The native resolution of VHS is 640 x 480 pixels, not 320 x 240 pixels. Computer monitors use square pixels, so 640 x 480 digitized files will appear correctly (ie: undistorted) on these screens. TV sets use non-square pixels, so 720 x 480 digitized files will appear correctly (ie: undistorted) when played on a regular TV. Incidentally, one of the most important considerations when digitizing videotapes is that the hardware must de-interlace the original signal. Without proper de-interlacing, the video will appear very "pixelated" whenever there is motion (or camera shake) in the recorded tape. If the hardware does NOT de-interlace the signal, there are two things you can do. First, you can use computer software to de-interlace the video after the fact. There are many apps that can do this (such as Handbrake) however, it can take hours to complete the process depending on what de-interlacing algorithm is used. Alternately, you can play back the interlaced video using programs like VLC Media Player that include a menu option for de-interlacing on the fly. Works pretty well. However, I much prefer to get properly de-interlaced videos right off the bat from the capture device. The Elgato does a nice job of de-interlacing but it does "soften" the image a little bit. This can actually be an advantage because a "softened" video appears less NOISY, and old VHS tapes can certainly be pretty noisy (ie: grainy).
All great points. And I totally agree about the interlace comments. I like some of the upscalers as they with the capture card de-interlace the video at 60fps and you can see the difference.
You're right about needing ~480 pixels high. No analog format has a native pixel resolution, but all video formats of a given standard have the same fixed number of scanlines. 525 for NTSC with about 480-486 having information. That's true for VHS, broadcast, laserdisc, etc. But there are no pixels. Resolution across a given scanline is a matter of bandwidth and the way they measure is by how many vertical lines can be resolved (these are lines drawn N-S). Because the number of scanlines is always going to be the same when a given video format's resolution is stated the 480 is implicit. What they're talking about is that number of vertical lines that can be resolved *across* a scanline. You could fully capture the information in a VHS picture with somewhere in the 300-350 pixel across range, so a 320x480 picture would work pretty well but require everything viewing it to be pixel aspect ratio aware, so that it would display as a 4:3 picture properly. That was a fairly common format on the Amiga, back in the '80s and '90s, because it was very video aware. Amigas natively didn't have square pixels. But PCs and Macs are square pixel machines. 720x480/720x486 files with non-square pixel aspect ratios don't always show properly on PCs or Macs if the codec doesn't embed appropriate meta information about aspect ratio or the viewer doesn't make assumptions and apply a transform just based on the container size. Capturing 640x480 is convenient overkill, has the right aspect ratio for viewing on the desktop, while 320x240 is throwing away a lot of information. De-interlacing needs to interpolate and frame blend both spatial and temporal information whether you're looking for the best 30fps result or 60fps result.
I appreciate very much the clear graphics & text charts you made - good production values! Tip: next time keep the name & pic of the reviewed hardware on the screen a few seconds longer. Thanks again.
Very informative and professional 👏 This very well may be the best VHS to Digital Conversion How To video of our time! Its so thorough and clear, its as if my Father is teaching me.
To absolutely maximise the quality of captures I would highly recommend using 75 ohm coaxial cables when possible for video connections (particularly composite and s-video, which is what you're limited to with VHS players) not the 'shoelace' ones typically supplied with most AV equipment. They eliminate a lot of the 'edge ringing' which people often assume to be intrinsic to analogue video signals.
@@MiddleSiggysDigitalWorld You're very welcome. The difference is very easy to see if you compare the cable types with the picture from a DVD player (it provides a clearer reference than VHS) using its composite-out - it's not subtle. It will be somewhat less pronounced with s-video, but still quite noticeable. I've actually seen a player give a better picture with composite via 75 ohm coax than RGB (component) via a poor quality SCART (be thankful you never had to deal with these truly awful connectors in the US) ETA >> BTW, RCA-terminated SPDIF audio cables are the same thing, they carry a similar signal frequency (which is RF) to that of SD analogue video. You can even make your own pretty easily (and cheaply!). If you use RG59 RCA's, most are compression/crimp and don't even need soldering.
After making all of these videos I have found out a few things.. I also think I am going o have to buy a new VCR, because I am limited with the one I currently have, and it does not even have the coaxial connectors.. again thank you for the feedback.. Have a great day!
@@MiddleSiggysDigitalWorld I might have been leading you up the garden path somewhat - S-VHS via dual coaxial would be perfect but of course one is restricted to the standard 4-pin cable and connector, barring some serious modding. Otherwise (and I might be teaching my gran to suck eggs) if your VHS player is a decent one you could just make sure you're using a good S-VHS cable that definitely has individually shielded cores. Keep keeping on!
I would just use OBS to record you can just add your capture device in OBS than record at any resolution, output any file format, crop and use a good deinterlace. I would capture lossless with OBS and than handbrake to compress the file for the best possible quality. For a free software it's surprisingly good and way better than the crappy software provided.
Thanks for the great instructional videos. I just ordered the Yitrox converter, Elgato HD60X and clean power supply. I have about 50 VHS, VHS-C and Mini-DV tapes recorded from 1993 thru 2010 that I'm excited to - gradually - convert to high quality digital videos that can be shared with others. Will let you know how they look after I get started.
@MiddleSiggyHomestead I had also downloaded OBS based on another video I watched about a different method using less capable converter/capture HW. I thought the Elgato capture utility download would be adequate, no?
Yes the Elgato hardware and software is great stuff.. and I did use the Elgato software, but I use OBS because I stream and because I am just so familiar with it. There is nothing wrong with the Elgato software.
