VCR/VHS to video grabber quality issue

[picip1983]

Hi,

I'm trying to digitize some VHS tapes, and the video capture quality is poor when I connect the VCR directly to the Video grabber (MyGica EZ Grabber2). Even adjusting the contrast and brightness levels doesn't improve the situation much. [img 1]

However, if I connect the VCR to the DVD recorder and then to the Video grabber, the video quality seems much better, but the images are shifted to the left and highly unstable. Please see the screenshots. [img 2, 3, 4]

Also, consider that if I connect the VCR directly to a CRT TV, the video quality is superior to that on the Video grabber.
When I connect the VCR to the DVD recorder and then to the CRT TV the image remains unstable, exactly like on the Video grabber.


Does anyone have any idea what the issue might be?

Thanks



[Attachment 74651 - Click to enlarge]
VCR/VHS --> PC



[Attachment 74652 - Click to enlarge]
VCR/VHS --> DVD recorder --> PC


[Attachment 74653 - Click to enlarge]
VCR/VHS --> DVD recorder --> PC


[Attachment 74654 - Click to enlarge]
VCR/VHS --> DVD recorder --> PC

[dellsam34]

Get a real capture device, those 13 dollars capture devices are made to make money not capture video.

[picip1983]

Get a real capture device, those 13 dollars capture devices are made to make money not capture video.

Which capture device would you recommend?

[dellsam34]

Normally I would say there are tons of threads here with the exact same question, and the answer I get is always, I looked everywhere and can't find any information, I picked the first few threads from the first three pages of the Capturing section out of hundreds of pages:

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/410556-Any-good-USB-capture-devices

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/410799-Which-of-my-USB-capture-cards-should-I-be-using

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/409892-Need-advice-on-USB-capture-cards-that-prese...erlaced-signal

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/409877-Looking-for-guidance-for-a-new-VHS-capture-setup

[oln]

What model of dvd-recorder? Even a not so great one shouldn't normally be acting like that.

Mygica ezgrabber may based on the same conexant chip as Diamond VC500, hauppauge usb-live2 etc. If it's like those, it's fine with stable input so fine if you have a dvd-recorder for stabilizing inbetween, but doesn't handle signal directly from vcrs particularly well.

[picip1983]

What model of dvd-recorder? Even a not so great one shouldn't normally be acting like that.

Mygica ezgrabber may based on the same conexant chip as Diamond VC500, hauppauge usb-live2 etc. If it's like those, it's fine with stable input so fine if you have a dvd-recorder for stabilizing inbetween, but doesn't handle signal directly from vcrs particularly well.

Thank you for your reply. Yes, actually, it seemed to me that the EZgrabber might have the same chip as those ones, but I wasn't sure.
The DVD recorder is an LG DR265B.
The VCR is an LG V190.

This is what I see when I use the DVD recorder inbetween:
https://youtu.be/-Yo41PQrIEM


If I switch the DVD combo to DVD mode, the image is fine, and if I switch the DVD recorder to DVD mode, the image is also fine.
However, the moment I switch to the AV channel that receives the VCR input, the image becomes distorted. This is what I see before playing the tape:
https://youtu.be/ad4b1jyTLlI


I then thought about removing the EZgrabber and, instead, using an AV-HDMI converter connected to an HDMI video capture via USB. With this setup, everything works fine for a few seconds, but then the capture screen turns blue while the audio continues to play.
I've already tried multiple capture software programs.
I'm not sure why there are those brief dark flashes in the video, and it happens with any VHS tape. Could it be an issue with the VCR heads? Perhaps those disturbances are causing the interruptions in the capture software?
https://youtu.be/IRt1_fVfoH8

[themaster1]

Those white flashes are because the AUTO GAIN CONTROL (AGC) is likely activated in your card. This is one of the many downsides using Win10/11(starting with Win7). You can't disable it unless your card is XP compatible, then use XP..

https://files.videohelp.com/u/126559/AGC.jpg

[picip1983]

Those white flashes are because the AUTO GAIN CONTROL (AGC) is likely activated in your card. This is one of the many downsides using Win10/11(starting with Win7). You can't disable it unless your card is XP compatible, then use XP..

I hadn't taken that into account. Thanks for the info.
However, I was referring to those dark flickerings (?). They give me also the impression of triggering the deactivation of the capture software's signal at some point and the screen turns blue (a sort of protection?). I don't know if this makes sense.

[Attachment 74670 - Click to enlarge]


Edit: An important detail I think is that if I connect the VCR to the CRT TV, that flickering is not happening.

[lordsmurf]

This is what I see when I use the DVD recorder inbetween:

It cannot be just any random DVD recorder, but speccific models.

