What is the best way to capture a VHS to pc?

UFP wrote on 12/29/2004, 1:22 PM
I use the 'Capture Video' function in Vegas 5, but it only let me capture in certain video modes: 720x288 720x240 640x288 640x240 352x288 352x240 320x240

Why cant I use for example 720x576 ?
I will not capture with 720x288 because than the screen ratio is all wrong, right?

And the real question: what is the best resolution to capture my VHS tape to pc?

Comments

farss wrote on 12/29/2004, 2:23 PM
You need an external analogue to digital converter, many on offer. I use an ADVC-300 but you might save some money and go with the ADVC-100. There's also units from ADS, Laird etc. In general the price reflects the quality of the conversion. You can also use a Digital 8 camcorder, these are an excellent choice as they have Time Base Correction and Digital Noise Reduction. If you're lucky you might find one with a dead lens or transport on eBay very cheaply.
Bob.
TomE wrote on 12/30/2004, 12:08 PM
farss,

Which is better in your opinion. The ADVC-300 or a digital 8? in terms of the video denoise and the tbc .

I have captured through my mini-dv sony TRV-30 and frankly I was not thrilled with the results. It may also be my lousy Vhs machine too.

I was getting horizontal lines skipping in and out and I had to crop out the glithchy band at the bottom.

I plan to do a lot of transfer in the future and looking for a reliable and not terribly expensive solution.

-Tom E
BillyBoy wrote on 12/30/2004, 12:19 PM
I just ordered a 300 rather then a 100 because of the built in noise reduction circuity which the 100 doesn't have. So if you got a bunch of video noise in some analog files, hopefully this is the way to go to at least get rid of some of it.

From what I've heard, the 300 uses built-in circuity to remove the noise with hardware, which is generally a better method then attempts to clean it up with software. There's a bunch of threads over at the DVDhelp forum that discuss the pros and cons, yet I have still to find a detailed review of model 300.

I'll like more input too on how fellow forum members use/like this unit. I won't get mind till tomorrow.
TomE wrote on 12/30/2004, 12:27 PM
BillyBoy,

Please let us know how it performs when yoyu get it up and running.

Thanks,

Tom E