Just starting out on this and need help. I have not seen answers in other threads on this. There are many choices out there to take VHS to hard drive. What is my best option? A standalone will not work as I need to incorporate the VHS video into a DVD project, not just make a DVD of it (or will it?). Should I use a PCI-Card device - KWorld DVD Maker (only $35 total on ebay) - or a USB type device? I am using Showbiz to make my DVDs. I do not have a TV in or anything. Best to say what I do have: Audio in, Mic in, Audio out, S-Video out. I am working with an HP Pavilion a250n Pentium 4, 2.6 GHz, 512 RAM, Realtek AC'97, NVIDIA gForce graphics card (does it support DirectX 9.0??) I have 2 (one front/one back) 1394 firewire and four USB ports. I have two open slots in rear for cards. I am not completely illiterate (to you I am!), but clueless when it comes to this. Thanx to everyone at AfterDawn I am learning so much more. I have seen various options out there, but I would sure hate to buy something that will not work for what I need to do, or compatable with my machine. I need to make a memorial video for a friend and want to incorporate old VHS video into the slideshow DVD. Any ideas/help/point to the right direction? Prefer cheaper route, but would like to'future-proof' as well. Thank you. Mac
I personally use the ATI AIW capture card and a JVC 9000 series VCR. These 2 options aren't cheap though. The ATI AIW is good though because it is also a very capable video card for games. There are many other options such as the USB and firewire external capture devices. The Canopus ADVC series of external capture devices is supposed to be very good. Be careful when getting a capture card or external device that it captures straight to MPEG2 DVD format (ATI AIW does). A lot just capture to DV AVI and then you have encode them to MPEG2. This creates a whole other learning step and you need a lot of hard drive space for the AVI.
I have the k-world device and it's really pretty crappy, though it's the best way to back up commercial tapes with investing in a Time Base Corrector. You SHOULD consider a TBC though. A good VCR like the JVC 9000 has one built in, but otherwise, a regular VCR, a DataVideo TBC, and at least a half-decent card like a Hauppauge should do the trick.
Thanx! After doing a little research and getting in deep into some of the threads and finding relevant info, I believe your advice(s) to be best. I don't really want to be buying items to only use them once! I found a Panasonic DMR-ES30VS combo machine ($135) that seems like it will do the trick. It doesn't have a firewire for camcorder direct to DVD, but I will always do some type of editing before putting on disk anyhow. I don't see the need for a card just now (could be wrong!), tho' I know I am going to need one down the road. Those JVC 9000 are pricey! But I will look at that sort of option soon. I just need to put this video together before Dec 9th and don't want to blow a bunch of money on one-time use crap! I'll look at both of those cards and a TBC. Thanx for the help!
DO NOT GET A PANASONIC! Take it from a Panny owner, they are garbage. When I bought my DMR-E50, the picture quality was phenomenal. However, I needed to do a firmware update because it wouldn't recognize modern blank discs. I did the update and the picture turned to shit. Apparently, that's common. The problem is, manufacturers often reuse the same code i.e. the MPEG-2 codec, so your machine may very well have the same crappy codec as mine. BTW, don't buy a combo machine anyway. They don't work very well for VHS duplication and they are designed such that, if they decide a tape is copy-protected (and it is extremely common for recorders to think a tape is copy-protected when it is not, especially with tapes recorded on older VCRs), then the DVD-recorder portion will prevent recording, so that even a TBC won't help. You absolutely need to have a separate VCR and DVD recorder.
The JVCs only have a partial frame TBC, not the full frame like the Datavideo TBC. As you mentioned later though old tapes will have stabilization issues that could be incorrectly thought of as Macrovision. The JVCs partial frame TBC at least will help with that. To macnclete; if you are only doing a few videos why not just have a 3rd part do it for you? It isn't too expensive and you will get a professional finished product (well I do a professional job anyway ).
Okay? I've used many Panny's in the past, but that was waay in the past and they were some of the better low-priced machines out there (if made by Matsushita). I did see the blank problem in a few reviews and opinions. The review that moved me to buy it was the 'epinions' piece by dozkin. None of the reviews mention improperly recognizing Macro tho'. I have a stabilizer, but it wouldn't work in a combo. I'll be doing many copy/transfers/editing jobs in the near future, so I do need to get something going. I just figured I would get the Panny for now cuz it was cheap! I'm not able to throw a bunch of money at a full upgrade right now. I need to be able to do at least some transferring right now and be able to upgrade to the very best as I go along, i.e.; Get a top of the line card, then a recorder, better software, etc. Between MM2, Showbiz, PI4 & 5 I am able to do what I need right now as far as editing goes. I do HAVE to get a video transfer system tho'. So, what I would be best to do right now is get a standalone recorder?(I'll always be able to use it in the future for something.) Not wanting to rush into anything, maybe I should just borrow a recorder and then start with my upgrade? I have a room full of VCRs (I did home electronic repair for years until everything became throwaway). I'll keep looking at ebay and other sites. I'll keep looking here, too! I can wait until the last minute to do the video insert. It's a couple small pieces with its own audio.
