Building a capturing rig?

[Master Tape]

I have hundreds of video tapes i want to digitise, and need to get this project off the ground so i can free up lots of space.. I've been doing alot of research and reading the forums, and want to capture in the best quality possible. So for this i need a PC running Windows XP and an ATI AIW capture card? So i'd like to give it a go and build a suitable capture rig. Not sure where to start, what parts do i need for this?

I've just bought a Panasonic NV-HS860 and a ES10 DVD recorder for the TBC, so off to a good start!

[aedipuss]

LOL do you have some 16 year old "00 hardware and a legitimate version of winXP that will run on it? the last time i tried to install winXp sp3 on new hardware it took days to download all the updates and it still never run ok.

[lordsmurf]

The ideal XP capture boxes with AGP are from around 2009.
But parts back to about 2003 are good.

eBay is your friend.

[Master Tape]

Damn was it really a year ago since i made this thread?! How time flies..

Ok, i'm kind of stumped about where to start. Is there any good guides around on how to build a capturing rig? I've already built a gaming pc after much trial and error, which i'll also use for editing and what not, as it's very powerful.

Does it matter if i buy the parts second hand, from the likes of ebay? As would save alot of money this way, and hope it wont effect the quality of the capture.

[hech54]

A capture card either works or it doesn't. Cards bought used from Ebay do not produce any worse quality than a used one bought from Amazon.
If you are running XP (like me), you are almost going to have to go the used/Ebay route. Sure you WILL find some new devices that still go back to XP
(like my Hauppauge USB Live|2) but I fear your capture CARD options are dwindling.

[manono]

I've just bought a Panasonic NV-HS860 and a ES10 DVD recorder for the TBC, so off to a good start!

I guess you've discovered by now that the NV-HS860 already has a built in TBC?

[Master Tape]

A capture card either works or it doesn't. Cards bought used from Ebay do not produce any worse quality than a used one bought from Amazon.
If you are running XP (like me), you are almost going to have to go the used/Ebay route. Sure you WILL find some new devices that still go back to XP
(like my Hauppauge USB Live|2) but I fear your capture CARD options are dwindling.

I was hoping you would say that lol. I don't mind used, as it keeps costs down, and options more open. So does that go for all computer parts, such as the AGP motherboard, RAM, CPU, PSU, ect, will still produce the same capture quality/performance if used?

I've just bought a Panasonic NV-HS860 and a ES10 DVD recorder for the TBC, so off to a good start!

I guess you've discovered by now that the NV-HS860 already has a built in TBC?

Oh i knew that before i bought it, but my knowledge was more limited then. I've since got a proper full frame external TBC, as all the ES10 is good for is screen tearing, so will be used when needed.

[usually_quiet]

If you can find one, the ASRock 775I65G R3.0 is one of the last AGP-compatible motherboards made. It would allow you to install a Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad. Note that older revisions of this board do not support these CPUs.

[Master Tape]

If you can find one, the ASRock 775I65G R3.0 is one of the last AGP-compatible motherboards made. It would allow you to install a Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad. Note that older revisions of this board do not support these CPUs.

Thanks for the heads up. Managed to find one new for a decent price.

[usually_quiet]

If you can find one, the ASRock 775I65G R3.0 is one of the last AGP-compatible motherboards made. It would allow you to install a Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad. Note that older revisions of this board do not support these CPUs.

Thanks for the heads up. Managed to find one new for a decent price.

Make sure that you read the CPU Support page before buying a CPU. Read the User Manual too.** You can find both of those via the link in my post.

[Edit]**For example, Core 2 Quad CPUs and some other CPUs on the support list are FSB 1066 MHz. An AGP card and DDR400 CL2.5 memory modules are required for FSB 1066 MHz CPUs.

[Master Tape]

Make sure that you read the CPU Support page before buying a CPU. Read the User Manual too.** You can find both of those via the link in my post.

