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  1. Hello,

    I hoping the someone can shed some light on this issue. No matter what software I use to capture VHS-C video I notice darkened areas that tend to blotch over the upper left and upper right hand corners of the image. These blotches do not appear anywhere else in the image except the upper corners. The blotches sometimes disappear and then return while the video is playing. I am using a Panisonic VCR to play the tapes using a VHS-C to standard VHS adaptor to allow the VHS-C tapes to play in the standard size VHS VCR. When I play the same tape through an analog monitor the blotches do not appear. If I pump the image through my Sony camcorder the blotches do not appear on the Sony camcorder's screen. If I play a standard size VHS tape I experience absolutely not problem with any blotching in the video capture display. Obviously the issue has to do with playing VHS-C tapes. I have used USB adaptors as well as FIrewire to capture the VHS-C tape via camcorder pass through and the issue remains the same. I am looking for any explanation as to what is going on here. It seems odd that both the analog monitor as well as the camcorder screen do not show these blotches but the video capture screen does. I'd like to resolve this as I do not wish to save captured videos with blotched out areas. Any assistance regarding this matter would be greatly appreciated.
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  2. Member DB83's Avatar
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    Well it is hard to visualise the problem.

    I do suggest you prepare a short sample and upload it here.
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  3. I have included a screenshot of the video capture screen. The blotching is more prevalent in the upper left hand corner than on the upper right hand corner. As the video is playing, these blotched areas will grow and recede and sometimes disappear all together and then they return. I have not seen the blotched areas grow any larger than what is seen in the upper left hand corner.

    Hope the screenshot helps.

    Thank You

    Image
    [Attachment 45203 - Click to enlarge]
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  4. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    That's not "blotching", that's vignetting from the iris of the cam that recorded/transferred the footage. AKA a shadow, like if you hold your hand over your forehead to shield from the sun but bring it down too far into your line of sight. Most vignetting is evenly symmetrical (4 corners), but not always, and not in your case.

    You cannot get rid of that now (unless you zoom in, re-cropping the image even tighter).

    ?Improper size/use of lens hood vs. the lens type? ?additional aftermarket attachment?

    Scott
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  5. Scott,

    Thanks so very much for the reply. I used an old VHS-C camcorder to record the videos. I do not recall the brand but it was used right out of the box with nothing special done to the lens. I never noticed this being an issue since when the video was played back on an old TV the vignetting was never noticeable so it was never an issue. Also, if I play the video through my newer MiniDV camcorder (pass through via Firewire) or an old analog computer monitor the vignetting does not appear on either the camcorder's screen or the computer monitor's screen. I never even noticed the vignetting when playing back the video on the original VHS-C camcorder while looking through its eye piece. The vignetting was just never noticeable so you can see my confusion when the only place the vignetting appears is on the video capture screen. I am now wondering if all these devices coincidently displayed the image cropped and that is why the vignetting was never noticed and that the capture image is the true image that was actually recorded?

    Does this make sense?

    Thanks again,

    Ray
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  6. Member DB83's Avatar
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    Of course we do take your word for that.

    Scott is probably correct but a single still does not always tell the whole story which is why the request was, and still stands, for a short sample video.

    BTW TVs do, for want of a better word, crop video as part of the over-scan or even zoom in as part of their internal display setting. You can always compare what you see on the tv to what you see in the still. The simplest comparision is how much of the top of the lady's head is missing or even her right hand. If all are there as what we see then something else is going on. But a video will still assist.
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