Best Capture Card for VHS to DVD

[Christof999]

Hello all,

I am about to convert a bunch of old VHS tapes that are pretty old (10-20 years) and only in decent shape. I love these tapes and want to convert them to DVDs. I understand however that they are limited being what they are but nevertheless I want to best quality I can afford. My budget is about $100-$175. I was looking at the Canopus ADVC300, however it is way out of my price range. I am looking for something that perhaps can improve the incoming signal giving me a better quality picture. I looked at the ATI 650 pro, and loved its features however this card has been recalled due to its TV tuner being broken and is no longer available. Can someone please advise me on a Capture device in the $100-$150 price range that would suit my needs ? I am looking to get a decent copy and hopefully remove some of the artifacts.

My other question is what type of software would allow me to brighten or correct colours, sharpen or remove artifacts etc.

Finally is it better to buy a cheap capture card and improve the video with software or invest in the cards that improve video at the hardware level ?

Thanks
Christopher

[Bjs]

If you want something decent and for a price that dosent hit the pocket like other's , then I highly recommend this unit :

http://www.aver.com/2005home/product/videocapture/ezmakerpci/ezmakerpci.shtml

This device make's doing this work a piece of cake for first timer's .

And it dosent have half the problem's other's have ... it dose the work without issue's .

If you want to know how to install these device's correctly ... ask me when you get one ... there's the correct way , and the wrong way .

[Christof999]

Hmm looks a bit simplistic and doesnt mention any filters it has...

How does this compare to say the Canopus ?

Any other cards that would give good quality for VHS ?

[Christof999]

I really just want to get the project done.

Is there a way to do all the things that the Canopus does with software after capturing uncompressed video ? Ive got the harddrive space and a fast CPU.

Anyone have any opinions on ATI/AMD theatre pro 550/650 ?

Thanks
C.

[anonjon]

What type of VCR do you have? That counts in a large way when you're contemplating quality. I just pass through my miniDV camcorder into my computer, but I bought a nice used VCR from eBay which makes all the difference. To put it simply, I wouldn't expect much from software after you're done capturing. Perhaps someone can correct me on that, but "garbage in, garbage out". Get a VCR which cleans up the image and stablizes it.

[Christof999]

Hi,

I will be buying a JVC vcr with s-video, 4 heads and 19 micron heads.

My top priorites in this are

Best Quality, So I dont mind using Dual Layer DVDs for 9 GB file size.
I will be watching it on mainly newer TVs and projectors so I prefere to be able to deinterlace the image, with as little quality loss as possible.
I would like to do some editing on it, and don't mind rendering at all. I have tons of disk space and a fast computer, so I prefere uncompressed video if it will make for better quality.
Being able to sharpen, image, brighten colour, make less grainy, remove artifacts etc is my most important goal.
I need to be able to beat macrovision somehow.


With these criteria, whats the best capture card, in terms of visual quality I can get for around $100-$200 ?

Whats the best software I can use to make the picture the best.

Thanks
Christopher

[TheFamilyMan]

I use one of these to capture from a VCR using huffyuv AVI with excellent results:
http://www.visiontek.com/products/theater/550pro.html
It's the model previous to the 650; its only shortcoming compared to the 650 is that it does not support digital TV. As a capture card it's a bit of overkill, but the quality I've gotten is superb. It has built in noise reduction and comb filters. It works perfectly with VirtualDub 6.x to capture AVI format. Also, this visiontek card comes with BeyondTV4, which IMO is an excellent PVR application that works perfectly with this card to record TV shows directly to MPEG2.

Also consider that you'll need some sort of TBC with your VCR (either external or built in) to correct the "flag waving" picture effect (you know it when you see it, verticle straight edges are no longer straight) that are common with older VHS tapes. If they are commercial tapes, you'll need something to remove copy protection, which the 550 is quite sensitive to. Good Luck!

[Christof999]

Thatnks.

