VHS conversion to digital

[RS456]

I have a bunch of home movies in VHS I would like to convert them to digital so that I can preserve them. As of now nearly all the VHS tapes are in good condition even in playback. I have a VHS/DVD recorder and had converted a few videos before which came out good but DVDs are limited to 1 hr at highest quality recording setting. This DVD recorder outputs DVD as well as VCR through HDMI. I am thinking of preserving these videos on either hard drive or Blu-ray. Which capture cards should I consider for my needs?

[elm]

the best way possible is through a hdmi cloner box evolve that has rca and hdmi ports and you can record in 720p or 1080p onto a sd card or a usb stick that is probably the best way for you cos you can record it as one file like onto a usb stick then put that into the computer on a external hard drive that would be the best way I think I don't really use capture cards cos they can slow down your pc so I stick to capture boxes that way it will record onto like a usb stick or sd card the best quality possible so that is probably the best way I think

[manono]

You can get very good quality by using a decent USB capture device and capturing as lossless AVI for later cleanup (if you wish) and conversion to DVD or whatever the final format is to be. There are many threads about it here and on Digital FAQ. Best quality will come from a decent VCR with a built-in line TBC, or by using a decent VCR together with a DVD recorder with a TBC as a passthrough device.

This subject has been discussed to death here and you should begin searching and reading.

[lordsmurf]

the best way possible is through a hdmi cloner box evolve that has rca and hdmi ports and you can record in 720p or 1080p onto a sd card or a usb stick that is probably the best way for you cos you can record it as one file like onto a usb stick then put that into the computer on a external hard drive that would be the best way I think

That's easily one of the worst things you can do to VHS.
upscale + deinterlace + H264 encode --- you may as well not even bother, as you'll have lousy captures.

I don't really use capture cards cos they can slow down your pc

No, untrue.

You can get very good quality by using a decent USB capture device and capturing as lossless AVI for later cleanup (if you wish) and conversion to DVD or whatever the final format is to be. There are many threads about it here and on Digital FAQ. Best quality will come from a decent VCR with a built-in line TBC, or by using a decent VCR together with a DVD recorder with a TBC as a passthrough device.

^ Do this.

[RS456]

You can get very good quality by using a decent USB capture device and capturing as lossless AVI for later cleanup (if you wish) and conversion to DVD or whatever the final format is to be. There are many threads about it here and on Digital FAQ. Best quality will come from a decent VCR with a built-in line TBC, or by using a decent VCR together with a DVD recorder with a TBC as a passthrough device.

This subject has been discussed to death here and you should begin searching and reading.

I have read but no clarity on my situation so that is why I am asking. I mentioned that I have a DVD/VCR recorder combo. That has a direct VHS to DVD transfer builtin and I have converted a few videos before this way and they came out pretty good. If I am not mistaken they look near DVD quality. One big drawback to this setup is it only gives 1 hr of recording time at the highest DVD recording quality. I was hoping for a suggestion for a good video capture card to use with my DVD/VCR recorder combo. Then I am planning for Blu-Ray or Hard Drive backup so that I can avoid splitting 1 video in 2 dvds.

As someone else has mentioned a lot of vhs home videos have lousy captures but wasn't really the case for me. In fact I was stunned to see how bad other's home movies are in America's Funniest Videos. There is so much contrast that you wouldn't believe my videos are actually from VHS so I would like to preserve them in the highest possible quality.

So please suggest a good Video capture card. HDMI input is fine. I was actually looking at Hauppauge Colossus 1 and Hauppauge Colossus 2. Someone mentioned to go for Colossus 1 for VHS conversion because it has TBC. But for my situation will it make a difference if I get Colossus 1 or 2 since I am outputting through HDMI?

Other question I am trying to ask is can I go for the cheapest video capture card there is available with h264 encoding without suffering any loss in video quality with my setup?

[elm]

lordsmurf

well I have used a hdmi cloner box evolve and thats is fine for my vhs tapes I record them as 1 file through that and also I do clean my vhs player all the parts inside after a about a week and I have a cleaning device that cleans the vhs tapes itself and that fixes a lot of problems with like tracking and picture quality so the vhs tapes play in the best quality possible unless the tape is damaged like really chewed up but non of my vhs tapes are so I am able to record them in the best quality possible

[lordsmurf]

elm, RS456:

You should both post samples clips of your captures.
Odd are their are timing and chroma issues present, at a minimum.

Words only convey so much.

