Capturing VHS-C Tapes

[SHEIMWOLF]

I'm trying to find the best solution to capturing VHS-C tapes to a digital form. I've decided to capture them to MiniDV tapes for archiving and then I can edit them later, but my VHS-C camcorder no longer works and the VHS-C adapter for my VCR keeps eating the tapes when it's fastforwarding. Is this pretty common for a VHS-C adapter? Should I just rent/borrow/buy a new VHS-C camcorder to archive the 30 or so tapes that I have? Any helpful comments would be great. Thanks

[Tommyknocker]

I believe it is your VHS-C adapter.

[SHEIMWOLF]

This the third adapter I've used with the same problem. Are you saying it's adapter specific or just any adapter would be bad/do the same thing?

Thanks

[Tommyknocker]

I did not know it was your third adapter, so it probably is not the adapter. Your VCR, has it been cleaned lately? Do any of your regular VHS tapes have the same problem with your VCR?

[overloaded_ide]

I'm trying to find the best solution to capturing VHS-C tapes to a digital form. I've decided to capture them to MiniDV tapes for archiving and then I can edit them later

If your adapter and VCR were working correctly, your tapes should not be getting eatin unless your tapes are at fault somehow. I'm sure you know you have a problem there somewhere, just not where. I once had a VHS-c camcorder and the adapter did everything just fine that it was supposed to do.

If all else fails, if you can play the tapes, then you could play in one vcr and record on another to regular VHS tapes. You'll lose a generation of quality they say, but is it actually noticeable? Then you should be able to fast forward your copies.

Or you could capture to the computer if you have a capture device and can play the tapes. Then edit them. I assume if you want ot fast forward you are wanting to skip parts. You could cut those parts after capturing the entire movie to pc. Not sure how you would put it back onto miniDV tapes though. Depends on what hardware you have.

You could just burn em onto CDs or DVD and forget the tapes altogether
I am not sure, but I think you could get VHS-c quality on a VCD just fine.

I could be wrong, but don't all tapes have the same problem with decaying or being eatin at times? Just DV is better quality than analog, but I think a tape is a tape. Be it cassettes, 8 tracks, beta, VHS or DV.

If all else fails, can you play the tapes, just not fast forward them? If so, just sit through the entire movie in play mode capturing just the parts you want. Or capture the entire movie to your DV tape, then later cut the parts you don't want and make another copy.

[ronnylov]

Just rent/borrow a VHS-C camcorder and a miniDV camcorder with analogue input. Play on one and record on the other one.

[SHEIMWOLF]

Thanks for all the direction, I think I've decided to look into getting/borrowing a VHS-C camcorder. My last question is, does anyone know which VHS-C camcorder has stereo output jacks?

Thanks again

[overloaded_ide]

Did you record in stereo to the VHS-c?
If not you could probably get by with a 1to2 patch cable on the audio and send the one mono channel to both left and right stereo channels while recording.