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  1. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    I read some of that. It's a few true facts, surrounded by lots of drivel.
    Much of it is divorced from reality in 2018.
    ... and still never a mention of what's being used hardware-wise.

    Ironically, reading some of his non-video stuff, I'd probably get along with him decently. Go figure.
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  2. Well, as I said in my post above, I probably shouldn't have waded into this discussion. I clicked on the link lingyi provided and good grief, what a pile of drivel.

    The rest of you had this guy spotted at the word "go." I guess I am just a little slow on the uptake.

    [edit] Hah! I was posting at the same time as lordsmurf, so I didn't see his post until I was finished. What are the odds that we would both come up the word "drivel" to describe this guy's blog?
    Last edited by johnmeyer; 6th May 2018 at 21:51. Reason: comment on lordsmurf's simultaneous post
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    Here's his 25+ IMDB credits

    Editorial department (6 credits)
    2003 Behind the Scenes: The Great Commission (TV Movie documentary) (on-line editor)
    2002 Spirit of Comedy (Video) (colorist) / (on-line editor)
    2002 The Trial (on-line editor)
    2002 Reflex Action (Video) (colorist)
    1997/I Too Good to Be True (colorist) / (on-line editor)
    1995 With Criminal Intent (post-production facility coordinator)

    Editor (5 credits)
    2009 Just Me and Frank (Short)
    2006 To Profile, Monitor and Protect (Short)
    2003 Behind the Scenes: The Great Commission (TV Movie documentary)
    2002 Spirit of Comedy (Video)
    2002 Reflex Action (Video)

    Sound department (2 credits)
    2002 Spirit of Comedy (Video) (re-recording mixer) / (sound editor)
    2002 The Trial (sound editor) / (sound effects editor) / (sound mixer)

    Camera and Electrical Department (4 credits)
    2008 Show Stoppers (camera operator)
    2002 Reflex Action (Video) (cinematographer: second unit)
    1994 Young at Hearts (epk camera operator)
    1993 Red (Short) (camera operator)

    Cinematographer (2 credits)
    2006 To Profile, Monitor and Protect (Short)
    2003 Behind the Scenes: The Great Commission (TV Movie documentary)

    Visual effects (2 credits)
    2002 Spirit of Comedy (Video) (3D photo copy stand)
    2002 Reflex Action (Video) (photo montage)

    Producer (2 credits)
    2006 To Profile, Monitor and Protect (Short) (executive producer)
    2003 Behind the Scenes: The Great Commission (TV Movie documentary) (co-producer)

    Miscellaneous Crew (2 credits)
    1989 AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Gregory Peck (TV Special) (production assistant)
    1986 AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Billy Wilder (TV Special documentary) (office production assistant)

    Director (1 credit)
    2006 To Profile, Monitor and Protect (Short)

    Writer (1 credit)
    2006 To Profile, Monitor and Protect (Short)

    Special effects (1 credit)
    1996 D'Angel Among Us (Short) (special effects)
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  4. Member DB83's Avatar
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    Having been the first to use the word 'drivel' in this topic, I claim copyright in it

    Now I wish to transfer this word in to a digital format. The aim is only to do one transfer and allow anyone who wants to use the word to assess its value and just get the best bits.

    Then I will do another transfer of the best bits.......

    Hang on. Am I not contradicting myself since I only wanted to do just one transfer to limit said damage to the word.

    Oh. And that's 500 bucks. Jeez !!!!!!!
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    Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post
    I read some of that. It's a few true facts, surrounded by lots of drivel.
    Much of it is divorced from reality in 2018.
    ... and still never a mention of what's being used hardware-wise.
    And yet you have chosen to already have a final opinion.
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  6. Member DB83's Avatar
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    And since you have graced us with your presence how about providing the information asked.

    Ie. Details of the equipment you propose to use.
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    Originally Posted by VHSAlessandro View Post
    Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post
    I read some of that. It's a few true facts, surrounded by lots of drivel.
    Much of it is divorced from reality in 2018.
    ... and still never a mention of what's being used hardware-wise.
    And yet you have chosen to already have a final opinion.
    And yet you offer nothing more to remedy that situation? What's with all the secrecy? Most advanced readers here know how to capture an analog source to digital video, and many are expert at repair and restoration of analog defects. What's your method?

    What I'm thinking as I perused your blog was a voice saying over a loudspeaker. "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain, folks! The Mighty Wiz has spoken!"
    - My sister Ann's brother
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  8. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by DB83 View Post
    the word 'drivel' in this topic, I claim copyright
    Kal-El's cousin Driv-El would disagree. He holds exclusive copyright, and we must pay hims royalties.

