VCR + Cables Question?

[JadHC]

Hello,

I am planning to digitalize huge amount of VHS tapes and want to do it in the best quality possible.

Question #1: EDIT

The guy I talked to sells NV-FS 88 instead of Panasonic NV-FS 200 but told me the VCRs are pretty much the same but 88 does not have TBC. Since I have Canopus, I do not need TBC anyway, but wanted to check if it is a good VCR for digitalization, please.

Question #2:

I will buy the VCR in couple days and I already acquired Canopus ADVC-300 and will record into Windows laptop via ffmpeg lossless. I read online that not only hardware is important but cables too. I was trying to find good S-Video cables but they all look the same? I read online that monster cables are good? What would that mean? Would this cable work for instance?
https://www.amazon.de/-/en/132548-S-Video-Performance-24-Carat-Gold-Plated-Contacts/dp...s%2C109&sr=8-4

Question #3

what would be the best way to connect canopus to PC? Should i get S-video to USB3 port? or S-video to HDMI port, please? Is there a difference in ports?

Thank you all very much in advance. <3

Tomas

[dellsam34]

Use S-Video cable for video and white and red RCA cable for audio, I'm not too sure if the ADVC-300 is a good passthrough device, People here use Panasonic DVD recorders as passthrough to get some signal stabilization. What ever you use as a passthrough use S-Video all the way, Any old new stock cables work fine, Shielding is important and modern S-Video cables are questionable.
If you are using the ADVC-300 as a capture device then you need a firewire port on your computer. If it is a passthrough then you need a good USB or PCIe capture card. HDMI is not relevant to any of this.

[dvd3500]

Hello,
I already acquired Canopus ADVC-300 and will record into Windows laptop via ffmpeg lossless. I read online that not only hardware is important but cables too.....

Question #3

what would be the best way to connect canopus to PC? Should i get S-video to USB3 port? or S-video to HDMI port, please? Is there a difference in ports?

Thank you all very much in advance. <3

Tomas

The ONLY way to connect the ADVC 300 is FirwWire and the only codec you can use is the DV video standard.
It has jacks out the back but if memory serves these are to check on an output device it the quality is OK. I might be wrong though....

[DB83]

Well being an ADVC300 user, I can confirm (illustrated some time ago in another thread) that it can be used in pass-through mode.

It does improve the quality of the incoming signal as long as you do not overdo the various settings. There has been more than enough discussion as to whether it is a TBC. All I know is that I noticed major differences when I acquired mine to what I was seeing before.


You do not need to use the back outputs to check signal quality since the unit should come with its own ap called Picture-Controller. Buying used may not have this or the user-manual (which itself makes many assumptions of the technical knowledge of the user). Many moons ago I did upload both the controller and the manual. Maybe they are still available.

[dvd3500]

Well being an ADVC300 user, I can confirm (illustrated some time ago in another thread) that it can be used in pass-through mode.

It does improve the quality of the incoming signal as long as you do not overdo the various settings. There has been more than enough discussion as to whether it is a TBC. All I know is that I noticed major differences when I acquired mine to what I was seeing before.


You do not need to use the back outputs to check signal quality since the unit should come with its own ap called Picture-Controller. Buying used may not have this or the user-manual (which itself makes many assumptions of the technical knowledge of the user). Many moons ago I did upload both the controller and the manual. Maybe they are still available.

OK Thanks...
My monitor is not calibrated like the TVs I watch on so I figured it would not work....

