Panasonic NV-HS800B

[Tafflad]

I have a Panasonic NV-HS800B SVHS vcr

I have in the past played NTSC videos & converted via 2nd VCR to PAL.

Now when I try I can't get any NTSC videos to play ........ is my memory screwed up and it was not their VCR but a different one that played NTSC tapes?

This was the 'last' latest & greatest VCR I bought.

If it can't what is the cheapest way to get a single tape converted to a DVD or even just a DV file, does anyone on forum offer this service ?
I'm in the UK

[hech54]

I have in the past played NTSC videos & converted via 2nd VCR to PAL.

Not without a converter in-between you didn't.
You can WATCH an NTSC tape in a PAL machine/country, but is it very difficult to capture/record that signal. The signal coming out is neither NTSC or PAL.....it is a quasi/hybrid signal.

[Tafflad]

I have in the past played NTSC videos & converted via 2nd VCR to PAL.

Not without a converter in-between you didn't.
You can WATCH an NTSC tape in a PAL machine/country, but is it very difficult to capture/record that signal. The signal coming out is neither NTSC or PAL.....it is a quasi/hybrid signal.

I certainly did copies of this tape previously ... VHS NTSC master to VHS PAL copy ....... never had a converter, so not sure what VCR I used to do this.

[Tafflad]

Thinking back, about 15 yrs ago (when I bought the tape) I made a Video tape to Video tape copy I borrowed by Fathers VCR ... that would not have been S-VHS.
Maybe it did not have S-Video output ... in which case I would have almost certainly used SCART leads for that VCR to TV, and S-Video to my VCR

Maybe that is how it sorted out sync and allowed the copy.

Unless someone who knows better than me can suggest a fix ... I am screwed.

My current tap to PC setup is ...
NV-HS800 output on S-Video plus L&R audio leads
Into a Canopus ADVC300
Firewire into PC
Using WINDV for capture.

Put a PAL cassette into VCR and capture is fine, put in the NTSC cassette and no frames are received ..... yet VCR display shows it's playing fine.
Maybe nothing out over S-Video.

There is also composite video ... but quality would presumably be dire if it worked

[hech54]

I can capture PAL60(NTSC played through a PAL VCR) with my Hauppauge USB Live2 and WinTV7, I get straight NTSC though...no conversion.
Here is the info from the capture:
Format : MPEG-PS
File size : 2.23 GiB
Duration : 39mn 19s
Overall bit rate : 8 131 Kbps

Video
ID : 224 (0xE0)
Format : MPEG Video
Format version : Version 2
Format profile : Main@Main
Format settings, BVOP : Yes
Format settings, Matrix : Default
Format settings, GOP : M=3, N=12
Duration : 39mn 19s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 7 777 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 8 500 Kbps
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate : 29.970 fps
Standard : NTSC
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Interlaced
Scan order : Top Field First
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.751
Stream size : 2.14 GiB (96%)

Audio
ID : 192 (0xC0)
Format : MPEG Audio
Format version : Version 1
Format profile : Layer 2
Duration : 39mn 18s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 192 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Video delay : -66ms
Stream size : 54.0 MiB (2%)


+EDIT - it's very rare/difficult to find hardware and software that will accomplish this by the way.

[Tafflad]

what was the physical connection s-video or scart ?

[DB83]

I can not think of a single setup where you could connect two UK VCRs and record a PAL signal from a NTSC - or in your case a PAL60 - source UNLESS the playing VCR was multi playback. That is to say the unit could play virtually anything and output a pure PAL signal.

Your ADVC300 is no doubt set for PAL input. Input PAL60 into that and you get a picture freeze. Change the input selection on the ADVC to NTSC and you will get a moving picture but in black and white.

There are capture devices that support PAL60 - I believe the later easycaps did and maybe the EZcap116.

But that is only half the issue. That NTSC tape may have macrovision copy protection which means you can play it but not capture from it without additional equipement. If the tape is Disney then I guarantee it will have one form of macrovision - there are IIRC 3.

No store will handle commerial tapes even if the content is not on dvd.

If I read your PenName correctly and you come from that part of the world in shouting distance of the Millenium Stadium, I may be able to help. PM me if you are curious.

[hech54]

what was the physical connection s-video or scart ?

I really don't remember. It doesn't matter anyway. Connection makes no difference when capturing NTSC through a PAL machine. You can easily VIEW it, but capturing/recording is a completely different animal.

[DB83]

I may be having a 'grey' moment but it just occured what would happen if you just connected the two VCRs together by a simple coax cable.

[Tafflad]

Slight improvement (and additional info)
I connected VCR to Canopus ADVC300 using S-Video and LR audio
Set the ADVC300 to NTSC
Firewire from ADVC300 to PC

WinDV now captures a video stream, but it is black & white

This at least proves something is coming out of VCR.

Any suggestions of any settings I need to change on VCR/Canopus/PC or am I still screwed without some external help

[DB83]

WinDV now captures a video stream, but it is black & white

Which is exactly as I said in post#7

The good news is that there appears to be no mv if you do see a picture (not going light and then dark)

[Tafflad]

not sure what MV is ... but it's running as a B&W movie.

I looked at file info its says:
General
Complete name : E:\Users\Rick\Desktop\.13-09-03_11-41.00.avi
Format : AVI
Format/Info : Audio Video Interleave
Commercial name : DV
File size : 107 MiB
Duration : 29s 329ms
Overall bit rate mode : Constant
Overall bit rate : 30.5 Mbps

Video
ID : 0
Format : DV
Codec ID : dvsd
Codec ID/Hint : Sony
Duration : 29s 329ms
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 24.4 Mbps
Encoded bit rate : 28.8 Mbps
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 29.970 fps
Standard : NTSC
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:1:1
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Interlaced
Scan order : Bottom Field First
Compression mode : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 2.357
Time code of first frame : 00:12:36;01
Time code source : Subcode time code
Stream size : 101 MiB (94%)

Audio
ID : 1
Format : PCM
Format settings, Endianness : Little
Format settings, Sign : Signed
Codec ID : 1
Duration : 29s 329ms
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 1 536 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Stream size : 5.37 MiB (5%)
Alignment : Aligned on interleaves
Interleave, duration : 33 ms (1.00 video frame)
Interleave, preload duration : 33 ms

[DB83]

MV = macrovision = copy protection.

You have a standard NTSC DV file but the canopus cannot handle the PAL60 output so removes all the colour from the signal.

Your simplest option is a capture device that handles PAL60 - whether that is viable if you only have one tape - or much more expensive standards conversion equipment and not all of those handle PAL60 input.

[2Bdecided]

Your simplest option is a capture device that handles PAL60 - whether that is viable if you only have one tape - or much more expensive standards conversion equipment and not all of those handle PAL60 input.

Somewhere between the two in terms of cost is a half-decent normal American NTSC VHS machine (if you can find one) and a transformer to feed 110V to it. The ADVC will capture the real NTSC from a normal NTSC VCR just fine, and everyone I've seen is happy with the 110V 50Hz you'll get from a suitable transformer used in the UK from a 230V 50Hz source.


The video quality of affordable hardware standards conversion (either in a stand-alone box, or built into a world-standards VCR) is pretty terrible. Much better to avoid it.


For one tape, send it to someone else and tell them to capture to 480i60 without format conversion.


Cheers,
David.

[Tafflad]

Thanks