[lingyi]

+1 to lordsmurf's post

I'm on a roll because of some threads on another forum, but passing along information is fine, passing along information that may be incorrect (especially in the case of what may be one shot / one chance VHS captures) is borderline irresponsible. One of the great things about many of the posters here, especially those like lordsmurf and manono is that they have the eyes to judge what's great, good and bad, backed by decades of experience.

That doesn't mean someone may know of and share knowledge of some new hardware/software/technique that will give demonstrably better results, but given we're nearing the tale end of analog video capture, it's highly unlikely.

[RS456]

elm, RS456:

You should both post samples clips of your captures.
Odd are their are timing and chroma issues present, at a minimum.

Words only convey so much.

I would if I could. I was asking for a suggestion for a good video capture card. I don't have one as of now. I am thinking of buying one. I was considering Hauppauge Colossus 1 or 2. Someone said Colossus 1 is better for VHS because it has TBC and Colossus 2 doesn't. I was also wondering if I need to go that high budget of a card because of my setup outputting video through HDMI. So please suggest a card.

Regarding video quality is no exaggeration. In the meantime I have looked it up youtube who actually did an experiment with an S VHS vcr with normal tape and in that vcr it did play near DVD quality.

[manono]

I was asking for a suggestion for a good video capture card. I don't have one as of now. I am thinking of buying one. I was considering Hauppauge Colossus 1 or 2. Someone said Colossus 1 is better for VHS because it has TBC and Colossus 2 doesn't. I was also wondering if I need to go that high budget of a card because of my setup outputting video through HDMI. So please suggest a card.

I suggested a USB capture device. There are lots of good and inexpensive ones, less expensive than any card and much easier to set up and use. Why your fixation on a capture card? Use the money you save to buy a good VCR (not one that's part of a VCR/DVD combo) and a DVD recorder to be used as a passthrough device for its line TBC.

[jagabo]

Decent standard definition video capture devices start around US$35 these days. The Diamond VC500 and Hauppauge USB-Live2 are often recommended for capturing composite or s-video, and stereo RCA audio. You'll find many much cheaper devices (US$5 and up) but they may not work well, or at all.

But the capture device is the least of your worries if you're looking for really good results. You need an S-VHS deck or separate device with a line time base corrector to clean up horizontal sync before capture. S-VHS decks haven't been manufactured in many years. A known good one will cost you US$300 to US$500 on the used market. If you see one much cheaper than that is most likely in bad shape. About the cheapest you can do (US$100) is get an old Panasonic ES10 or ES15 DVD recorder to use as passthrough. If you're lucky you may be able to find one with a bad DVD drive for much less. It will clean up the horizontal timing (improving picture quality) and provide some vertical stabilization too -- enough to keep the capture device's Macrovision detector from falsely kicking in. Neither will remove true Macrovision.

[RS456]

I am not sure I can find a VCR better than the one in my DVD/VCR combo. In the meantime while waiting for others suggestions here I searched on the internet and found out the VCR in my DVD/VCR combo is technically a S-VHS player. Why I am kind of leaning toward using this combo is because it can output VCR playback on HDMI (unlike most combos)which is outputting video much more clearer than the A/V cables which can also be done on this combo.

Why I am leaning toward a capture card is because I have another computer which has A/V ports in the front which can not be removed without making the computer look shabby. It has originally has capture card but there are no updated drivers for it for Win 7 and up so basically the A/V ports on the front are dummy ports till I can get a replacement. From what I seen the Hauppauge Colossus cards have the front panel A/V connector port just like my outdated capture card. There might be more cards like that I am not sure. But what I was thinking was use the capture card (with the front panel A/V port) on the computer I have with me right now and transfer all the videos then put this card in my other computer in my other place as I don't really need it here anymore once I transfer all my home videos to hard drive.

[lingyi]

[QUOTE=RS456;2535017]

elm, RS456:
Regarding video quality is no exaggeration. In the meantime I have looked it up youtube who actually did an experiment with an S VHS vcr with normal tape and in that vcr it did play near DVD quality.

Youtube reencodes everything uploaded (another layer of quality loss) and should never be used to compare video quality of anything, much less DVD quality, except another Youtube video. Post a link to the video you viewed and you'll get an explanation of the shortcomings of the transfer (complicated by the reencoding by Youtube).

To remove doubt of the quality hit Youtube places on a video, upload a short sample of a video (doesn't have to be a capture) to Youtube and post the link here, as well as same untouched sample here for comparison.