    And you never want to mess with Kryptonians. They're testy.

    Originally Posted by lingyi View Post
    Here's his 25+ IMDB credits
    I don't know why he's so obsessed with mentioning that over and over and over on all of his blog pages, this site, other sites, etc. Yeah, that's nice, good for him. But it really doesn't mean anything. You could help edit Infinity War, and nobody would care. When you work for a studio, you're just a behind-the-scenes grunt. The pay is passably decent, but that's about it.
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  9. I too did a little stalking and found that he was part of a team that did indeed win a Los Angeles Emmy award. So, most of what he says checks out.

    However, the reason why so many of us are suspicious is that he puffs up everything beyond normal proportion, including the topic of this thread, digitizing VHS. Transferring videotape can be done well, or it can be done poorly, but at its heart, it is basically this:

    Play the tape;
    Capture the tape;
    Edit the result;
    Store the result.

    But he implies he will add some magic that no one else has thought of by using a "high end studio." The "studio" part of that is what is really galling to many of the people here. It eventually got under my skin after I read his blog. If you look at the guides in this forum or at lordsmuf's digitalfaq.com, you know what VCR and TBC to buy, and what capture hardware works best. If you've got those three, your transfer will be about as good as it can possibly be.

    The magic "high end studio" is the thing that pegs the BS meter. A "studio" is a special room, usually with acoustic wall and ceiling treatment for the sound; electrical distribution and conditioning for all the equipment; lighting kits for the video; and so on. Not one of those elements is needed for either the digitizing, the editing, or the preparation of the final product. Not one of them will contribute to a better result.

    I would also add that his credentials (the Emmy and the IMDB credit), as impressive as they are, have little to do with creating a higher quality VHS transfer.

    The final thing that gets me suspicious is the total and complete absence of "before/after" results. He is making a promise: "I can do better VHS transfers." Fine. Show us the difference!! Thrill us with the stunning improvements.

    I am not being sarcastic. I do this all the time. Here is my "before/after" for film transfer, showing what I can do with film restoration software:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBAHzO7rJS0

    I am not claiming that this is the ultimate restoration that can be done, but I think I did make it look a lot better, and most people would be able to see the difference.

    So, my challenge to the OP comes from the film "Jerry Macguire," show me the money. Let's see the results of your work.
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  10. Member DB83's Avatar
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    I have not gone beyond the first page of the bog (deliberate drivel mis-spell). Even so, I can not see the insight that the OP claims in the initial post.

    It's nothing more than an advertisement. And an expensive one at that.

    Well he has achieved what he wanted. Got a link to the bog in the topic. Not that it deserves to be here.
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    Originally Posted by johnmeyer View Post
    The magic "high end studio" is the thing that pegs the BS meter. A "studio" is a special room, usually with acoustic wall and ceiling treatment for the sound; electrical distribution and conditioning for all the equipment; lighting kits for the video; and so on. Not one of those elements is needed for either the digitizing, the editing, or the preparation of the final product. Not one of them will contribute to a better result.
    To be fair, that is the quite narrow definition. More broadly, a studio is any place where art (?) is made. MGM was a movie "studio." Michelangelo chipped away at marble in his "studio."
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  12. Originally Posted by JVRaines View Post
    To be fair, that is the quite narrow definition. More broadly, a studio is any place where art (?) is made. MGM was a movie "studio." Michelangelo chipped away at marble in his "studio."
    Yes you are correct. And, a studio is also a place to live: my first place was a studio apartment.
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    Had to bump this thread because I visit the OP's website to see if he's updated anything on his website since April, when he started this thread (he hasn't). However, he's now a 'Detecive' in the following fields because:

    "When you need a fresh perspective on an existing video clip, Dashcam Detective may be able to help. Uncovering additional insight that might have been missed by others is a skill set Dashcam Detective earned over the past 30 years of being both a camera person and an editor."

    Slow Motion Detective
    Police Cam Detective
    The Credit Card Detective
    Dashcam Detective
    Simple Math Detective
    The Math Detective
    Sports Cam Detective
    Ad Cam Detective
    Game Show Detective
    Dronecam Detective

    I won't post a direct link because I don't want to give him more hits, but if you search for Alexlogic, you'll find him and the links to his various sites. BTW, I do feel for him and his Mom. But he's a bit too much for me.
    Last edited by lingyi; 20th Dec 2018 at 11:43.
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    Now, Now, be nice. I am having to move my amazing studio to another area of my residence. However I don't have the time to do it quite yet. it will require the removal of over 25 pieces of gear, taking apart the 8 foot console, reassembling the 8 foot console, and then putting all the pieces back.

