Advice on digitising VCR tape

I have been asked to extract a short video film (a very precious wedding video) on VHS cassette into a 21st century format so it can be viewed again.

I need to decide whether to send it off somewhere to be done 'professionally', or DIY it? If so, any suggestions as to what kit would give decent enough results (given that the video was pretty crappy 1980s VCR quality anyway; but I don't want it to get worse!). I do have an old domestic VHS player which was consigned to the back of the workshop about

10 years ago when a cassette got jammed inside and I never bothered sorting it. I expect I could nurse it back to health? And it would be quite useful to have the necessary hardware in house, as there are a few more tapes I'd like to view and digitise too, ideally.

If the panel reckons I should just send my tape away somewhere - any suggestions as to where? What would be the best primary output spec - some form of computer video format or standard DVD format? (whichever primary file I get, the actual file will end up being viewed both via DVD and computer screen).

Thanks

Reply to
Lobster
Loading thread data ...

I have found that a VCR connected to a DVD recorder by SCART works very well, though the latter device might be hard to come by unless you already have one. I put the resulting DVD into a computer drive and managed to rip it to MP4 which might be useful if you wanted to put it on a tablet or upload it to YouTube.

Reply to
Max Demian

Whatever you do it will look horrible on modern screen sizes, especially no w we are all used to 1080p. It will look even worse when there is more 4K v ideo out there.

I would test the old video recorder with something no one cares about befor e putting the wedding video in it. The better the quality of the VHS player the better the results will be, you want a 4 head machine. Use SCART or RC A jacks, don't use the modulator output! If the recording is S-VHS then you need an S-VHS player.

You will probably get best results recording at home with a good quality DV D recorder set at highest quality setting. There's little point recording i t in HD using a computer anyway as the original recording will have so litt le resolution compared to modern formats.

Philip

Reply to
philipuk

I'd second the test, particularly if the VCR eats tapes.

Thomas Prufer

Reply to
Thomas Prufer

Have you got a computer which will accept a composite video input? And audio, obviously?

Has your VHS got those as outputs - usually a SCART?

Do check your VHS is working properly and won't chew up this tape too, of course.

VHS - especially an edited wedding video etc - is usually of such poor quality not much can be done to improve it.

If your VHS is toast, ask on your local FreeCycle group for one. Virtually no-one wants them these days.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Doing it yourself :-) isn;t difficult but teh risks could be high with a VCR that hasn;t been used in years. You'd have to test your procedure with othe rvidoes tapes first incase the whole thing unravels. Once writter to a DVD format you can use a computer to RIP the file to MP4 something digital.

I'd go with recomendations of which I have none. I've done a few VHS to digital min the past nothing too important. I've never used a service for doing it.

Reply to
whisky-dave

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

Please bear in mind that I know very little, but a few years ago I needed to digitise some US-sourced guitar tuition tapes.

I messed around for ages with various devices, but none gave stable, usable video and audio quality. The VCR I used was a Sony that supposedly handled US and UK standards. Eventually, I bought a video camera with external video input and ran the tapes through that. I seem to remember that there was something to do with image stabilisation that was part of what the camera did.

I remember that these cameras were quite rare as I understand that they incurred extra EU tax because they counted as VCR's rather than cameras.

I found the camera the other day when looking for something else, but seem to have stored its psu somewhere even more safe.

Reply to
Bill

Whatever you do it will look horrible.

Of course it will - it's a wedding video!

Reply to
ARW

Personally with something as irreplaceable as that, I'd do both if it looked like your own digitising could be done better professionally. I'd do it myself first just in case it got lost in the process of doing it professionally.

And I'd due blueray just because it's more recent.

Reply to
kipg

On 25/01/2016 14:33, Lobster wrote: > I have been asked to extract a short video film (a very precious wedding > video) on VHS cassette into a 21st century format so it can be viewed > again. >

OK if it helps I just did a whole selection of VHS tapes .... I wrote up a small article if of interest. (was a response in a video forum)

You may not want to invest in the kit .......... I did, digitized all the tapes then sold it at no loss on eBay.

Cheap 'convert your tapes' USB devices are useless, you need a good Analogue to Digital hardware device ... I used ADVD300 a small free standing box .... another respected approach is to use a Colossus video capture card

There are some very good steps you can do ... such as 'play through' to get frame sync corrected and signal levels correct.

