Opinions - What is the best VHS to digital converter?

[redmenhoops]

Trying to decide on purchasing one soon....

I've seen some sites regarding Diamond Video Capture as the best..... but further reviews note problems with Windows 10 compatibility.

I welcome any thoughts, opinions.....

I'm looking to convert old VHS to my PC

thanks for any input

[usually_quiet]

There is is a new thread here every few weeks asking for the best capture device for digitizing VHS. Here is my answer to the one I saw a month ago: https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/384591-best-capture-card-for-vhs-and-hi8-capture#post2493163

[jagabo]

The capture device is the least of your problems. You need a good VHS deck and a line time base corrector to get a decent signal to start with.

[redmenhoops]

thank you. Some pretty expensive stuff there.
Is there really that much difference in the image quality for just doing VHS conversion?

This is a first time project. I do understand that the quality of the VHS footage is the best I can expect to get out of a digital conversion. Should I expect the conversion quality to be a downgrade unless I purchase one of the expensive cards?

the original website I was on for evaluating converters listed maybe a dozen or so and all were less than a hundred bucks. Are these trash?

thanks for your time and opinions

I just need to convert maybe 30 VHS tapes to my PC's. That's it.

[redmenhoops]

what's the deal with these? http://www.toptenreviews.com/computers/peripherals/best-vhs-to-dvd-converters/

[redmenhoops]

I have a good 4 head VCR. Recently cleaned and played back several tapes that look really good quality wise. Much better than expected.

[usually_quiet]

thank you. Some pretty expensive stuff there.
Is there really that much difference in the image quality for just doing VHS conversion?

This is a first time project. I do understand that the quality of the VHS footage is the best I can expect to get out of a digital conversion. Should I expect the conversion quality to be a downgrade unless I purchase one of the expensive cards?

the original website I was on for evaluating converters listed maybe a dozen or so and all were less than a hundred bucks. Are these trash?

thanks for your time and opinions

I just need to convert maybe 30 VHS tapes to my PC's. That's it.

The true pro devices (not the Blackmagic Intensity Pro 4K) would certainly give a better result in the hands of those who know enough about video to use them properly and know how to get the best out of the resulting captures.

If you don't want to put a lot of work and money into this project there are two cheap solutions in my list.

what's the deal with these? http://www.toptenreviews.com/computers/peripherals/best-vhs-to-dvd-converters/

You asked for the best. None of those is the best. If you wanted a budget solution, you should have given us your budget.

Be aware that companies often pay to get a mention on those kinds of sites.

[redmenhoops]

I mistakenly assumed those were the best and was looking for the best of the best from those.

$200 budget

[usually_quiet]

I have a good 4 head VCR. Recently cleaned and played back several tapes that look really good quality wise. Much better than expected.

You still need something with a line TBC between the VCR and the capture device, otherwise the scan lines won't line up correctly in the captures.

[redmenhoops]

ok thanks pal. I appreciate the feedback. I'll look further into the TBC. I saw a post elsewhere where I guy had favorable comments regarding a unit called Video Scaler Pro.

thanks all

[usually_quiet]

I mistakenly assumed those were the best and was looking for the best of the best from those.

$200 budget

You should probably go for one of the cheap solutions. There are virtually no worthwhile choices for VHS capture priced somewhere in between cheap and expensive with Windows 10 drivers available.

The expensive devices have 3D comb filters, which are better able to deal with dot-crawl noise from composite video than 2D comb filters found in good inexpensive devices. I don't know of any mid-priced devices which are still being produced that have Windows 10 drivers available and 3D comb filters in their current versions.

Don't get a Video Scaler Pro. You should find a used Panasonic DVD recorder with a decent line TBC instead.

[JVRaines]

Some VCRs, notably several JVC models, have a line TBC built in. However, these TBCs can actually make the picture look worse with some marginal tapes. You may also need frame synchronization to keep the picture from rolling or popping up and down; this always comes from an outboard device. The ability to handle such timing irregularities varies from one digital converter to another.

[redmenhoops]

ok thanks thanks guys. What I have are basketball game VHS tapes from the 80's. What I intend to do after converting to digital is create a highlight reel through some editing software that I have. That's why I initially ruled out converting straight to DVD since ultimately I'm after select clips from the footage.

usually_quiet: If I go with the Panasonic DVD recorder, would there be any problems in moving those files from the newly made disk to the PC for editing?

