Of my equipment, what would work best to build a multi-format capture rig?

[atomicthumbs]

I have amassed a significant collection of U-Matic, Betacam SP, Digibeta, (S)VHS, and other video tapes, and the playback equipment required for them. After several years since I last worked with tapes, I am nearly ready to rebuild my capture setup to preserve their contents.

I was previously using a Blackmagic Intensity Pro attached directly to whatever VTR I was using, capturing uncompressed and then encoding to UT Video. I have come to understand that this is not necessarily the best solution.

I have both the Intensity Pro and an older Decklink card. Since I stopped, I have also acquired AJA FS-1 and Leitch DPS-575 TBC/frame synchronizers. I have a Prime Image TBC/Freeze II in storage, but I assume the newer equipment would work better.

My questions:

Would the best setup be to use one of the frame synchronizers, and either the Decklink or another way to capture its SDI output? Is there any way to encode this directly into high-quality H.264 or H.265 during the capture, and save a step?

Would the AJA provide any benefit over the Leitch if I'm only working with SD? I have no HDCAM tapes or equipment, and won't be using its HD capabilities; if it provides no real benefit, I'd rather use the Leitch and sell the AJA.

Thanks!

[dellsam34]

Are you kidding? The equipment you already have is the best anyone here can dream of, What you need is some practicing on the software side such as de-interlacing, encoding ...etc, never encode on the fly, it's not a good idea. If the SDI PCI Decklink is giving you problems with modern OS get a newer one with newer PCIe socket that works with Win 10 and MediaExpress.

Your Betacam analog and digital tapes go straight from SDI out of the Betacam deck into the SDI in on the desktop (PCI Decklink), Analog decks go first through either the Aja FS-1 or the Leitch DPS-575 and out from SDI to the desktop SDI in, Get a PCIe SDI card with two inputs so you can have two decks connected at the same time even if you can't capture from both simultaneously but just to avoid connecting and disconnecting cables.

Before you sell one make sure to test the frame TBC of both, which ever works better with consumer tapes keep it, it don't matter HD or SD, Even if you are going to use SD only.

Both the Aja and Leitch can be used according to the diagram below for analog sources:

[lordsmurf]

I don't know about "the best", but broadcast gear for broadcast sources (not consumer like VHS) will work.
Should work.

Blackmagic cards are craptastic.

That DPS-575 is often boat anchor, but I'm not sure how it'd work here. Ideally, it would as intended. But it's about 25 years old now, and comes from a background of heavy use (and often abuse). I'd much rather use Aja.

Do not compress of H.264 at capture.

[dellsam34]

A lot people from the consumer world use those broadcast TBC/frame sync as external TBC's only bypassing the frame sync inside it which is the most crucial step in the stabilizing and digitizing process. Those boxes have to be used as digitizers not just partially as a TBC and the reason why it's a huge mistake to use such a device that way is because the analog output from those devices is designed for monitoring using $$$$$ studio monitors that can tolerate timing errors in the output analog signal, Not for capturing using capture cards.
If the size is a problem they do make 1/2 and 1/3 rack size devices as small as 5x5" in the later years of analog video era when micro processors technology improved, BM, Aja, Ensemble Designs, Snell & Willcox (taken over by GrassValley) do make few models that work very well. They do also make PCIe cards for desktops that does the same job a rack mounted device does.