VHS tape to XDCAM?

[richmondfloyd]

Hi,

I have been asked by a client to use some footage currently contained on a VHS tape. It was converted to VHS tape from Cinereel. I am working with a EX1 and editing in FCP, XDCAM native, 720p.

What is the best way to convert the tape based footage so I can use it in the same timeline?

Many thanks

Olly

 

[sadude]

You need to hook up a vhs machine to your capture card and capture the footage into your hard drive. if you don't have a capture card installed on your computer then you will need to go out and get one.
Another way but more technical is to convert that VHS into a DVD, there are video players out there that have a DVD recorder on them.

Once you have the DVD version, then you can use something like NERO to import the dvd files off the dvd into AVI on your hard drive

 

[richmondfloyd]

Great,

So I use something like the Elgato EyeTV 250 Plus http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/250plus/product1.en.html to get the VHS tape content to my mac.

But what format does it arrive in? I will be editing natively with XDCAM footage from my EX1 and will want to drop in the VHS tape footage, but if they are different codec, won't this present a problem?

Thanks

 

[Steve Benjamin]

I needed to use some clips from a 25 year old vhs tape due to the age of the tape the quality was poor. I just set up the ex3 in front of the lcd tv switched off the lights and recorded it. The clips I wanted were perfectly useable.

 

[richmondfloyd]

Hmm interesting idea. Well worth a go. Thanks for the tip. Gets me round all those sticky problems of codec.

 

[xpycm]

You need to hook up a vhs machine to your capture card and capture the footage into your hard drive. if you don't have a capture card installed on your computer then you will need to go out and get one.

If you don't have a capture card, you can use a DV/DVCAM deck (like Sony DSR-11) or a camcorder with a pass-through feature (like Sony PD-170, even old consumer ones have it, like my Sony DCR-TRV120 Digital-8). Connect analog-outs of your VHS deck to the analog-ins of your camcorder and connect its Firewire to your computer one. Capture as a regular DV footage. You can get better quality of video with a S-video connector instead of a composite (yellow) one.

If VHS footage is very old you might need a VHS deck with tracking control. In any case, there will be a huge difference in quality in comparison with EX-1 (even with DV footage shot on DV camera...)