Uh, they did. And, you can still find them used. VHS/DVD recording combo. I actually have one. That I seldom used. Other than recording (on DVD!) a soap opera my wife liked but couldn't watch at daily broadcast times. Then, it got put away in a cabinet for years. Recently, I pulled it out and set it up to use to transfer some old VHS tapes to DVD for a friend. And of course, my "single button smart dubbing" doesn't work. I spent a couple of hours setting up because the outputs are RCA and S-video only. And of course, none of my available TVs or monitors have such inputs. When I finally got it to work with an old TV I had, I found that it played the VHS tapes and any DVDs I threw at it just fine. But of course, I can't get the DVD to record. I've spent another five or ten hours messing with it, following the instructions to a T and trying to find solutions on the internet. To no avail. And, silly me, I purchased fifty blank DVDs and labels for the DVDs and for their Jewel cases BEFORE finding out my old combo unit doesn't work. And, it's hardly worth trying to have fixed. That's why I'm here now, for this video. I was trying to find out if those cheap analog to digital converters work. At $35 I was afraid they would just be another Amazon come on waste of money. I still have a computer with a DVD burner in it. And, I've been building a digital music and video library with it. That's the next step I wanted to take if one of these converters will actually work. For old VHS video as well as some old records.
This is a decent overview. But with option #3, why did you upscale a 4:3 image to 16:9, stretching it horizontally in the process? Certainly, you don't intend it to be viewed like that. How do you then correct for the error afterward? By scaling down to 4:3 again and throwing some of the data away? But if you do that, you're effectively blurring it twice.
Thank you for the compliment. The short answer on stretching is I did not think it looked that bad (I am just a little chubby in the video 😁 because of the stretch) and it was the sample I had at the time I edited the video. That was my very first video for UA-cam and I just forced myself to get it out, so I cut a few corners.. I don’t think I would ever go back, although I could. I think I would just recapture and not have the software stretch. Again thanks for the feedback.
Personally I really hate seeing the incorrect aspect ratio. It is always very obvious to me and annoying. I’m sure the video would look best out of the three options if it was corrected.
That is a great question. I use Vegas for my editing. I will run some tests on the videos I have and find out. Might be a bit I have a bunch in the queue. I will post it as a video in the future. Thanks again.
I use a method similar to the 3rd option. I plug the VCR into a upscaler then from the upscaler to the original Elgato HD capture device through HDMI. I use OBS and run it at 720P 30FPS lossless quality. I then upload the footage to UA-cam and even though all the movies get claimed and no one else can watch them, the person who uploaded it can. Free server space for all my movies.
You might want to look into the domesday duplicator for laser-disc project's vhs extension. Basically, you tap into the raw read head's analog signal and that gets recorded. The recorded signal is then decoded at a much higher resolution and quality than the video player's own circuitry is capable of.
Not sure if this channel got the right "clients" for this ;) But yeah, domesday is amazing. I'm still going the DV-A/D conversion route (+ TBC) and let QTGMC do its magic at the end. No crappy "A.I" upscaling.
Great job on the VHS to digital conversion. The Elgato clearly provided the best quality result; however, it upscaled and stretched the original 4:3 image to 16x9 at 1080p. I'd like to see the 1080p squeezed back to the 4:3 aspect ratio. That, I think, would provide more of an apples to apples comparison and provide more of a visual improvement. I digitized my old 8mm films at 1080p while keeping the original 4:3(ish) film aspect ratio in a 16x9 window (fame). I then edited them in DaVinci Resolve and rendered them at 3840 x 2160 (super scaled to 4k) while keeping the movie image at a 4:3 aspect ratio inside of a 4k 16x9 window. I'm curious to see your 720p 4:3 result upscaled to 4k in a 16x9 frame via DaVinci Resolve or render your 720p version in DaVinci and do an upscale in Topaz Video AI. They both would keep the the aspect ratios correct, 16x9, without altering the original 4:3 image. Just a thought. Again, great job on you tutorial. Thanks!
I do not like stretching the image that way. I use the Elgato device and follow the instructions of another UA-cam creator to use OBS capture software. I include interlacing at 60 fps for smoother motion. I prefer to preserve the 4x3 aspect ratio to avoid distorting the image.
they say elgato is obsolete now dec 2023, ? , what is modern capture cards etc i could use today ? i have a black magic intesity shuttle.. do i need to pair this with a decent video card in my home pc ? or any video card work ? i am transferring many old svhs tapes ot ditigal.
I decided to follow your recommendation but did the ElGato HD60x since I only have laptops... but the issue I am dealing with is my VCR only has Yellow/White components and the upscaler feed is black & white... do I need a VCR with the 3 component jacks (which I thought was better audio only)? Any idea what I may be doing wrong?
And I'll add that even if I try to capture it on the elgato, I get an error that 1280x1024p59 is not supported. The Yitrox shows (when I connect it via HDMI to my tv) 800x600, so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. The instructions for both devices are nonexistent!
I have successfully transferred VHS & Betta tapes to didgital files,burn to DVDs using LG HDD recorder,can use pause function to cut-out unwanted material on tape.Your methode is much cheaper & improves video images better,thanks for your clip
320x240 is not the VHS resolution. Both Ealcheapo and Elcrapo USB devices are as the name suggests. Is Elcrapo paying you? The final method distorts the picture to incorrect aspect ratio. Bst option is to just convert to DV, or take an interest in the RF archiving.