Once you have A-D done, capture it on your PC ..... simplest and best capture software is WINDV free and bombproof

When it is on your PC you can use free software such as Virtual Dub / AviSynth that will significantly clean up & edit your captured footer, white balance, colour correct, de-noise etc.... and you can leave it at that or drop into one of the NLE programs such as Sony Vegas or Adobe Premire.

I think there is even a free NLE built into windows.

Also bear in mind where your intended 'viewers' will watch it ...... if on a TV then you do not want to de-interlace, and create an MPEG2 (standard) DVD if it is for internet play-back then you would be advised to create a progressive format mpg4. Unless you want small file sizes and high compression - which you have loads of options.

In case it is of interest I have just put a copy of the doc in a shared folder for you :

formatting link

Reply to
rick

On 25/01/2016 14:33, Lobster wrote: > I have been asked to extract a short video film (a very precious wedding > video) on VHS cassette into a 21st century format so it can be viewed > again. >

OK if it helps I just did a whole selection of VHS tapes .... I wrote up a small article if of interest. (was a response in a video forum)

You may not want to invest in the kit .......... I did, digitized all the tapes then sold it at no loss on eBay.

Cheap 'convert your tapes' USB devices are useless, you need a good Analogue to Digital hardware device ... I used ADVD300 a small free standing box .... another respected approach is to use a Colossus video capture card

There are some very good steps you can do ... such as 'play through' to get frame sync corrected and signal levels correct.

Once you have A-D done, capture it on your PC ..... simplest and best capture software is WINDV free and bombproof

When it is on your PC you can use free software such as Virtual Dub / AviSynth that will significantly clean up & edit your captured footer, white balance, colour correct, de-noise etc.... and you can leave it at that or drop into one of the NLE programs such as Sony Vegas or Adobe Premire.

I think there is even a free NLE built into windows.

Also bear in mind where your intended 'viewers' will watch it ...... if on a TV then you do not want to de-interlace, and create an MPEG2 (standard) DVD if it is for internet play-back then you would be advised to create a progressive format mpg4. Unless you want small file sizes and high compression - which you have loads of options.

In case it is of interest I have just put a copy of the doc in a shared folder for you :

formatting link

Reply to
rick

Thankfully many so called "professional" wedding videos of the '80s were assemble edited "in camera" onto full size VHS, so the original tape, if it still exists, is often first generation.

I just got an 8mm camcorder for 99p plus p&p off Ebay described as "untested". Delivered today, I hope it will work enough to play back my library of old tapes to digitise them.

Reply to
Graham.

A two head machine is fine. The additional two heads on a four head drum are only used when the playback capstan speed is different from the record speed ir slow motion and still frame. this helps with tracking in these modes, typically a two head machine will have a noisy picture at the top and bottom on freeze frame. This has nothing to do with SP vs LP, the same heads are used.

If that surprises you, the next bit of advice for the OP will surprise you more.

Assuming the wedding video is SP, an SP only machine may well give better results than a dual speed machine. Dual speed machines use a narrower head gap to form narrower tracks, so they can be squashed closer together in LP, in SP playback the heads of a dual speed machine recover less signal from the tape, so a tape that gives noisy results on a SP/LP machine is often acceptable on a SP only machine.

Reply to
Graham.

Might have some footage from the reception with relatives who can't stand each other finally snapping after too many drinks and having a good scrap to liven things up.

G.Harman

Reply to
damduck-egg

YouTube:-)

Do not ever ask to see my wedding video. I had to learn how to Waltz for the first dance.

Reply to
ARW

Thanks for that, very interesting, although I don't think you should talk about I&Q unless it's in a NTSC context. The PAL equivalents are u&v.

Reply to
Graham.

ARW scribbled

Many wedding videos survive just a bit longer than the marriage.

Reply to
Jonno

If they were NTSC (US) tapes, not surprising you couldn't copy them. Being able to play them is somewhat of a cludge between the VCR and the TV. The signal which comes out of the VCR is neither PAL or NTSC. The only way to copy them is with a pukka standards convertor.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

I'm sure it depends. But that of course restricts it to a single camera and no opportunity to insert stills and captions later. Let alone sort out the sound.

Some of the wedding videos I've seen from that period are actually quite well made in terms of production values - but the limiting factor of the non broadcast tape formats show up badly.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

The filters work on I & Q within Virtual Dub, maybe it is just the way the file is handled.

However fee free to ignore the write up, it worked for me, may not suit others

Reply to
rick

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.