Can VirtualDub copy mono audio to stereo?

[MrPeanut]

I bought a Hauppauge HVR-1265 and am using a Zenith VR4106 VCR to play back my VHS tapes. I'm capturing in VirtualDub using HuffYUV.

The problem is: the VCR only has a mono output. However, the HVR-1265 uses a two RCA to 3.5mm adapter. The audio coming into VirtualDub is in the left channel only.

I've only captured two tapes at this point. I'm wondering if I can copy the left channel to the right using something like Adobe Audition or if I'm better off getting a one RCA to two RCA adapter (like this).

My biggest concern is audio quality. 1) Will using the adapter degrade quality? 2) If I copy audio from one channel to two, will I have to reprocess and will that degrade quality?

[JVRaines]

Select a mono format in VirtualDub under Audio/Raw capture format… menu, e.g. PCM: 48000Hz, mono, 16-bit. Then swing the Windows Mixer balance control all the way to the left channel.

[MrPeanut]

My only option in Raw capture format is PCM: 48000Hz, stereo, 16-bit.

[VideoDoc]

I've only captured two tapes at this point. I'm wondering if I can copy the left channel to the right using something like Adobe Audition or if I'm better off getting a one RCA to two RCA adapter (like this).

My biggest concern is audio quality. 1) Will using the adapter degrade quality? 2) If I copy audio from one channel to two, will I have to reprocess and will that degrade quality

I have a similar problem capturing from Video8 tapes which were recorded in mono. After doing some research, I decided to go with the RCA Y-splitter. I don't know what the "official" line is, but I cannot perceive any degradation in audio quality. Trying to do this in post-processing is a big pain. I am not sure if VirtualDub can do this doing capture. I briefly considered looking into it but decided the Y-splitter solution was the easiest fix.

[johns0]

The y splitter is the easiest choice to get mono to 2 channel,no degradation in capturing since there's no line lose unless you are running it a 100 feet away.

[JVRaines]

My only option in Raw capture format is PCM: 48000Hz, stereo, 16-bit.

Well that's a bummer. The next easiest solution is a phono Y-adapter like your link, although I wouldn't spend money on a fancy gold-plated cable. The purest approach is to reformat your file to a mono audio stream, which can be accomplished in FFmpeg with something like this:

ffmpeg -i myinput.avi -vcodec copy -acodec pcm_s16le -map_channel 0.1.0 myoutput.avi

[MrPeanut]

Okay, thanks everyone. Doing it in post-processing is a big pain as I quickly discovered after just one video. (I've only captured two tapes so far, but have about 30 more to do.)

I think I'll pick up a Y-adapter.