The best easy way to capture VHS? Best VCR?

[shampistols69]

I want a VCR that can play PAL and NTSC VHS. I've read that the best ones for this have the 525/625 label. I think that all PAL VCRs can play NTSC regardless (I have a digital TV). Is that true? If so, I could just find a PAL VCR for way cheaper. I don't care about a barely noticeable drop of quality. The only variable that makes a PAL VCR difficult to find is that I live in America.

Then, all I would have to do is connect the VCR to my computer and record it with the right settings on OBS. Does all of this sound right?

Ideally, I would just want a multi-system VCR/DVD combo, but I've read that many of those are unreliable and bad.

[Bwaak]

I think that all PAL VCRs can play NTSC regardless (I have a digital TV). Is that true?

No. In the 1990s some PAL VCRs were advertised with "NTSC playback on PAL TV" feature, so they internally convert 525/60 into 625/50 and NTSC color into PAL. You don't want to convert your native NTSC tapes into another standard unless you have a 625/50 PAL TV. I think that semi-professional multi-system ones could handle each format without conversion, but they were expensive then and are rare now.

I think that having two dedicated machines would be simpler. Also, since you are in the U.S., finding NTSC-only machine is much easier, you can find a combo VHS/DVD unit in a thrift store for $10-$20.

[Eric-jan]

An European Panasonic recorder (combo) from internet would be your solution, (mains is no problem most of the time, but you should check that) (vcrshop) on the outside of such vcr/combo you will see beneath the VHS logo: PAL NTSC,
example: the DMR-ES35V will do both PAL and NTSC in their true form, by switching modes in the menu system. (don't use composite video….)
You do need a tv that can display both formats... the latest generation of CRT tv's will give you allways a picture, LCD/TFT can just go black/blue
The 525/625 label just means that the color signal is converted, and it displays those line systems most of the time you can't capture PAL60 NTSC50 because those are conversions for display only, some cheap, not "so picky" devices can capture it, but you need use cases from other users to be shure.

btw VCR/DVD combo can also be a VCR with a DVD player build in, which is completely useless, checkout the drawer for logo's like "recording"
you don't need a VCR with a DVD player

btw2 you already have a capture device ? (which?)

[Skiller]

In the 1990s some PAL VCRs were advertised with "NTSC playback on PAL TV" feature, so they internally convert 525/60 into 625/50 and NTSC color into PAL.

Unless you are specifically talking about rare and special normconverting VCRs for the professionals, a PAL home VCR only does convert the color from NTSC to PAL. The lines count and field rate are not touched. The output is called PAL60: 525 lines at 59.94 Hz and PAL color with subcarrier at 4.43 MHz.

[Bwaak]

In the 1990s some PAL VCRs were advertised with "NTSC playback on PAL TV" feature, so they internally convert 525/60 into 625/50 and NTSC color into PAL.

Unless you are specifically talking about rare and special normconverting VCRs for the professionals, a PAL home VCR only does convert the color from NTSC to PAL. The lines count and field rate are not touched. The output is called PAL60: 525 lines at 59.94 Hz and PAL color with subcarrier at 4.43 MHz.

I am talking about run of the mill PAL VHS VCR that can play an NTSC tape on a PAL TV set. I assume that a regular PAL TV set would not know how to display 525/60. So, it is a full standards conversion.

[Eric-jan]

One should not be that centered onto the 525/50 625/60 "thingy" most of the time you can't capture that, if it's really outputted on a video connection….
this non-standard signal was created only for PLAYBACK like that sticker says… so it's giving a non standard tv signal that is worthless most of the time to capture.
Like i said … look for the VHS logo and mentioned system(s) or take a look in the manual of the vcr for the specs.
btw. The vcr in the picture says HiFi VHS PAL ….and will play PAL tapes correctly with PCM audio when such a tape is recorded with PCM audio.

[Skiller]

Indeed, capturing PAL60 can be tricky as it's not supported by most capture devices.

I assume that a regular PAL TV set would not know how to display 525/60.

Wrong assumption. Consumer TV sets sold in the European market could display a 525/60 signal by the end of the 1980's. This was easy to implement, thanks to the nature of how CRTs work. It basically just requires a different vertical size amplitude when driving the CRT to accomodate for the fewer lines in the signal.
Decoding NTSC color on the other hand was not as easy to implement because it required additional components, such as an NTSC color specific crystal, and circuitry on the chassis. This so called "NTSC playback on PAL TV" feature on many PAL VCRs only existed because these TVs that would display 525/60 when used in conjunction with PAL color became the norm.

So, it is a full standards conversion.

It is not. I don't even see why you are arguing with this.
A full standards conversion in real time before the turn of the century was a very elaborate task only professional hardware could do.

[Bwaak]

Awesome, thanks @Skiller for the explanation. It was my assumption, which seems to have been wrong. If you know for a fact that most/all Euro TVs supported both scanning formats, I have no reason not to believe you.

In fact, I recall a story about an American consulate worker in the USSR sometime in the early 1950s, he brought an American-made TV set with him to Moscow and was able to adjust it to Soviet scanning format by himself. I guess it helped that the horizontal frequency between the two standards was practically the same (this could be the whole point of creating 625/50 format in the first place, to make it compatible with NTSC).

[Eric-jan]

I get the feeling, that the OP maybe did not ask the right question ? what should be accomplished ?
If you want to capture PAL or NTSC then these formats are stored also on the tape, then you want to capture PAL or NTSC, (no conversion is wanted) any "PLAYBACK" format is not wanted, NTSC50 is not wanted, and PAL60 is not wanted, like said, this was only made as go-between for analog playback hardware.
Sofar i have not seen any response of the OP….