Testing a £100 video tape capture device

[super8rescue]

I have a pile of DV tapes from the 1990's and two VHS tapes I want to capture.

I have done the 'Easy Crap' stick, which never did work, and the Hauppauge USB capture device (with all it's stupid tv software that you have to install to make the thing work, so much software to install it should be illegal)

That was on windows 8 and it was a long and gigabyte consuming process to capture one VHS tape. Not something I enjoyed...

Gigabytes of data and then processing.... horrible job and the end result was rubbish.

I often see in this forum how difficult it is to use USB capture devices on windows 10, which I now have, so I haven't bothered to try with my USB capture sticks since I moved away from Windoze 8.

Two USB capture devices are gathering dust... £30 wasted. Annoying to say the least.

I should point out I am in no way associated with the device I am talking about here, I am just looking for an easy way to capture my tapes and wanted to share my results with you in case it may be the device for you. I am not being paid to advertise this device, I am just enjoying using it.

It does mean buying £100 box of tricks, but the ease at which you can capture tape is amazing.....

Perhaps a few family members could have a 'whip round' to stump up the £100 for the device if you have lot of family memories on tape.

Assuming you have a working playback device for those tapes, with RCA/Phono or S-VHS input to this device, this box of tricks might be the answer for you.

I have borrowed this device from a friend at work who just used it to save all of his family camcorder memories to a USB stick in mp4.

If you would like to see the results of the Clear Click Video2 Digital, I have just made a video of my first test capture and put it on my youtube channel.

I am very happy with the results. (sorry about the adverts on my channel, skip them)

This unedited test example was shot by me on a Canon XM2 at my work place, circa 1990, stripping out an assembly hall, and then a bit of ballet dancing.

More test captures to come, I will do some colour correcting on my next captures, so if that is of interest to you, come back to my channel in a week or so...

https://youtu.be/lGqwjiK8ZZ8

[DB83]

Unfortunately correct VHS and DV capture is a gigabyte consuming process.

I do not know what Hauppauge device you have (had) but I use a USB-Live2 which is fine. And has good driver support including Win10. You would have more issues with proper DV transfer in Win10


I use the word 'proper' since the method you propose using that gizmo - was that sample from DV ? - will not result in proper files. It inevitably is transcoding the DV to something else and, probably, deinterlacing the footage in to the bargain.


But at the end of the day it matters not what any of us actually think. If you are happy with the results it is all that matters.


The main problem you may face is if you want to edit your 'capture'. What may look good now may not look so good when you edit and re-save due to the compression on the recording.

[super8rescue]

The main problem you may face is if you want to edit your 'capture'. What may look good now may not look so good when you edit and re-save due to the compression on the recording.

The example I have posted has been through an edit and export and to me looks very nice, so I am very happy.

Not everyone wants 'broadcast quality' spending hours with software to process the video data in avi synth etc etc etc etc

Quick, easy and very good result imo, but then what would I know, I spent most of my life frying chips

A very simple clean and easy way to capture analogue video and a lot better than any telecine....

[dellsam34]

The capture you demonstrated is not an analog tape capture, It is DV feed which render the whole demonstration of the capture capabilities useless. That device is not immune to frame drop, and other tape based consumer format's problems, there are complaints about it here in the forum if you do some digging. On top of that as DB83 mentioned capturing to mp4 is locking yourself out of any editing or color correction you may need to do later because the process is lossy and cannot be reversed, so capturing to GB is the only right way of doing it. $100 is too high for such low quality device.

[DB83]

BTW How's the cat ?

[super8rescue]

The capture you demonstrated is not an analog tape capture, It is DV feed which render the whole demonstration of the capture capabilities useless. That device is not immune to frame drop, and other tape based consumer format's problems, there are complaints about it here in the forum if you do some digging. On top of that as DB83 mentioned capturing to mp4 is locking yourself out of any editing or color correction you may need to do later because the process is lossy and cannot be reversed, so capturing to GB is the only right way of doing it. $100 is too high for such low quality device.

Here come the video trolls. I haven't seen a frame drop, I think the example posted looks very nice.
Have a good day and thanks for your very constructive comment.

It will suit very many people wanting to save thier home videos, assuming they have a working playback device.
With regards to your comments about not being able to do any color work, do stay tuned.

[DB83]

dellsam is not a 'troll'. He was making a valid observation.

I did enquire in my first reply if this test was from DV. DV is digital so there are no frames to drop. Your vcr is outputing that back to analogue for the gizmo to capture. So it is a quite clean signal which is not going to suffer from typical VHS sources.


A better test would be from one of the VHS. Your vcr probably has some form of TBC which takes some of the pain out of the process. And you made a most valid comment as well. If you have a decent vcr - many have now been played to death - it will always help.

[usually_quiet]

I have seen reviews of the ClearClick box on Amazon. Most users seem satisfied with the results but most people are not hard to please and ease of use is often a priority.

In case anybody who runs across this thread is interested, true DV transfer is still possible running Windows 10 although it's not as easy as it used to be with earlier versions of Windows.

It is relatively easy to get a good inexpensive PCI-e Firewire card, install it in a Windows 10 desktop computer and use ScenalyzerLive or WinDV to perform the transfer.

It isn't as easy to find them but there are also a handful of more expensive USB devices (Pinnacle Studio MovieBox 500-USB, 510-USB, 700-USB, and 710-USB) that can also be used to transfer DV tapes with a Windows 10 system. Even though they are long discontinued and there weren't any drivers released for them beyond Windows 7, some members here have been able to get them to work with Microsoft Firewire drivers and ScenalyzerLive for DV transfer. See https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/396471-help-with-capturing-dv-footage-from-sony-ha...am#post2577809 and https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/396471-help-with-capturing-dv-footage-from-sony-ha...am#post2577576

Unfortunately, there are no Firewire to USB adapters that work for DV transfer other than the above Pinnacle devices.

