VHS to Digital

[Chris Hurd]

Originally Posted by Ryan Jones

This is an old thread...

No it ain't. It's less than two years old. When you start digging back to our discussions from 2004, 2005... *those* are old threads. Everything is relative and this forum opened in Sep. 2001. Topics that are less than a decade in age might still be fair game around here!

[Ryan Jones]

Haha! Good to know Chris, thanks! :)

[Don Palomaki]

The ADVCs work well for capturing analog SD to DV format. Good for editing, perhaps not as good for restoration work. As noted you will likely need an external TBC. Best VHS decks are S-VHS, the Panasonic AG-1980 (and PAL equivalent) and some of the later top end JVC S-VHS decks. Plain old VHS are usually not very good.

The Digital FAQ – Support Forum – Video, Photography and Website Design/Hosting is a site that devotes a lot of discussion space to DIY analog tape capture and restoration. But be aware that they tend to not work within the concept of "good enough" focusing on perfection

[Ryan Jones]

Finding those machines in good or new condition is difficult though Don, particularly in Australia/PAL.

I've always been a bit dubious about second hand VHS machines, given the issues with tape. I ended up getting a great price on a new LG DVD/VHS Combo, I'm going to give that a go over HDMI with the UltraStudio for now. The sample Simon showed looked pretty good, but might try and order an external TBC if I'm having issues with the warping.

[Don Palomaki]

Never know what you get with a 2nd hand VHS.

Found one with a kids cartoon tape, another with a home-made adult video, both at yard sales. A friend reports finding one with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the tape slot.

[Patrick Jenner]

Originally Posted by Ryan Jones

Finding those machines in good or new condition is difficult though Don, particularly in Australia/PAL.

I've always been a bit dubious about second hand VHS machines, given the issues with tape. I ended up getting a great price on a new LG DVD/VHS Combo, I'm going to give that a go over HDMI with the UltraStudio for now. The sample Simon showed looked pretty good, but might try and order an external TBC if I'm having issues with the warping.

I've been able find a few on ebay, you can still get the PAL decks shipped from Europe.I have a JVC VS30, it has a TBC in it, but like all JVC devices, it's analog to digital converter is crap, so I never captured from it's firewire.
Some of those combo decks are great but they can have HDCP on the HDMI out.