Roast Me....Capture Setup

[Tykhon]

I've got 5+ large Sterilite tubs of VHS & Hi8 home videos to capture/convert while the capturing is good. I've only got NTSC, no PALs. These are going to stay digital on a mirrored array with a cloud backup. Only a handful will be converted to DVD as gifts for the Luddites that can't save from a Dropbox link because computers are hard. I've been pouring over posts in VH & DFaq for a little over two weeks, trying to make sense of all the options.

Up to this point, I've been half-@$#ing the project with a JVC HR-VP670U, a terribad Pinnacle 710-USB, and Pinnacle Studio 14. This setup drops more frames than a summer intern at Hobby Lobby. I'd spend so much time editing and re-syncing the audio that I'd rather just start over and chalk it up to a learning experience. I don't mind spending a good chunk of cash to do it once (more), do it right, and do it myself.

So without further ado, please roast the following choices:

S-VHS:
Panasonic AG-1980
Backup - Mitsubishi HS-HD2000U, JVC HR-S9911U

Hi8 Camcorder:
Sony Handycam CCD-TRV85. Has S-Video out. Bonus: Most all Hi8's in the collection were recorded with this device.

Line TBC:
Panasonic DMR-ES15

Cabling:
2x Shielded S-Video + 2x Shielded RCA Audio, likely from Monoprice

Capture:
Hauppauge USB Live 2
I'll probably buy the StarTech SVID2USB23 (successor to the SVID2USB2), too, just to be sure.
(Leaving EZCAP.TV 116 off the list because the delivery time is 2-3 weeks in the US.)

PC:
Windows 10 Pro 64bit, Intel Core i7-6700K, 8GB DDR4, Crossfire AMD Radeon R9 290, SSD System + RAID 1 1.5TB HDD Data + SAN w/ Binders Full of HDDs.

Capture Software:
VirtualDub
Backup - iuVCR

Capture Codec:
HuffYUV YUY2 median & RGB Convert to YUY2.
Backup - Grass Valley HQX, Lagarith

HDD:
Disk is cheap, I'll get as much as is needed. 220, 221, whatever it takes.

Editing software & long term file compatibility:
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I'll worry about this after I've got all the tapes captured and backed up.

Many thanks to PuzZLeR, DB83 (sorry, I just can't jump on that DV train), dellsam34, victoriabears, Gameshow Host, and of course lordsmurf for all the posts on all the threads across the years.

[JVRaines]

STERILITE? Your tapes will be ruined by plasticizer off-gassing!!

My serious advice: I prefer Video8/Hi8 pictures from a Sony deck with TBC, NR and dropout compensation. Most cameras won't give you all that.

I have used the SVID2USB2 with VirtualDub and the audio is never ever in sync. Always have to mess with it in Vegas to find the offset and then remux with VirtualDub. It's a pain and that's why I'm switching to a Kona card this weekend. Previously, I used a Canopus DV converter that had stellar sync, but I was never completely happy with the color subsampling or the ADVC110's brightness pumping on certain images.

HuffYUV is a good choice if you're staying in PC land forever. I was in love with Lagarith for a while, but we broke up when I found some artifacts. Some in the professional archivist community advocate FFV1 in an MKV (Matroska) container.

[Tykhon]

Thanks for the tips, JV. As far as the Sony deck, if I'm reading my search results right, you have the Sony EV-S3000? Any need to jump to a 5000, 7000, or 9000?

After the DVD archive (which followed the CD to FLAC archive), I've got plenty Handbrake-created MKVs, so I'll look into FFV1 as well.