure there are no errors on this front? Or should I disable the TBC on the VCR and just leave that duty to the AVT-8710? I assume I should not adjust the settings on the AVT-8710 (sharpness, tint, color, bright, contrast) since those can be played with in post in Premiere but correct me if I am wrong. Are there any other recommended settings I should adjust on the VCR? My goal is to maximize quality and have the digital copies be as close to the original as possible using my existing equipment. I probably won't do much editing right away but can always fiddle with things later so long as I have the best available source with which to work.

[KarMa]

There will be a loss by using the Canopus ADVC-55 to create NTSC DV, which is lossy and 4:1:1.

[NA87]

What would you use instead? I mean obviously going down the rabbit hole I could spend thousands chasing perfection, but I am open to reasonable alternatives.

[manono]

You could use a little $30-50 USB capture device and capture losslessly.

About the TBCs - they serve two different purposes and the chances are good you won't need the AVT-8710 TBC. I have one and rarely use it. The line TBC in the VCR, on the other hand, is a necessity. Unfortunately, I believe it's tied to the crappy DNR of the VCR. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong about that.

[Brad]

Setting the JVC to EDIT should reduce, if not eliminate, the luma DNR.

[NA87]

You could use a little $30-50 USB capture device and capture losslessly.

About the TBCs - they serve two different purposes and the chances are good you won't need the AVT-8710 TBC. I have one and rarely use it. The line TBC in the VCR, on the other hand, is a necessity. Unfortunately, I believe it's tied to the crappy DNR of the VCR. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong about that.

If I went to this sort of capture device what software would I use to do the lossless capture? I believe I looked into it in the past and all of the recommended software is windows only. It's possible I could borrow a windows machine, perform the captures and then put the files on my Mac and into premiere, but it is not the ideal scenario. Also, you mention that I may not need the AVT-8710, but without running a bunch of A/B tests idk if I would know when I need it and when I don't. If I were to leave it in the chain would it have any detrimental effect on video that doesn't really need it? Thanks again for the advice.

[smrpix]

If I went to this sort of capture device what software would I use to do the lossless capture? I believe I looked into it in the past and all of the recommended software is windows only.

You can certainly capture directly with Premiere. Probably capture directly with FCPX. Maybe even use iMovie.

What recommended software are you referring to?

[NA87]

If I went to this sort of capture device what software would I use to do the lossless capture? I believe I looked into it in the past and all of the recommended software is windows only.

You can certainly capture directly with Premiere. Probably capture directly with FCPX. Maybe even use iMovie.

What recommended software are you referring to?

I remember reading something about huffy something or other once upon a time that was windows only. It seems like Premiere's capture function is for DV/HDV format which it seems is not a recommended format for maintaining quality with VHS. I don't have FCPX, idk what format iMovie would capture to. I am fine with subbing out the ADVC55 for a $30-$50 USB capture cable/stick to capture into a better format that I can then import into premiere if I have the available software to do so. It's totally possible I'm missing something but that's where I'm at right now.

[KarMa]

Setting the JVC to EDIT should reduce, if not eliminate, the luma DNR.

On my JVC I use the edit mode, good to know this. Edit mode seem to have the most detail.

[NA87]

Setting the JVC to EDIT should reduce, if not eliminate, the luma DNR.

On my JVC I use the edit mode, good to know this. Edit mode seem to have the most detail.

Copy that. Any thoughts on Video Calibration (On/Off), Digital R3 (On/Off), and the Video Stabilizer (On/Off) settings? I realize it could very from source to source but just looking for a general rule of thumb. Thanks.

[manono]

If I went to this sort of capture device what software would I use to do the lossless capture? I believe I looked into it in the past and all of the recommended software is windows only.

I believe this is the first time you mentioned you're on a Mac. You should have mentioned it at the beginning, or even posted in the Mac Forum.
Perian should allow you to cap using HuffYUV and/or other lossless codecs but don't hold me to that.

If I were to leave it in the chain would it have any detrimental effect on video that doesn't really need it?

You don't want to use the AVT-8710 if you don't have to as it noticeably softens the picture.

[KarMa]

Copy that. Any thoughts on Video Calibration (On/Off), Digital R3 (On/Off), and the Video Stabilizer (On/Off) settings? I realize it could very from source to source but just looking for a general rule of thumb. Thanks.

I usually leave Video Calibration On, and Video Stabilizer Off because you can't use Video Stabilizer with the builtin TBC. When you enable the Video Stabilizer or the TBC, it clicks the other one off if it was on. I will use the Video Stabilizer if the tape is really bad and jumping up and down. You could use Video Stabilizer along with your external TBC, to get around this Video Stabilizer or TBC problem with JVC VCRs.

As for Digital R3, some people like it some don't. I sometimes use it but you could probably get better software denoisers for Avisynth or something else. You would have to do your own tests on that to see if you like it.

I believe this is the first time you mentioned you're on a Mac.

OP did mention it.

[KarMa]

*duplicate*

[manono]

I believe this is the first time you mentioned you're on a Mac.

OP did mention it.

Oh yeah, you're right. He even mentioned it twice in that first post. Macbook Pro. I completely overlooked it. Thanks, and my apologies to NA87.

[Brad]

As for Digital R3, some people like it some don't. I sometimes use it but you could probably get better software denoisers for Avisynth or something else.

Digital R3 is edge enhancement. IMO it should always be off.

[KarMa]

Digital R3 is edge enhancement. IMO it should always be off.

Well that's embarrassing, not sure where I picked up the idea that it was a denoiser. All I knew was that I usually did not use it. Good to know.

[NA87]

Much appreciated everyone. I think I've got a good sense of the VCR settings I should use and that I should really only use the AVT-8710 if needed, which I assume I will know if it looks something like this:
https://youtu.be/tMA5aH_olAQ

Not a bad idea to actually consult the Mac forum. I'm still kind of held up on what to do with the actual capture format/device. If the ADVC-55 is using DV and that is rubbish for VHS then I would definitely like to look into something else that would ideally be compatible on a Mac and can then be imported into Premiere. Based on a recommendation earlier in this thread I looked into USB capture sticks and came up with options such as these two:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/625264-REG/Elgato_Systems_10020840_Video_Capture...SB_Analog.html

http://www.diamondmm.com/vc500mac-diamond-video-capture-usb-mac.html

They are both Mac compatible and the VC500 says it captures to Quicktime format and the Elgato to H.264. I know there is a difference between format and container but I don't know the specifics. I don't know how either of these would stack up in relation to the ADVC-55 DV capture as far as quality goes. Idk if it's possible to use these devices with some sort of other Mac capture software (even Premiere?) and get a better format for minimal loss. Seems counterintuitive that the $50 USB stick would be better than the $100+ Canopus box but I suppose if they can get people like me who thought they did enough research to buy them then more power to them.

[Brad]

"Rubbish" is an exaggeration.

Does the degradation in the DV images here bother you?
https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/376837-DV-conversion-vs-lossless-capture-comparison...-auto-load!%5D

According to the documentation on its website, the VC500 includes software called VideoGlide. It should be possible to capture uncompressed or lossless (in the form of Animation @ 100%). But I've never done it.

The Elgato "probably" can as well, with appropriate software.

I think the Mac version of the VC500 uses the original, inferior, chipset. The Windows version was revamped.

[NA87]

Hmm, definitely not as bad as I expected. I might be able to live with that, just so long as the idea of a less than perfect solution doesn't grow too great inside my mind, inception like. I may still look into the other options though as they are relatively cheap compared to the stuff I have already purchased. Thanks.