Hello! This is a great video and I want you to know how much I appreciate you producing it! Do any of the capture methods allow you to break the recording into distinct segments or recording sessions? Thank you, David Lavimoniere
Dave the only one that gives you any ability to cut or trim the video is the Elgato software. But it only allows for a trim on the beginning and end. You will really need some other video editing software. I use Sony Vegas. I have been thinking of researching others to share that don’t cost as much. I do think Microsoft’s movie maker has some basic functions and then some better for a fee. Hope that helps
I recently started capturing footage from my VHS tapes using a Diamond VC500 and OBS Studio. There's an excellent UA-cam video from Tim Ford which has detailed instructions on using OBS to capture videotapes. As for software to edit and cut segments without re-encoding, I recommend a free program called LosslessCut. It's easy to use but quick and clean cuts can only be done at keyframe locations so I specify a keyframe interval of 2 seconds in the OBS recording options menu for that purpose. The default keyframe interval of 0 in OBS is the "auto" mode which is around 8 seconds and not ideal for precise cuts.
It depends on the type of tapes you have. If you were going to get one minimally I would get one labeled hi-definition with 4 heads. But if you had some of the newer high definition vhs tapes you would want to get one that could support the highest quality tape. Some of the higher end ones also have the S-video port and that might get you a better quality picture.
I've used the Elgato on my MAC for a few months. It was great. Then all of a sudden NO video signal (but I do have the audio) I did not change the physical connections. I tried the coax (yellow) and it did not work as well as the S-VS connection and no video. I reinstalled the program and no luck. Any ideas? TIA
Newbie here. Your videos are excellent! In trying to mesh several of your videos together to go straight from VHS to hi def (1080p, I think). Would I connect the VCR to the Yitrox HD Converter to the Elgato HD 60 X to my laptop USB to make this work? And it sounds like the S-cable is superior to the composite cables so I have that option available. Have I understood how the Yitrox and the Elgato work together in between in the VCR and the laptop? Or should a newbie just stick with the regular Elgato simple setup because it's good enough? Thank you for all the videos.
You got it all perfectly. The VCR / Camcorder what ever will use the RCA or S-Cable to go to the Yitrox (the upscaler) and that will go into the Elgato Capture card. then the piece I did not share, use something like OBS Studio to record the video, or Elgato will provide software also.. But I used OBS. thanks for watching
Stumbled onto your videos and subscribed. I have tons of older videos I would like to convert to digital. I had originally copied many videos to DVD using a DVD burner however the results are not near as good as I would like. Both VHS and Hi-8 formats. But I also have a ton of even older 8mm/Super8 film that needs converting as well. I've sorta been eyeing a company in AZ that will do this for you. They also have the ability to enhance the video quality to make these older videos look even better......at a price however. I might have to try your methods for the newer(VHS/Hi8) stuff. I will admit however that over time the videos degrade on tape making the conversion possibly less than original.
Thanks for the great video! I am having trouble connecting the Elgato to my DVD player. My LG DVD player does not have the yellow/white/black audio video jacks, just an HDMI jack (out to TV). Is there a coupler I can use to hook up these two (the female elgato jacks to the HDMI)? Any advice you can offer would be great!
The Elgato is easy to use and works great. As far as an upscale I’ve yet to find one that works. Prism and Hitpaw did nothing and Yitrox was a waste of money. On all of these the output video was no different than the original.
Thank you for this video. I was using the Hauppague PVR to digitize some VHS performance tapes, but that unit no longer works. I am not as educated as others on the various components needed to make the upscaling and conversion work on a video that lasts almost 3 hours. I get the upscaling converts the 480 res file to a 1080 file, so that is the first step? Then which Elgato unit to use to send the file to the computer? I am using a laptop to do this.
Thanks for the video! I hope you don't mind a quick question. I purchased the Elgato HD60X (external) capture device and, on the box, it says NVDIA GeForce GTX 10xx is required. I will be using a mini-PC with Intel Corei7-13700H (13th gen) with integrated Iris Xe Graphics. Will my PC and the HD60X work OK for VHS conversion? I am still looking for an upscaler so I'm also interested if you (or any fans) have updated your recommendations.
Hi, thank you for this informative video!! I do experience some problems with method 3 (I ended up with the EasyCel upscaler + Elgato HD60x connecting with my macbook pro 2021): it seems like the Elgato capturing software is not recognizing the device (there is a blinking red light): any ideas how I can fix this? thank you !!
Interesting demo of these 3 different converters. They all look great, but i really didn't care for the 4:3 to 16:9 upscaler, because it seemed to stretch the picture. Unless i missed something, is there a way to up scale to a 4:3 to an HD without stretching it to 16:9? Thanks
Yes with the Yitrox it does support 4:3, I was learning in some of these and at times got lazy and just stuck with the 16:9. You might also need to set up a special profile with something like OBS because most computers are 16:9 now and they all want that format. good luck
When converting there is a latency in signal from the vhs tape to the recording software. The first few seconds show a black screen without sound and is missing. How do you fix this? Also, green flashes sometimes appear in the saved video. How to get rid of this?
8:27 Yeah, because the VCR records in 480i, not in 240p, also the horizontal resolution is more then 320, but it's in analog. The real resolution is arround 400x440i.
I was wondering about your third option. If you upscale an output to 16 x 9 at 1080P, doesn’t it just stretch your image? It looks good, but everything seems stretched out. Is it not possible to output and upscaled 4 x 3 file with the Elgato software or OBS? I know 4 x 3 is less attractive but it is native and the images and people in the video will look proportional.
