Lidl have these on offer at £16.99 next Thursday complete with CyberLink PowerDirector 7 video editing software (?)
I have a large number of long play low quality VHS tapes that I would like to transfer to digital format before my stock of working video players drops to zero. I would only need it for this one off job so don't need to spend more than necessary.
Has anyone had any experience with these low price units.
TIA
Bob
Do you really need one? If you have a dvdr with hard drive you can copy them straight to that and edit them there. Unless the 'grabber' can transfer the video at high speed you would probably find it easier to use a dvdr.
Incidentally, I had been putting off transferring a couple of large boxes of dvds for some time - as it generally means having the dvdr otherwise unused for 3-4hours for each tape. However, looking again at the tapes I found that nearly all the progs I'd recorded still pop up regularly on tv/cable and can simply be recorded new. Note that 'hour long' tv progs are these days 42minutes, for the US market, and even BBC ones either have 15 minutes of padding, or a separate 'how we did it' 15 minute prog, so you don't really gain anything much by keeping old 'genuinely hour long' progs, and might as well settle for the cable/repeat version.
There may be problems with tape noise and motor hum going via computer, if my experience with cassette audio at the moment is anything to go by. I'm having trouble getting rid of hiss and hum without getting 'fluty' sounds instead... (using Audacity)
S
I've had the Aldi equivalent for a few years. Picture quality is OK for VHS tapes but never tried the software.
It's a lot easier to connect a VHS player to a DVD HDD recorder with a scart cable then you can use the editing capability of the DVD recorder and burn DVD archive disks (which might have a limited life).
the rusty one.
In message , Spamlet writes
I made a conscious decision to ditch all my videos, having asked myself how many I was ever likely to watch again
I put several hundred in the front garden free to a good home for anyone to take, nobody wanted them
Sure, there are things I would have liked to have kept and transferred to DVD, but didn't
life goes on ...
"Bob Minchin" wrote in message news:egbio.87582$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe14.ams... : Lidl have these on offer at £16.99 next Thursday complete with CyberLink : PowerDirector 7 video editing software (?)
Cheap as chips, in video terms it's getting close to being a free lunch, it will be edible but don't expect the quality of a Michelin stared establishment IYSWIM. Quality might even be less than the current VHS tape and deck can achieve, OTOH it might be good enough for what you want and at that price might well be worth 'experimenting'. I suspect the software will most likely be c*ap but free video editing, encoding and DVD authoring software is available via source-forge etc. If you want some suggestions just shout. :~)
Check what format it captures to, ideally it needs to be avi [1] or Dvix/Xvid, whilst both Quicktime and indeed Real formats can be edited they are not as friendly, mpg (type 1 and 2) again can be edited but has it's own problems - beware that some devices use propriety formats than might force you to use the (usually crap) free software supplied in the hope/knowledge that you will pay to upgrade to something that actually works - sort off...
[1] in case you are not aware, .avi format is just a wrapper, the actual codec used can be anything!: : I have a large number of long play low quality VHS tapes that I would : like to transfer to digital format before my stock of working video : players drops to zero. : I would only need it for this one off job so don't need to spend more : than necessary. : : Has anyone had any experience with these low price units. :
I would not trust optical discs for archiving, home burn DVDs can suffer from premature failure (and they stop working like light bulbs, yesterday the disc would play but today it won't), if there is anything of value I would consider a purchasing a (large) external USB2 hard drive which can it's self be backed up, also some AV equipment can play certain file formats direct from such external USB hard drive. Magnetic is still best for valuable back-up/archiving... Obviously the above is irrelevant to your question about the capture device, just some advice!
I got one from ebay, cost me about £5.50 delivered from Hong Kong
- seems to work well enough, considering the age of the tapes i'm recording from ! (the device is called an "EasyCap")
The initial file transfer size might be an issue, as there's no "on the fly" compression applied with the software, but if you record in manageable chunks (i.e. between the adverts) I can't see why you shouldn't be able to get them transferred fairly easily.
What it might be worth doing if you want to fill a DVD is to re- convert them from the uncompressed file to mpg format (Nero can probably do this for you, as can many other utils) - at least that way you'll be shrinking them in batches so you're not losing vast swathes of the hard drive :-}
A quick glance at one of my files shows a 44 minute capture taking
52Gb of space on the drive...