[dellsam34]

Many DV devices did have passthrough capability using the internal ADC and frame buffer away from the DV chip but a lot of folks seem to deny this, I know the Edirol VMC-1 is one of them, DB83 confirmed the ADVC-300, I believe the Datavideo DV boxes have such feature, But some members demonize DV boxes for having the DV encoder when in fact the ADC (A/D), DAC (D/A) and DV En/De are separate processes, In passthrough mode DV is bypassed completely, Here is a screenshot of the VMC-1 signal diagram:

[JadHC]

Hello all,

thank you all for your great inputs. Glad to hear that Canopus works well as a good passthrough device.
Coincidentally, when i called the guy who is selling the VCR, he told me he was using canopus himself, and that he was also using S-video cable for video and cinch cables for audio and firewire to connect it to PC as well as the softwares mentioned in the topic. He is an IT guy and he also offered to provide all the cables, upgrade my laptop by importing/installing firewire port and installing all necessary softwares for the firewire/canopus/vcr to work. So you all confirming what he said gives me confidence he wont just take apart the pc without being able to put it back together.

really helpful. thanks a lot.

[DB83]

If you do not have any DV tapes (or want to capture as DV from VHS - lossless is better than DV) then why upgrade any PC/Laptop for DV.

If the seller really knew his stuff - many who claim to know really do not - save your money on this 'upgrade' and concentrate on a decent capture device - not one of these $10 'Easycraps'

[Alwyn]

They do already have a ADVC-300.

Depends on the "upgrade". If the laptop has a PCMCIA slot, easy to add Firewire card. If it has a Thunderbolt 3 socket, it appears that a fairly inexpensive cable chain can be made up to record DV. A couple of YT videos show it being done (but not successfully with a 12th gen Intel CPU?).

JadHC will have to see what the VCR seller comes up with; it does appear, though, that they are putting in some effort to make sure the setup works.

[DB83]

^^ The OP was talking of "Pass-through" and using the ADVC-300 as a 'quasi' TBC. He also wants 'best' quality. And whilst DV is better than mpeg2, lossless is better than both.

No need to spend the $$ on kit you do not need.

[Alwyn]

The "upgrade" isn't costing them anything; the VCR seller is providing everything they need; post 7.

Now as to getting this so-called "passed through" signal into the computer, we'll have to wait and see!

@JadHC, there's been a few hints in the posts above; you mention FFMPEG lossless capture; how are you actually going to get the video signal into your laptop from your ADVC300?

[JadHC]

The "upgrade" isn't costing them anything; the VCR seller is providing everything they need; post 7.

Now as to getting this so-called "passed through" signal into the computer, we'll have to wait and see!

@JadHC, there's been a few hints in the posts above; you mention FFMPEG lossless capture; how are you actually going to get the video signal into your laptop from your ADVC300?

Hello both, thanks a lot for answers... just to clarify, i dont have DV tapes, just VHS tapes.
The reason for firewire upgrade is because originally i incorrectly thought i could connect Canopus to PC via HDMI or USB, but now I found out thats not possible, and only way is firewire. Hence, the upgrade so that i can transfer video from canopus to PC. [both the guy i bought Canopus from and different guy im buying VCR from used Firewire for transfer to PC]. I have Canopus software that records video but i presume it will compress video, so if it will be possible, i will start playing VHS tapes and in command prompt Ill ask ffmpeg to initiate lossless capture at ~16Mb/s instead. Ive seen some recordings from video capture devices or recording softwares and either they compressed videos or did undesired upscaling which is hard to revert. Hence, id prefer lossless capture and then deinterlace/upscale afterwards myself (in avisynth+, davinci, topaz...). This should work in theory, so ill see how it will work in reality...

https://mrjoeblogs.com/how-i-converted-my-vhs-collection-to-digital-using-ffmpeg/
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=197722

[JadHC]

If you do not have any DV tapes (or want to capture as DV from VHS - lossless is better than DV) then why upgrade any PC/Laptop for DV.

If the seller really knew his stuff - many who claim to know really do not - save your money on this 'upgrade' and concentrate on a decent capture device - not one of these $10 'Easycraps'

apologies, the other user was mentioning DV so that might have caused some confusion. I will be upgrading laptop for Firewire port.. not for DV.... otherwise, i wont be able to connect Canopus to PC, thats the only way to connect those two... hope that answered your question.

