VHS to DVD

[byrnet]

Any good tips on getting this done? I have an ATI video capture card and Roxio software, but when I tried to capture the image I had lots of frame drop outs... any tips on this method

Thanks

[nwg]

Don't bother with doing it on a computer. The quality will be very disappointing

I used Ulead MovieFactory to capture the VHS output and then make a DVD. However, the video was awful to look at.

It is better and easier to use a TV DVD Recorder.

[troyy01]

It can be done on a computer without losing quality. I use a Sony DCR-TRV350 camcorder (Digital8) and capture the video via firewire. This particular camcorder has a pass-through feature which will let me connect a VCR to it via the RCA jacks and capture the video on the PC, using any one of a number of software applications. I use Adobe Premiere, but for a lesser price, you could use ULead Visual Studio. FYI--the camcorder was only about $450, so it was a little more than double a capture device, but I have yet to see a capture card or device that does not lose quality.

[byrnet]

Thanks,
I know all too well of the poor video quality... I never thought of the DV camera, I think mine has the same function

Thanks

[setarip]

To byrnet

"when I tried to capture the image I had lots of frame drop outs... any tips on this method"

Use a lossless codec, such as HuffyUV, to capture - you can always compress the video later using (if captured as .AVI) VirtualDub and a DivX or similar codec - or (if captured as MPEG) using "TMPGEnc" (Different than "TMPGEnc DVD Author")...

[byrnet]

Thanks,
I'll look into what you have suggested.

[setarip]

"Thanks"

MY pleasure ;>}

[personaone]

NEW OUT DVDX MAKER

[ormonde]

"the camcorder was only about $450, so it was a little more than double a capture device, but I have yet to see a capture card or device that does not lose quality."

I agree with your method if you are dealing with "High Quality" video source material. But with older analog VHS tapes, paying $450 using a camcorder as a capture device, seems like overkill to me. How much better quality are you going to obtain in the long run? I don't think very munch.

[troyy01]

Originally posted by ormonde
"the camcorder was only about $450, so it was a little more than double a capture device, but I have yet to see a capture card or device that does not lose quality."

I agree with your method if you are dealing with "High Quality" video source material. But with older analog VHS tapes, paying $450 using a camcorder as a capture device, seems like overkill to me. How much better quality are you going to obtain in the long run? I don't think very munch.

Considering (a) It is much easier and MUCH more stable than capture devices and (b) It has MANY, MANY more functions that it can serve than just as a capture device, it's not overkill. I do take video with it, as well...not to mention that I value my time at around $100 per hour, so the time it took to fight all the other crap that I had to deal with, it is actually much cheaper than a capture device. Even if you weren't converting older 8mm tapes with it like I'm doing, most people would still be better off with it.

[megamachine]

Partly, it's a matter of taste and partly the set up you use, and it also depends on what your final product or audience will be. I have had great results with a $200 external capture device connected to my laptop using 3-5mbps MPEG-2 capture, which I author directly to DVD using the software that came with the device. I cannot tell the difference between the original VHS tape and the finished DVD on my PC, even projected to a large screen, and on the TV you really have to be picky to see any difference at all. My students can't tell at all. The time spent on this method is negligible. The VHS is captured in real time, and the authoring takes the usual time, so, personally, I don't see the benefit of changing my setup, but, as I said, it is a matter of taste and goals. I tried capturing with AVI and using Premier, and just found it to be way too complicated for the goals I had in mind.

[Quality's Proof]

VHS - DVD? DVDRHELP.COM has/had a lot of posts about such conversion. The Huffy is supposed to work (if you can get it installed properly), most of the "converters" prefer the ATI, there is a hack for the macrosplat, for the 5700 or 5900 (in case you didn't know) (my card is a Hauppauge, it's tolerant to macrosplat). Got a question.

Are the vhs available on DVD? DVD's are supposed to be playable 80 - 100 years, the video quality then would be like the old musc cylinder machines today (quaint but not enjoyable). VHS is only ~ 200 + lines of resolution (unless it's a 400 lines "Super VHS ET" recorded tape (LD quality). I decided to only transfer the rarer vhs I have. Netflix has a DVD rental program, very inexpensive.

It seems troyy 01 is fortunate. Way to go, troyy 01. Been a long time since I earned $100.00 per hour. I reckon folks nowadays figure I'm not worth very much. Oh, but if I could buy everybody else for what they are actually worth and sell them for 1/2 of what they think they are worth, I would have all of the money that could ever be minted and printed ........

Try dvdrhelp.com, they have lots of in-depth guides, etc. and they will point you to where to find what you need.

[megamachine]

Good point, QP, about what to actually convert. The DVD made from a VHS will never be as good as a DVD release of the same movie, especially on consumer grade equipment. Like you, I mostly transfer from VHS what is not available on DVD, stuff taped from TV, or documentary and educational films that don't make it to DVD, or rare movies not released on DVD. Regarding setup, by the way, I use a laptop and the trade-off in quality vs. mobility is worth it for me, compared to being desk-bound, but that, too, is a matter of taste, I guess. Anyway, best of luck troyy.

[ormonde]

"Even if you weren't converting older 8mm tapes with it like I'm doing, most people would still be better off with it."

You mean to tell me if all you need to "EVER" need to do is convert old crappy VHS tapes that you would invest $450 or more on the front end? Maybe "Overkill" is too strong of a term, but it sure is decadence to the extreme.

[troyy01]

Originally posted by ormonde
You mean to tell me...

Let me make myself clear--the unit serves more functions than just converting 8mm and VHS tapes...it is a camcorder, it can capture video no matter what the source, hi or low quality and it does all of it very well and much easier and more stable than capture devices. I never said "if all you need to "EVER" need to do is convert old crappy VHS tapes".

I am a quality freak. I want the absolute best that I can get out of anything I can produce. This solution allows me to obtain that level of quality no matter how good or poor the source. If you talk to anyone who does this professionally, they will tell you what the best solution is for this level of capture/editing. I'm not arguing what is most cost effective. I said that for the time that was invested in other methods, they cost me a lot more money in time than I paid in the difference for the camcorder. I am simply stating that I have found this to be the BEST way to do it at this level, not the cheapest. If you want cheap, go buy cheap. However, if you want the best, dish out the money--I just see no reason to dick around with software, codecs, and other crap just to try to get something done that is so easy with a digital cam. This solution is far from the best you can get, as there are many very costly professional solutions out there, but it is by far the best amateur way to do it.

By the way, the original poster asked for "good tips to get this done", which was my reply to how to do it and keep the best quality. I feel like I'm in a freakin' David Lee Roth vs. Sammy Hagar forum...who cares when DLR is a nut case.