Which is why it is best to use a HDD dvdr where you can set the quality before you record. It does not need to be very high quality as the tape won't be very good to start with compared with a fresh signal. A modern DVDR hard drive holds many hours of good quality video. Whereas even on audio tapes I'm getting typically a gigabyte for a 45 minute tape before conversion on my laptop. (And you need three times that space for the editing saves.)
S
Yup, they work. Rather tedious process though.
Note if you are transferring commercial pre-recoded stuff, then some capture software will detect and throw a wobbly at the macrovision protection. Either use something that does not care, or stick a sync cleaner box between VCR and capture device.
However, to cut down the amount to transfer, see which titles you can get via torrents first. Saves a lot of aggro letting someone else do the ripping etc. (and yes its technically naughty[1], so if you do it, don't tell Dennis!
[1] Although since you have bought and paid for the rights to view it once, all you are really doing is format shifting.
You should have 'priced' them at, say, 10 quid each. They'd probably have disappeared sharpish...
or written suitably alluring titles on them in heavy marker pen.....
Jim K
Thanks Jerry All useful background as I have no experience in this field. Can I email you direct just replacing "invalid" with "com"?
Cheers Bob
That is how it *should* be, capture > edit > compress > output (to final medium).
but if you : record in manageable chunks (i.e. between the adverts) I can't see : why you shouldn't be able to get them transferred fairly easily.
The only issue should be the size of the hard drive that is used to capture the transfer, a formatted, or at least freshly defragged, modern large HDD should be capable of doing all that a home user needs when capturing (S-)VHS tapes. If one tries to capture onto a an un-defragged, cluttered, HDD then expect dropped frames as the OS seeks access to clear areas of the HDD!
: : What it might be worth doing if you want to fill a DVD is to re- : convert them from the uncompressed file to mpg format (Nero can : probably do this for you, as can many other utils) - at least that : way you'll be shrinking them in batches so you're not losing vast : swathes of the hard drive :-}
Do so in 'programme' segments, mpg is not an edit friendly format.
: : A quick glance at one of my files shows a 44 minute capture taking : 52Gb of space on the drive...
Indeed, but then one can buy a SATA 1TB drive these days for around 50 GBP, your point being what exactly - other than to show a complete lack of understanding about video capture?... Real time video capture needs lots of clean HDD space, it also helps to keep the OS disc and capture disc separate.
: : Which is why it is best to use a HDD dvdr where you can set the quality : before you record.
No it is not, the only merit is that it is idiot proof but then locks you into other much more problematic problems...
Also, one can buy both a capture device and a very large HDD (and if needs-be a driver board) for less than a HDD dvdr, go figure!
: : Note if you are transferring commercial pre-recoded stuff, then some : capture software will detect and throw a wobbly at the macrovision : protection. Either use something that does not care, or stick a sync : cleaner box between VCR and capture device.
Otherwise known as a Time Base Corrector (TBC), worth the extra money if one has a lot of non macrovision protected tapes to transfer as many other problems such as drop-outs etc. can often be corrected by re-syncing the video signal.
: : However, to cut down the amount to transfer, see which titles you can : get via torrents first. Saves a lot of aggro letting someone else do the : ripping etc. (and yes its technically naughty[1], so if you do it, don't : tell Dennis! : : [1] Although since you have bought and paid for the rights to view it : once, all you are really doing is format shifting. :
Which is *technically* illegal, you bought the physical magnetic tape and rights to _view_ the content of the recording on the tape, not edit or otherwise make changes (apart from deleting the said content).
"Bob Minchin" wrote in message news:dnnio.127047$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe19.ams...
: Thanks Jerry : All useful background as I have no experience in this field. : Can I email you direct just replacing "invalid" with "com"? :
No, sorry, I used to use that sort of email subterfuge on Usenet but still found myself subscribed to content etc. that many would prefer not to be associated with. :~(
Now, whilst the account is real and active mail to it is deleted upon receipt, unread by a human.
That depends of course on your settings. I've got a USB Video Grabber and once the drivers are installed I can then use Windows Movie Maker for the capture rather than install yet another set of Video software on my Windows XP laptop.
I did a 1hr 6min VHS tape in just under 1Gb as a WMV using "best play back for computer". It all depends on what is an acceptable quality for you.
Well I would be a little wary of calling the little £20 macrovision stripping boxes TBCs - the simplest ones don't touch the timebase or syncs at all and just clamp to black during the vertical retrace. I have a maplin branded one that is slightly posher in that it can tweak sync level and some other parameters, but its still fairly crude.