[Edit]**For example, Core 2 Quad CPUs and some other CPUs on the support list are FSB 1066 MHz. An AGP card and DDR400 CL2.5 memory modules are required for FSB 1066 MHz CPUs.

Cheers, that'll come in handy. It seems the DDR400 CL2.5 memory only goes upto 512mb per module, giving me a total of 1GB of RAM. Would this be enough to get the task done? I was hoping for 2GB.

Also would it matter what version of XP i'm running? For example XP Pro SP3 32-bit.

[usually_quiet]

Make sure that you read the CPU Support page before buying a CPU. Read the User Manual too.** You can find both of those via the link in my post.

[Edit]**For example, Core 2 Quad CPUs and some other CPUs on the support list are FSB 1066 MHz. An AGP card and DDR400 CL2.5 memory modules are required for FSB 1066 MHz CPUs.

Cheers, that'll come in handy. It seems the DDR400 CL2.5 memory only goes upto 512mb per module, giving me a total of 1GB of RAM. Would this be enough to get the task done? I was hoping for 2GB.

Also would it matter what version of XP i'm running? For example XP Pro SP3 32-bit.

Where did you find your information about DDR400 memory? I think there must have been 1 GB sticks available.

I'm pretty sure you need SP 3 32-bit, but I don't know if XP Pro would make a difference.

[Edit]DDR400 CL2.5 2.5 V 2x1GB: https://www.amazon.co.uk/G-Skill-PC-3200-Arbeitsspeicher-184-polig-DDR-RAM/dp/B004M17BQO

[Master Tape]

Where did you find your information about DDR400 memory? I think there must have been 1 GB sticks available.

I'm pretty sure you need SP 3 32-bit, but I don't know if XP Pro would make a difference.

[Edit]DDR400 CL2.5 2.5 V 2x1GB: https://www.amazon.co.uk/G-Skill-PC-3200-Arbeitsspeicher-184-polig-DDR-RAM/dp/B004M17BQO

I just couldn't find any CL2.5 modules that were above 512mb. Ah thanks! It seems they did make them, but must've not been common.

Also would i need two HDDs, one for running the operating system/applications on and the other for storing the big capture files?

And would i need to plug the power supply into a filter of some sort as not to introduce noise to the capture?

[usually_quiet]

Also would i need two HDDs, one for running the operating system/applications on and the other for storing the big capture files?

Yes. Fortunately the ASRock 775I65G R3.0 motherboard has two SATA I ports. You will need a DVD drive to install software too, but you may be able to find a PATA model.

And would i need to plug the power supply into a filter of some sort as not to introduce noise to the capture?

You tell me. Is your household electrical wiring so bad that you need to worry about that? I'm no expert on the subject, but maybe a good uninterruptible power supply would help.

[Edit]There is a single stick kit for that G.SKILL memory still being sold new (at least that is true here in the USA): F1-3200PHU1-1GBNS It is still dual channel memory, so you could simply buy two sticks.

[Master Tape]

Ah so would it be pointless getting a SATA III drive, since the speed limit is only 1.5GB/s. I'll try and find a good SATA II drive since those have more storage space than the original. I've found a Seagate one, but it only has 8MB cache, which should hopefully be nothing to worry about. Max file size without breaking the bank seems to be 500GB, so if capturing loseless AVI at 30GB per hour, i should get a good few tapes on it before transferring over and burning it to a blank Blu-ray disc on my other pc. That's if transferring files from a 32-bit XP machine to a 64-bit machine running Windows 10 is as straight forward as it seems.

I do have an LG DVD drive on my old XP machine, so may use that. I also have one in my old Vista machine, but don't know what type it is.

I guess not. I do have a Tacima 6 way mains conditioner with surge protection, so that should suffice.

That's ok, the one you linked originally will be fine. As i'll get two 1GB sticks for a decent price, perhaps cheaper than if buying two separate.