[lollo]

Here come the video trolls. I haven't seen a frame drop, I think the example posted looks very nice.

dellsam doesn't need me to defend him, but why don't you look to his capture (his signature) to check what is very nice?

And about Hauppauge USB Live-2 you can look my captures too (my signature)

[super8rescue]

A 40yo VHS test capture may now be examined, and ripped apart by the kind members of this forum.
https://youtu.be/DrWxJE5kraY

[lollo]

A 40yo VHS test capture may now be examined, and ripped apart by the kind members of this forum.
https://youtu.be/DrWxJE5kraY

[DB83]

Impossible to assess. Does that gizmo do the upscaling as well ? And apart from another re-encode by youtube.

None of this matters. You did not start this thread for criticism but to attempt to suggest/promote an alternative method.


But I have read another thread here about this gizmo. Experiences with any form of capture will differ.

[DB83]

I'll ask here rather than foul your channel.

So you post another 40 year old VHS sample 'No processing'. Was that done using this gizmo ? Certainly looks more genuine for a 40 year old tape.

[sum_guy]

Some people just want plug in and capture I get that, it's not for me but I do understand it.
Not everyone wants near perfection, I do, not everyone wants to learn Avisynth or Vapoursynth, I have.
Video is my hobby, nothing more, I don't want to do it as a business.
I just want the best possible capture as my starting point that way when I stream it across plex to a UHD TV I get the best possible playback.
The few videos I did shoot on VHS-C mean a lot to me, I want them looking as good as can possibly be done.
I'm willing to invest the time.
For some people a clearclick box may be the perfect thing, plug in, play. Results are what you are happy with.

[oln]

If you just want a very easy trouble free way to grab video from an analog device and output a mp4 you can play back, then they do certainly accomplish that, in terms of ease of use it's great, most people don't want to worry about messing with drivers and USB dongles and what not. If it works for you, great!

This is probably why the HDMI upscaler -> gamer capture card route also has some popularity, it's easy and hassle-free if one already has that sort of thing set up for different tasks, and some of these scalers do in fact seem to have some well-performing hardware in them, but lack any sort of configurability which us video capture nerds like, leaving you with 720/1080P upscaled/cropped/deinterlaced video as the only option.

I think people here were more hoping to find out some of the more technical aspects of how these things act. E.g how they react to video direct from an average vcr, whether they correct horizontal wiggle, drop frames easily etc. Also what sort of compression options they have for the video, do they crop and/or blow out video levels, does it deinterlace etc. All of that is a bit hard to gauge from a SD youtube upload. From other reviews at least it's not all that great when it comes to those things. There do seem to be some differences between revisions and HD/SD variants and what not too so hard to say in general.

These things are generic hardware designs from companies that design stuff flike this that then western companies put their badges on and provide support for, sometimes making smaller modifications too so often you can find the same thing under many different brands, and sometimes internals can be different between dongles with the same name as well which makes it all that more difficult. (The same is true for a lot of these usb capture dongles too.)

[hdfills]

Been there done that - total rubbish, stick too the 80gb captures lossless, nice clean edits - put some pride in what your doing and put the time in and the quality will show 10 fold

[super8rescue]

- put some pride in what your doing and put the time in and the quality will show 10 fold

You can pipe down. I don't need to be told how to behave.

[lollo]

I don't need to be told how to behave.

Correct. But you need to be told to do not promote that rubbish, along with the insults to videohelp members you posted on your youtube videos (bad captures) and then removed

[DB83]

My friend,

A day or so ago I referred to your other clip which you described as 'straight from the usb'


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOsHuV4Sz6Q


Now, like I also said, it matters not what any of us think about this gizmo but if this clip is 'straight from' yt re-encoding aside, and the 40 year old comets which have to be treated then the gizmo is badly letting even you down.


Just take this request in the friendly spirit it is intended and make available for direct download the actual clip that was on the usb BEFORE youtube got its hands on it.


BTW I accepted those words, now deleted, as banter. Trouble is many take it ad-verbatim and do take offence. Even when I do often tell it as it is on here people can not accept the straight-talking.

[hech54]

and the Hauppauge USB capture device (with all it's stupid tv software that you have to install to make the thing work, so much software to install it should be illegal)

Windows 10
Hauppauge USB Live 2
Amarec TV capture software

Done.

[super8rescue]

admin please feel free to delete my account.
please do report this thread for its ******* vile profanity from me to you bunch of wank stains.
The high and mighty wankers in this forum can **** off and shove your comments up your arse.
I won't be back to read further comments or post again.

You can all go **** yourselves.

[lollo]

He took it well

[Cornucopia]

Just took a look at that YT clip - the chroma shift/bleed, comets/dropouts, frame skipping/dropping...blechh!


Scott

[sum_guy]

I'm going to miss him like a raging STD.

[DB83]

And all this before England lose the rugby.

Always considered him to be a nice guy but lately he has been quite 'unstable' espec. on his yt account which I am subscribed to.


He might regret this latest outburst but then......

[dellsam34]

Gina 2.0

[Cornucopia]

Wow, I never saw that Gina one...

2 month old device crapping out? One word - WARRANTY.

I no longer have any patience for people like that. ZFG. Maybe it's my age.

Scott

[Barrythecrab]

Whatever happened to pacmania? No post since 2017.