Its distorts to 16:9 though, which ruins the original aspect ratio, that is the problem, I dont want anything stretched or cropped out, i'd rather have the black bars on the sides on the video than ruining the video all together for the same of making it HD.
Hi, thank you for your videos..ive learned so much. I did create the similar set up with upscaler and elgato hd60+ with OBS. I did a 5 minute test run with my vhs transfer.1440x1080p 60 fbs, mp4...after I completed and it transferred to my laptop...the video file was huge. 5 minutes = 1GB of a 6 hr tape! I lowered to 720x480 (1gb=9 minutes) then 680x480 etc. Obviously the OBS does not compress. What do you do with your files using this way? Do you use a compression software? Perhaps, I've completely set the parameters wrong. I'd appreciate any advice. I should say, I'm tech savvy but a little more than a beginner. Thank you
Do either of the usb options fix the audio sync problem? On a long capture, the audio gets increasingly out of sync with the video with all of the devices I have tried so far.
I plan to finally try converting VHS and VHS-C casettes to DVD's using a Funai converter. Do you think that the setups shown in this video will give better quality than the Funai converter?
When I have almost hiend card Sapphire RX 6800 (16GB vram ) and hiend processor AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D (16 core), is it possible to use this hardware instead of Elgato HD60 Pro?
My problem is that my videos have mold. I have about 50 tapes. I tried putting one in the vhs and it jammed. And I dont have the time nor the capacity to do this myself. Can you recommend a professional service that can clean and convert to digital? One idea I had is to see if it is possible to move the vhs tape to an old time movie reel and then project on the walls.
Does a broken camcorder screen affect digitalisation? I have a sony handycam, tapes all working when viewing through the viewfinder, but the camcorder’s viewing screen had broken sometime ago, so the issue i have been running into is a black screen only when i open any video capture software, obs or any other does is the broken camcorder screen causing this issue? And do i now have to seek for a new camcorder ?
Hi, Very nice which is reason, for teh first time, that I ask a question: The Hi8 video look OK in teh eye-piece. Hooked to a TV they look a little fuzzy and quality of voise deterirated. Hooking with a Video Capture card the video quality is terrible, jumping all over, color distortion, poor audio. This is an inexpensive Video capture external unit. Will the more expensive video capture unit get me better result, or there is something else need to sync the laptop and teh camcorder? I followed all the set up as they showed it and tried to different SW. Thanks
Good morning, do you think adding a time base corrector will help with the digitizing process? Or is it just overkill because of the multiple connections? Thanks
I want to save my vhs tapes to digital on my computer and then make dvd copies from that. Per your recommendation I purchased the yitrox with added power supply. Should I connect my yitrox to my vcr then from yitrox to Elgato hd60 x then to my computer using the elgato software. Also what resolution do you recommend I set my yitrox to. I’ll be using 4:3
Thank you for this informative video. I recently got a VCR, with other accessories, to convert our old VHS tapes. Do you have any recommendations on a software that would upscale after we transfer the movie to the computer?
There are multiple ways to do that, off the top of my head any of the professional editing software can do it, like Adobe Premier, Sony Vegas, or others. Thanks for watching
When dubbing VHS, I record in Filmora. I have the following problem. Sometimes empty fields appear in the recorded material (they are blue in Filmora). More precisely, these are interruptions in the recording in Filmora that last less than one second. Some of them later they are not visible in the video, but the longer ones are visible. What is the cause of this and how to eliminate it, does anyone know from experience.
I know what you are talking about, but I am unsure what caused it.. I am trying to think where I saw that issue so I could try and debug it. The only think I could think is the signal is bad and instead of displaying noise (or snow) it shows a blue screen, like a VCR does when nothing is playing.
Appreciate the videos and peoples comments. I'm Capturing video from VHS tapes using my Samsung DVD-V8600 dual DVD and VHS player (which plays S-VHS tapes, and has both S-Video out and Component out...) I'm still uncertain what is recommended for getting the best reasonable results. I'm mostly doing this to preserve the content for the future... I have both a Windows 10 laptop and Macbook Pro 2017 (with Final Cut Pro), so I can use either... Is S-Video out the best? And plug it into what? Should I use an upscaler or not? And what software? Again, thinking of the best reasonable results. I'm willing to spend a reasonable amount if needed... Thanks!
Chris, watch my video on the upscalers.. what you will end up as a recommendation for your situation is the Yitrox upscaler, which does support the S-Video cable, and yes you want to use that if you can. Then a good capture card. I would recommend any of the Elgato brands, I have been having a lot of luck with them. For a Laptop look at the HD60X
I am sorry new to this, so my questions is does converter capture at high def and use the upscaler for just a better play back in he? Do you have to use both to get hd out of the VHS on computer?
I run Mac mini so no way to add a card do you have a suggestion on which usb capture device would be best to use at the top end I would like to get the best quality I can
@Creg P, You have a few options: Option 1) The Elgato Video Capture USB device does support a Mac, so that is one path.. This will capture the videos in 720x480 and they look great. (Depending on the original tape :) ) Option 2) The Path I went down, and you could look at is using an upscaler, and then using the Elgato HD60X which is an external inline product. Then use OBS or the Elgato Capture software to store the video in 720p or 1080p. This personally is what I have done, but instead of the external HD60X I am using the internal HD60... For an upscaler, I would go with: - RCA to HDMI Converter, Wenter 1080P AV to HDMI Converter - $15 - amzn.to/3JZjNgT - YITROX AV Svideo HDMI to HDMI Converter Upscaler - $37 - amzn.to/3lc5LOr
I have a problem with conversion that even Elgato can't seem to figure out. The Elgato will work fine after I reboot my Mac, but after about 7 or 8 uses, the saved finished video on the Mac is saved at double speed, rendering it useless. I have swapped out computers, swapped out 2 different Elgato devices, swapped out VCRs, and swapped out the patch cords. Yet, it's still happening. What is going on? Anybody had this issue?
