SECAM tapes black and white?

[FelipeArchives]

Hello, I’ve been transferring my VHS tapes with a JVC HR-S8700EU VCR and the picture has no color, it’s only black and white. Does anyone know if I need a secam player to be able to see the picture in color or is my current VCR okay? Thank you!

[dellsam34]

I believe you need a SECAM VCR or at least a PAL player that can convert SECAM to PAL, But for capturing it is always recommended to get a native format player.

[FelipeArchives]

I believe you need a SECAM VCR or at least a PAL player that can convert SECAM to PAL, But for capturing it is always recommended to get a native format player.

my VCR player is this PAL JVC HR-S8700EU

[lordsmurf]

I believe you need a SECAM VCR or at least a PAL player that can convert SECAM to PAL, But for capturing it is always recommended to get a native format player.

There certain TBCs that convert SECAM to PAL, and I generally suggested that. Not to capture SECAM as SECAM, since quite a few quality cards do not accept SECAM input. So it depends on card, drivers, sometimes OS.

[dellsam34]

It's hard to find a TBC that accepts SECAM let alone converts it to something else, But some DVD recorders do have that option to re-encode the chroma into PAL digitally, But I personally don't recommend using anything that converts the chroma in the analog domain, SECAM chroma is a mess to begin with, fiddling with it in the analog domain creates all kind of chroma artifacts, I still remember those days when people converted SECAM VHS-C tapes into PAL and the horrible chroma artifacts.

[lollo]

The general best approach is to play the SECAM tape with a SECAM VCR, i.e. a JVC HR-S9X00MS, and capture the SECAM signal, i.e. with a Hauppauge USB-Live 2 card.

Unfortunately, the T.B.C./N.R. of the JVCs is not active when playing SECAM tapes (I do not remeber now if there was some exceptions, I think no, but check some threads with my and user themaster1 contributions in digitalfaq forum, such as https://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-restore/11461-tbc-secam-vhs-2.html). So you need absolute pristine tapes conditions.
Or use PAL conversion out of the VCR, which quality really depends on the device, and capture PAL.

[DB83]

I must ask.

Why SECAM ? If you recorded these tapes in Chile then they would be NTSC and not SECAM.


Same issue tho. If this is a european vcr you might still get B&W but a european vcr also had PAL-60 so if your capture device/software supports that you will get color.

[Eric-jan]

You really need to know where the vhs tape is recorded, you can't guess that, certainly not with the info given by the OP,
First check with NTSC mode playing vcr for NTSC 4.43/3.58,
SECAM from France = SECAM west, (SECAM-L)
SECAM from outside France = SECAM east, (or MESECAM?) both are also not interchangeable, when wrong they also give b/w picture.
My guess the HR-S8700EU is not a vcr used in France because it records a SECAM signal as MESECAM onto the vhs tape.
It still depends where the vhs tape is recorded…… on which VCR.
btw. where did you buy the JVC VCR … online, or in your own country ? in which country are the VHS tapes recorded ?