PS: are there any good capture devices that 1. do not upscale and 2. do not compress video? If you have any recommendations, i can still change the decision and change to your option. im interested in lossless transfer only though. Ive seem some videos on youtube with capture upscallers and i did not like the results...

[Alwyn]

@JadHC, there's still some serious research work still to do here. Based on what you've said so far, you do not have the gear, yet, to do what you want.

Your options, as I see it (and others, from their answers) are as follows:

1. Transfer from ADVC-300 using Firewire to your PC in DV format. To do this, you will need a Firewire socket on your laptop (or some other cable chain, as I explained in post 9).

2. Transfer from ADVC-300 (using it as a passthrough TBC only) using S-Video into a USB Analogue video capture dongle/stick sush as a GV-USB2 or Hauppauge USB Live-2 for capture using FFMPEG (I assume, from what you say, that FFMPEG can be used for capture?).

For 1, we don't know if you have a Firewire socket on your laptop.

For 2, you do not have (yet) a analogue video capture device.

Regarding software, you are obviously happy with AVISynth and FFMPEG. If you intend to eventually capture/convert to a lossless codec (such as HUFF or LAGS), I and everybody else will strongly suggest you DO NOT go down the Firewire route ie 1 above. Converting your VHS to DV then back to analogue by FFMPEG for AVISynth is definitely not what you want to do.

[JadHC]

@JadHC, there's still some serious research work still to do here. Based on what you've said so far, you do not have the gear, yet, to do what you want.

Your options, as I see it (and others, from their answers) are as follows:

1. Transfer from ADVC-300 using Firewire to your PC in DV format. To do this, you will need a Firewire socket on your laptop (or some other cable chain, as I explained in post 9).

2. Transfer from ADVC-300 (using it as a passthrough TBC only) using S-Video into a USB Analogue video capture dongle/stick sush as a GV-USB2 or Hauppauge USB Live-2 for capture using FFMPEG (I assume, from what you say, that FFMPEG can be used for capture?).

For 1, we don't know if you have a Firewire socket on your laptop.

For 2, you do not have (yet) a analogue video capture device.

Regarding software, you are obviously happy with AVISynth and FFMPEG. If you intend to eventually capture/convert to a lossless codec (such as HUFF or LAGS), I and everybody else will strongly suggest you DO NOT go down the Firewire route ie 1 above. Converting your VHS to DV then back to analogue by FFMPEG for AVISynth is definitely not what you want to do.

Hi Alwyn,

oh, this is extremely helpful and eye-opening. so converting to PC via firewire will result in DV and compression? and I would get better results to capturing to an USB analog video capture device? No, i haven't bought one and happy to get one if that means better quality.

To answer your questions, i do not have firewire port yet (that would be the upgrade), and i do not have analog VCD either (happy to buy though - the prices are pretty reasonable).
If i went with second option -> 1. would the videos still be recorded directly into my PC? 2. the quality would be better than canopus firewire? if yes, then im gonna go with your second option and will not have to take my laptop apart...

[DB83]

So allow me to, hopefully, clarify.

Some years ago, it was a common recc. to connect a VHS to a DV camcorder and use the camcorder in passthough mode to clean up the VHS signal before capture to a PC. Now there was only one output from the camcorder ie DV so the user had no choice but to have firewire on the receiving PC/Laptop and transfer as DV.


Now an ADVC-300 is a different beast. True it can do EXACTLY as I describe above. In fact I was doing just that in the early 2000's when I had no knowldge of lossless codecs.


But it can also accept analogue cable beit composite or s-vid (if the vcr supports that), clean up the signal and output via composite or s-vid and then capture in truly lossles mode (DV is NOT lossless). And that is what I do these days if I worry about quality.


As for FFMPEG, vdub2 does have several lossless ffmpeg codecs 'built in'. But my choice is to use standalone codecs which give the same result but with lower bitrate.


Now I know you did not mention cost in your earlier replies. But can you imagine anyone not charging you for an upgrade that you might not require unless the person had ALL the kit and simply wanted to part with it.