Or, can I start the VCR playing and let it play a bit b4 hitting the record button on the Degato ?? As mentioned below, I'm just trying to get out the blank or unfocused parts of the video before transferring in onto a dvd, Thank u again
I hope you can give me a little insight: What's better: upscaling while capturing (like in your video) OR capturing and then use a software to upscale it? Thank you! Your video was informative and organized!
I liked the result of upscaling during, it fixes the interlace by doubling the frame rate and smoothing the picture. The other way I would have to wait for the video to capture, then provess the upscale with software, and then I am at the same point. Skip the step
Duncan there are 4 major types of VHS tapes, Standard VHS, Compact VHS (or VHS-C), Super VHS for (S-VHS), and compact S-VHS (or S-VHS-C). VHS and VHS-C had a maximum lines of horizontal resolution of 240 (VHS Tapes labeled with HQ had 250 Lines). Given that was the case, a 4:3 ratio would make the Maximum Vertical lines to be 320. NTSC is the American standard for analog television broadcast, which supported 486 x ~440. But that is different than what a VHS tape stores, NTSC is how an analog signal is broadcast over the air. Great Question!! See this article here: www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/conservation-preservation-publications/technical-bulletins/digitization-vhs-video-tapes.html#a8b
What if you don’t have a vcr is there’s any other way to do this? I have a small vhs tape that was used from a video camera I don’t either those anymore. Please help me I have some tapes with my deceased son on it and so desperately want to look at it? Thanks ..
You need some way to play them... So you either need the video recorder device or a VCR or something. E-Mail me a picture of the tape you have to middlesiggyhomestead@teamsiggy.com maybe I can help in some way.
Thanks for the info. But I still have my great Magnavox DVD/VHS player/recorder to convert some of my very old VHS tapes. Most of the VHS movie stuff I have is already in digital renditions, so I don't mess around doing them. My old personal home videos are very easy to convert VHS to DVD with this Player/Recorder. Take care.
In my testing with the equipment, it did not seem to see the copy protection (Macrovision). But it is my understanding that has something to do with the VCR, and the capture device. In my case, I did not see any sign of the Macrovision. I only checked one tape, as I am mostly doing home videos that don't have any form of copy protection. Thanks
Good video. Without music better, it is part time too loud, makes disturb and always makes more difficult to hear talking. Luckily We can use subtitles.
Wayne - The Elgato Video Capture device will save as a MP4, and its editing is limited. I made a deep dive video on it here: ua-cam.com/video/l38l4cXqiPM/v-deo.html
The best way is a DVD Recorder. Keeps the video in a 576i 50i and then pull the VOB files onto your PC off the DVD. Everything else introduces noise and compression that you don't want.
DVD is highly compressed MPEG2 with GOP. The best way is a DV conversion (well actually the best way is domesday duplicator but anyway) where you get a 25Mbps intraframe AVI file you can throw through Avisynth filters after cutting and color correction in a NLE (Premiere/Resolve..) which is "losless" when done right [smart rendering]. QTGMC will deinterlace to 50p, denoise and sharpening the image a little and catapult the quality to another sphere.
Guys if you can deal with spending the money for the Elgato I would do it, cause you NEVER know with the cheaper one. I got mine a few weeks ago but didn't start converting till last Sunday (4/16/23) it was super easy! I have no regrets.
Everything is fine, but from time to time when the shots on the tape change, the picture changes from color to black and white, and I have to switch to switch it back to colors, possibly because I am using an S-Video cable and not CVBS?
Yea color comes through the cable either encoded on the Yellow RCA wire or on the separate wires in the S-Cable, maybe try and replace your cable?? That is just odd.
So yes.. you can always convert the MP4 to a MPEG2 using DVD software. Most all the modern DVD creating software will convert the video for you and burn it to a DVD. the MP4 might end up being a better quality video.
I echo other members suggestions, Use a S-VHS machine whenever possible so you are not limited to noisy composite even for regular VHS, Never use the software that comes with the capture device, Use Vdub or AmarecTV,. Capture lossless AVI at 720x480 NTSC or 720x576 PAL/SECAM and encode later to h.264, Preferably de-interlace, crop to 704x480 (576) before encoding, For youtube uploading, resize to 1440x1080 before encoding to h.264. The HDMI route is not recommended for analog tape formats, 16:9 is wrong as well, haven't you seen the fat faces? 320x240 is not a legal resolution therefore it should never be used.
This is all helpful...and I'm looking for more advice. I have two projects: 1) I'm capturing video from my Sony DCR-PC100 Mini DV Camcorder (via firewire direct from camcorder to PC using firewire to USB-C adapter), about 20 tapes or so; and 2) Capturing video from VHS tapes using my Samsung DVD-V8600 dual DVD and VHS player (planning on using component out - to a component/HDMI converter - to HDMI input on Elgato HD60 external capture card - to laptop... What software do you guys recommend and what settings should I use? Looking to capture the best reasonable quality... I'm mostly doing this to preserve the content for the future... I have both a Windows 10 laptop and Macbook Pro 2017 (with Final Cut Pro), so I can use either... Thanks!
