VHS to DV

[joutten]

Is it possible to transfer a VHS tape to Mini DV tape and then capture tthat Mini DV tape into the computer? Would it help with dropped frames possibly?

[wolf_wahn]

If your Camcorder supports an analog video input, this is a possible way to transfer your video without loosing frames. I did so with my VHS videos, it worked fine. Before this solution I had problems with lost frames when I tried to use the video capture input of my graphics card.

[joutten]

That is the problem that I am having......I have to research to see if my DV cam is capable of this type of recording...we have TONS of VHS tapes that we want to transfer and the drop rate on the first one was quite a few....

[ToddB]

I have done this with my Sony DCR-PC100 cam and the results where great. I actually went from 8mm tapes to DV. The problem with VHS is that they are 2 hours and the DV tapes on long play are 90 minutes. I finally broke down and got the new DV500 DVD. I can capture into Pinnacle DV AVI from my VCR with no frame drops. I just need more hard disk space now and another 512MB of Ram. :P

In my case I had to dub from analog tape to my DV tape, then capture it from the DV cam. I've heard of some cams being able to pass the analog signal straight through. I wish I knew which cameras did this.

[joutten]

Well, I looked into it, and it seems that my DV cam is not capable of analog input or passthrough.....I think.....I just bought it last night too...It is the JVC GRDVL120U.

[yg1968]

Perhaps, you can return it for one that has passthrough. Almost all Sony digital camcorders have passthrough (except the trv-140). Many Canon also have it.

Otherwise, you can get the Canopus ADVC-100 that is essentially an external box that will give you the same analog to DV conversion.

[joutten]

Ok, does this mean that it is afterall able to receive DV in? Can I actually record in from VHS to DV?????

680,000 Pixel, 1/4" Interlace CCD
F1.8 Bright lens
Digital CyberCam Video Camera
110,000-pixel 2.5" High Resolution, 270-degree rotating LCD color monitor
700X Digital Hyper Zoom with Spline Interpolation
16X Optical Hyper Zoom
Digital Image Stabilizer
Black/White Viewfinder
16x9 Squeeze Mode
PCM Digital Stereo Audio
Snap Shot Modes: Full screen, Frame, Pin-up, Negative, Multi-Picture, 4-Frame / 9-Frame, Digital Still Output
Iris Lock
Wide Mode
Manual focus, Exposure, and White Balance modes
Black Fader
Digital Wipes and Fades
Variable-speed Shutter (1/500,1/250, 1/100, 1/60 sec.)
High Density Image Recording, Mini DV NTSC (SD specifications)
BN-V408U 800 mAh Lithium-ion, High Capacity, rechargeable battery pack
Built-in AC Power Adapter/battery charger
i.Link Digital Input/Output (IEEE 1394 compliant) DV in/out
S-Video Output
Shoulder strap, AC Adapter and AV output cables
Audio Dubbing
1 year parts, 90 days labor warranty
1.39lbs (630g)
3.7" (94mm)
3.27" (83mm)
8.78" (223mm)

[yg1968]

No DV in can only be used with another DV device such another camcorder or a computer with a firewire card.

[joutten]

Well I have a firewire card? What do I have to do?

[yg1968]

I meant that you can export DV files from your computer to your digital camcorder. It doesn't help you to capture VHS. You need a "video in" or, better yet, a passthrough feature to capture VHS from a digital camcorder.

Otherwise, you can buy a Canopus ADVC-100 to convert VHS to DV. You should not get dropped frames from the Canopus.

[wolf_wahn]

Hi,

some additional comments:

(1) If you use a Camcorder, the Camcorder needs to support analog input (your VHS videos) and - in case you want to capture it at the PC without writing it to DV first - a mode that allows the analog input as mentioned by yg1968 to be converted to DV and put out in realtime.

Most Sony Camcorders offer this feature. But you need to know that you can not mix video types (NTSC and PAL) with this method. In case of Sony, if you have a PAL Camcorder, it can not handle NTSC analog video input, and vice versa. Well, for the majority this is not an issue, as we either use either NTSC only or PAL only.

If you want to spend some extra money, you can also go with a CANOPUS unit that converts analog video to IEEE1394 on the fly. Those converters can handle PAL and NTSC. I have one (ADVC100) right now in the office for testing, the quality of the analog->digital conversion is very good. But those units are not cheap ...

Capturing IEEE1394 is more reliable than analog video input capturing, I never experienced lost frames. Defragmentation helps a lot, also a fast harddrive interface (UDMA66).

Wolf

[WiZzO]

Does this mean my Sony TRV25E can capture from my old Cannon Hi 8 tapes ? via S video.

[yg1968]

Yes an S-Video cable should work but you will need female to female audio connectors (Radio Shack has them). If you want to save a few bucks, you can also go through your VCR for the audio.