Play-through ?

[Tafflad]

A question came up on capturing VHS tapes to digital for edit on a PC

I seem to recall reading on here that you can use a camcorder with analog pass-through and transfer via firewire.

Never used this ... what output from VHS player is used ... assume ideal would be to use SVideo out ? .... to SVideo in on Camcorder, and then firewire out to PC ?
If no sVideo then RCA video composite could be used.

Guessing Camcoreder converters analog to digital no recording required.

[DB83]

But NOT all camcorders.


It has to be a DV camcorder (might also work with digital8) to start with.


Yes. Pass-through. No internal recording in the camcorder. Just output.

[Tafflad]

Hi Mate ...... THnx ... never used this approach (nor going to) but knew I had seen it mentioned here.

[DB83]

Yes. It is a common suggestion.


And so is using certain models of Panasonic dvd-recorders. Then the signal remains analogue but they clean up the timing issues and thus act like a TBC.


PS Happy St. David's Day +3

[Tafflad]

OK ... I use a Panasonic S-VHS for the tapes.
I also have back in it box and not dumped a Panasonic DVD recorder - DMRE95H
This has SVideo in and out
SCART in and out
and Composite video in and out

So in this instance assume my highest quality would be to connect VCR via S-Video to DVD recorder (and separate Aido via RCA connection)
Play the tape and record to a DVD-RAM disc

Then edit off-line

Sort of assuming there is no pass-through function on DVD player (though unsure)





[Attachment 57648 - Click to enlarge]

[DB83]

Recording to any form of dvd is not the 'highest quality'. It is more the case of a quick 'n dirty method to go from VHS to an editable digital format. Remember that dvd is mpeg2 and is lossy. Edit from there, re-encode and you lose quality in the process.


I doubt whether your dvd-recorder has any form of pass-through. But I read many posts where users claim that all sorts of dvd-recorders do. It is just that Panny ES-10 and ES-15's are proven.