    Kind of surprised someone posted that during the VHS transfer to digital sound acoustics don't matter? That is just nuts. I suppose the Television screen shouldn't be perfectly calibrated either? As for the series of Blogs I started, it was motivated by a short email I sent to a law firm back in 2016 about a Police Dash Cam Video that resulted in their getting 1.9 million dollar settlement. I was never credited and decided I would do some blogging about things in the video world that go unnoticed. However, I bit off more than I could chew at the moment. I hope to have the studio moved in the next couple of weeks but I have other obligations to attend to. I pretty much covered everything in my initial run of VHS to Digital Posts. The next step would be to show actual transfer work as it is being done.
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  15. Member DB83's Avatar
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    Something my friends across the pond may not understand but it's the 'Panto Season'.

    So "Oh no it's not". "Oh yes it is"

    So since you have to move all that equipment, do remember to take a note-book with you. Write down the make/model of each piece (Do not forget the easycap ) and post the list in 6 months or the next time you grace the topic.

    Nice ? Nah !!
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  16. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by lingyi View Post
    ". Uncovering additional insight that might have been missed
    .... earned over the past 30 years of being both a camera person and an editor.".
    I've traveled some in the forensic video field, but only as it relates to the restoration. That's an incredibly specialized and tedious niche area, and even my own skills only briefly touch what must be known. Being a camera operator and using an NLE, and thinking that's all the qualifications needed, is honestly ridiculous. That niche really is a small world, even smaller than studios, and I'd crossed paths several times with several folks on several specialized topics (advanced optical media recovery/longevity, advanced VHS recovery, etc).

    Had to bump this thread
    Bored?

    Originally Posted by VHSAlessandro View Post
    Kind of surprised someone posted that during the VHS transfer to digital sound acoustics don't matter?
    The audio is already recorded to the tape, and there's not much to be done there. You can attempt to the restore audio, sometimes succeeding quite nicely, but the "acoustics" of the tape makes little sense. The word "acoustics" doesn't really apply at all. Acoustics are done at recording time, and once committed to tape is usually too late to correct it much.
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    Had to bump this thread
    Bored?
    Borrowing from The Straight Dope: "Fighting ignorance since [2007]"
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    Originally Posted by VHSAlessandro View Post
    Now, Now, be nice. I am having to move my amazing studio to another area of my residence. However I don't have the time to do it quite yet. it will require the removal of over 25 pieces of gear, taking apart the 8 foot console, reassembling the 8 foot console, and then putting all the pieces back.
    There are a handful of people who qualify as experts here, based on what they've posted and shown to be true through other posters who have used their advice and gotten proven results. You could start your way towards possibly joining that list by posting real-world examples of your before and after work, and stop dodging requests made of you.

    "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence"
    -Carl Sagan
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  19. I don't see the point of resurrecting this snarkfest. Everyone properly identified the OP as being full of the blarney, and I don't see what purpose is served in starting this up again when the guy pretty much went away.

    Someone else suggested "bored," but doing things out of boredom often still has a purpose. This seems totally pointless.
    Last edited by johnmeyer; 20th Dec 2018 at 15:58. Reason: typo
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    I resurrected this in the hope that if someone is even thinking about using any of his services, they'll come to this thread before giving it a second thought. Fighting fire with fire as it were.

    It's the same reason I post ad nauseam about external hard drives and the definition of RIP. If one person is helped by something I post here or elsewhere, it's worthwhile to me.
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  21. Capturing Memories dellsam34's Avatar
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    How can you not bump this again when you read this from his blog:

    Fair warning, VHS home movie tapes are fragile and I cannot be responsible for any loss or damage that could occur during the retransfer to digital process. However, since your Home video has already been transferred to DVD you already have a back up. The other thing to consider, if your videotape gets damaged in my machine, it also means my extremely sophisticated VHS, SVHS playback machine has been damaged by your Home video tape and if that happened too often I could not stay in business. Outside unknown forces such as how the VHS videotape has been stored for the past 20 to 30 years will always be the cause of an accident happening and nobody should be held accountable. This is also why most transfer places want to simply put a VHS video on play and instantly make a recording without making additional adjustments, they know the home videos are fragile.
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