Best Component Capture card for VHS

[frubsen]

Hi all,

I'm looking for the best component capture card to capture from a JVC S-VHS deck. The deck has component, S-Video and composite connections. I've been capturing out of the S-Video into a MiniDV camcorder and am curious to see what the component connection looks like. I realize it probably won't be much different but I would just like to see what the quality is like. Also, I want to get away from the DV codec.

Is the Intensity Pro any good for something like this? The deck has a built in TBC, so the signal should be pretty solid for whatever capture device I end up getting.

[danno78]

Component will not give you a beter picture since the VHS/S-VHS is not a component format. S-Video connection has a bandwith at least tree times higher than VHS color resolution. The low color resolution of VHS standard ask do be treated as composite format. All JVC vcr with DigiPure feature, fix luma-chroma crosstalk with the help of built-in 3D comb filter.
My advice use S-Video with any capture device that has 2D comb filter. If you have a capture card with 3D you may try composite. It is a battle between comb filters, if the quality is beter with S-Video then the comb filter from capture card is under then one from vcr. I have a beter picture with composite.
Almost all PC capture card allow to capture uncompressed.

[robjv1]

I'm not sure how many other devices offer the functionality, but a lot of people have reported issues with using the Intensity Pro with VHS in general, especially without an external TBC. Give it a google, there is a big thread regarding the issues, either on here or AVS-Forum.

If you can find one with a decent return policy, it may be worth a whirl, although as danno78 mentioned, it's unlikely to make a perceivable difference in the quality of your capture, depending on the quality of the comb filer in your SVHS camera. The line TBC in your VCR will likely help with many tapes, but chances are that you'll need either a DataVideo TBC 1000 (~ $480 new) or AVT-8710 (~ $230 new) to deal with trickier tapes.

[jman98]

Another option would be to use Hauppauge's Colossus card. It has a TBC you can turn on with a registry hack. I'm actually doing VHS captures with the card and the TBC has worked well with my tapes. I've got a homemade tape with bad tearing and it looks fine under the Colossus. I've also captured some commercial tapes that I think have Macrovision (I have no way to be sure though) and they look fine too.

If you're not incredibly fussy and you just want something that looks decent without having to spend a ton of money on equipment and a lot of time in processing (ie. you are NOT a perfectionist), it's a good choice. I actually have a composite to component converter that I use with the card. I send the output of my VCR through the converter to the Colossus. I'm using this one:
http://www.ambery.com/costorgrgbco.html
Note that the Colossus can only record video in H.264 format and audio will be in AAC by default unless your source is AC3 and you are using an optical cable to connect audio to the card. Both of those conditions must be true or the card will record in AAC format.

By the way, I really am uninterested if anyone wants to argue that the converter I'm using is not useful. It's what I use and I'm OK with my setup.

[robjv1]

^^ Yeah, I think the biggest complaint with the BM card with VHS footage is that it is extremely sensitive to timing errors, causing the frame to be very unstable and with a tendency to bounce and shift about, so the Collosus might be a better option for what the OP is trying to accomplish, as it sounds relatively problem-free (not withstanding the format/codec restrictions) and for a bit less money too.

Frubsen -- which JVC deck do you have? If you have one of the JVC WVHS decks (SR-W5, SR-W7, SR-W320) be aware that those decks will not pass a VHS/SVHS signal over the component outputs, they will only pass W-VHS over them.

[frubsen]

Hi all, thanks for all the replies.

I'll go into a little more detail about why I'm asking about component capture. The deck I have is a JVC BR-S822U. I bought TBC cards off ebay and put them in the deck. The TBC cards came with the component output connectors.

Now when I first power up the deck and play a tape with the TBC enabled, the picture is black and white on all the outputs. (composite,s-vid,component). I have a monitor with all three input connections, so I can switch between them and see this. The TBC is still engaging and functioning, but the picture is black and white. I know the TBC itself is still working because without it on, I occasionally get some slight jittering on all tapes at certain points. When the TBC is on, the jitters go away.

