VHS capture solution

[kpaschall]

I am somewhat new to converting video as I have started with Digital8 Video to DVD with no problems, but have attempted to convert a handful of our purchased VHS movies (disney movies, other movies obtained over the years on VHS, etc.; about 50) over to DVD but cannot get the same quality as when the VCR is hooked up to the TV. I have Pinnacle Studio Deluxe and the VCR connected to their breakout box via RCA. I have also tried some of the recommended programs and methods on Lordsmurf.com with no difference I can tell.

My question is this: Without breaking the bank what can I do to get at least comparable quality to the VCR playback on DVD? Will obtaining a SVHS VCR make a noticable difference with these types of movies? Do I need to use other hardware than the Pinnacle capture board? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Keith

[hiptune]

have attempted to convert a handful of our purchased VHS movies (disney movies, other movies obtained over the years on VHS, etc.; about 50) over to DVD but cannot get the same quality as when the VCR is hooked up to the TV. I have Pinnacle Studio Deluxe and the VCR connected to their breakout box via RCA. I have also tried some of the recommended programs and methods on Lordsmurf.com with no difference I can tell.

My question is this: Without breaking the bank what can I do to get at least comparable quality to the VCR playback on DVD? Will obtaining a SVHS VCR make a noticable difference with these types of movies? Do I need to use other hardware than the Pinnacle capture board? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Keith

Yes Keith, you need one simple device, and you will not find it at Lordsmurf.com. It's called the Canopus ADVC - 100. I'm surprised you have not seen it mentioned before. It's well documented round these parts as being the best for your purpose. And it gets along with everything you already have including Pinnacle 8. The ADVC perfers intel motherboards, and non-texas inst. 1394 cards.

This device removes back-up pretection from all those old flicks on vhs. And the quality looks sparkling so long as your tapes are not worn or aged.

I did a DVD-R of Robinson Carruso on Mars, taken from a vhs tape I made of the Criterion LD 10 years ago. And it is flawless! The Canopus ADVC with pinnacle studio 8 is a good combo.

Oh yeah, it's $250 to $275 I think, perfhaps a couble bucks less, but worth it to back up your collection of tapes if they are worth a damn.

Jeff

[Bob W]

The best way IMO is just get a DVD recorder however that may not be one of your options. I had good results (but never as good as my Panasonic E50 recorder) when I did capturing using the "Aver Easy DVD capture card (about $40) and NeoDVD Plus or Movie Factory 2 software.

[Tommyknocker]

A couple of things come to mind. If you VCR has not been cleaned in over six months, have it done. Next, if the video cable is the one that came with card, replace it with a better one. Avoid the monster cables, as they are no more than a marketing ploy. Finally, experiment with different codecs, like Huffyuv, DivX, MJPEG, etc., until you get a quality you can live with. Remember to adjust the quality settings to the highest you can get without dropping frames.

[kpaschall]

So what I am seeing is more than likely copy protection on the VHS movies?

And on the other replys, I have tried two different VCR's both have been cleaned. And the cable is of decent quality. But I guess my question is if it was the VCR or cables, etc. why would I be able to plug the VCR up to a high end 37" TV and get a good quality playback but the transfer to DVD isn't even close.

Thanks again,
Keith

[Tommyknocker]

There really is not much you can do about copy protection without opening the wallet. There are macrovision killers for about $80.00, and TBCs that start around $170.00. Both are quite effective at thwarting Macrovision.

[hiptune]

why would I be able to plug the VCR up to a high end 37" TV and get a good quality playback but the transfer to DVD isn't even close.

Thanks again,
Keith

Because to transfer to dvd there are a few changes made to the signal including compression. Plus you are using low end capture card, lower end encoding, = rought results.

Get a good set top DVD Recorder, and your problems are over.

Jeff

[lordsmurf]

You need a TBC ... whether standalone TBC or as part of a SVHS VCR or DVD recorder ... that's up to you.

I have two TBC's and one in my JVC ... each does something different. But all will remove Macrovision and all do some sort of cleanup on the video.

[kpaschall]

Thanks, that gives me the info I was looking for.

Keith

[yodel]

Thanks, that gives me the info I was looking for.

Keith

The Digital8 camera has no pass through ? The Canopus ADVC100 has a
cheatmode to disable MacroVision.... which works great ! only problem
for me is NTSC tapes are converted by the recorders here to PAL60,
and this will not work with the Canopus.. NTSC LaserDisc are "left alone"
and have a perfect NTSC output wich can be transfered to DVD