[Alwyn]

so converting to PC via firewire will result in DV and compression?

Correct. Given you can use AVISynth, option 2 is definitely the way to go. DV is suggested for non-videophiles because it just works, but the tradeoff, especially for NTSC, is lower quality, as DV out of the ADVC-300 is already compressed, which you don't want to further process with FFMPEG or AVISynth.

If i went with second option -> 1. would the videos still be recorded directly into my PC?

Yes, the video will come out of your VCR, through the ADVC-300 as a passthrough TBC only, out of the ADVC, on S-video again, to the analogue capture stick and into your laptop as lossless (or uncompressed, if you choose) video in a suitable codec such as HUFFYUV or Lagarith. I use AmarecTV as my capture software, but you may be able to use FFMPEG, although there's probably not much point because your video will be lossless anyway, and all your post work will be done in AVISynth or FFMPEG. The workflow is to capture the basic raw video then work on it after capture.

It will be better quality than a Firewire transfer.

A word of caution: lossless video is around 30gb per hour.

I'd go with the IOData GV-USB2. Others here use the Hauppauge USB-Live 2. I have a USB live 2 as well, and it's good; I just prefer the GV.

As for pulling apart your laptop to install a Firewire port, I'm getting the cold shivers! Unless you have an older laptop with a PCMCIA port, "don't even think about it!".

[JadHC]

so converting to PC via firewire will result in DV and compression?

Correct. Given you can use AVISynth, option 2 is definitely the way to go. DV is suggested for non-videophiles because it just works, but the tradeoff, especially for NTSC, is lower quality, as DV out of the ADVC-300 is already compressed, which you don't want to further process with FFMPEG or AVISynth.

If i went with second option -> 1. would the videos still be recorded directly into my PC?

Yes, the video will come out of your VCR, through the ADVC-300 as a passthrough TBC only, out of the ADVC, on S-video again, to the analogue capture stick and into your laptop as lossless (or uncompressed, if you choose) video in a suitable codec such as HUFFYUV or Lagarith. I use AmarecTV as my capture software, but you may be able to use FFMPEG, although there's probably not much point because your video will be lossless anyway, and all your post work will be done in AVISynth or FFMPEG. The workflow is to capture the basic raw video then work on it after capture.

It will be better quality than a Firewire transfer.

A word of caution: lossless video is around 30gb per hour.

I'd go with the IOData GV-USB2. Others here use the Hauppauge USB-Live 2. I have a USB live 2 as well, and it's good; I just prefer the GV.

As for pulling apart your laptop to install a Firewire port, I'm getting the cold shivers! Unless you have an older laptop with a PCMCIA port, "don't even think about it!".

thanks so much. youre a lifesaver. im bout to buy VCD. I think I will be forced to go with Hauppauge because i can buy it directly from EU and it will arrive Friday (VCR will arrive tomorrow, so i can start recording this weekend). I can only buy GV-USB2 from either U.S. or Japan, so it would most likely get stuck in customs and take a month to arrive (i'm serious, one time, they held my package for 4 months).

I have one last question (placing order now), i see both GV-USB2 and Hauppauge that they have female audio cinch ports and canopus also has output female cinch ports. Getting male-to-male cinch cable will work just fine to get good stereo? If yes, ill place my order now and should have it by friday :O

regarding the size, I was expecting 50Gb/hour so 30 gb is fine xD Imma get 5TB WD drive just to store the lossless copies of all the tapes.

[JadHC]

So allow me to, hopefully, clarify.

Some years ago, it was a common recc. to connect a VHS to a DV camcorder and use the camcorder in passthough mode to clean up the VHS signal before capture to a PC. Now there was only one output from the camcorder ie DV so the user had no choice but to have firewire on the receiving PC/Laptop and transfer as DV.


Now an ADVC-300 is a different beast. True it can do EXACTLY as I describe above. In fact I was doing just that in the early 2000's when I had no knowldge of lossless codecs.