[usually_quiet]

Ah so would it be pointless getting a SATA III drive, since the speed limit is only 1.5GB/s. I'll try and find a good SATA II drive since those have more storage space than the original. I've found a Seagate one, but it only has 8MB cache, which should hopefully be nothing to worry about. Max file size without breaking the bank seems to be 500GB, so if capturing loseless AVI at 30GB per hour, i should get a good few tapes on it before transferring over and burning it to a blank Blu-ray disc on my other pc. That's if transferring files from a 32-bit XP machine to a 64-bit machine running Windows 10 is as straight forward as it seems.

SATA III hard drives should still work, but at a slower speed. However XP can only use up to 2TB and smaller partitions, under normal circumstances.

I would expect that it would be easy copy files to/from a USB 2.0 storage device as long as the capacity of that device is not over 2TB and it is NTFS formatted. I haven't tried copying files from an XP PC to a Windows 10 PC via a home network. My old XP machine was recycled before Windows 10 arrived.

[Master Tape]

Ah so would it be pointless getting a SATA III drive, since the speed limit is only 1.5GB/s. I'll try and find a good SATA II drive since those have more storage space than the original. I've found a Seagate one, but it only has 8MB cache, which should hopefully be nothing to worry about. Max file size without breaking the bank seems to be 500GB, so if capturing loseless AVI at 30GB per hour, i should get a good few tapes on it before transferring over and burning it to a blank Blu-ray disc on my other pc. That's if transferring files from a 32-bit XP machine to a 64-bit machine running Windows 10 is as straight forward as it seems.

SATA III hard drives should still work, but at a slower speed. However XP can only use up to 2TB and smaller partitions, under normal circumstances.

I would expect that it would be easy copy files to/from a USB 2.0 storage device as long as the capacity of that device is not over 2TB and it is NTFS formatted. I haven't tried copying files from an XP PC to a Windows 10 PC via a home network. My old XP machine was recycled before Windows 10 arrived.

Isn't each partition 500GB anyway? I wont need anything larger than this, as it's not being used as an archival drive. So many tapes to get through! Found a better one that has 16MB cache, so seems the sweet spot for avoiding errors on an older machine.

Oh i forgot i had my 2TB external hard drive which i used for my tv recordings, so that will do.

[SHS]

Ah so would it be pointless getting a SATA III drive, since the speed limit is only 1.5GB/s. I'll try and find a good SATA II drive since those have more storage space than the original. I've found a Seagate one, but it only has 8MB cache, which should hopefully be nothing to worry about. Max file size without breaking the bank seems to be 500GB, so if capturing loseless AVI at 30GB per hour, i should get a good few tapes on it before transferring over and burning it to a blank Blu-ray disc on my other pc. That's if transferring files from a 32-bit XP machine to a 64-bit machine running Windows 10 is as straight forward as it seems.

SATA III hard drives should still work, but at a slower speed. However XP can only use up to 2TB and smaller partitions, under normal circumstances.

I would expect that it would be easy copy files to/from a USB 2.0 storage device as long as the capacity of that device is not over 2TB and it is NTFS formatted. I haven't tried copying files from an XP PC to a Windows 10 PC via a home network. My old XP machine was recycled before Windows 10 arrived.

You should have no problem over the network or just putting the drive in to Windows10 system

[SHS]

I have hundreds of video tapes i want to digitise, and need to get this project off the ground so i can free up lots of space.. I've been doing alot of research and reading the forums, and want to capture in the best quality possible. So for this i need a PC running Windows XP and an ATI AIW capture card? So i'd like to give it a go and build a suitable capture rig. Not sure where to start, what parts do i need for this?

I've just bought a Panasonic NV-HS860 and a ES10 DVD recorder for the TBC, so off to a good start!

Why so old school when we have much more modern hardware that will do job better faster with latest GPU and CPU along with some like a Blackmagic Design Intensity or Magewell Pro Capture HDMI if your need uncompress video recoding

How ever it been my under standing that best composite capture was Canopus ADVC-100

[Master Tape]

I have hundreds of video tapes i want to digitise, and need to get this project off the ground so i can free up lots of space.. I've been doing alot of research and reading the forums, and want to capture in the best quality possible. So for this i need a PC running Windows XP and an ATI AIW capture card? So i'd like to give it a go and build a suitable capture rig. Not sure where to start, what parts do i need for this?