Those white flashes are because

Timing errors that appear similar to anti-copy/Macrovision errors.

Get a real capture device, those 13 dollars capture devices are made to make money not capture video.

^ This.

Quality cards are generally in the $100 range, +/- depending on factors.

Video capture needs video tools. Those tools should compare to the costs of decent cameras and/or camera parts (budget lens, good flash pack, etc). Not the budget for a cheeseburger, or a month of Netflix. A proper video workflow should match the budget of a decent desktop, or mini PC at minimum, not less than a Raspberry Pi.

What you have here are typical problems from using wrong/junk gear to attempt conversion.

[picip1983]

Thank you. I will definitely try to acquire better devices when I have the opportunity.

It cannot be just any random DVD recorder, but speccific models.

Could you please elaborate this?

[oln]

All dvd-recorders (or at least any that I've tried) will digitize and turn the signal back to analog on the outputs though only some have chipsets that do a good job at stabilizing video VCRs so not all are all that great for using for this. Since you are in europe the most common options that work well are panasonic dvd-recorders from 2005 or newer (possibly with the exception of the DMR-ES20 where at least the NTSC variant uses a different chipset, not sure when it comes to the european variant.) Most Pioneers from 2005 and on and Sonys from 2007 on (standalone models only, not ones with integrated VHS) are also an alternative with a bit less robust on very bad tapes but are a bit more adjustable. If you go this route using the mygica capture card you got may be fine.

The LG dvd-recorder you got seems to be a funai-made one different from most LG dvd-recorders actually does have a chipset that has decent video stabilization capabilities though afaik those are a bit prone to flickering. So, not sure why it's acting so weird. The behaviour is seems odd on the bluescreen and image more than one would expect from just normal vhs instability though so there is a slight possiblity here that there could be some issue with either the dvd-recorder or vcr. Since it acts up on just the bluescreen it doesn't seem to be just an oddball tape either.

[picip1983]

All dvd-recorders (or at least any that I've tried) will digitize and turn the signal back to analog on the outputs though only some have chipsets that do a good job at stabilizing video VCRs so not all are all that great for using for this. Since you are in europe the most common options that work well are panasonic dvd-recorders from 2005 or newer (possibly with the exception of the DMR-ES20 where at least the NTSC variant uses a different chipset, not sure when it comes to the european variant.) Most Pioneers from 2005 and on and Sonys from 2007 on (standalone models only, not ones with integrated VHS) are also an alternative with a bit less robust on very bad tapes but are a bit more adjustable. If you go this route using the mygica capture card you got may be fine.

The LG dvd-recorder you got seems to be a funai-made one different from most LG dvd-recorders actually does have a chipset that has decent video stabilization capabilities though afaik those are a bit prone to flickering. So, not sure why it's acting so weird. The behaviour is seems odd on the bluescreen and image more than one would expect from just normal vhs instability though so there is a slight possiblity here that there could be some issue with either the dvd-recorder or vcr. Since it acts up on just the bluescreen it doesn't seem to be just an oddball tape either.

Thank you for the interesting and comprehensive info! It seemed strange to me, but I had suspected that a digital signal was involved due to the artifacts it produced. Now I understand that it is indeed the case. It's also worth mentioning that the same combination of the same VCR and the same DVD recorder worked quite well, and I was able to successfully digitize some VHS tapes about 10 years ago. I am frustrated.
When I have the opportunity, I will try to get better equipment following these recommendations.

Thank you very much again.

[Eric-jan]

The tapes in question, are not pre recorded ones, or have been recorded through a decoder/tuner box, or are recordings from a DVB tuner ?

btw, how do you connect the VCR to the CRT tv ? SCART or yellow,red,white RCA ?

[picip1983]

The tapes in question, are not pre recorded ones, or have been recorded through a decoder/tuner box, or are recordings from a DVB tuner ?

I recorded these tapes at the time from the live TV broadcast, via SCART.

I connect the RCA output from the VCR to the RCA input of the TV.

[Eric-jan]

The tapes in question, are not pre recorded ones, or have been recorded through a decoder/tuner box, or are recordings from a DVB tuner ?

I recorded these tapes at the time from the live TV broadcast, via SCART.

I connect the RCA output from the VCR to the RCA input of the TV.

analog tuner (antenna on roof) or digital tuner (cable or satellite)

[picip1983]

The tapes in question, are not pre recorded ones, or have been recorded through a decoder/tuner box, or are recordings from a DVB tuner ?

I recorded these tapes at the time from the live TV broadcast, via SCART.

I connect the RCA output from the VCR to the RCA input of the TV.

analog tuner (antenna on roof) or digital tuner (cable or satellite)

Analog