But it can also accept analogue cable beit composite or s-vid (if the vcr supports that), clean up the signal and output via composite or s-vid and then capture in truly lossles mode (DV is NOT lossless). And that is what I do these days if I worry about quality.


As for FFMPEG, vdub2 does have several lossless ffmpeg codecs 'built in'. But my choice is to use standalone codecs which give the same result but with lower bitrate.


Now I know you did not mention cost in your earlier replies. But can you imagine anyone not charging you for an upgrade that you might not require unless the person had ALL the kit and simply wanted to part with it.

thanks, this was also my original idea to record from Canopus via S-video directly into PC. then both the guy that i bought canopus from and the guy im buying VCR from were using firewire so i thought it was better [and only] technique so its good and validating to know that your and Alwyn's way works too and at a better result too.

Alwyn mentioned HUFFYUV or Lagarith codecs for lossless, are you using those too or do you have different ones, please?

[DB83]

I use both huffyuv and lagarith. Actually prefer huffyuv

Again, both of these are standalone. Vdub2 does have a port of huffyuv with ffmpeg which, when I tried it, did produce much larger files so quite possibly that 50 gb/hour you were anticipating.

[JadHC]

So i just received my Hauppauge from Amazon? I think its not not supposed to look like this?

[Alwyn]

I think its not not supposed to look like this?

You'd be right! Here's the real McCoy:

[Attachment 69119 - Click to enlarge]
I bought mine from the Hauppauge website.

[JadHC]

I think its not not supposed to look like this?

You'd be right! Here's the real McCoy:

[Attachment 69119 - Click to enlarge]
I bought mine from the Hauppauge website.

Hi Alwyn, thanks a lot. Youre the bestest. I talked to Amazon and they will send a replacement soon. They have official Hauppauge goods on their Amazon site (seller is Hauppauge) so not sure what happened. If the replacement will be wrong as well, I will return it too and buy it via official site (not sure from which country they will send the goods though).

Just a quick q, on my Hauppauge token, it says its made in Indonesia. Is yours made there as well? or do you think they sent me a knock-off?

[Alwyn]

on my Hauppauge token, it says its made in Indonesia. Is yours made there as well?

Yes, mine's made in Indo as well. Top line says 122000 LF Rev C1 2322.

not sure from which country they will send the goods though

Mine came from Singapore (to Australia).

Good luck with Amazon, it's rather odd, I must say. Pretty basic stuffup, that's for sure.

[JadHC]

on my Hauppauge token, it says its made in Indonesia. Is yours made there as well?

Yes, mine's made in Indo as well. Top line says 122000 LF Rev C1 2322.

not sure from which country they will send the goods though

Mine came from Singapore (to Australia).

Good luck with Amazon, it's rather odd, I must say. Pretty basic stuffup, that's for sure.

thanks for that info. Checked my token and it says 122000 LF Rev C1 1821 so it seems genuine. Probably just a mixup in connecting cables. Ill wait for my replacement and hopefully they will get it right this time Thanks a lot. Really appreciate your time and answers.

[JadHC]

on my Hauppauge token, it says its made in Indonesia. Is yours made there as well?

Yes, mine's made in Indo as well. Top line says 122000 LF Rev C1 2322.

not sure from which country they will send the goods though

Mine came from Singapore (to Australia).

Good luck with Amazon, it's rather odd, I must say. Pretty basic stuffup, that's for sure.

Hi Alwyn,

i think im all setup hardware-wise. I tried to put everything into works and read your other posts such as these:
https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/401570-Hauppauge-USB-Live2-vs-IO-Data-GV-USB2

I'm in testing mode, so I have installed Canopus Picture Controller. For Video Capture, I have temporarily installed Hauppauge Capture till i test and find the best video capture. However, I am receiving no signal in Video Capture and when I run Picture Controller, I am getting an error "ADVC-300 can not be found". As discussed previously, I am not connecting ADVC-300 to PC via firewire, but via USB using Hauppauge USB-Live2. So it seems the PC is trying to find Canopus via firewire which it cant.