I've just bought a Panasonic NV-HS860 and a ES10 DVD recorder for the TBC, so off to a good start!

Why so old school when we have much more modern hardware that will do job better faster with latest GPU and CPU along with some like a Blackmagic Design Intensity or Magewell Pro Capture HDMI if your need uncompress video recoding

How ever it been my under standing that best composite capture was Canopus ADVC-100

Well the modern stuff doesn't stack up well against the older methods. The common consensus on this forum is that the ATI All-In-Wonder cards are still the best way to capture analog video. The reason for the old hardware is that they discontinued those cards after Windows XP, most probably because VHS as a mass media format was coming to the end of it's life cycle. And there isn't really any decent capture cards from Vista onwards.

Though if you're not bothered about picture quality, then there's many options.

[SHS]

Well the modern stuff doesn't stack up well against the older methods. The common consensus on this forum is that the ATI All-In-Wonder cards are still the best way to capture analog video. The reason for the old hardware is that they discontinued those cards after Windows XP, most probably because VHS as a mass media format was coming to the end of it's life cycle. And there isn't really any decent capture cards from Vista onwards.

Though if you're not bothered about picture quality, then there's many options.

Well I going have disagree must what you hear here is people record from antenna, cable or satellite receiver which has a much better signal not magnetic tape media which are prone to lots of problem especially with tape is damaged or people using EP mode.
P.S. VHS officially become dead in march 2017 when the last remaining company manufacturing VHS was from Funai had finally retired it.
VHS Tapes dead 9 years ago.

[usually_quiet]

Why so old school when we have much more modern hardware that will do job better faster with latest GPU and CPU along with some like a Blackmagic Design Intensity or Magewell Pro Capture HDMI if your need uncompress video recoding

How ever it been my under standing that best composite capture was Canopus ADVC-100

The best of the AIW cards and their software package were truly exceptional for VHS capture.

All the Blackmagic Intensity devices are poor choices for VHS capture. They don't like the messy analog signals produced by tape sources and the external devices are very fussy about USB 3.0 controllers on the PC. Ask Vaporeon800 about the Blackmagic Design Intensity 4K forVHS capture. He has an entire thread detailing how bad it is.

I thought Magewell Pro Capture HDMI was OK. It has a built-in frame buffer/line TBC. However, I recently read that Magewell did not activate the 3D comb filter, so its composite captures will contain dot-crawl noise. For $299 it should have a working 3D comb filter.

Many people still recommend the Canopus devices and get good results from them, but technically speaking, uncompressed video is better than DV, and sometimes people have difficulty getting firewire cards to work in a modern system. I don't know if Windows 10 has good legacy firewire drivers built-in like Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 had.

[SHS]

Microsoft left out the Legacy driver it not big deal.
Just go to this page on the Microsoft Support page and download the Legacy driver.

[usually_quiet]

P.S. VHS officially become dead in march 2017 when the last remaining company manufacturing VHS was from Funai had finally retired it.
VHS Tapes dead 9 years ago.

That is probably why he wants to transfer his VHS recordings to a digital format.

Some people have material stored on VHS that is very precious to them and want the best transfer possible.

I would opt for a faster transfer method (DVD recorder) for less important tapes, since I'm not getting any younger, but that's me. Master Tape can do as he pleases.

[SHS]

I thought Magewell Pro Capture HDMI was OK. It has a built-in frame buffer/line TBC. However, I recently read that Magewell did not activate the 3D comb filter, so its composite captures will contain dot-crawl noise. For $299 it should have a working 3D comb filter.

Yup that one patent that needs to expire as very few manufacture even made used of it, as I heard that the licensing cost was petty ridiculous per device along with few other useful tech like deinterlace and so on.