[RS456]

[QUOTE=lingyi;2535027]

elm, RS456:
Regarding video quality is no exaggeration. In the meantime I have looked it up youtube who actually did an experiment with an S VHS vcr with normal tape and in that vcr it did play near DVD quality.

Youtube reencodes everything uploaded (another layer of quality loss) and should never be used to compare video quality of anything, much less DVD quality, except another Youtube video. Post a link to the video you viewed and you'll get an explanation of the shortcomings of the transfer (complicated by the reencoding by Youtube).

To remove doubt of the quality hit Youtube places on a video, upload a short sample of a video (doesn't have to be a capture) to Youtube and post the link here, as well as same untouched sample here for comparison.

The youtube video is an experiment on how to transfer VHS to digital at highest quality. Its not one of those video sample videos on Youtube. He dug out an old S-VHS player from his parents home and conducted an experiment with playback of different VHS tapes. He used regular Yellow Red White A/V cables. If i can find it again I will post it. He found out store bought movies and ones he recorded on TV were the worst quality. His own home movies on the other hand he did initially were of very high quality (near DVD) but his later home movies were not so great. Reason for that was his initial home movies were on professional grade VHS tapes with SP recording speed while his later movies were on regular VHS tapes at LP or SLP recording. His conclusions was if you used professional grade VHS tapes and recorded in SP you will get DVD quality if you play it with an S-VHS player. Regarding video quality is no exaggeration. This I have done myself without realizing it and I saw near DVD quality.

[lordsmurf]

I suggested a USB capture device. There are lots of good and inexpensive ones, less expensive than any card and much easier to set up and use. Why your fixation on a capture card? Use the money you save to buy a good VCR (not one that's part of a VCR/DVD combo) and a DVD recorder to be used as a passthrough device for its line TBC.

Yeah, I don't get that. This is the 3rd person I've read in the past 7 days that seemingly insisted on an internal card. Often PCIe, often HD for SD work. Wrong tool, bad choices.

When new, even the most "expensive" quality USB cards were far cheaper ($150 for certain Pinnacles, $100 for certain ATI) than internals of the day ($250+). These days, the best USB models are in the $50-75 range. Save the money for VCR and TBC, two more parts that matter equally as much as the capture card.

Not any recorder, but the DMR-ES10/ES15. Many others too weak to be useful, or have nothing at all.

[lingyi]

Okay, okay, I'll confess they'll all really ME! Now admit you're really gamemanico!

Sorry elm, RS456. It's a joke from a long time ago, but gamemanico is real and I don't know how the blue guy puts up with him at digitalfaq.com

[dellsam34]

lordsmurf is a perfectionist and obviously he did this for a living, If you want the best way to capture your tapes it is outlined in post #3, Other methods are ok like DVD or from an HDMI if you don't mind DVD compression or HDMI capture card compression, The best lossless way is VHS tape --> S-VHS VCR --> TBC in VCR --> S-Video --> USB Capture card without encoding chip or PCI card --> Lossless capture software (built in lossless compressor is ok).

You will never get a quality as good as a commercial DVD, But with the best method you will be as close as possible to the quality of the original tape.

[RS456]

lordsmurf is a perfectionist and obviously he did this for a living, If you want the best way to capture your tapes it is outlined in post #3, Other methods are ok like DVD or from an HDMI if you don't mind DVD compression or HDMI capture card compression, The best lossless way is VHS tape --> S-VHS VCR --> TBC in VCR --> S-Video --> USB Capture card without encoding chip or PCI card --> Lossless capture software (built in lossless compressor is ok).

You will never get a quality as good as a commercial DVD, But with the best method you will be as close as possible to the quality of the original tape.

What I found out is that the VCR in my DVD/VCR combo is technically S-VHS. My question right now is do I need a TBC if I am using HDMI instead of AV cables? What I have noticed with AV cables, S-Video, and RGB cables is that there was video noise and some discoloration where RGB was the least noise and discoloration and regular AV cable was the most. S Video was kind of in between. Also are there capture cards without compressor chips?

[RS456]

I suggested a USB capture device. There are lots of good and inexpensive ones, less expensive than any card and much easier to set up and use. Why your fixation on a capture card? Use the money you save to buy a good VCR (not one that's part of a VCR/DVD combo) and a DVD recorder to be used as a passthrough device for its line TBC.

Yeah, I don't get that. This is the 3rd person I've read in the past 7 days that seemingly insisted on an internal card. Often PCIe, often HD for SD work. Wrong tool, bad choices.