I was looking at the 550 or 650.

Where can I get a TBC, or which VCRs have it built in ? I am on a budget.

And yes these are Commercial tapes (ancient barbarian movies like deathstalker 3 that will never be released on DVD) so what can I use for copy protection ?

Thanks
C.

[TheFamilyMan]

I use a JVC model very simular to this. It has lots of very useful settings for getting the most out of old tapes, including a TBC:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=2129&A=details&Q=&sku=335817&is=REG&...goryNavigation
A bit pricy, but I've no regrets about buying one. Before investing in a copy protection defeater, it's worth testing to see if your tapes are problematic. There are lots of devices from somewhat cheap to very expensive. There are LOTS of threads here on these devices, I suggest you spend some time using the forum search to find out more.

[Christof999]

Hi there,

as I said before I am converting old VHS tapes to DVD.

Quality is my only real concern other than price. As a result I am looking to do extended editing on the file and thought avi would be best, later encoding to MPEG2. Can someone help me choose a good capture device to this ? Again I want the highest quality, better than the VHS, by cleaning colour and artifacts. I believe using avi and doing editing, later encoding to MPEG will give me the best quality. If Im wrong please let me know.

Also, It would be nice if the card ignored macrovision, but I think I can use software to get around that.

I though of an AIW card, which would be best ?

Thanks
Christopher

[jameshgross]

One thing to remember is you cann't get better then the source material.
Here ius what i do.
VCR -> Hauppauge WINPVR USB2.0 -> MPEG -> HD -> edit with WOMBLE and author with TMPEGenc DVD Author.
A really good VCR is important, this will reduce noise and color shifting.

[Christof999]

Hmm but cant you use filters to edit out noise, fuzz and boost colours ?

Wouldnt that be considered better than the source material ?

C.

[jameshgross]

When ever you apply a filter you are removing something. Therefore even if the results look better its not the original.
My goal is to make as faithful a copy of the original source material as possible.
Later if I wish to Manipulate the video I have a reference copy on DVD.

[theewizard]

get something with hardware encoding to mpeg2 at dvd video bitrates 2500k etc..

I have used the 'ads tech' dvdxpress with very good results

it has hardware encoding and only the converted data is sent to the PC via the USB port, so the PC is basically saving a download in realtime, not as CPU intensive as software encoding

comes with good editing and authoring software

my veraion is now sold for about $50-$70, newer versions support mpeg4 in hardware and cost in the $100-$150 range

[Marvingj]

Ok Heres a great deal...Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-350 TV Tuner Card, include WinTV-Editor, WinTV-Scheduler, plus Ulead's DVD MovieFactory for under $126.99 at www.directrom.com.....Super Deal & your left with a few Bucks. Great Card & Free Fairly Good Software...

[CCEncoder]

Why has all of you forgot about the CHIPSET to use? I heard BT878 are the best and they come in Pinnacle PRO PCTV give that a try and let me know, about the VCR make sure it has TBC.
@FamilyMan
If you think that was expensive, I bought a 350$ AG-1980 unfortunately the seller said he never used it but he didn't say it was previously used! it has color bar distortions! I wish someone help me, the technician says that part is not available anymore!!!! I'll keep my hunting. I'll give that VCR a try once I repair my beloved vcrs.

[victoriabears]

I think the originator of this thread is asking for a simple way to do it and then getting into filters etc.
I have tried advc300/Canopus MVR1000/ADS Pyro and Hauppauge pvr350, which beats the lot of them.
I am using a jvc vcr with tbc/dnr, 9911(Ntsc), 8965(pal).
The vcr used to play the vhs is very important and is more important than the method of capture, the old rubbish in/out syndrome.
I still think a jvc dvd recorder, or toshiba, is best to convert your vhs to dvd, but the pvr350 on SOME tapes has given me equal quality.
Try it simple first, then get complicated if you don;t like the result, don;t do like me and make it complicated to start with.