@@chriseasley3499 For DV use WinDV or Sclive, for HDV use HDVSplit. If you want analog quality capture skip HDMI, Use a component capture card. Off course the best way is to use a S-VHS deck and capture via S-Video (Y-C), Analog tapes are recorded on tape in Y-C.
Thanks! My Samsung deck plays S-VHS tapes (and some of the tapes I want to capture are S-VHS...). Are you saying I should use S-Video out from the VCR and not component? If so, then what is the recommended capture device (in other words, what am I plugging the S-Video cable into)? And what software is recommended for the VHS capture?
@@chriseasley3499 Yes S-Video is preferred because it's the native format for video tape, Component is a processed version from the original Y-C signal, But if it looks good to you just capture from component using any game capture, Capturing S-Video and composite is a rabbit hole using consumer devices, That's why I use pro equipment that don't rely on computer CPU. Join videohelp to get the right recommendation.
I have the first cheap option you showed. It works fine aside from a few loading glitches, but when I watch them on tv, it is very pixelated and one in particular is choppy. I know these weren't made for big screen TV but what else could it be aside from very old VHS? One is from 1991.
That is the big problem. When you think about the resolution difference from the old VHS tapes compared to a modern digital signal it is a huge difference
Thanks so much for this! I have a Mac, and have found that many of the video capture devices are spec'd for PCs. Do you have a recommendation on the best HW/SW to convert VHS tapes to digital files on a Mac?
OBS studio is supposed to work with a MAC and you can use the external Elgato capture device and maybe go that way. I am not a MAC guy but I think that path should work
Any options that will work on a Mac that doesn’t have audio sync issues? I would like to have it in mp4 format in the end so it can be viewed on pc, mac, or tv.
I don’t use a MAC so I can’t speak to that directly, but I stick by my Yitrox upscaler and any of the Elgato capture devices internal or external. And then use OBS for the capture software I believe it has a MAC version
The native resolution of VHS is 640 x 480 pixels, not 320 x 240 pixels. Computer monitors use square pixels, so 640 x 480 digitized files will appear correctly (ie: undistorted) on these screens. TV sets use non-square pixels, so 720 x 480 digitized files will appear correctly (ie: undistorted) when played on a regular TV.
Incidentally, one of the most important considerations when digitizing videotapes is that the hardware must de-interlace the original signal. Without proper de-interlacing, the video will appear very "pixelated" whenever there is motion (or camera shake) in the recorded tape. If the hardware does NOT de-interlace the signal, there are two things you can do. First, you can use computer software to de-interlace the video after the fact. There are many apps that can do this (such as Handbrake) however, it can take hours to complete the process depending on what de-interlacing algorithm is used.
Alternately, you can play back the interlaced video using programs like VLC Media Player that include a menu option for de-interlacing on the fly. Works pretty well. However, I much prefer to get properly de-interlaced videos right off the bat from the capture device. The Elgato does a nice job of de-interlacing but it does "soften" the image a little bit. This can actually be an advantage because a "softened" video appears less NOISY, and old VHS tapes can certainly be pretty noisy (ie: grainy).
All great points. And I totally agree about the interlace comments. I like some of the upscalers as they with the capture card de-interlace the video at 60fps and you can see the difference.
You're right about needing ~480 pixels high.
No analog format has a native pixel resolution, but all video formats of a given standard have the same fixed number of scanlines. 525 for NTSC with about 480-486 having information. That's true for VHS, broadcast, laserdisc, etc. But there are no pixels. Resolution across a given scanline is a matter of bandwidth and the way they measure is by how many vertical lines can be resolved (these are lines drawn N-S).
Because the number of scanlines is always going to be the same when a given video format's resolution is stated the 480 is implicit. What they're talking about is that number of vertical lines that can be resolved *across* a scanline. You could fully capture the information in a VHS picture with somewhere in the 300-350 pixel across range, so a 320x480 picture would work pretty well but require everything viewing it to be pixel aspect ratio aware, so that it would display as a 4:3 picture properly.
That was a fairly common format on the Amiga, back in the '80s and '90s, because it was very video aware. Amigas natively didn't have square pixels. But PCs and Macs are square pixel machines. 720x480/720x486 files with non-square pixel aspect ratios don't always show properly on PCs or Macs if the codec doesn't embed appropriate meta information about aspect ratio or the viewer doesn't make assumptions and apply a transform just based on the container size. Capturing 640x480 is convenient overkill, has the right aspect ratio for viewing on the desktop, while 320x240 is throwing away a lot of information. De-interlacing needs to interpolate and frame blend both spatial and temporal information whether you're looking for the best 30fps result or 60fps result.
I appreciate very much the clear graphics & text charts you made - good production values! Tip: next time keep the name & pic of the reviewed hardware on the screen a few seconds longer. Thanks again.
Great suggestion!
Sweet video. Very helpful to see the differences of a few products. Wish I knew this years ago.
Glad it was helpful!
Very informative and professional 👏 This very well may be the best VHS to Digital Conversion How To video of our time! Its so thorough and clear, its as if my Father is teaching me.
Wow. You have literally left me speechless and touched. I feel as if we have known each other our entire lives. This seriously means the world to me.
@@MiddleSiggysDigitalWorldThis is so wholesome
Great explanation for VSH to digital
I agree except I'm 73, so it's like my grandson is teaching me:)
To absolutely maximise the quality of captures I would highly recommend using 75 ohm coaxial cables when possible for video connections (particularly composite and s-video, which is what you're limited to with VHS players) not the 'shoelace' ones typically supplied with most AV equipment. They eliminate a lot of the 'edge ringing' which people often assume to be intrinsic to analogue video signals.