When new, even the most "expensive" quality USB cards were far cheaper ($150 for certain Pinnacles, $100 for certain ATI) than internals of the day ($250+). These days, the best USB models are in the $50-75 range. Save the money for VCR and TBC, two more parts that matter equally as much as the capture card.

Not any recorder, but the DMR-ES10/ES15. Many others too weak to be useful, or have nothing at all.

Please don't feel offended with the bold text. It seems everyone is missing a few minor points to my requirements. Those points are underlined and put in bold.
I mentioned before that I had another computer with built in front av ports. The capture card on it is so outdated that there are no updated drivers for it to work on Win 7 or later. To reconnect those AV ports I need a card with an internal front av panel connector. I was planning on using the card I am planning to purchase in the meantime in this computer transferring the said videos then installing it permanently in the other computer to get those front av ports working again. Its kind of annoying to have dummy av ports and if I remove it, it looks clumsy with an opening where those ports were. I can't really install anything else in that place because it is an OEM computer not custom built like the one I am using here. In other words I am trying to save money by not having to buy another capture card for the other computer where it is needed eventually.

Please suggest a good VCR. Most VCRs have AV connectors and I don't get how AV connection will give a better quality for recording VHS than HDMI. Also regarding the recording I was planning to do it in the computer with a capture card/usb.

[lingyi]

I'm curious and confused about some of your comments and would appreciate if you provide some answers.

"...near DVD quality". Not sure about what that means since just having a video on a DVD doesn't ensure quality. I've seen movies on DVDs that looked no better or worse then they did on videotape. I've also seen Blu-Rays that look worse than DVDs. Could you provide a short sample of the DVD transfers you've done with your combo?

"...my DVD/VCR combo is technically S-VHS." Since VHS/DVD combos came near/at the end of VCRs, it's very unusual the VCR side of your combo would have S-VHS (assuming playback) capability. Could you provide your combo's model number? If it somehow does provide superior playback, especially through HDMI, this would a valuable new chapter in VHS capture.

"...RGB was the least noise and discoloration and regular AV cable was the most. S Video was kind of in between." I's assuming you're referring to the playback of your DVD recordings since you don't mention that your combo has RGB out, which would make your combo even more unusual, unless it has SCART which could output in all three forms.

I don't do video capture (I gave up all my tapes and machines a couple of years ago), but find that I often look at posts like yours from a different perspective because of that. You have some of the most knowledgeable and respected members of the forum posting here and to AFAIK, you're asking questions that have never or at least rarely been asked here. I'm truly interested in what you may have to share about your combo and observations in a manner that those who have posted here (and others who may post) may educate you, me and others with their critical eyes and knowledge.

[lingyi]

Please suggest a good VCR. Most VCRs have AV connectors and I don't get how AV connection will give a better quality for recording VHS than HDMI. Also regarding the recording I was planning to do it in the computer with a capture card/usb.

The posts by smartel, lordsmurf and myself on this thread: https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/391033-Looking-for-a-130-or-less-S-VHS-VCR-TBC-DNR-debatable are a good place to start.

Unfortunately, like most things in life, good (regards analog capture) and cheap are mutually exclusive. Really good analog capture costs even more and I would posit that great is off the table because of the limitations of home video technology.

[RS456]

It is DMR-EZ48V and the VCR is listed as a SQPB VHS. When I looked that up S-VHS comes up. I am not sure if it actually plays back S-VHS tapes but supposedly it plays VHS like an S-VHS VCR. Regarding VCR playback on HDMI I do that everyday. I tried all three types for VCR output and HDMI provided the best picture so I am using HDMI out for both VCR and DVD. Before buying this I read a lot of reviews on different DVD/VCR combos and on most it was specifically noted by several customers that you can't output VCR through HDMI for most of them. I never was expecting it but shocked to find out mine actually does when I hooked it up. I had a Samsung DVD/VCR combo recorder before this and if I remember correctly that didn't output VCR through HDMI. To know how the VCR playback was on that I don't really remember as the Dvd recorder on it died very early on. But I do remember the outputs on that were clearly labelled for VCR and for DVD. On this there were no such labels but only one type of input with 2 video inputs (S or Yellow) and one set on the front just like in the back. At the time I was playing back some random VHS testing the different connections. Just like a lot of people on here I have experimented but mine was mostly trial and error. Never really read about it till now when I am more interested in backing up my home videos in high quality. Don't be mistaken that combo itself does a very good job in transferring VHS to DVD as both look identical but the 1 hr limitation is the drawback at highest recording quality. If you go with lower dvd recording setting you will notice copy not as good as the original. The 2nd quality setting is also pretty good but why go with that if you can get the best. With the capture card I was hoping to bypass this 1hr limitation due to size of dvd. Highest quality with no nearly no limitation due to computer.