I tried to see my network settings but came out clueless. How are you finding your Canopus on your PC without using firewire, please? Or is this merely a video capture setting issue?

[Side note: I honestly have very little idea what I'm doing, so if I'm asking dumb questions, feel free to correct me. I am not sure how many softwares I need to for video capture. Do i need both Canopus Picture Controller and ProCoder? I installed Hauppauge Capture, but I will not need winTV10 if i will be using other softwares to record videos, correct?]

Thank you very much for your time and help, appreciate all your help.

[lollo]

With the Hauppauge USB-Live 2:

- install the appropriate drivers
- use AmarecTV and capture YUV 4:2:2 format with a lossless codec
- provide to the card a Y/C signal through a S-Video connection, because its comb filter is poor
- be sure to have a lineTBC correction in the workflow (in the VCR or additional device)

[JadHC]

With the Hauppauge USB-Live 2:

- install the appropriate drivers
- use AmarecTV and capture YUV 4:2:2 format with a lossless codec
- provide to the card a Y/C signal through a S-Video connection, because its comb filter is poor
- be sure to have a lineTBC correction in the workflow (in the VCR or additional device)

Hello Lollo,

thanks for your reply. You are an angel.

- I now installed both Hauppauge Capture and WinTv which also installed the drivers during the installation.
- I downloaded AmarecTv. However, i see its settings in NTSC only, while I record PAL. Is there a way to change it to PAL settings, please? Site also says I will need AMV Video Codec which is $30. Is this correct? Or lossless codec can replace it?
- "provide to the card a Y/C signal through a S-Video connection, because its comb filter is poor" I unfortunately do not understand what this means. Would you be able to elaborate, please?
- I have Panasonic FS 200 and Canopus ADVC-300 which both have TBC, so i should have double-TBC overkill enabled.

I tried to remove Canopus from the flow and connected PC directly to VCR via output cables. It gave me A-HA moment, as I have realized that I was streaming S-video output but I was watching Composite channel (big A-HA moment). And I have realized that I have plugged red and yellow RCA cables, not red and white (second A-HA moment).
This is the result:

1. VCR directly to PC: I now receive both audio and video output, however, video output is black-and-white.
2. VCR through Canopus into PC: no signal (ill have to set-up AmarecTv)

Thanks a lot for any inputs. These cables got my head spinning...

[Alwyn]

@JadHC

As discussed previously, I am not connecting ADVC-300 to PC via firewire, but via USB using Hauppauge USB-Live2. So it seems the PC is trying to find Canopus via firewire which it cant.

I tried to see my network settings but came out clueless. How are you finding your Canopus on your PC without using firewire, please?

That's right, the Canopus software won't find the ADVC-300 because the USB Live2 is in the workflow after it (I don't use the ADVC).

Do i need both Canopus Picture Controller and ProCoder? I installed Hauppauge Capture, but I will not need winTV10 if i will be using other softwares to record videos, correct?

Since you're only using the ADVC as a TBC in passthrough mode, you won't need either of those programs. Regarding WinTV10, that won't be needed either, but installing it was good because it installed the drivers (or perhaps Hauppauge Capture did that; doesn't matter either way, leave them on your machine).

I downloaded AmarecTv. However, i see its settings in NTSC only, while I record PAL. Is there a way to change it to PAL settings, please?

Yessir! Start up AmarecTV then:

-click on the Config button (top left)
-click the Graph 1 (Device) tab
-click on the Hauppauge Cx23100 entry to highlight it
-click the Device Setting button
-click on the Video Decoder tab. There you can change to PAL. We use PAL B or G in Australia, not sure for other countries. Lollo will help here.

Site also says I will need AMV Video Codec which is $30. Is this correct? Or lossless codec can replace it?
No, not necessary. Install the Lagarith lossless codec from here:

https://www.videohelp.com/software/Lagarith-Lossless-Video-Codec

It will then appear in the "Other Codec" list on the Recording tab in AmarecTV.

