WHICH TBC on ebay would be a good one?

[snafoo]

I know it is paramount to have a TBC in order to get a really good capture.Which TBC would be a good one to buy from ebay? I know it should be a Frame TBC and not a Line TBC. Everyone knows the issue with a quality Frame TBC. It is THE PRICE! It is going to cost and arm and a leg, especially the Datavideo brand ones. I have seen the Datavideo TBC-1000 on ebay for $1,500. I don't have the dough for one of those. I do have the dough for a cheaper one. Would anyone out there recommend a mid-price range Frame (compared to the Datavideo ones) TBC that would help me produce quality captures? I'd appreciate it! Does a S-VHS VCR (JVC, Panasonic) provide a Frame TBC, or is it a Line TBC? I am all ears for any suggestions!

Thank you!

[dellsam34]

It is more important to get a decent VCR first, Frame TBC is not going to change the visual quality if you have a low end VCR, Once you have a good working VCR and stable capture card then try capturing you may get away with not having a frame TBC if your tapes are in good condition.

[snafoo]

It is more important to get a decent VCR first, Frame TBC is not going to change the visual quality if you have a low end VCR, Once you have a good working VCR and stable capture card then try capturing you may get away with not having a frame TBC if your tapes are in good condition.

I assume a JVC or Panasonic S-VHS VCR is the obvious one to get, correct? I have a Panasonic VHS/DVD Recorder unit (DMR-ES48V). I also have an Elgato video capture device. My tapes play beautifully in this VCR, but they are 40 year old tapes. I guess the JVC/Panasonic S-VHS route would would play them even better, eh? I also assume that an IOData GV-USB2 would be a better video capture device, as that captures at 720x480, where the Elgato only captures at 640x480, right?

[Alwyn]

where the Elgato only captures at 640x480, right?

Not right. Ticking "preserve source format" will allegedly give you the native frame size (720x480), but that's in the Elgato capture software (not desirable because it captures straight into MP4). Try a lossless capture with VDub or AmarecTV and see what frame size is available. My AmarecTV capture guide here.

I have an EZ-48V. Great machine, although mine is PAL. Mine was brand new when I acquired it a couple of years ago. At this point in the cycle, head condition matters. I have a JVC S-VHS VCR and it's picture is not overly marvellous compared to the 48. The advantage of the 48 is it has the Panny Diga stabilisation system, similar to the ES-15 (poor man's line TBC). If you have a stable picture, straight vertical edges, especially on the right side, and you're in-sync, you're home and hosed.

My tapes play beautifully in this VCR

If you're game, do a short lossless capture (15-30 seconds, max 500mb) and attach it here. The experts can critique the quality so you can make a decision on spending more $$$$.

[dellsam34]

If the DMR-ES48V has HDMI out try it in the 480i mode, You may find the internal analog to digital chip inside the player better than anything you've tried before, The catch is to get a good HDMI capture card that doesn't butcher the 480i output from the player.

[snafoo]

where the Elgato only captures at 640x480, right?

Not right. Ticking "preserve source format" will allegedly give you the native frame size (720x480), but that's in the Elgato capture software (not desirable because it captures straight into MP4). Try a lossless capture with VDub or AmarecTV and see what frame size is available. My AmarecTV capture guide here.

I have an EZ-48V. Great machine, although mine is PAL. Mine was brand new when I acquired it a couple of years ago. At this point in the cycle, head condition matters. I have a JVC S-VHS VCR and it's picture is not overly marvellous compared to the 48. The advantage of the 48 is it has the Panny Diga stabilisation system, similar to the ES-15 (poor man's line TBC). If you have a stable picture, straight vertical edges, especially on the right side, and you're in-sync, you're home and hosed.

My tapes play beautifully in this VCR

If you're game, do a short lossless capture (15-30 seconds, max 500mb) and attach it here. The experts can critique the quality so you can make a decision on spending more $$$$.

I made the capture. it has graininess to it. this VCR plays better than my Sharp that i've been using. Let me know how i can do better. I captured with Virtualdub 2.