Videohelp forum messages mentioned in YouTube

[lordsmurf]

It is not like I am preserving recordings of the last Egyptian clay tablet or something so that every element of the picture, every pixel of resolution could be important for future generations. As long as it does not break into macroblocks and is not too blurry, I am content.

When you provide context, this is fine. You're capturing retail content, which is usually replaceable The problem happens when you try to foist inferior methods onto others, especially unsuspecting others, who do want/need to capture all available quality. (And noting that analog does not have pixels.)

In fact, sometimes the blurring of high res content can be useful,

While I agree with this statement in general, I do not agree in the context. Capture best, reduce/blur later in software if needed.

[lordsmurf]

my input there,

I've been away from email for a few days, and saw the incoming comment dump in my inbox.

You and I disagree at times, so I want to make this post, as we do agree more than not. (Same for lollo.)

- DV discoloration is definitely a complex discussion. And the offset is baked into all workflow hardware, to some degree. But ultimately it's caused by workflow conflicts, and lack of TBC. Avoiding conflicts, with some hardware (ADVCs) and some sources (VHS, Video8/Hi8) is almost impossible. Those need TBC to tame the chaos, prevent the conflicts. Noting that same NTSC DV loss is unavoidable, even with TBCs -- ie tint changes and color detail halving loss.

- As I repeatedly mention, DV was a 1990s tech that has aged poorly quality-wise. But you are correct, it was easy, and it was made for the tiny IDE (EIDE) HDD of the era, and the slow CPUs of the era (PIII, PII minimum). ProRes422 is fine, even MPEG with good bitrate and GOP is fine. DV wasn't even intended for conversion, just shooting. It was the poor man's capture card, because those SDI SCSI "lossless" capture rigs were insanely expensive at the time.

- JVC decks are the best first defense for VHS tapes. But condition matters, and there are really 3 generations of decks spanning SR and HR. I agree that some models are overrated now, and the irony here is that I'm responsible for some of it. I talked a lot about the 9600-9900 decks in the 90s/00s and even into the early 10s. But those have aged badly now, and we did get some better transports/TBCs in the EOL lines. In other words, it's complicated. You're not wrong, but I'd say you're being a bit harsh in calling the decks worthless (not true at all). It can get nuanced, and then Panasonics deserve a place in the conversations, maybe a few niche others for niche needs. What truly matters is understanding the pros and cons, and identifying proper use cases.

Anyway, wanted to mention that to you.

[Eric-jan]

I'm not going to involve myself anymore on that youtube issue (TechTVUSA) because the youtuber is calling names, and i don't like that, so i am not going to take him seriously, my guess is he has a personal grudge, and it's not about video anymore, in the meantime... i'm still learning, i did discover that a lot of (de)faults in video capturing come from within the hardware itself, even with professional video equipment there are trapdoors, what i'm also looking for is to capture analog video from any common vcr, so it can be done by anyone, i'm still amazed at some times which strange combinations are found in some consumer vcr's or dvd recorders...

[lordsmurf]

in the meantime... i'm still learning, i did discover that a lot of defaults in video capturing come from within the hardware itself, even with professional video equipment there are trapdoors, what i'm also looking for is to capture analog video from any common vcr, so it can be done by anyone, i'm still amazed at some times which strange combinations are found in some consumer vcr's or dvd recorders...

That's a good way to put it ... "trap doors".

"Consumer" gear really is just low-end fodder, all of it disposable in the 90s and 00s. The 80s gear was not really "built better" either, just different.

Now, that said, you can locate decent units for niche uses, but it gets very case-by-case. I've long discussed Sharp/Sony/etc VCRs, non-TBC JVC S-VHS (not really expensive), ES10/15 (as I was the one who freaking found that it has passthrough!!!), etc. Contrary to some BS you may read, it's not always a JVC-DataVideo-AIW type combo. Anybody that has actually read a good breadth of my posts knows this.

I can see that you're learning, keep it up.

Like I said, I mostly wanted to reply to you, so you don't think I'm coming down on you all the time. You were fairly spot-on in your postings there in recent days. Video needs more accuracy, and less BS.

[Eric-jan]

Maybe there must be more refference been made to the "Sticky" subjects, because a lot of questions are repeats of those, and also the answers, some general knowledge is also needed, when i see a user has just registered, when asking a question, the "general knowledge" can be picked up at the "Sticky" subjects…. it will also make clear the "path" for equipment and budget, which is most important.

[ozymango]

This thread reminds me of university politics -- the attacks are so nasty because the stakes are so low.

[Eric-jan]

Also… when a low end capture device does a better job at capturing, it could also be that it's just less "picky", if then quality is still maintained is questionable.. every analog (VCR) video signal needs stabilization, the mechanical part of a VCR just can't be quartz/mains stable….. "on the fly" compression during capture does have a positive effect on less powerfull computer hardware,
but a perfect solution does not exists. and with time it's getting harder, but i still think tapes are better holding out then was expected.

[lordsmurf]

This thread reminds me of university politics -- the attacks are so nasty because the stakes are so low.

Whoa, there's a name I haven't seen in years.

Also… when a low end capture device does a better job at capturing

That's part of the issue, however. It wasn't better.
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