Hi8/Video8 to Digital/DVD

[Anon45]

I'm planning on converting some old video tapes to digital/dvd... just wondering how YOU would go about doing it. No answer is wrong, just want to get some ideas.

I already have a Dazzle Video Capture USB v1.0... all I need are some software ideas. Something quick/simple, all-in-one possibly. The only thing I will need to edit out would be the blue screen between recordings.

Thanks in advance!

[johnmeyer]

When my 8mm deck died, and "Dr. Sony" failed to fix it completely (I don't use him anymore), I went to eBay and managed to get a NIB Sony TRV-110. It does all 8mm formats: 8mm/Hi8/Digital 8. It has a built-in TBC which, while it doesn't do everything a high-end TBC of yore used to be able to do, definitely does provide some improvements. All video output, whether from analog or digital 8mm tapes, is sent out the 1394/Firewire port, so you can simply capture with Scenalyzer, a bulletproof DV capture app (now free). It is a really easy workflow and once you get the 1394 capture working (I've been told this is harder to do on brand new computers), the capture and editing are as simple as video editing can be.

[Anon45]

When my 8mm deck died, and "Dr. Sony" failed to fix it completely (I don't use him anymore), I went to eBay and managed to get a NIB Sony TRV-110. It does all 8mm formats: 8mm/Hi8/Digital 8. It has a built-in TBC which, while it doesn't do everything a high-end TBC of yore used to be able to do, definitely does provide some improvements. All video output, whether from analog or digital 8mm tapes, is sent out the 1394/Firewire port, so you can simply capture with Scenalyzer, a bulletproof DV capture app (now free). It is a really easy workflow and once you get the 1394 capture working (I've been told this is harder to do on brand new computers), the capture and editing are as simple as video editing can be.

That's a great idea! Although I already have a camcorder...

[Anon45]

Here's an updated question for anybody reading.

The quality on the TV appears to be 10x better than capturing.
Is it the capture device... software... or both?
Can I get 100% quality ... ?

Any recommendations on capture devices or software would be appreciated! Thanks!

[davexnet]

Perhaps this:
http://www.ezcap.tv/

You should post a small sample of your capture efforts perhaps somebody could offer
more directed advice

[Anon45]

Perhaps this:
http://www.ezcap.tv/

You should post a small sample of your capture efforts perhaps somebody could offer
more directed advice

I'm not sure what is wrong... but every once in a while the sound makes voices sound like robots. No need to post a capture.
I don't know if it's the capture device... it must be... because there was no weird sound for an hour when I tried it on TV.

The problem is I don't have the money to buy a new capture device right now.
But I will look into alternatives.

[Anon45]

I'm thinking it might be a driver problem... but I have the most up to date driver installed.

[johnmeyer]

Here's an updated question for anybody reading.

The quality on the TV appears to be 10x better than capturing.
Is it the capture device... software... or both?
Can I get 100% quality ... ?

Any recommendations on capture devices or software would be appreciated! Thanks!

You could read this recent thread, from less than a week ago, here in this forum. There was (IMHO) some bad advice given, but you might still find something useful:

Converting VHS to digital - looks better on TV than it does on comp.

[lordsmurf]

The EZcap/EZcrap advice is terrible.

The reason why TV is fine, capture card is not:

VHS signals are chaos. Analog TVs hid this fact from you. But digital capture devices do not, and you see the raw quality signal. That's the simple explanation. The video was always terrible, and you're only now seeing it. Like beer goggles for video; now you're sober.

[Anon45]

Here's an updated question for anybody reading.

The quality on the TV appears to be 10x better than capturing.
Is it the capture device... software... or both?
Can I get 100% quality ... ?

Any recommendations on capture devices or software would be appreciated! Thanks!

You could read this recent thread, from less than a week ago, here in this forum. There was (IMHO) some bad advice given, but you might still find something useful:

Converting VHS to digital - looks better on TV than it does on comp.

This is unrelated. That posts talks about a waviness problem. I'm just talking about quality/sharpness/resolution. Every person and post is different, and I've already tried searching for my answer. Better to just ask directly.

[johnmeyer]

Well, you've been given good advice, both by me and by others, and you keep rejecting that device. The advice -- which is given in that other thread as well -- is that you need to include a time base corrector in your capture chain (and other circuitry as well) because if your video looks good on the TV, but not when you capture it, then that is almost certainly the problem. The thread I linked to talks about Macrovision which does indeed create waviness. However, other visual disturbances can also result from using capture hardware that does not regenerate timing signals correctly, even if your tape does not include Macrovision.

So, since you refuse to post a capture, and since you are rejecting all the advice you have been given, you are not likely to get any more advice.

[JVRaines]

Well, you've been given good advice, both by me and by others, and you keep rejecting that device[sic].

I gave the precise technical explanation in that thread but it seems to have been met with indifference.

[johnmeyer]

Well, you've been given good advice, both by me and by others, and you keep rejecting that device[sic].

I gave the precise technical explanation in that thread but it seems to have been met with indifference.

Yup, I saw your post and that was one of the helpful ones to which I was referring. "Indifference" is a good word to describe the reaction.