VideoHelp Forum
+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 13 of 13
Thread
  1. I am new to digitizing old analog video. I have dozens of Hi8 tapes (home movies) that I wish to digitally archive.

    So, what is a good USB capture device that I can use with VirtualDub? I purchased a Dazzle unit, which came highly rated---only to find that it is total crap! It seems that they took their ancient stock, and put it in a new package. For one, it uses USB 1.0. No one has used USB 1.0 in 20 years! This has resulted in many jumps, inserted frames, and possible audio lag.

    I have been trying to find a definitive answer to this question for hours. No luck. Sure, I would love to be able to afford a Magewell. But, that said, what are my other options? I have seen the Elgato and Hauppauge devices mentioned. But, there has also been some question as to whether these will work with Windows 10 and VirtualDub using uncompressed/lossless capture. Does anyone here have practical experience that they can share?

    Laptop: Intel Core i7, 64 bit, nVidia GTX970m

    Analog playback unit: Sony EV-C100 Hi8 VCR

    Input source: S-Video
    Quote Quote  
  2. Capturing Memories dellsam34's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Member Since 2005, Re-joined in 2016
    Search PM
    Try Pinnacle 500-USB or 700-USB series, The driver may not work well under Wind 10 though.
    Quote Quote  
  3. Try Pinnacle 500-USB or 700-USB series, The driver may not work well under Wind 10 though.
    Unfortunately, both are listed as no longer available (both Amazon and New Egg).
    Quote Quote  
  4. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2020
    Location
    Germany
    Search PM
    Originally Posted by anachronon View Post
    Unfortunately, both are listed as no longer available (both Amazon and New Egg).
    Then take a look on eBay or Craigslist.
    Quote Quote  
  5. Member DB83's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    United Kingdom
    Search Comp PM
    Well the Hauppauge usb-live2 is supported by Win10 (requires a usb 2 port)


    https://www.hauppauge.co.uk/site/products/data_usblive2.html


    I can not actually vouch for it since I am on Win7.
    Quote Quote  
  6. Captures & Restoration lollo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Location
    Italy
    Search Comp PM
    I use the Hauppauge USB-Live2 with AmarecTV under Windows 10 on a Asus i7 laptop. Very happy with it!
    Quote Quote  
  7. Capturing Memories dellsam34's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Member Since 2005, Re-joined in 2016
    Search PM
    Originally Posted by anachronon View Post
    Try Pinnacle 500-USB or 700-USB series, The driver may not work well under Wind 10 though.
    Unfortunately, both are listed as no longer available (both Amazon and New Egg).
    Yeah, That's why I recommended getting used cards from back in the day, Everything available now is crap.
    Quote Quote  
  8. OK, so the choice seems to come down to these two:

    https://www.amazon.com/Hauppauge-610-USB-Live-Digitizer-Capture/dp/B0036VO2BI/ref=sr_1...tronics&sr=1-1

    https://www.ebay.com/p/127963049

    This disadvantage of the Pinnacle is finding a Windows 10 driver.
    Quote Quote  
  9. Captures & Restoration lollo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Location
    Italy
    Search Comp PM
    Attched a comparison between a s-vhs recording of a dvb-s program, captured with the Hauppauge USB-Live2 and a dvb-s dump
    (the raw stream has been saved to disk as received from the satellite) of the same program 2 years later.

    The comparison video has been quickly compressed to mp4.

    Judge yourself
    Image Attached Files
    Quote Quote  
  10. Member
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Australia-PAL Land
    Search Comp PM
    Removed.
    Last edited by Alwyn; 2nd Mar 2021 at 08:42.
    Quote Quote  
  11. Thanks everyone, for the advice. Thanks Lollo, for the video comparison. It looks like I will be giving the Hauppauge a try. Surprising, for something so inexpensive.

    On a side note, Lollo, I really love that old Gerry Anderson stuff. But then, I am old enough to have watched those shows when they first premiered.
    Quote Quote  
  12. Captures & Restoration lollo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Location
    Italy
    Search Comp PM
    Surprising, for something so inexpensive.
    Back in late nineties, the high end set-top box dvb-s receiver with Y/C output cost me 10 times more than the Hauppauge now; the same for the JVC HR-S9500MS.
    20 years later (when I finally decided to digitize my tapes ) I am happy to find that the capture device is not the weak link in the chain.

    It took so long to start the conversion because in the meantime PC DVB-S card were introduced in the market (and DVDs, and Blue Ray), allowing to
    dump the digital stream as it is trasmitted (no loss at all in recording), and I built a pure digital copy of my favourite shows.

    On a side note, I also watched Thunderbirs (and UFO and Space:1999) on TV when I was a kid

    Good luck with your captures!
    Last edited by lollo; 2nd Mar 2021 at 13:11.
    Quote Quote  
  13. Thanks. I can still recall when "Fireball XL5" first hit the Saturday-morning lineup in the U.S.. "Stingray" came out a couple years later. "Captain Scarlet" didn't arrive until I was in highschool, and "UFO" not long after. "Space 1999" (my favorite) arrived just as I was starting my third year of college (Engineering). Unfortunately, Gerry Anderson's stuff seemed to drop-off, after he lost Barry Gray doing the soundtrack scores.
    Quote Quote  



Similar Threads

Visit our sponsor! Try DVDFab and backup Blu-rays!