That is very interesting.. Thank you for the information. I am going to have to redo some of my VHS tapes I will look into that before I do so..
@@MiddleSiggysDigitalWorld You're very welcome. The difference is very easy to see if you compare the cable types with the picture from a DVD player (it provides a clearer reference than VHS) using its composite-out - it's not subtle. It will be somewhat less pronounced with s-video, but still quite noticeable. I've actually seen a player give a better picture with composite via 75 ohm coax than RGB (component) via a poor quality SCART (be thankful you never had to deal with these truly awful connectors in the US) ETA >> BTW, RCA-terminated SPDIF audio cables are the same thing, they carry a similar signal frequency (which is RF) to that of SD analogue video. You can even make your own pretty easily (and cheaply!). If you use RG59 RCA's, most are compression/crimp and don't even need soldering.
After making all of these videos I have found out a few things.. I also think I am going o have to buy a new VCR, because I am limited with the one I currently have, and it does not even have the coaxial connectors.. again thank you for the feedback.. Have a great day!
@@MiddleSiggysDigitalWorld I might have been leading you up the garden path somewhat - S-VHS via dual coaxial would be perfect but of course one is restricted to the standard 4-pin cable and connector, barring some serious modding. Otherwise (and I might be teaching my gran to suck eggs) if your VHS player is a decent one you could just make sure you're using a good S-VHS cable that definitely has individually shielded cores. Keep keeping on!
I would just use OBS to record you can just add your capture device in OBS than record at any resolution, output any file format, crop and use a good deinterlace. I would capture lossless with OBS and than handbrake to compress the file for the best possible quality. For a free software it's surprisingly good and way better than the crappy software provided.
I agree OBS is a great free substitution. I have used it many times already.. Great feedback!
i could turn my VHS into 1080p using OBS? i havent used it yet, but will try thx
@@paulpolizzi3421 The best way is to rip in the original 480p then upscale using a software as Topaz AI Enhanced. The result is amazing.
Upscalling from 480p to 4k introduces artifacts.
You lost me at OBS😮
Thanks for the great instructional videos. I just ordered the Yitrox converter, Elgato HD60X and clean power supply. I have about 50 VHS, VHS-C and Mini-DV tapes recorded from 1993 thru 2010 that I'm excited to - gradually - convert to high quality digital videos that can be shared with others. Will let you know how they look after I get started.
Check out OBS Studio as the capture software..
@MiddleSiggyHomestead I had also downloaded OBS based on another video I watched about a different method using less capable converter/capture HW. I thought the Elgato capture utility download would be adequate, no?
Yes the Elgato hardware and software is great stuff.. and I did use the Elgato software, but I use OBS because I stream and because I am just so familiar with it. There is nothing wrong with the Elgato software.
I'm surprised an all-in-one device doesn't exist that takes the vhs and records directly onto a usb without needing playback on a screen
It does exist, but I don't know how good it is. I haven't researched it.
The strategy is to have everyone buy this method first, so companies make as much money as possible.
Most people back in the day used combo units to record to DVD or HDD which can be copied to PC.
Having a screen is better as it lets you know of any issues there will be from the original source e.g. bad tracking or interference.
Uh, they did. And, you can still find them used. VHS/DVD recording combo.
I actually have one. That I seldom used. Other than recording (on DVD!) a soap opera my wife liked but couldn't watch at daily broadcast times. Then, it got put away in a cabinet for years.
Recently, I pulled it out and set it up to use to transfer some old VHS tapes to DVD for a friend. And of course, my "single button smart dubbing" doesn't work.
I spent a couple of hours setting up because the outputs are RCA and S-video only. And of course, none of my available TVs or monitors have such inputs.
When I finally got it to work with an old TV I had, I found that it played the VHS tapes and any DVDs I threw at it just fine. But of course, I can't get the DVD to record. I've spent another five or ten hours messing with it, following the instructions to a T and trying to find solutions on the internet. To no avail. And, silly me, I purchased fifty blank DVDs and labels for the DVDs and for their Jewel cases BEFORE finding out my old combo unit doesn't work.
And, it's hardly worth trying to have fixed.
That's why I'm here now, for this video. I was trying to find out if those cheap analog to digital converters work. At $35 I was afraid they would just be another Amazon come on waste of money.
I still have a computer with a DVD burner in it. And, I've been building a digital music and video library with it. That's the next step I wanted to take if one of these converters will actually work. For old VHS video as well as some old records.
Fantastic you answered all the questions I had to ask, and more! Thank you very much for making this video!
Thank you Dino.. that makes my day!
This is a decent overview. But with option #3, why did you upscale a 4:3 image to 16:9, stretching it horizontally in the process? Certainly, you don't intend it to be viewed like that. How do you then correct for the error afterward? By scaling down to 4:3 again and throwing some of the data away? But if you do that, you're effectively blurring it twice.
Thank you for the compliment. The short answer on stretching is I did not think it looked that bad (I am just a little chubby in the video 😁 because of the stretch) and it was the sample I had at the time I edited the video. That was my very first video for UA-cam and I just forced myself to get it out, so I cut a few corners.. I don’t think I would ever go back, although I could. I think I would just recapture and not have the software stretch.
Again thanks for the feedback.
Personally I really hate seeing the incorrect aspect ratio. It is always very obvious to me and annoying. I’m sure the video would look best out of the three options if it was corrected.