I'm more knowledgeable about editing and creating videos than I am about converting.

[jagabo]

Price doesn't necessarily equate to quality with VHS capture devices. The more expensive devices are HD capture devices with SD capture added as an afterthought. Or they are old professional devices that only work well with pristine video sources. Both of those classes of devices often choke on the poor time base of VHS (though using a full frame TBC or frame sync will take care of that). And any resolution advantage they may have is wasted on low resolution VHS -- you just get sharper noise. About US$50 is all you need to spend for VHS capture.

[usually_quiet]

ok thanks thanks guys. What I have are basketball game VHS tapes from the 80's. What I intend to do after converting to digital is create a highlight reel through some editing software that I have. That's why I initially ruled out converting straight to DVD since ultimately I'm after select clips from the footage.

usually_quiet: If I go with the Panasonic DVD recorder, would there be any problems in moving those files from the newly made disk to the PC for editing?

I'm more knowledgeable about editing and creating videos than I am about converting.

The DVD recorder is used as a pass-through device to "condition" the video prior to capture, not as a VHS to DVD converter. You don't actually record anything with one. The recommended Panasonic models that I remember from other VideoHelp threads are: DMR-ES10, DMR-ES15, and DMR-ES20.

[usually_quiet]

Price doesn't necessarily equate to quality with VHS capture devices. The more expensive devices are HD capture devices with SD capture added as an afterthought. Or they are old professional devices that only work well with pristine video sources. Both of those classes of devices often choke on the poor time base of VHS (though using a full frame TBC or frame sync will take care of that). And any resolution advantage they may have is wasted on low resolution VHS -- you just get sharper noise. About US$50 is all you need to spend for VHS capture.

SD capture with the Magewell Pro Capture HDMI is apparently not an afterthought. It has a built-in TBC/Frame synchronizer that works. See https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/376945-Conventional-analog-capture-workflow-vs-alt...e2#post2461554

I haven't heard that it can fix tearing/flagging as well as the DMR-ES10 does, but it does seem to be designed with SD capture in mind.

[Edit] I stopped following the Magewell thread before it ended. Reading all the way through, I found out that Magewell chose not to activate the 3D comb filter in their product, although there is one available in one of the chips used. Too bad.

[Neil-Betamax]

Hi peeps,
Just joined the forum today. Didn't want to open a new thread as I understand people ask the same question regularly on here. I'm in a similar situation trying to find the best video capture option for VHS/Betamax, £200 max. I have a canopus advc-100 but never got it to work properly, then got a DC 90 easycap usb device, but the quality is poor & is limited/low frame rate.

I'm wondering whether if I got a decent game capture device like an avermedia game capture which takes an RCA composite signal, or S-Video signal, there wouldn't be any issues? I heard the elgato HD automatically stops when it detects fuzz/if you FF or RW, so after months, maybe years of research Im hoping to get one which doesn't require a PC, or one which supports mac as this machine is a good spec for video.

Ideally though I'm hoping to record VGA from my PC (playing Atari ST demos) to capture fast visuals at 60fps. I've seen a lot which support RCA composite and HDMI (using a good VGA to HDMI converter), but its hard to find out whether one device could do the two jobs & whether there would be resolution problems. I'd have imagined that if these game console capture devices support RCA, then what ever signal I record would display correctly regardless as whether its a PS3, Xbox or a VCR machine?
Hope this is a good place to open a wee chat about this to seek some help. Cheers

[jagabo]

got a DC 90 easycap usb device, but the quality is poor & is limited/low frame rate.

There is only one frame rate for SD PAL video: 25 fps interlaced.

I'm wondering whether if I got a decent game capture device like an avermedia game capture which takes an RCA composite signal, or S-Video signal, there wouldn't be any issues?

It might capture SD video but the frame rate will still be 25 fps. It might capture progressive instead of interlaced meaning you'll lose motion smoothness with true interlaced material (camcorder, broadcast sports).

I heard the elgato HD automatically stops when it detects fuzz/if you FF or RW

This is a common problem with HD capture devices that support SD capture. I don't know if the avermedia device has it.

