8mm conversion quality advice

[srivenkat]

Hello,

I have some old 8mm tapes recorded on a Sony CCD-TRV52 camcorder that I am now trying to convert to digital. I have the below 2 choices to do this conversion:

1. Sony DCR-TRV460 i.Link -> Mac Thunderbolt2 and use iMovie to import.

2. Sony S-VIDEO -> Old Dazzle DVC100 -> old Windows 10 laptop running Pinnacle Studio 24.

I would be grateful for advice on which option will give me better video quality. IOW, does the Sony i.Link digital conversion do a great job? Also, any advice on any specific settings in the above would result in best conversion would be greatly appreciated. For example, would it make sense to output iMovie ".mov" in 1080p or would the lower 5xx resolution would be good enough for the 8mm?

Thanks in advance.

[rrats]

i.Link way is miles better. 540p with a high bitrate would be enough

[srivenkat]

Thanks for the advice. Would the below Elgato converter do a better job than i.Link option? Thanks again.

https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Video-Capture-Digitize-iPad/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=sr_1_9?dch...tronics&sr=1-9

[rrats]

Thanks for the advice. Would the below Elgato converter do a better job than i.Link option? Thanks again.

https://www.amazon.com/Elgato-Video-Capture-Digitize-iPad/dp/B0029U2YSA/ref=sr_1_9?dch...tronics&sr=1-9

no. i.Link is digital, that below is analogue. analogue is always worse

[jagabo]

The situation isn't straight forward.

In general capturing analog sources with an analog capture device and lossless compression can deliver better quality than using a DV capture device.

DV introduces compression artifacts (blockiness and DCT ringing) and, with NTSC video, reduced chroma resolution (4:1:1 chroma subsampling). You generally have no control over DV devices. You can't tune things like the black level, brightness, contrast, saturation, etc. But many DV camcorders have a built in line time base corrector that reduces the horizontal wiggle that's inherent in consumer video tape formats. And DV capture (really an unmanaged file transfer) is simple and nearly foolproof at the computer end.

Analog capture devices can deliver a pristine uncompressed digital video which you can compress using a lossless codec during capture. This will be free of blockiness and ringing artifacts. But you need to have the right equipment. Most importantly an S-VHS deck with a line TBC or some other line TBC device (like a Panasonic DVD recorder), a full frame TBC, and a good capture device and computer. Most of which hasn't been manufacture for 20 years. You can easily spend a few thousand dollars used equipment -- which may or may not be in good working order. Using a 25 year old VCR (or camcorder) and a cheap capture device will not get you great VHS caps.

If you have access to both the setups you described you should try both of them and see which you prefer.

[rrats]

If you have access to both the setups you described you should try both of them and see which you prefer.

Yeah, OP definitely has a good capture device and Full-Frame TBC