Another little tidbit is that I was watching these tapes on a 1080 Full HD 32 in Samsung LED TV

[lordsmurf]

It is DMR-EZ48V and the VCR is listed as a SQPB VHS.

SQPB, quasi playback, is not S-VHS.

Could you provide a short sample of the DVD transfers you've done with your combo?

At some point, without samples, the conversation becomes worthless.

"...RGB was the least noise and discoloration and regular AV cable was the most. S Video was kind of in between." I's assuming you're referring to the playback of your DVD recordings since you don't mention that your combo has RGB out, which would make your combo even more unusual, unless it has SCART which could output in all three forms.

I'd bet on it processing, possibly upscaling, in order to get component output. So comparing apples to oranges, the RGB vs composite/svideo.

lordsmurf is a perfectionist and obviously he did this for a living, If you want the best way to capture your tapes it is outlined in post #3, Other methods are ok like DVD

I dislike the term "perfectionist", as it's not really true. I seek quality, but only up to a point of diminishing returns. A perfectionist doesn't know when to quit, and that term has a negative connotation.

Amd I tailor quality to the needs of the project.

For my personal VHS collection, mostly toons/TV, probably 50% of it is converted to DVD, often at 352x480 @ 3-hour mode, using LSI chipset recorders, as LSI remove chroma noise, further cleans up image output from the JVC S-VHS VCR. The JVC implementation of LSI has the best VBR quality, so DVDs can look as good as commercial ones. There's nothing special about commercial DVDs, just good sources and encoding.

For family "home movies", anything shot from cameras goes straight to BD/broadcast spec 720x480 15mbps MPEG. Sometimes I'll actually capture lossless, then convert to that spec @422 profile in MainConcept. The other 50% of personal recordings is currently being dumped to this spec as well.

For off-air TV, I still use DVD recorders, since I mostly record 4x3 channels like TCM. For this, the Zoran chipset RCA is about as perfect as it gets, and again 352x480 3/4-hour encodes are very clean.

For anything needing restoration, lossless AVI is the only way.

For work, whatever the client wanted. I'd try to steer them the right direction, based on viewing/archival goals, but lossless has been more popular than DVD for many years now. Often times, its a 2nd attempt to get the footage converted well, as the 1st attempt was a botched DIY, or a botched job by some sleazy company (which includes Walgreens, etc).

For studios, it would take a novel. Lots of stuff 99%+ of members here wouldn't ever use, or even understand anyway.

Never, ever, capture as H264. That a delivery format, not capture format. Lossless is capture/intermediary, MPEG is both capture/editing and delivery.

Proc amps, detailers, ES10 anti-tearing, audio mixers, etc, all added as needed. (I've finally reached the point where my extra hardware to sell is now smaller than the gear I'm keeping.)

There's really no magic to capturing well. The primary obstacle is buying/using/maintaining the right hardware. And time, LOTS of time. Patience is required. When you see an error, try to fix it, don't just accept it. Experience helps, of course, but people like me help others navigate through it. What makes capturing harder is arguing the wisdom freely given by others that have been there, done that. This is a learned skill, and not much difference from photography.

[RS456]

I did a few but most of them I took out of country where my other computer is. I should have one left here and will post a sample once I find it otherwise I will try to make another copy. So you are saying I should not capture as H264 but convert after capturing it in lossless? Is capturing in Mpeg 2 lossless ? I am asking because I actually found capture cards for about $35 but they have the mpeg 2 chip. If that is good enough then I was thinking maybe I should get that and see the results of my VCR before thinking of purchasing a S VHS VCR. If the results turn out good then complete it with the rest of the tapes then get something like the collasus 2 at a later date for my other computer to make it complete (no more dummy av ports).

Your information lead me to become more inquisitive on S-VHS and VHS VCR . I Actually dug out my player manual to see what it has and capable off but unfortunately nothing specific regarding what we actually need to know. On the internet I just read (after your last post) the main advantage of an S-VHS VCR over VHS VCR was that it has an S-Video output which is not available on most VCRs. Playing back VHS tapes in S-VHS VCR doesn't improve the quality in anyway. It was only because you can use S-Video output which sends video signal at a much higher quality than the standard yellow video cable. The other advantage was the TBC but from what I am understanding from everyone here is to get a separate dedicated TBC and put it in between the S-VHS VCR (source) and the capture device. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[jagabo]

I mentioned before that I had another computer with built in front av ports. The capture card on it is so outdated that there are no updated drivers for it to work on Win 7 or later. To reconnect those AV ports I need a card with an internal front av panel connector.