A proper TBC will do a lovely job, but the price is an order of magnitude (or two) more!
Well copying to a new format is not editing. However you are right in the sense that I don't think UK copyright legislation has a clause to allow format shifting although it has one to permit time shifting. The US versions might. Although copyright infringement in the UK is a civil rather than criminal offence anyway.
I figure I already *have* a HDD dvdr or I would not be wanting to convert tapes. Other than having to make the copy in real time, I have experienced no problems with copying to disc (Though admittedly the Sony instruction book is pretty vague!) . So there is no need to buy anything else. Copying things from dvd to pc hard drive is not always that straight forward, as I like to edit in VR mode, as on my recorder the video mode appearance of the disc contents leaves much to be desired. One needs to have the right codexes and other bits and pieces of software to make these show up on pc (VLC media player is handy for that.).
I have 2x500 gig usb external drives on the pc, but I would not want to fill them up with video when I can get 200 dvds in a handy aluminium 'dj case'. I may lose the odd one or two, but on a big drive you then run the risk of losing the lot, or having even more even bigger drives to image them to: and so on. This I am prepared to do for my own photos, and, increasingly, for tunes and speech clips, but not for tv progs which I rarely need to see again anyway, as it turns out.
On the other hand, I *am* having problems with audio tapes converted on computer, because I can't seem to strip off the tape hiss and mains hum from the audio file without getting 'fluty/breathy' voice tones in their stead. Previously, I have copied audio to the dvdr; dubbed it to rw disc, and then stripped the audio from the 'dvd' track on pc before converting. That worked without spoiling the recording, so my dvdr does a better job of filtering than any other kit that I have at the moment. Shame it is a rather time consuming way to get what one wants.
If the video grabber works at high speed - in a similar way to the way i-tunes uploads cds - I might be persuaded of the need for more kit: if 99% of my video tapes weren't already headed for the 'unnecessary to bother with' pile for recycling instead. I do appreciate your point that tape is more retrievable than buggered mp3/mpeg files and discs, but I'll leave that problem to the professional archivists and librarians.
Cheers, S
I've been wondering about that: I use JK Defrag... Ah: answered my own question: it's not the deleted files that matter, but the places they made the files one hasn't deleted, occupy, that reduces the blocks of clear space.
S
: > : > : : > : Note if you are transferring commercial pre-recoded stuff, then : > some : > : capture software will detect and throw a wobbly at the : > macrovision : > : protection. Either use something that does not care, or stick a : > sync : > : cleaner box between VCR and capture device. : >
: > Otherwise known as a Time Base Corrector (TBC), worth the extra : > money if one has a lot of non macrovision protected tapes to : > transfer as many other problems such as drop-outs etc. can often : > be corrected by re-syncing the video signal. : : Well I would be a little wary of calling the little £20 macrovision : stripping boxes TBCs - the simplest ones don't touch the timebase or
Yes they do, they might not strip out and replace like a fully fledged TBC does but they still 'repair' the damaged Black Burst sync pulses caused by macrovision implantation.
: syncs at all and just clamp to black during the vertical retrace. I have : a maplin branded one that is slightly posher in that it can tweak sync : level and some other parameters, but its still fairly crude. : : A proper TBC will do a lovely job, but the price is an order of : magnitude (or two) more!
About a 130 quid [1] for a cheap and cheerful unit, or free if done via freely available (capture/processing) software!
[1]: : : > : [1] Although since you have bought and paid for the rights to : > view it : > : once, all you are really doing is format shifting. : > : : >
: > Which is *technically* illegal, you bought the physical magnetic : > tape and rights to _view_ the content of the recording on the : > tape, not edit or otherwise make changes (apart from deleting the : > said content). : : Well copying to a new format is not editing. However you are right in : the sense that I don't think UK copyright legislation has a clause to : allow format shifting although it has one to permit time shifting.
Yes, and even then the law doesn't allow (with a few noted exceptions) archiving of such time shift recordings, just the 'reasonable' retention of such recordings, it would be for a court to decide what period of time is 'reasonable' - case law probably being built on a case by case bases, which AIUI has never happened so far...
The : US versions might. Although copyright infringement in the UK is a civil : rather than criminal offence anyway. :
...and largely un-prosecuted at the end-user level, although IIRC cases were brought many years ago against traders who marketed/sold macrovision defeaters.
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