Hi all, newbie here...so first let me apologize in advance for asking something surely explored before. I did search the forum for "flashing" which seems the most common term and clear issue but couldn't find much, plus figured things change so best to start a new thread. I'm having issues with flashing on VHSes I'm capturing. Not all the time, just on some. I have "minimized" that and eliminated, basically, other distortion using a Sima SCC-2. The system is Win ME (long story, basically due to some legacy audio recording gear although upgrading is a (painful) option), it's an AMD 4.3 ghz processor, MSI fairly new motherboard (sorry, not at home and don't have the model handy, can get it later), 7200 RPM drive WDs, and using an ATI 9800 pro All-in-Wonder card. Using Nero to capture, but the flashing occurs as well with ATI's own capture, I don't think that it's a Macrovision problem, at least not per se, in that I have tried a known Macrovision tape and without the SCC-2 the 9800 ATI card refuses to record, so it seems as if it were really a Macrovision problem the symptoms would be different (i.e., the ATI card would refuse to record). Basically on just some tapes I see intermittent flashes. In some cases this can get rather severe. I am using a cheapie VCR, although I subbed out another VCR and getting the same issues without any apparent difference (i.e., not even incremental improvement). I do not see these flashes on a regular TV output. I saw lots of comments online about TCB seemingly fixing such things but I'm suspicious about simply throwing more money at this yet. I'm willing to do so, but just want to be very careful. The SCC-2 definitely has made a big improvement in general to VHS capture quality. Thoughts? Your responses are very much appreciated, thanks, and, again, in advance, apologies for being "another dang newbie"!
Don't apologise for being new, we all were at one time. Have you tried the ATi capture tweaks? The most comprehensive ati capture site: http://www.digitalfaq.com/
I tried the tweaks and although they are useful for what they are, I don't see how they would resolve my issue (and in point of fact they did not). The ones I found on the site all referred to ways to change the recording part of ATI's own software in terms of how it captures to disk. The problem though is when it displays it, as it shows the image, before it commits to disk. Whatever configuration needs to happen, I would think it would be with the video card processing itself, if even there and not something closer to the source. Thanks, though. Any other thoughts, anyone?
Well the Flashing does sound Like a Macrovision issue because that is exactly what macrovsion does....Macrovsion will generally Cause the Picture to either Flash from Black and White to Color or it will Go from a Normal or Dark Picture and Flash to a Really Bright Picture.... You would Think that your Sima CT-2 would remove the Macrovision but I have Talked to many poeple who have Had problems when useing the Sima CT-2 when Captureing from some Tapes.... You might want to try the MacroVision Hack for your ATI card because it worked for me when i used to use an "ATI All In Wonder" and "VIVO" Cards..... Cheers
Thanks. To be clear, it does not flash light to dark or b&w to color, symptoms (FYI) I am familiar with from Macrovision. Also please note when the ATI card sees Macrovision it simply gives a message it refuses to record, it won't even attempt. However, indeed, I did put in the Macrovision hack to eliminate it even checking. No difference. Please note I did put in a known Macrovision VHS and it recorded witout incident (no flashing, "perfect" (to the degree possible from VHS) recording). PS - also, just FTR, it's an SCC-2, not a CT-2 or CT-1. PPS (it's a bad habit of mine) - also, meant to add, the flashes, when they occur, are simply flashes of light as if someone were taking a picture at that moment; some movies may have just a few of these in a section and the rest will be fine, whereas other movies may have them occur throughout. I tend to believe it's a combination of tape quality and how digital is reading in the analog signal, since these typically (not always) play at least better on a TV or into TiVo.
Just FYI to anyone who may have been watching this thread for their own purposes or may come across it later looking for resolution to a similar problem, I have found a solution. Depending on one's view it may or may not be adequate, but it's adequate for me. I read elsewhere about using DVR's as an additional stabilizer, and so I plugged one of our TiVo's into the chain and...voila! Beautiful results. The SIMA is still necessary to eradicate copy protection signals (TiVo does not do that), and it does do nice color correction and other stuff, but the TiVo provides stabilization and eliminates the flashing where even trying out different VCRs and using the SIMA doesn't. A TiVo can be found cheaper than many of the TBCs out there and can be reused (at least in our house), so I'm just going to get another one to dedicate to video archival. There's a funny irony in this in that in fact I went down the route of archiving to the PC when TiVo quickly became an apparent non-solution with many problems itself when recording VCR signals (including problems with some tapes, which oddly clear up if just the TiVo output into the PC is used) and transferring to the PC.