I doubt that will be possible. The cable between the capture card and front panel is probably proprietary. No modern capture card is going to have the same connections. If the internal connectors on the front panel are standard RCA/S-video connectors you can route cables from the external connectors on the card back into the computer.

[RS456]

I mentioned before that I had another computer with built in front av ports. The capture card on it is so outdated that there are no updated drivers for it to work on Win 7 or later. To reconnect those AV ports I need a card with an internal front av panel connector.

I doubt that will be possible. The cable between the capture card and front panel is probably proprietary. No modern capture card is going to have the same connections. If the internal connectors on the front panel are standard RCA/S-video connectors you can route cables from the external connectors on the card back into the computer.

Actually I wasn't expecting a very modern card to begin with for my other computer. I only needed a card that can be updated with Win 10 drivers. From the looks of it Hauppauge Colossus has these same exact ports. There are a few others but I don't know if they have Win 10 drivers.

[jagabo]

The Colossus 2 officially supports Win10 and appears to have the same internal connector as the original Colossus. I didn't see any documentation on the pinouts. Though I'd recommend just using whatever OS your old card supports.

[lingyi]

[QUOTE=jagabo;2535062]

I mentioned before that I had another computer with built in front av ports. The capture card on it is so outdated that there are no updated drivers for it to work on Win 7 or later. To reconnect those AV ports I need a card with an internal front av panel connector.

I doubt that will be possible. The cable between the capture card and front panel is probably proprietary. No modern capture card is going to have the same connections. If the internal connectors on the front panel are standard RCA/S-video connectors you can route cables from the external connectors on the card back into the computer.[/QUOTE

Okay, another question please. Why is form so much more important to you than function? Since you're insistent on reusing the front panel AV ports on the front of your PC. You could run your AV cables from either an internal capture card or external USB device back into your PC through an empty slot* and connect that to the external ports the wire connections and adding the corresponding plugs. S-Video is a bit more complex than audio, but still it's four wires instead of two.

Also as jagabo stated, the likelihood that the internal wiring of the Colossus (or any card) would be the same as your old one is extremely slim. At best you won't get a signal, at worse you may burn out your Colossus because some of the connections are wired for power and not AV.

[RS456]

Okay, another question please. Why is form so much more important to you than function? Since you're insistent on reusing the front panel AV ports on the front of your PC. You could run your AV cables from either an internal capture card or external USB device back into your PC through an empty slot* and connect that to the external ports the wire connections and adding the corresponding plugs. S-Video is a bit more complex than audio, but still it's four wires instead of two.

My insistence is because space is so limited on the other computer. I doubt I will have slot let alone space for any extra wiring to go in and out of the tower once I install everything. The front panel connector only had a/v and S-video but it is mounted on a small board sharing with front usb ports. Those USBs work. I have compared both boards original and the Colossus and they look nearly identical. Only difference is mine had a cable port and AV in back while Colossus had Hdmi in and out and special AV port for special AV cable. The other one I seen was Avermedia card. Obviously it is older but this looked exactly identical to Colossus but it came with the front AV ports with S-Video connected to the same exact port on my board and Colossus but as I mentioned before I don't know if it is Win 10 compatible. If so I could of just swapped it with that board with no issues. This is also the reason for leading me to believe Colossus port is also the same. If not you could always do the pin out pins. But it is unlikely that it will be different because there is always a certain standard all manufacturers follow when manufacturing electronics. Well anyway enough about that. I initially thought I could get away with just purchasing one capture card . Use it here temporarily and put it in that permanently. I'll look for the card for the other computer at a later date. Suggest a good and reasonably priced capture card (usb or pci-e) for this computer. Provide links if possible.

[LMotlow]

[QUOTE=RS456;2535124]

Suggest a good and reasonably priced capture card (usb or pci-e) for this computer. Provide links if possible.

https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-VC500-digital-converter-Software/dp/B000VM60I8/ref=sr_1...ltimedia+vc500
Tested in this forum and digitalfaq, many VC500 posts over the years. Use it with VirtualDub or AmarecTV. Works with XP up thru Win10. Price was originally $100, has gone down over the years because analog capture isn't as "hot" an item as it was in the past.