Digitizing VHS Tape onto a PC?

[BassKozz]

What is the best method/hardware for makeing VHS video Digital so that it can be edited and stored on a computer?

I am using a PC (It's times like this where I wish I was using a Mac ;) ), and I'd like to connect my VHS player up to my PC and record some personal home video tapes to my computer, but I don't know what device to get. I plan on using a Laptop to do this so I am really looking for a USB device (with composite cable ports and/or S-video). I know there are alot out there but which is the best?

Also does it make a difference what type of VHS player I use? Is therre such thing as Upsampling VHS or is there a certain type of VHS player I should purchase to get the best quality playback/playthru to the computer?

Thanks in advance,
-Chris

[Joseph Clark]

[QUOTE=BassKozz]What is the best method/hardware for makeing VHS video Digital so that it can be edited and stored on a computer?

I am using a PC (It's times like this where I wish I was using a Mac ;) ), and I'd like to connect my VHS player up to my PC and record some personal home video tapes to my computer, but I don't know what device to get. I plan on using a Laptop to do this so I am really looking for a USB device (with composite cable ports and/or S-video). I know there are alot out there but which is the best?

Also does it make a difference what type of VHS player I use? Is therre such thing as Upsampling VHS or is there a certain type of VHS player I should purchase to get the best quality playback/playthru to the computer?

Thanks in advance,
-Chris[/QUOTE]

I honestly don't know the best piece of hardware out there. You can find a lot of them if you go thru the aisles at Best Buy or CompUSA. I'd suggest you think about getting an inexpensive VCR/DVD recorder combo. It would allow you to go from your homemade VHS tapes to DVD very easily. It's a lot less work for you than going to the laptop. Also, once they're on the laptop, you'll have to archive them to something or risk losing the videos if the laptop crashes. That something is DVD anyway, so why not bypass the step?

Just my 2 cents.

[BassKozz]

I'd rather go the computer route (vs. VHS/ DVD-recorder)... I am really just looking for a USB device that can do this with Hardware encoding (not software encoding) to take some strain off my computers CPU.

Thanks,
-BassKozz

[msummers80]

BassKozz -
I'm in the same boat. I got a Turtle Beach Video Advantage USB. So far, I've spent hours trying to make the thing work correctly. It seems to be conflicting with just about everything on my laptop: security software, preinstalled media editing tools, and probably things I don't know about. This afternoon when I get home I will mess around for about another hour, and then call it quits if I can't make progress.

What the Video Adv. USB has that I like: all the cables I needed, the ability to capture in DV, and the USB2.0 connection.

It is hard to find any reviews on these things, but mostly they are all bad. The price range I am in is especially hit and miss. There are some good reviews on simpler products that don't do DV (they capture with mpeg2 or something like that), but I'd like DV for the editing software I already have.

If anyone has any experience with devices in the $100 range, I'd like to hear what tips you had (incompatibilities, installation settings, etc.). Here is amazon's list of these devices, maybe the reviews will be helpful to you: http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=dp_brlad_entry/104-8701881-7945526?ie=UTF8&node=14034741

[hellerbrewing]

Check out the pinnacle Studio 500-USB (http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/Products/Consumer+Products/Home+Video/Studio+Family/Studio+500-USB+version+10_5) and the 700-USB (http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/Products/Consumer+Products/Home+Video/Studio+Family/Studio+Plus+700-USB+version+10_5). I have the PCI version and I like it althought the software is somewhat bloated and there is a learning curve on some of it. Overall it seems to have alot of good functionality and it seems to keep getting better with each software update. I have an older Toshiba VCR hooked up to it right now and have ripped a few tapes. Quality is what you would expect from an old VHS tape, you aren't going to make it any better, although there are filters and color adjustments that you can play with in the software. One of these days I am going to try to find an S-VHS VCR with S-Video to see if that might improve my picture quality some.

I also have an old Hauppage Win-TV PVR PCI that has an S-video port on it. The software allows you to capture video directly from the inputs at a number of different quality settings. From there you can just drop the Mpeg2 file into NERO or Roxio and burn it directly to DVD without much effort. This is an old card, but works pretty well. I am going to throw mine up on ebay one of these days and I doubt I'll get much for it.

[msummers80]

Ok, I just installed again on my laptop, and for the first time on my PC. On the PC, the Video Advantage worked fine. I did disable the anti-virus before installing. There was definitely a high CPU load (I have an old Athlon xp 2500+ overclocked to 3200 speed). I did a 15 minute clip, and didn't see any frames drop or the sound get out of sync. This is how it is supposed to work.

On the laptop I uninstalled the device in device manager, unintalled the drivers, unintalled the software. Then rebooted, made sure I had the Sonic uninstalled and the anti-virus turned off. Installation went just like the first time, except that the CD keys were already installed (I wish I did a ghost image before I installed the first time). In the end, I kept getting the same errors. I have a lot of other Video editing tools on this laptop for my camcorder, so one of them may be interfering. I want compatability with this laptop, or I wouldn't bother with a USB version in the first place. I am taking it back right now, I'll let you know if the next one works with the laptop. I don't look forward to uninstalling.

[Nate Moore]

I have been using the ADS DVDXpressDX2 for just this type of thing. Thus far it has treated me well. The device allows capture to mpeg, mpeg2, as well as mpeg4 (divx), and does the processing in hardware. Of course after capture, you really see how crappy vhs is as a format compared to dvd, but the video and sound comes though clear ans synched properly. It also has an option to record straight to dvd if that is your game. The device is available for under $100, and it has treated me better than anything else in that price range.

[Rgb]

Short answer:

You want a USB video capture device with a hardware MPEG2 encoder chip.

I would recommend Hauppauge's:
http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/products/data_pvrusb2.html

Pinnacle stuff has been very bad in the recent past, though they might have gotten better after their Avid association.

There are a lot of less costly USB video input devices- most don't have a hardware video encoder chip- they rely on the CPU to do the video compression/encoding.

[Rgb]

See this thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=706961

for DV vs MPEG2 discussion and other VHS capture issues.

[hellerbrewing]

Something else that might be of interest: Some of JVCs DVD/VCR combos will upscale the VHS video signal to 480p, have time-based correction and will copy directly to DVD or output via S-video or component. Although I don't think you can get a progressive dignal over S-Video. Not sure on that one.

[najames]

Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-150 MCE PCI

I am using the beta software on Win2000 and it works fine. Connect the VHS to the input S-Video or Composite on the Hauppauge PCI card. Start the PC software, select the data source/options, open the record window, start the VCR, press the PCs record button.

Can't get much easier, plus it has a free TV Tuner that you can use too!!

There are a few versions, some with remote, some without. All under $100.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Submit=ENE&N=1148410218&Subcategory=&description=haupaugge&srchInDesc=150+mce&minPrice=&maxPrice=