You might want to check out the Canopus ADVC-100.
bd

Since you’re not going back out to tape you could also use the Canopus ADVC-50 which is a bit cheaper than the ADVC-100. The ADS Pyro A/V Link would work too but it has some problems capturing old tapes which ADS Tech is working on but haven’t fixed yet. (I own one so I hope they fix it soon). I would stay away from the Pinnacle analog cards like the DC10 or AV/DV Deluxe card because they only capture with the included Studio software (i.e., they are proprietary solutions).

After you capture the tapes, try sending the AVI file through VirtualDub using the Dynamic Noise Reduction 2.1 filter. I find that it does and excellent job of removing analog noise. I do this for shows that I record to VHS from TV and put on DVD and they come out remarkably clean.

~jr

Actually, the Canopus ADVC300 is more equal to the task since if sports a time base corrector (which the 100 lacks). It is pricey (around $500) but if you have a lot of irrepleaceable videos, this is the way to go.

Neither one of them will defeat the Macrovision if your source tapes have it.

Check into the Sima Sed Video Enhancer. I have backed up several of my old commercial tapes, the Enhancer cancels the Macrovision right out before it gets to my Canopus AVDC-1394 card.

The ADVC-100 will defeat MacroVision the ADVC-300 will not.
Not sure about the other products.

There is a product, I believe may be sold by places like Best Buy for less than $50, that "enhances" your video signal form the output of your VHS tape. I was told that it also removes the copy protection guard as well. I have never used it but would be worth your while to try it since these stores also have a 15 day money back guarantee.

Steve

I can confirm that the ADVC-100 will defeat MacroVision although I don't believe the method is documented in the manual. The trick: is to hold down the analog-digital swich on the front of the 100 for 30 seconds or so when playing the MacroVision protected tape and the ADVC-100 will supress the protection until it is turned off. You cannot, as far as I know, make this the defautl behaviour.

Another good reason for owning the ADVC-100.

What's the quality of the ADVC 50 like given that the orginal was recorded 19 years ago on PAL LP mode?

I am wary of spending more than I need but, at present, I have the Pinnacle DC10+ card but never have been happy with it and, besides, you can't capture direct to V4.

My one pet VHS project is to edit the 16 hpurs of Live Aid to something manageble and onto DVD. The tapes have never been played since recorded almost 20 years ago.

Cheers

Out of interest has anyone got any knowledge of the ADVC-1394. Here in the UK it ships with Vegas LE3 so I assume it would also work with V4.

Is it reliable/good quality. The price is mid-way between the 50 and the 100.

Cheers

The ADS Pyro A/V Link isn’t bothered by macrovision. In fact, when mine was dropping frames the tech support had me capture a commercial DVD just to test and it captured it flawlessly. I just tried it on a commercial VHS tapes and it seemed to capture that fine too.

My experience is that the Pinnacle DC10+ gives outstanding results. I was very happy with mine and couldn’t tell my finished VHS tapes from the original VHS-C source. I have no experience with the Canopus cards. You should probably just poke around their forums and see what problems, if any, their users are having. I know many people swear by the ADVC-100 and 300.

Funny, I also have the original tapes from LiveAid and haven’t watched them since I recorded them. I never thought of putting them on DVD but that might be an interesting project. I also used LP mode. I’ve been very impressed with my PinnacleDeluxe card. It will capture anything. Even fast forwarding a tape. I’m sure it would have no problem with those old tapes. I should try it and see.

~jr

I had an ADVC-1394 - it works fine with Vegas V4.

Maverick, I have have had the ADVC-1394 for almost two years now and never had a problem with it. I have probably dropped only 5 frames in the whole time. It however won't pass the macrovision thing. It will take the tape but the contrast is off big time. I had to put another black box between the VHS and the Canopus card to kill the macrvision. This is for my own commercial tapes only.

> There is a product, I believe may be sold by places like Best Buy for less than $50, that "enhances" your video signal form the output of your VHS tape.

Could someone give me a brand name of such a box? I remember these from a long time ago. I thought Recoton made one and so did Radio Shack but I searched the web and went to my local Radio Shack and Circuit City and no one had any such box anymore. (I got some pretty strange looks actually) I’d like to boost the signal going into my ADS Pyro A/V Link to see if it solves my dropping frames problem but I don’t want to spend more than I paid for the A/V Link to do it. (so please don’t suggest a $300 box). ;-)

~jr

"Could someone give me a brand name of such a box?"

As mentioned in an earlier post:
Sima Sed Video Enhancer

I happen to have one of these units. I think I paid $50 for it.
I'd be willing to sell it for $50 (plus shipping). Though I've opened the box, I've never used it.

John

You might want to take a look at this device:

Sima VHS/DVD TO DVD DUPLICATOR
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=313143&is=REG

Which "enhances" the video signal in order to back
it up to another source.

Thanks donp.

Actually, the macrovision isn't an issue with me as I only have my own recordings from TV to worry about but I appreciate the help.

With the Live Aid stuff I am not too sure how to address it as yet. 16 Hours is a lot to put on to DVD even though, as it is from VHS, I could probably cram more than 2 hours on each. It's a lot of rendering time albeit I probably wouldn't have any effects added.

May just keep the acts and dispense with the chit chat (have to keep in Bob Geldoff's rants and swearing, though;-))

Cheers

> As mentioned in an earlier post:
> Sima Sed Video Enhancer

OK. It wasn’t clear in the original post if the Sima Sed Video Enhancer just defeated macrovision or if it was good for enhancing video that didn’t have macrovision as well. (perhaps its just my not understanding how macrovision works.) Thanks, I’ll check it out.

My problem is that the ADS A/V Link drops frames at exactly the same place on the tape so I figured it must be a signal problem and that something that boosted the signal would smooth it out and stop the dropped frames. It’s just a theory. My Pinnacle Deluxe card has no such problem with the exact same tapes so I assume the ADS A/V Link is more sensitive to signal variations.

~jr