"provide to the card a Y/C signal through a S-Video connection, because its comb filter is poor" I unfortunately do not understand what this means. Would you be able to elaborate, please?

Ideally, connect your ADVC (or your VCR if going direct) to the USBLive2 using a S-Video cable (the round plug with the 4 small wires inside), not the composite yellow RCA cable.

As far as actual capture with AmarecTV, there's a good setup guide here:

https://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-capture/12986-amarectv-virtualdub-inserts.html#post86872

If you have nay trouble with signals, just close AmarecTV, then connect the USBLive2, then fire up Amarec again.

That will record a lossless Lagarith AVI, for you to edit, improve if need be, and then convert to MP4 for distribution.

[JadHC]

@JadHC

As discussed previously, I am not connecting ADVC-300 to PC via firewire, but via USB using Hauppauge USB-Live2. So it seems the PC is trying to find Canopus via firewire which it cant.

I tried to see my network settings but came out clueless. How are you finding your Canopus on your PC without using firewire, please?

That's right, the Canopus software won't find the ADVC-300 because the USB Live2 is in the workflow after it (I don't use the ADVC).

Do i need both Canopus Picture Controller and ProCoder? I installed Hauppauge Capture, but I will not need winTV10 if i will be using other softwares to record videos, correct?

Since you're only using the ADVC as a TBC in passthrough mode, you won't need either of those programs. Regarding WinTV10, that won't be needed either, but installing it was good because it installed the drivers (or perhaps Hauppauge Capture did that; doesn't matter either way, leave them on your machine).

I downloaded AmarecTv. However, i see its settings in NTSC only, while I record PAL. Is there a way to change it to PAL settings, please?

Yessir! Start up AmarecTV then:

-click on the Config button (top left)
-click the Graph 1 (Device) tab
-click on the Hauppauge Cx23100 entry to highlight it
-click the Device Setting button
-click on the Video Decoder tab. There you can change to PAL. We use PAL B or G in Australia, not sure for other countries. Lollo will help here.

Site also says I will need AMV Video Codec which is $30. Is this correct? Or lossless codec can replace it?
No, not necessary. Install the Lagarith lossless codec from here:

https://www.videohelp.com/software/Lagarith-Lossless-Video-Codec

It will then appear in the "Other Codec" list on the Recording tab in AmarecTV.

"provide to the card a Y/C signal through a S-Video connection, because its comb filter is poor" I unfortunately do not understand what this means. Would you be able to elaborate, please?

Ideally, connect your ADVC (or your VCR if going direct) to the USBLive2 using a S-Video cable (the round plug with the 4 small wires inside), not the composite yellow RCA cable.

As far as actual capture with AmarecTV, there's a good setup guide here:

https://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-capture/12986-amarectv-virtualdub-inserts.html#post86872

If you have nay trouble with signals, just close AmarecTV, then connect the USBLive2, then fire up Amarec again.

That will record a lossless Lagarith AVI, for you to edit, improve if need be, and then convert to MP4 for distribution.

Hi Alwyn,

thanks a lot for your explanations. I have now successfully installed both AmarecTV and codecs and am able to record lossless in avi format

Regarding the signal, it is trouble-some though. When I connect PC directly to VCR using Hauppauge USB-Live2, the video is going through but still black & white (btw, my VCR's TBC is doing great job, makes me wonder if I needed Canopus at all).
When I plug Canopus in the flow, Canopus status lights red, there is no light on Analog/DV input (screenshot attached). Status light is red constantly even if i dont play any tape so I do not think it is a MacroVision issue?

I have PAL VCR and Hauppauge should support PAL as well, not sure where the B&W signal comes from. I've been going through historical VideoHelp topics but they mainly talk about NTSC issue, not PAL. Would you know what could cause this, please?

Thanks a lot in advance