Digitizing old VHS tapes: Anything Else to Look Out for?

[darkarn]

Alright, after all that practice on my tapes, I will work on digitalising my parents' wedding video starting this Monday. Kinda sounds like a final test eh?

The wedding video is recorded into two tapes in 1986. Both of them are a little moldy, with one of them having unusual black mold on it.

Any thing to look out for/do so that I can get the best quality out of it? (Other than cleaning the VCR after each tape)

PS: My parents do not want me to spend any money to get TBCs and SVHS decks etc, so getting new equipment is out.

PPS: This is sounding like a shonen (young men's) manga (Japanese comics) plot...

Thanks!

[jman98]

Well, it comes to mind that perhaps mentioning the model of your VCR and what you are using as a capture device or capture card would be good as some here may have specific advice for specific models. Note that weekends are kind of a down time for a lot of our members, so you may need to bump your post on Monday if nobody has replied other than me.

[redwudz]

darkarn, in the future please use a more descriptive subject title in your posts to allow others to search for similar topics. I will change yours this time. From our rules:

Try to choose a subject that describes your topic.
Please do not use topic subjects like Help me!!! or Problems.

Thanks,
Moderator redwudz

[lordsmurf]

Mold? Pay somebody to transfer it.
All you will end up doing is ruining the tape - AND - ruining the VCR in the process.

Even I won't work with molded tapes. Too much hassle, equipment too valuable.

Not having a good VCR or TBC will give you a not-good DVD.

[darkarn]

Well, it comes to mind that perhaps mentioning the model of your VCR and what you are using as a capture device or capture card would be good as some here may have specific advice for specific models. Note that weekends are kind of a down time for a lot of our members, so you may need to bump your post on Monday if nobody has replied other than me.

Oh yes, forgot about that...

Capture card: Hauppauge PVR 150
VCR: Toshiba V-E31A

[darkarn]

darkarn, in the future please use a more descriptive subject title in your posts to allow others to search for similar topics. I will change yours this time. From our rules:

Try to choose a subject that describes your topic.

Please do not use topic subjects like Help me!!! or Problems.

Thanks,
Moderator redwudz

Sorry, was feeling a little dramatic yesterday...

[darkarn]

Mold? Pay somebody to transfer it.
All you will end up doing is ruining the tape - AND - ruining the VCR in the process.

Even I won't work with molded tapes. Too much hassle, equipment too valuable.

Not having a good VCR or TBC will give you a not-good DVD.

Yep, had to go with that; the tapes look in a pretty bad way compared to what I have worked with so far...

What a pity that my "skills" and equiptment can't do anything to save them eh...