burning to VHS straight from NLE, can it be done?

[Josh Bass]

I don't think that's right, though. I remember reading in the help files that when previewing, the firewire doesn't carry audio, so to get audio to your monitor/VHS, you have to do the "print video to DV tape." Don't quote me on that, though.

[Jesse Bekas]

I just checked it now, and you're right Josh. You can only ouput the audio through the computer, not through firewire from the timeline. I forgot that my computer audio is already output to my entertainment system, thus I hear it on my TV speakers.

[Josh Bass]

Ok, that's what I thought. I hope we all learned something from this thread; I know I did. I've been wasting time, tape, and play heads by making unnecessary dubs to miniDV so that I could then dub to VHS from them. Now, I am wiser. I am Bass the White, no longer Bass the Grey.

[Josh Bass]

Ok, dudes, what about the reverse? Can I go from VHS to Vegas 4?

I bought this rather expensive RCA to S-Video adapter, because it seems my camera will only recognize things coming into it via S-Video (talking AV stuff here, DVD players, and what have you--not firewire). Somehow, even when I hooked the RCA cables from the VCR into the adapter, I still wasn't seeing anything.

Tips? Advice?

It's a pretty old VCR/TV combo, by Symphonic.

[Rob Lohman]

That should be completely unnecessary, I have done composite
(RCA) input with the XL1S lots of times. Works perfect here.

However, you cannot go the reverse with the XL1S in one step.
You need to record the VHS (or whatever analog source) to DV
tape first with the XL1S and then capture that into your computer.

With the new XL2 you can do this in one step.

[Josh Bass]

Ok, that's fine. I tried to do that too, however (go to a miniDV tape, that is) and failed--couldn't get anything to read in the camera. I tried hooking a DVD player up to the XL1s once, again got the signal to show up in the EVF, so why doesn't it work with my VCR? Grrr.

[Rob Lohman]

Are you sure the output from the VCR is correct (ie, the internal
curcuitry in the VCR is OK?)

[Josh Bass]

Uh. . .how would I check? Is there any way to discern if something's wrong? I've used this VCR for watching movies, recording miniDV to VHS, and recently, straight from Vegas to VHS, but never to go FROM VHS to something. All signs point to the VCR being fine. Do VCRs have to be newer to output stuff? I don't know how old this one is, but I'd guess not too new.

[Rob Lohman]

Well, some TV's take the composite or S-VHS line as well, so that
would be a way to check. Or your VCR might have an input and
output set and you might be using the wrong one. In theory it
could also not output a signal on those ports, but that would be
really highly unlikely.

What are you playing back from this VCR anyway? Would it happen
to be a macrovision protected tape?

[Josh Bass]

Umm. . .I don't think so. Does that mean the little tab is broken off? It's not a "real VHS tape" It's part of a short film that I'm trying to degreade the quality of by going from miniDV to VHS, and then back.

[Sean McHenry]

Something about this just hit me....if you have the S-Video connector in use, it will kill the output via composite (that single RCA video connector). Make sure you pull the S Cable off the deck and then see if you are getting your composite output.

I may have misread part of this thread but that gets quite a few people from time to time. S gets priority.

As an option, look on ebay or someplace for a used Canopus ADVC-100 or similar firewire converter. You should be able to find one in the $100-$150 range easily these days.

Plug the analog decks into it via RCA or S (see caution above) and the firewire end into the PC (or Mac). Bi-directional. There is a switch that tells the box which way the signal is flowing.

Very useful for folks in your situation. Also, some decks like the DSR-11, DSR-25, etc will accept analog and do this conversion to and from firewire.

Happy editing.

Sean McHenry

[Josh Bass]

Wait. . .I'm confused. I don't have a deck at all. This is my list of available devices: NLE/firewire, Camcorder with S-video and RCA ins/outs/whatever, and VCR/TV combo with RCA in/outs only.

I know some guys at a rental house who'll let me do it for free if I can't get it to work at home, so I won't need that converter dealy.

[Sean McHenry]

Sorry, for the purposes of this discussion deck could constitute any tape playing device...

Sean

[Josh Bass]

Ok gotcha. I still think I'm goin' to that rental house tomorrow to do it there.