Need help identifying analog artifact

[helmutik]

Hi,
in the process of capturing my 20 years old VHS tapes through Elgato HD GC via composite output directly into Elgato, I noted a very noticeable horizontal line artifact that also shows when just playing the tapes on TV and is present on all tapes, including commercial and much newer tapes. Adjusting tape tracking does not do anything, cleaning video heads with a cleaning tape did not help either. Before I invest in a TBC or DVD recorder (reading many posts here makes me think this could be timing artifact), I want to be sure that the device will have a chance to correct this. Thanks for any help. BTW, these are PAL VHS tapes, but the same artifact shows on NTSC tapes, too. I am using a multistandard VCR Panasonic NV-F55. Examples attached. Thanks for any help.

[jagabo]

The first thing you should do is capture with much higher bitrates. And do not deinterlace (capture as 25i, aka 50i, not 25p). The horizontal line noise is probably a problem with the VHS deck. I don't think a TBC will help with that. A line TBC will straighten out the vertical edges.

[helmutik]

Thanks for your quick reply. The Elgato HC GC captures the VHS at over 5mb/s. It was Vegas where I cut a little piece of the footage for posting that compressed it down below 1 mb/s. But the line noise is on both and seems to be indeed coming from the VCR. I was wondering about somehow switching the deinterlacing off in the Elgato, but I don't think it gives me the option. I believe it deinteralces automatically. (If I am wrong, please someone let me know how to turn it off). If I really need a new VCR, then I will need to find one in PAL on ebay. I hoped there would be easier solution. Thanks again.

[helmutik]

I can't find the JVC HR-S7965EK or Panasonic NV-FS200 that have been recommended on this forum as PAL S-VHS decks anywhere. Does anyone know where to buy them or rent them in the US? Thanks.

[manono]

Since they're PAL models, it stands to reason they'd be hard to come by in the US. Checking the UK EBay is your best bet. I got my PAL VCR from there. Not all will ship to the US, but some can be swayed by writing and asking.

And those aren't the only decent PAL VCRs. Broaden your list a bit and you should find something that fits the bill.

[jagabo]

Before investing in an S-VHS deck see if you can borrow a VHS deck from a friend or family member. It may work better than the deck you have.

[helmutik]

Thanks. I will be actually in Europe next month, so I plan to take one of my tapes with me and play it there. If it plays better there, I am still thinking about getting an S-VHS for the line TBC and S-video output (even though I have only plain VHS tapes) to replace the current presumably faulty VHS. My family videos are precious to me so I want to give them the best shot. Or is it not going to make any difference?

[jagabo]

A good head cleaning might help your current deck.

[2Bdecided]

Checking the UK EBay is your best bet.

There's a much wider selection on ebay.de

It's hard to find a decent one though, whatever the seller says. It's much easier to buy any half-decent VHS deck that still works well, and run the output through something with a good VHS-friendly line TBC (certain DVD-R machines, certain DV camcorders).

Cheers,
David.

[jagabo]

It's much easier to buy any half-decent VHS deck that still works well, and run the output through something with a good VHS-friendly line TBC (certain DVD-R machines, certain DV camcorders).

It's much cheaper and certainly worth a try.
https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/319420-Who-uses-a-DVD-recorder-as-a-line-TBC-and-what-do-you-use

[helmutik]

Thanks Jagabo and David, for your help. So I took your advice David, and looked at ebay.de and you were right, there are plenty of used Toshibas S-VHS decks HR-S series. Most commonly 7711 (with 2MB NR/TBC) and a few 9500 (with 4MB NR/TBC). The 9500 is marked as "ideal tool for digitizing VHS tapes". The are offered for roughly 200EUR. I am not sure if the reg. VHS deck plus DVD recorder would be that much cheaper. I have one stupid question though: Since voltage converter does not change the 60Hz to 50Hz of course, is it possible that the tape speed when used here in the US might be faster? (BTW I am gonna give a good cleaning to my current unit this weekend using some of the instructions from this forum - conceivably, the 15 years old cleaning tape I used is no longer perfect -lol)

[jagabo]

Since voltage converter does not change the 60Hz to 50Hz of course, is it possible that the tape speed when used here in the US might be faster?

No. The AC power is converted to DC. All the electronics in the VCR are powered by that DC.