[Neil-Betamax]

Hi Jagabo,
Thanks for your thoughts, this has been a huge help. I've been learning this on my own for a while & now a lot has become clear to me regards to interlacing, totally cleared up my understanding in this area which is something hard to establish when searching for info online. Thanks very much! I read up about it further briefly & now it makes so much sense. So now I'm going to see if I can get some better software to capture video on my DC 90 EZcap, see if I can make use of my canopus 100 too & perhaps buy a seperate device to capture the progressive 60fps (max) footage from my computer. A lot closer to knowing what I need now, cheers!

[jagabo]

Try AmaRecTV or VirtualDub. For PAL video you want to capture 720x576 at 25i fps (some programs may call it 50i but it's the same thing).

[Neil-Betamax]

Cheers,
I've downloaded those programs so I'll give that a go this week. Thanks so much!

[Neil-Betamax]

Hello again,
I tried virtual dub but I'm re-discovering the problem I had, as I can't seem to find drivers for my capture card, DC 90 easycap, so I can't get it to recognise the device.

I've managed to get it working on windows movie maker on XP, but the other programs I've tried don't recognise the device. Gonna give Amarectv a go today, which looks like some great software!

It looks like I may need to find an alternative capture device with better support, probably something for the mac as its a better machine.

I remember spending months trying to find a driver & having no joy, although there are a lot of sites & youtube videos claiming they have the solution, I'm either brought towards a closed/broken link or someone trying to plant a virus so they can sell me the antidote. I think this capture device in renowned for driver problems, but I'm keen to get it working with some better software than windows movie maker if possible.

[lordsmurf]

what's the deal with these?

That site is paid for their "advice". So it's not legit. It's all BS.

[usually_quiet]

It looks like I may need to find an alternative capture device with better support, probably something for the mac as its a better machine.

I don't use a Mac, but an Elgato Video Capture is one option. You might also want to look at VideoGlide which comes with its own drivers and supports a long list of USB capture devices. Try VideoGlide in demo mode to check compatibility before buying.

[Neil-Betamax]

Thanks.
I'm gonna try that in demo mode to see if it can support the DC 90. It's stated that theres issues around the DC 60 which might not be supported, worth a go before I consider replacing the device.

[zestefraicheur]

You buy a recent 6 head VHS VCR (Sony, Philips, Samsung, made in 2008, 2009, etc, not before), you plug it to a PANASONIC DMR-Exxx (es10 , es15 , ex-77, ex-87) as a passthrough, and you get the same image quality as a JVC HR-S8600 (or HR-9600). And finally you capture with a standard USB VHS capture card (AverMedia, Elgato) through the analog or S-Video input.
Here is what you get :

[Attachment 46887 - Click to enlarge]

Of course, you need to adjust brightness, contrast, colors, etc...

[Eric-jan]

Can anybody name a true Pro capture device ? do they exist ? VHS isn't Pro

[JVRaines]

Can anybody name a true Pro capture device ? do they exist ? VHS isn't Pro

There is no such thing as a "VHS capture device." They are analog (usually NTSC or PAL)-to-digital converters and don't care if you're hooked up to a crappy VHS deck or a Sony BVH-3100. The closest thing to "Pro" will probably be the AJA KONA line of converter cards.

[Eric-jan]

Can anybody name a true Pro capture device ? do they exist ? VHS isn't Pro

There is no such thing as a "VHS capture device." They are analog (usually NTSC or PAL)-to-digital converters and don't care if you're hooked up to a crappy VHS deck or a Sony BVH-3100. The closest thing to "Pro" will probably be the AJA KONA line of converter cards.

Thank you, i suspected something like that, because i could not believe what usually_quiet was trying to say about that, so his equation does not stick like he wants to.

[usually_quiet]

Can anybody name a true Pro capture device ? do they exist ? VHS isn't Pro

I mentioned two true professional devices from AJA KONO in the other thread I linked to in post #2, which perhaps you never read.

i suspected something like that, because i could not believe what usually_quiet was trying to say about that, so his equation does not stick like he wants to.

VHS may not be a professional video format but true video professionals might capture from VHS sources at times using a professional grade analog to digital converter. How do you think video that was originally recorded many years ago using consumer VHS cameras is added to modern, professionally produced biographical or documentary films?