VHS to Computer (Final Cut)
- Thread starter Danespina
- Start date
i'm not too good at that.. but if you don't wanna have to buy an expensive Input card , i usually use my RCA cable pluggued into the input of my video-camera .. and then use it as as pass-thru to the firewire ... its pretty straightforward, gets you a video in a nice ntsc format , and without any Sync problem ... i had a Capture card before from pinnacle, and it was hell to use , get sound to keep in sync , and was making huge files for no reason ... i definitely not pretend to be an expert... just sharing how i am acquiring ...
scorsesefan
Veteran
You need a VCR with Time Base Correction (TBC). Not sure if they sell them anymore, I bought one years ago. Like cyberears said you can use your camera as a pass through for the VCR.
Consider the Canopus ADVC line
Consider the Canopus ADVC line
I've used the Canopus ADVC110 to digitize VHS videotapes extensively, capturing over FireWire into iMovie and Final Cut Express, initially on a Core2Duo MacBook Pro. The ADVC encodes to DV. The old version of iMovie that I was using, 6.0.4 (which I still like to use), creates raw DV Stream files (.dv extension). Final Cut puts the DV into a Quicktime wrapper.
Canopus tech support used to be fabulous. But it seems to have gone away. Nevertheless, I still recommend the product.
Many tapes captured flawlessly. Other particular tapes consistently resulted in skipped frames. The best I could figure from researching the problem is that the problematic tapes have something called horizontal time-base errors in the VHS world.
My workaround for capturing the problematic tapes was copying them to MiniDV tapes first, then capturing the MiniDV tapes. The MiniDV camcorder that I used apparently has some sort of circuitry to compensate for the horizontal time-base errors, as TV's have had since the VHS format was introduced.
I've wondered whether the ADVC300, a more expensive model, would have also solved the problem. But I haven't purchased it.
Consider the Canopus ADVC line
I've used the Canopus ADVC110 to digitize VHS videotapes extensively, capturing over FireWire into iMovie and Final Cut Express, initially on a Core2Duo MacBook Pro. The ADVC encodes to DV. The old version of iMovie that I was using, 6.0.4 (which I still like to use), creates raw DV Stream files (.dv extension). Final Cut puts the DV into a Quicktime wrapper.
Canopus tech support used to be fabulous. But it seems to have gone away. Nevertheless, I still recommend the product.
Many tapes captured flawlessly. Other particular tapes consistently resulted in skipped frames. The best I could figure from researching the problem is that the problematic tapes have something called horizontal time-base errors in the VHS world.
My workaround for capturing the problematic tapes was copying them to MiniDV tapes first, then capturing the MiniDV tapes. The MiniDV camcorder that I used apparently has some sort of circuitry to compensate for the horizontal time-base errors, as TV's have had since the VHS format was introduced.
I've wondered whether the ADVC300, a more expensive model, would have also solved the problem. But I haven't purchased it.
egproductions
Veteran
Something to be aware of is if the method of capture is going to convert your black levels from analog to digital. Unless you are using a professional capture card or a procamp chances are that that you will wind up with black levels at 7.5IRE.
GaryinCalifornia
Veteran
jawworks has it right... couldn't think of the name of it... I have one in storage some where.. but the Canopsus could do it... but that was like FCP 5 back then...
Alpha Beta Omega
Veteran
I have a Panasonic AG S-VHS player connected to a Pinnacle Video Transfer. It's a great device to save VHS tapes and records directly onto a USB stick or USB drive. No glitches with either software or lost sync from the tape since the player has a stable TBC output.
Capturing via dv codec probably gives you the best ready to edit quality. whether using a codec box like canopus, (I have the original sony one), or analogue pass through or even recording to tape on a miniDV camcorder shouldn't make much difference. If you don't have these options available any of the usb capture devices that are mac compatible should do the trick but you'll need to run the resulting file through mpg streamclip to get an editable format. I just picked up the roxio easy vhs to dvd kit and it seems to be ok quality mp2 for direct dvd output via toast. For anything I was going to edit, I'd stick with dv.
The Canopus ADVC has a dip switch for the IRE setting, and I kept it set to the default setting for the U.S.A.
But I don't know what this means for the VHS tapes that I digitized by transferring to MiniDV tape using a Canon ZR200 MiniDV camcorder. (By the way, that camcorder does not have a pass through capability, which is the reason for the aforementioned two steps - transferring to MiniDV tape, then capturing the MiniDV tape.)