Capturing VHS With D-VHS Deck MPEG-2

[dellsam34]

Here is full clips captures using JVC HM-DH5U D-VHS deck through firewire in MPEG-2 720x480 NTSC 4:2:0 Chroma sub, TBC and DNR is handled by the D-VHS internal circuits:

Intro
1-That's What Love Is All About
2-(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
3-Wait On Love
4-Soul Provider
5-How Am I Supposed To Live Without You ?


Edit: Sorry one of the clips is missing from my account. I accidentally deleted it.

[dellsam34]

This is just an update after capturing the same tape using my usual workflow, I though it would be a good idea to post some clips here for comparison to the above D-VHS workflow:

JVC HR-S7600AM (Line TBC: ON, Picture mode: Edit) --> S-Video + HiFi Stereo --> BrightEye75 (TBC/Frame Sync: ON, ProcAmp: Default, Audio Gain: Pushed close to 0dB this tape has low audio level) --> SDI Out (8 Bit AVI, YUV 4:2:2, 720x486, 24 Bit PCM, 48 Khz Stereo) --> SDI to USB3.0 --> Crop from 720x486 to 704x480 in Vdub --> De-Interlace in QTGMC --> Encode to AVC H.264 8 Bit 4:2:0, Audio 16/48 @ 192Kbps and set DAR to 4:3 in FFMPEG.

That's What Love Is All About
Wait On Love
How Am I Supposed To Live Without You
How Can We Be Lovers...
Steel Bars

Although the VCR's are not the same but the mpeg-4 file yielded better chroma, contrast and details than the mpeg-2 file.

[DavesArchives]

Here is full clips captures using JVC HM-DH5U D-VHS deck through firewire in MPEG-2 720x480 NTSC 4:2:0 Chroma sub, TBC and DNR is handled by the D-VHS internal circuits:

Wow, this capture looks nice to my eye. A bit more detail and the colors are way more natural. The mpeg4 capture looks a bit smeared and some color blow-outs. Will definitely look into this deck. Thanks for sharing!


[Attachment 53957 - Click to enlarge]

[dellsam34]

No, not better than the lossless capture in post 2. Don't use the browser player it has compression artifacts, instead download the files to your hard drive and compare with a player app. Also notice the BE75 captures after cropped to the legal resolution they show only the active video area with hardly any black borders.

[DavesArchives]

I downloaded both files and then played them in VLC. From there it was just a couple screenshots. Either way, I do prefer the mpeg2. The blacks in the 2nd workflow are a little crushedIMO...but again, just my opinion based on how I edit my transfers. I'd rather be able to scale out the details and shadows as I need to in post. Truly though, thanks for sharing this.

[DavesArchives]

Another question, does that unit have component out? If so, have you tried converting it that way? Looks like I can probably mix in a component to SDI converter to try it out...would be interesting.

[dellsam34]

Yes that VCR has firewire (MPEG-2), HDMI, component and S-Video, I only tried firewire to make the examples above. As to black levels, you can adjust the procamp of the capture card to any setting you want, it has nothing to do with mpeg-2, mpeg-4 or lossless. But with the firewire route you don't have the choice to change the levels. Notice how rich the chroma in the mpeg-4 sample? Also if the MPEG-2 looked slightly sharper is because it is interlaced, The mp4 samples are de-interlaced and that comes at a price.

[DavesArchives]

Nice, thanks! Yeah, I figured the blacks and colors were from something in the workflow (TBC is usually the culprit in my experience, chroma, detail, etc). Thanks again. Ah, good point on the interlacing - wasn't aware of that.

[dellsam34]

Analog TBC's do change video settings such brightness and contrast that's why I use the BE75, It processes the TBC after digitizing @ 12bit and stays digital all the way to the final file, Unlike conventional 8/10bit TBC's where they digitize apply TBC and convert back to analog.

[SF01]

Here is full clips captures using JVC HM-DH5U D-VHS deck through firewire in MPEG-2 720x480 NTSC 4:2:0 Chroma sub, TBC and DNR is handled by the D-VHS internal circuits:

Intro
1-That's What Love Is All About
2-(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
3-Wait On Love
4-Soul Provider
5-How Am I Supposed To Live Without You ?


Edit: Sorry one of the clips is missing from my account. I accidentally deleted it.

What software did you use to achieve 384 kbps audio? Do you know if it's possible to extract LPCM, or trasfer a fiel with LPCM to tape?

[dellsam34]

If you are talking about the generated mpeg-2 files by the D-VHS deck then that's the default setting, I didn't have to do anything.

[SF01]

If you are talking about the generated mpeg-2 files by the D-VHS deck then that's the default setting, I didn't have to do anything.

When using DVHS tool I only got 256kbps audio from analog tape. Hence my curiosity about the software you were using.
I'm also exploring the possibility of LPCM audio, but the rabbit hole leads me to conclusion that PCM might be a deck-specific feature. Because MPEG-TS doesn't really cooperate with LPCM, whatever I tried resulted in audioless file, and when rendering in Vegas to D-VHS preset there is no option for LPCM. More vague is includion of DD 5.1 and DTS, little to no info on how D-Theater was duplicated.

[dellsam34]

I used CapDVHS not DVHStool to capture the analog tape, Not sure if you can get PCM, the mpeg-2 chip is most likely hardware locked to compressed audio. What tape format you got 256kbps out of? D-VHS or VHS?

[SF01]

I used CapDVHS not DVHStool to capture the analog tape, Not sure if you can get PCM, the mpeg-2 chip is most likely hardware locked to compressed audio. What tape format you got 256kbps out of? D-VHS or VHS?

Thank you for the information. I will try Cap. I was transfering VHS-C to be exact.