Recommendations on hardware to capture 8/Hi8/SVHS to Windows 10 PC

[TonyIOM]

I have about 100 old video tapes from the 90s. Some Video8, some Hi8 and some S-VHS. I would like to capture to DV-AVI de-interlaced to hard disk, with the purpose of editing some of them or then just encoding the DV files to another codec such as mp4.

A search on Amazon and the web in general is pretty useless. Tons of cheap devices that appear to capture to DVD - i.e. encoded to mpeg2. Abolsutely no use to me if I want to edit or watch on a PC or re-encode to mp4 etc.

I have come across only three units so far, but both appear to be discontinued:
Canopus ADVC-100 (but appears not to de-interlace)
Canopus ADVC-300 (appears to de-interlace)
MATROX MXO2 (mainly Mac based, but there is a Desktop version - my concern with this unit is if it would work with Windows 10)

Sorry if this question has been mentioned many times before - things change so quickly in Digital Video that I thought I would ask what the current options are as of Dec 2020. Of course, I could pay to have these tapes converted professionally, but thats going to be very expensive and in any case I want to review them all first before I do capture.
I do not have a Hi8 nor S-VHS player currently, so will have to get those off ebay. With the cost of that included, its tempting to just pay someone a one-off fee to do the capture - but I would really just prefer to get the kit myself and I can always re-sell it.

Any comments are most apprecaited.
Thanks
Tony

[dellsam34]

A search on Amazon and the web in general is pretty useless. Tons of cheap devices that appear to capture to DVD - i.e. encoded to mpeg2. Abolsutely no use to me if I want to edit or watch on a PC or re-encode to mp4 etc.

DV is as no use to you as mpeg-2, It is a lossy format that used for storing video data on a tape two decades ago, It was never meant to be for capturing analog video or a video file storage format and even worse converting it to another lossy codec.
The format you are looking for especially if editing is in mind is lossless AVI 4:2:2 and the device you should be searching for is either a USB video capture device or a PCIe capture card (tons of recommendation threads here), From the lossless files you can edit, de-interlace, encode for online sharing ..etc. And win 10 is not the right platform either, use win 7.

[TonyIOM]

Thank you - that is very helpful. Agh - back to windows 7. That is a nusiance. Anyway, at least I know what format I am looking for to get lossless. Thank you!

[lingyi]

Sorry if this question has been mentioned many times before - things change so quickly in Digital Video that I thought I would ask what the current options are as of Dec 2020. Of course.

Asked and answered several times a week. Nothing has changed in the past 20+ years except the equipment has gotten rarer and more expensive, and there are better filters. The basics of a quality capture setup is the same, good quality VCR + good quality Time Base Corrector (TBC) + good quality capture device = $2000+. All from known quality sources = higher potential resale value, but no guarantee of return on investment.

Start by thoroughly reading and digesting these links: "http://www.digitalfaq.com/editorials/digital-video/professional-analog-workflow.htm http://www.digitalfaq.com/editorials/digital-video/professional-analog-workflow.htm

And this: digitalfaq.com/forum/video-restore/1567-vcr-buying-guide.html[

Don't buy from eBay or Craigslist. Sellers either don't know what they're talking about or outright lie. All of the best VCRs and TBCs are 20+ years old.

There are only three three trusted and recommended sellers here: lordsmurf: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/marketplace/8057-sale-complete-workflow.html, Deter: https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/398787-Deter-s-AG-1980-Repair-Service and tgrantphoto.com

[TonyIOM]

Thank you. Lingyi- very helpful. I am sorry I have posted the same question that gets repeated so often.

[dellsam34]

If you are on a desktop, start with a basic S-Video/Audio PCIe capture card from the 2000's, The reason to use win 7 is because the availability of drivers. Get a good Hi8 camcorder with line TBC/S-Video out and a S-VHS deck since you mentioned you have S-VHS tapes, though a S-VHS deck is good anyway even for VHS tapes, When you buy these items make sure you have a good return policy so if they don't work you can return them. Start learning to capture if you have any problems with some tapes get a DVD recorder to put in the chain to improve the video signal and reduce timing errors. Once you get around capturing and its quarks then you can move to learning how to de-interlace, encode and stuff like that.

[Alwyn]

I have a Windows 10 v2004 and successfully capture Lagarith Lossless 4:2:2 with Virtual Dub using:

- August VGB-100 USB (average)
- IO Data GV-USB2 (great)
- Pinnacle 710USB (great)
- PCI Noname Hybrid card which uses the Phillips SAA713X chipset (great)

All of the above have an S-video input.

I also use a Panasonic ES-15 as a line TBC between the VCR (multiple riff-raff "average" models) and the capture device.

It all works well.

[TonyIOM]

Thanks for the multiple repilies to my questoin - I really appreciate it. Am I correct in saying that a TBC is helpful for both Video 8 and Hi8 capture - not just S-VHS?
Tony

[dellsam34]

Line TBC inside the player (any format) is more important than the external frame TBC, However you do sometimes need both, If you are experiencing one of these symptoms, frame tearing/fold, frame jump/roll/half frame, audo-video lip sync, blue screen for some capture cards an external full frame TBC is a must, which a DVD recorder in the workflow can sometimes suffice.