If editing is going to be a part of most or all of your transfer jobs then you probably will want to go with a computer-based card, though that may be the pricier option. Look around for a Canopus ADVC-100. Hauppauge makes good cards too, especially the PVR-350. These may be a little cheaper but are oriented more towards the consumer market, where Canopus is more professional and better. A lot of these will run on Linux too, which, if you are not running now, you may have to think about in the future, what with the eventual restrictions coming in Vista. A standalone machine will likely be cheaper, and may produce good results if you can find one with good video. The Pioneers, which are no longer being made, were the last ones that I knew to have good video and audio. Go to videohelp.com, look on the left under "DVD recorders", and read user reviews and specifications. However, what you will want to do is record to rewritable DVDs, load them onto your computer, edit them, and then burn to a permanent DVD+/-R. Transferring your stuff from DVD recorder to computer is time-consuming, but if initial cost is important then it's a quite viable option. Either way, your stabilizer should help. Hardware-encoding capture cards, like DVD recorders, are required to honor copy-protection, but, as I said before, you are exremely likely to get false positives. The stabilizer can prevent that and can also hold you over until you can afford a DataVideo TBC. Video capture cards: http://www.videohelp.com/capturecar...&hits=50&Search=Search&listall=Top+User+Rated http://www.videohelp.com/capturecar...Any&price=&orderby=Name&hits=50&Search=Search
It's funny, I was at videohelp last month and ended up passing on reading further in it for some reason(time restraint, probably). Great site! I checked the es30 for kicks. Too bad. Aside from it NOT doing what I want it to - and no firewire - it's a great machine!? Thanx for pointing me in the right direction. I was actually thinking of passing on your recommendation and getting the Panny anyhow and just use it for this one project and then get another. Good thing I listened - at least the second time! vh.com gives a great advantage, although all my searches thus far have resulted in Pannys being the top rated machines? Not many votes tho'. If ya don't mind, could you throw a few models at me? My searches are not producing much results. It seems like zero, 2-3 or 850 hits! I do see the Panny es series are pretty cheap, up on the list and do 'enough' for right now. I did check out the Pioneers and even on ebay all are a minimum of 350 bux, which isn't terrible, though not knowing who really makes them and where, makes me wonder about their long-term usage. Do you consider, strictly from opinion whether you ever had one or not, Lite-On to be a decent product? Never heard of them, but see them everywhere I search. Something I forget about is that I have a few old PCs laying around and when I checked them, some have video capture cards. Unfortunately, I don't have any of the CDs to go with them. Not even sure of make/model and they don't offer much on numbers, etc. One from a Dell and a Gateway. Any chance, provided I can get install disks, that these would be capable? From older '98s. Doubt I would go that route tho'. Looked at the Canopus ADVC - 100 and it is a nice card. At around 250, they are about what I figured they would cost. It says they only support S-VHS tho' and not just VHS??? Seeing as most folks are not going to have their home movies on SVHS that makes me take a step back. I couldn't care any less about TV capture, so that is not a factor. Compared to the Hauppauge PVR-350, I like the Canopus much better for ease of use - from what I read! I really don't wish to get into technical bs right out of the gate learning the curves of video capture. I need something basic right now. Something to learn with and a 'turn key' operation for under say, 3-400 bux total (card and recorder). Tall order, I know! But, I figure with something cheap and simple to get my feet wet and produce some 'OK' videos for friends and family right now would suit me just fine. I'm not expecting anyone to hold my hand through this process and both of you are most definitely pointing me in the right direction. I really appreciate it! Just knowing where and what to look for is enough, now if I can squeak a bit more info out of ya, that would be helpful. Afterdawn has been an incredible find - lucked out while searching/surfing some months back. So, even without having owned and/or operated the equipment, simply from what you have heard, what would be a good route to go as far as getting a recorder and card for around $400 total? Easy set up and funtionality. This way I can then get a better recorder or card later and work my way up to replacing all components (card, recorder, software, etc.) piece by piece. Once again guys, Thank You! You've been a lot of help and as I get into this more I will return the favor to others.
Something to keep in mind for the future if you plan on buying say a new camcorder some day. I have a Sony 8mm digital with a "pass through" feature. With this unit I can connect a Vhs deck to the camcorder and connect to the firewire on my computer. The video from the Vhs deck goes to the computer via the firewire and the quality is excellent. I bought the 8mm because I had a large collection of analog 8mm video tapes. Now I can play them thru the digital 8mm unit and they are converted to digital on the fly. Again, the quality is excellent. Just an idea to think about for possible future use.
Great idea! I used to do something similar to that years ago for editing purposes and didn't think to do that for the computer! There usually is a way around many things It's good to have as many 'coins in the pocket' as possible. My older JVC doesn't have that feature. I'll have to check my old GL1 and see if I can use that possibly. Thanx for the heads up. Mac
