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  1. Hello,

    I've been dabbling in video capturing/editing for a number of years and I recently have gotten hooked on getting old pbs/bbc vhs tapes to dvd and trying to make them the best possible quality. It started off as a small side project for my nephews but now it has snowballed into something I actually enjoy doing. Right now I have an extremely basic setup. It basically "does the job", My setup is as follows....

    - Sony SLV N70
    - Hauppauge USB2Live Capture Device

    As I said very very basic. I would like to "upgrade" my setup slightly, I know that equipment can run into the hundreds/thousands. So I've done some reading and have a rough idea of what I would like but would like some insight before dropping any money on something that won't help me. So for starters here are the common problems I run into with vhs tapes

    - Tracking issues in the middle of a tape randomly (the 30-40 tapes I've done already I've seen it 3 times)
    - Cracks/lines/fuzz randomly appears and disappears near the bottom of the screen and sometimes in the middle
    - Colors are sometimes washed or a bit dark

    Now the only downside of doing this is I can't keep the tapes. All of them are rented through the local library here so I have roughly 2-3 weeks to capture it. After all of that I've found that I would probably need the following equipment in order to prevent most of what is happening above

    - Vidicraft Proc Amp
    - VIDICRAFT Detailer II
    - Archer Video Sound Processor

    Would that help me at all? Do I have a better alternative? that might run me a little cheaper or a little more expensive but give me better options? Also while on the topic, what should I use for software? I know about avisynth and vdub but I have no problem using another program if it has more options.

    Thanks
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  2. Banned
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    The proc amp will help, but be very sparing with that detailer. Sharpening noisy old VHS with detailers accentuates defects as well as everything else. Sharpened tape is next to impossible to repair. To clean tape noise and defects, VHS should be captured to lossless AVI with a line-tbc or line tbc pass-thru device. It's impossible to repair bad frames and physical problems during capture. You'll need Avisynth for that. If the tapes are copy protected, the pass-thru device or a full-frame tbc of some kind will be will be mandatory.

    It doesn't take long to capture, compared to how long it takes to clean up. Be prepared for some learning.

    I still have my old SONY SLV-N70. It has good contrast and color, and a lot of noise. In fact, it has too much contrast -- the proc amp can help with that. Once in a great while I use it to track tapes with ungodly damage, but the results are a mess to clean. It's probably a bit late in the game to start looking for a better player from the mid- to late 1990's, so that's what you'll have to make do.

    If you can, and if you have time, make two captures before returning the tape. You never can tell . . .
    Last edited by sanlyn; 23rd Mar 2014 at 12:37.
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  3. Thanks for the info sanlyn

    I wouldn't mind keeping my eyes peeled for a better vhs player as this one was an old one from my parents house that sat in their guest bedroom for years and years untouched. I assume I would need to find a good svhs system? and that is fine with the amount of time it will take to clean up and learn I capture maybe 6 videos a month so absolutely 0 rush.
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  4. Banned
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    An SHVS player plays VHS as VHS. Period. The SVHS advantage is that many SVHS players have s-video outputs. Remember, however, that SVHS and s-video aren't the same thing. SVHS is a tape format, while s-video is a type of signal transmission. s-video can transmit VHS, SVHS, DVD, or whatever signal is fed into it (but s-video circuits can't carry HD). Usually it's a cleaner signal than composite, but much depends on the s-video circuitry of the components involved. You can usually expect cleaner color and detail with s-video output. But I have seen composite setups that look quite good, coming from a good player.

    You probably have heard of prosumer SVHS machines from Panasonic and JVC (I would not recommend JVC for 6-hour tape playback). Finding one that's still in good condition is a veritable lottery. For years now, pros and semi-pros have run those machines to death. Most of the more popular non-SVHS VCR's that you can find today in decent working condition with good playback were made between 1995-1998. By 2000, there were still a few good players being made, including some very high-priced prosumer models. But for the most part VCR makers had begun the transition to digital video; players became more and more like tin and plastic junk.

    I'd search this forum for posts by member Orsetto, who has experience with more VCR's than you could imagine. Some of these discussions get pretty heated at times, as everyone who owns a working unit stubbornly maintains that theirs is the "best", but there's some good info in those threads. You might also browse for discussions on used DVD players as pass-thru tbc devices, many of which can defeat copy protection. These pass-thus are not $5000 studio units, but they make visible and sometimes astonishing improvements in tape playback. There are prosumer VCR's's with built-in TBC's and other corrective circuitry. These have their pros and cons; they do improve certain aspects of tape playback, but all use circuitry that is somewhat primitive by today's standards and introduce their own artifacts of one kind or another.

    The biggest problem with VHS restoration is that every tape -- and I mean every one -- has its own problems. Some of them are so easy to restore and denoise that it goes to your head. The next tape will drive you ballistic for weeks or months. One thing to remember is that VHS can't look like DVD. But it can be improved to a remarkable degree. If nothing else, just getting rid of the noise can be a quantum improvement.

    Spend a day or two looking over some of the problems people encounter in the capture and restoration forums. It might seem daunting at first -- admittedly, some of the source material is so godawful, you wonder why people bother. But these sources have meaning for their owners. That's why they come here.
    Last edited by sanlyn; 23rd Mar 2014 at 12:37.
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  5. thanks for the info I've decided to look into getting the Panasonic AG1970 as it won't break my bank and the wife will understand $100 missing . On the topic of vcrs I've been interested in cleaning out my vcr as I can't control who used it before Me and I'm sure it was never cleaned etc. I know "vcr cleaner tapes" are horrible and pretty much useless or as one article I read said "you'd have better results pouring beer into your vcr" I emailed a local repair shop and was told the following....

    I clean the entire tape path with swabs and cleaning fluids designed for this. I charge $49.95 labor + $4.00 supplies + tax for this service.
    does this sound correct? or should I ask for more info? I know to stay away from people who use vcr cleaner tapes and can-of-air
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  6. Banned
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    Sounds correct. Cleaning fluid and chamois swabs for electronics are specifically designed for it. I do it myself occasionally.....very carefully, of course. Likely he might degauss the heads, as well -- something I don't have the gear for. If you ever figure how to this yourself, don't start wiping up every spec of lubrication you see on the chassis: it's there for a purpose. The tech speaks as if he knows how to clean that stuff.

    It's good that you checked first. Some shops just run a cleaning tape, and run it several times! I spent $50 for that a few years back -- then had to take it elsewhere and spent $160 to have the ruined Dynamorphous heads replaced.
    Last edited by sanlyn; 23rd Mar 2014 at 12:37.
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  7. yeah thats why I don't want to clean it myself I have OCD with cleaning lol. I'll have that vcr spit shined in no time and probably will never work again lol.

    Ah good the repair guy is 1 town over lol saves me a trip out of state
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