VHS Tracking Problem

[fateman]

I have a few vhs tapes I'd like to convert to dvd, but when I play most of them on my vcr that is connected to my capture card, a small tracking problem shows up at the top. When I play them on a vcr connected to a TV, it doesn't show up. Is it my system or the tape or what? Can I use a stabilizer to fix it? Any help would be appreciated.

I put a clip up on this site:

http://students.washington.edu/fateman/images/

just download the 12.17.00clip.mpg

thanks

jeff

aim: livefate

[Anonymous65]

This tracking problem is the VCR head switching. The reason you see it is because you're watching the video on a PC screen where you can see 100% of the video frame. TV's only show about 85 to 90% of the video frame, covering up the head switching.

So, you have two options, play the video on a TV set where you will not see the tracking problem, or crop the video in Virtualdub or similar program to cover the edges of the video frame. Then you can watch it on a PC monitor and don't see the head switching. However, for making a DVD or VCD, leave it as it is.

[fateman]

i know, but it goes down farther than just what is covered up by a tv, it goes about 1/3 of the way down sometimes. i can't exactly cut that out of the frame. did you check out the clip?

jeff

[thegig]

I'm currently having the same issue. I'm going to try a different VCR and see if that will fix it. I tried cleaning the heads (both dry and wet). That may fix your particular problem, but it did not for me.

[fateman]

yeah, i'll have to try cleaning the heads, but i don't think that will help since i've tried 2 vcrs with the same result. i'm thinking that the tv card picks up more tracking than a tv does and the best bet is to try the stabilizer.

[bunyip]

Yeah, I have this problem as well - from what I've been reading on this site I get the impression that we need a 'time base corrector' to re-synch the tape timing with the capture cards but these are very expensive devices. Perhaps someone could confirm this.

However I have had some success by doing the following:
- fastforward and rewind the entire tape a few times - this seems to re-pack the tape and improve tracking.
- let the tape run a for a while until the picture stabilises then rewind and start again - this has worked on 80% of the offending tapes. (some tapes however never stabilise and some need this step repeated 2 or 3 times before it stabilises).

Anyone with a solution - we'd really like to hear from you!

[fateman]

top

anyone with any kind of help would be great, thanks

[fateman]

also, i have an ati all in wonder 8500dv, just in case there has been a known problem with it or something

[fateman]

top again...

i'm surprised no one else has had this problem.....and no moderator or long time members know anything about it...

[fateman]

ok, it seems the problem is from the tapes....they have been watched too many times and have become jittery, so forget it unless some one knows how to fix that