VHS-DVD Transfer noob question... Honestech 7.0 has tint distortion

[melba]

I have all these ancient collections of VHS stuff, most of it not even available on DVD at all in any form, some just TV stuff, a whole set of old Star Treks, an almost full set of Soap. Etc... I'm not rich enough to rebuy it even if I could find some of it. And I prefer the VHS version of the ST:TOS because they "remade" it when they re-mastered it. So I have a lot of work to do.

I am using Honestech 7.0, and the upper 1/3 to 1/5 of the screen is totally distorted color-wise. It's like someone's randomly changing the Tint on that part of he screen from green to purple and back and forth. The resulting DVD has a less intense version of that tint problem, but I did a test...

I set up the player so that it plays to the TV at the same time. the TV does not show the distortion, only the transfer software and resulting DVD.

I googled it, nothing.

There are a lot of other issues like once in a while I have to close and re-open the software or I just get a one-line squished screen in the preview. I don't see a way to update the software. And nobody else seems to be complaining of this problem.

That hints to me that it's a crap product and I should look elsewhere, or video input is being distorted through the USB device. What do you suggest? What VHS to DVD transfer solution do you like better? or is there a fix for this and I just don't see it anywhere?

I appreciate any help! Thanks in advance.

[usually_quiet]

Your capture device may not be the source of your problems. Capture devices perform best with a clean, orderly analog signal. Playing a VHS tape creates a noisy, messy analog signal. TVs, particularly analog CRT TVs, cope much better with the noise and disorder. You need a clean signal to test your capture device, such as that from a cable box or one of the over-the-air digital to analog converter boxes that were popular in 2008-2009 at the time we were switching to digital for broadcast TV.

[melba]

Thanks for explaining that. OK, VHS analog signals are "messy" so then how do I get them easily onto DVD without much struggle? Since the Honestech solution isn't helpful, what is the right way?

Note that none of my VHS's are intended to be uploaded, I just don't want to lose my collection just because technology has changed. This is an archiving process, not an uploading or sharing plan.

Using a FUNAI type of thing doesn't work either... it keeps telling me they're copy protected. Yeah, but I'm quite sure it was decided that archiving purposes were not illegal. Otherwise why would the honestech device work at all?

Obviously I'm missing something, what am I missing here?

Edit: I even considered giving them to a local VHS to DVD service. But can you imagine it? 300 VHS tapes at $15 a pop? Seriously? Maybe if I were Bill Gates. And if it's legal for them, it's legal for me. So where are the solutions?

[usually_quiet]

Thanks for explaining that. OK, VHS analog signals are "messy" so then how do I get them easily onto DVD without much struggle? Since the Honestech solution isn't helpful, what is the right way?

Note that none of my VHS's are intended to be uploaded, I just don't want to lose my collection just because technology has changed. This is an archiving process, not an uploading or sharing plan.

Using a FUNAI type of thing doesn't work either... it keeps telling me they're copy protected. Yeah, but I'm quite sure it was decided that archiving purposes were not illegal. Otherwise why would the honestech device work at all?

Obviously I'm missing something, what am I missing here?

Edit: I even considered giving them to a local VHS to DVD service. But can you imagine it? 300 VHS tapes at $15 a pop? Seriously? Maybe if I were Bill Gates. And if it's legal for them, it's legal for me. So where are the solutions?

So, all or many of the tapes in your collection are commercial VHS tapes you bought, not home VHS recordings? In that case, the color distortions you are seeing is typical of what happens with Macrovision copy protection. Macrovision is the source of the problem, not the capture device you have or its software. There are probably no Windows 8.x compatible capture devices which ignore Macrovision. You need a video clarifier/video stabilizer or a full-frame time base corrector to remove Macrovision from the VHS signal prior to it reaching the capture device.

Most VHS transfer services would decline a job that involved copying commercial VHS tapes. It is legally murky.

Also, transferring 300 tapes verges on insanity. Doing a good job with VHS transfer is not easy work. Buy whatever you can on DVD. Only transfer what you cannot live without and cannot get otherwise.

[KarMa]

I seem to have no trouble on my hauppauge capture card 1250 with Virtualdub, when it comes to macrovision tapes. Might have to do with the fact that it does not capture the top dozen or so lines, which is where macrovision and the subtitles are stored with white bars. And Virtualdub probably does not respect macrovision anyway.

[usually_quiet]

With most capture devices, Macrovision confuses the automatic gain control in the device itself, which causes defects in the captured video, so it doesn't matter whether the capture software respects Macrovision or not

[Edit] The Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1250 is an internal card that installs in a PCI-e x1 slot. If melba has a desktop PC with an unused PCI-e x1 slot she can try it. It isn't an option for those with laptops or those who are reluctant to open up their PC and work inside it. The HVR-1250 has no composite video port, so melba either needs to use a coax connection with analog channel 3 or 4, or use the composite to S-video adapter (one is shown in newegg's product listing for the HVR-1250).

[LMotlow]

And you also need a line-level tbc. full frame tbc's can correct many Macrovision errors, but top-border distortion and line wiggles in the image itself are also helped with line tbc's. For old tapes, you need both. Some pass-thru tbc's can correct both areas: https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/319420-Who-uses-a-DVD-recorder-as-a-line-TBC-and-what-do-you-use

[KarMa]

The HVR-1250 has no composite video port, so melba either needs to use a coax connection with analog channel 3 or 4, or use the composite to S-video adapter (one is shown in newegg's product listing for the HVR-1250).

Yeah the composite to s-video adapter comes with the product, and seems to work fine.

[newpball]

...a whole set of old Star Treks,

What's the point watching it on crappy old VHS tapes if you can buy the blu-ray version?

Star Trek: The Complete Original Series (Seasons 1-3) [Blu-ray] - $109.02

And I prefer the VHS version of the ST:TOS because they "remade" it when they re-mastered it.

Not true both versions are available on the blu-ray.

Call me crazy but how anyone can prefer to see the old Star Trek on a crappy old VHS over HD on blu-ray is 20,000 miles beyond me.