restore and capturing VHS to convert to DVD

[WeatherSTAR-XL]

Hello. I'm new here, so forgive me if I don't know what I'm talking about. I recorded a VHS tape
in 2002 in SP mode. The quality is pretty good, but there are a few spots that need improvement.
for example, there are spots where the audio pops/buzzes continually. I'm not sure if it is the actual tape, or if its just my VCR. Also, the volume is very LOW on the tape. Ocassionally, the
screen jitters, as well. I'd like to improve all of these things, but im not sure how to go about
doing that.

When i tried to capture the video onto my computer via TV Tuner, the quality was horrible. Should I get a new TV Tuner, or get an entirely different capturing device? I don't want to
spend much money on this.

Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

-Gil

[redwudz]

I find that AVI type formats are easier to filter than MPEG. You can get several inexpensive capture cards that capture to AVI. But you do need a fairly fast computer and a lot of hard drive space. You may be able to pick up a older ATI capture card for a low price. You could capture with the HuffyUV or PicVideo codecs, though the latter is payware.

If not, a MPEG capture card is another alternative. A lot depends on how much of this you plan to do. To have the best captures form VHS tape, you need a good VHS deck and a TBC (Time Base Corrector). A TBC stabilizes the VCR signal. Neither are inexpensive for good quality.

Another option is capture to a DVD recorder. What I use is a ADVC-100 converter. It converts the VHS to DV format that is easy to edit and filter. But it does cost about $200+.

What brand and model is your present TV tuner card? You may be able to 'fine tune' it a little and get better quality output.

Once you get it on the computer with decent quality, then you can see about filtering.

And welcome to our forums.

[WeatherSTAR-XL]

Thank you so much for replies. It'll be hard, cause like i said, I don't want to spend much money. My TV Tuner is a Hauppauge WinTV USB. Im planning on getting a new one anyway. Any suggestions?

[lordsmurf]

You can't do what you want without spending a lot of money. If it's just a couple of tapes, consider paying a service that specializes in restoring VHS quality to DVD.

[yoda313]

well if you just want to fix the audio you could try using an audio editor to do that. THe video would require better transfer equipment. But if you can live with the picture quality dub it with the equipment you have and then dump the audio to a wav file and use an audio editor like audacity or something fancier if you want. Then you can try depopping it and then remix the audio with your existing video.

Fixing the audio should be pretty easy and cheap. the video will require more work.

As lordsmurf suggested you might be better off getting pro help if its only for a limited project.