Anyways, after the deck has been on for a while, the colour starts to come back into the picture, however on the s-video and composite outputs, the chroma seems to be just cranked to the max, and even using the proc amp controls to dial the chroma back doesn't fix it. There is also a slight colour phase shift it seems. It takes a couple hours of the deck being on before everything calms down and the picture looks like it's supposed to. I'm guessing the capacitors on the TBC cards are starting to go bad and that's why the deck has to be warmed up first before it'll work properly.

Now after only a few minutes, the component output seems to clear up and work properly. The is no chroma shift or choma phase shift. The picture looks like it should. I'm guessing the capacitors along the path that the video signal takes to get to the component output aren't as bad as the ones to the other two outputs and that's why the picture seems to clear up on it first.

So that is why I am inquiring about a component capture card. Right now I have been doing S-Video into a MiniDV camcorder and am stuck with the DV codec. I'm just not crazy about the 4:1:1 colour sampling especially when I am usually converting my videos to a DVD.

The TBC cards are full frame in the deck from what I understand so I shouldn't any issues regarding a non-stable sync. I also have access to a DPS-465 Frame Synchronizer.

I'd rather not capture straight to H.264. I'd rather go to an 4:2:2 MJPEG codec or a lossless codec like huffyuv or lagarith.

[robjv1]

Hi all, thanks for all the replies.

Now after only a few minutes, the component output seems to clear up and work properly. The is no chroma shift or choma phase shift. The picture looks like it should. I'm guessing the capacitors along the path that the video signal takes to get to the component output aren't as bad as the ones to the other two outputs and that's why the picture seems to clear up on it first.

So that is why I am inquiring about a component capture card. Right now I have been doing S-Video into a MiniDV camcorder and am stuck with the DV codec. I'm just not crazy about the 4:1:1 colour sampling especially when I am usually converting my videos to a DVD.

The TBC cards are full frame in the deck from what I understand so I shouldn't any issues regarding a non-stable sync. I also have access to a DPS-465 Frame Synchronizer.

Gotcha. How frustrating! Have you been able to determine if it's the capacitors on the card itself or in the VCR along the pathway that are going bad? I suppose you could always swap in another set of TBC cards to make that determination if they aren't hard to come by.

Well, the BM is probably your best bet then if there are no other suggestions, although many users report other issues besides the ones I've mentioned, so it would be worth googling. They just don't seem to be well suited for VHS capture -- but if you do get one, please report back here with your observations!

[frubsen]

Gotcha. How frustrating! Have you been able to determine if it's the capacitors on the card itself or in the VCR along the pathway that are going bad? I suppose you could always swap in another set of TBC cards to make that determination if they aren't hard to come by.

It's definitely the caps on the card. When I turn the TBC off, the video looks fine right from turning on the deck. Although the picture occasionally jitters like I said previously, which is why I got the TBC cards in the first place!

As far as getting new cards, it was hard enough finding these ones without paying an arm and a leg. Most people weren't willing to pull the cards out of their decks and sell them to me separately. I may grab the BM Intensity, just gotta wait for Christmas to end and pay off all those bills!

[robjv1]

Yeah, sometimes the TBCs themselves can cause jitter too, the VCR TBCs sometimes give with one hand and take away with another -- they'll remove all kinds of picture defects and certain types of jitter, while causing their own brand of jitter when engaged. It's all a game of trade offs I suppose.

[timothyd_1975]

Hi Frubsen. Have you had any luck finding a good capture device? I seem to be in the same boat as you:-

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/354894-Recommendation-for-S-VHS-Component-Capture-Device-or-Card

[frubsen]

Hi Timothy,

I've put that on the back burner for now. I've been doing more Video8 and Digital8 transfers recently and not too many VHS. When I do the VHS, I've just been using the S-Video out for now. It seems to be doing a pretty good job.