@Tyler Hickernell message was received.. check out my latest video on film conversions.. I think I got it right in that one :)
Thank You for Watching!
Very good and concise video, thanks much.
Do you think that a Magix’s Vegas Pro would do a better job of upscaling than a hardware solution?
That is a great question. I use Vegas for my editing. I will run some tests on the videos I have and find out. Might be a bit I have a bunch in the queue. I will post it as a video in the future. Thanks again.
Great video cheers 👍 just ordered the 3rd option from Amazon.
Perfect, Thank you for watching
I use a method similar to the 3rd option. I plug the VCR into a upscaler then from the upscaler to the original Elgato HD capture device through HDMI. I use OBS and run it at 720P 30FPS lossless quality. I then upload the footage to UA-cam and even though all the movies get claimed and no one else can watch them, the person who uploaded it can. Free server space for all my movies.
Nice. I like the idea around youtube. I personally use a plex server and share the home movies with family members that way
Thank you, Thank you! This was EXACLY what i wanted to see!
Glad it was helpful!
You might want to look into the domesday duplicator for laser-disc project's vhs extension. Basically, you tap into the raw read head's analog signal and that gets recorded. The recorded signal is then decoded at a much higher resolution and quality than the video player's own circuitry is capable of.
Not sure if this channel got the right "clients" for this ;) But yeah, domesday is amazing. I'm still going the DV-A/D conversion route (+ TBC) and let QTGMC do its magic at the end. No crappy "A.I" upscaling.
The Elgato worked great.
Thanks for the guide
no, it is bad. I use easycap. it is cheaper and produces better quality
Great job on the VHS to digital conversion. The Elgato clearly provided the best quality result; however, it upscaled and stretched the original 4:3 image to 16x9 at 1080p. I'd like to see the 1080p squeezed back to the 4:3 aspect ratio. That, I think, would provide more of an apples to apples comparison and provide more of a visual improvement. I digitized my old 8mm films at 1080p while keeping the original 4:3(ish) film aspect ratio in a 16x9 window (fame). I then edited them in DaVinci Resolve and rendered them at 3840 x 2160 (super scaled to 4k) while keeping the movie image at a 4:3 aspect ratio inside of a 4k 16x9 window. I'm curious to see your 720p 4:3 result upscaled to 4k in a 16x9 frame via DaVinci Resolve or render your 720p version in DaVinci and do an upscale in Topaz Video AI. They both would keep the the aspect ratios correct, 16x9, without altering the original 4:3 image. Just a thought. Again, great job on you tutorial. Thanks!
Thanks Bob, I am glad you enjoyed the video. Sounds like you have a fun project on your side also
Great clear instructions, Thanks
I do not like stretching the image that way. I use the Elgato device and follow the instructions of another UA-cam creator to use OBS capture software. I include interlacing at 60 fps for smoother motion. I prefer to preserve the 4x3 aspect ratio to avoid distorting the image.
Smart I actually do the same just did not put all of that in my videos
they say elgato is obsolete now dec 2023, ? , what is modern capture cards etc i could use today ? i have a black magic intesity shuttle.. do i need to pair this with a decent video card in my home pc ? or any video card work ? i am transferring many old svhs tapes ot ditigal.
Look at the Elgato 4K cards
Great breakdown of the various devices 👍 I have some family video to convert and your instructions were well done. Thank you 🙌
Composite video capturing? Hmmm, bad idea.. Use SVHS y/c signal wherever possible. Edges will be sharper and colour less shifted.
I would but considering these tapes are from the 80’s and they are standard VHS I am sort of stuck. But thanks for the idea.
I decided to follow your recommendation but did the ElGato HD60x since I only have laptops... but the issue I am dealing with is my VCR only has Yellow/White components and the upscaler feed is black & white... do I need a VCR with the 3 component jacks (which I thought was better audio only)? Any idea what I may be doing wrong?
And I'll add that even if I try to capture it on the elgato, I get an error that 1280x1024p59 is not supported. The Yitrox shows (when I connect it via HDMI to my tv) 800x600, so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. The instructions for both devices are nonexistent!
I have successfully transferred VHS & Betta tapes to didgital files,burn to DVDs using LG HDD recorder,can use pause function to cut-out unwanted material on tape.Your methode is much cheaper & improves video images better,thanks for your clip
IvoMac, Thank you for watching and the comments.
Thanks a lot to record this helpful video:)
Glad it was helpful!
320x240 is not the VHS resolution.
Both Ealcheapo and Elcrapo USB devices are as the name suggests.
Is Elcrapo paying you?
The final method distorts the picture to incorrect aspect ratio.
Bst option is to just convert to DV, or take an interest in the RF archiving.
Hello! This is a great video and I want you to know how much I appreciate you producing it! Do any of the capture methods allow you to break the recording into distinct segments or recording sessions? Thank you, David Lavimoniere
Dave the only one that gives you any ability to cut or trim the video is the Elgato software. But it only allows for a trim on the beginning and end.
You will really need some other video editing software. I use Sony Vegas. I have been thinking of researching others to share that don’t cost as much. I do think Microsoft’s movie maker has some basic functions and then some better for a fee. Hope that helps
I recently started capturing footage from my VHS tapes using a Diamond VC500 and OBS Studio. There's an excellent UA-cam video from Tim Ford which has detailed instructions on using OBS to capture videotapes. As for software to edit and cut segments without re-encoding, I recommend a free program called LosslessCut. It's easy to use but quick and clean cuts can only be done at keyframe locations so I specify a keyframe interval of 2 seconds in the OBS recording options menu for that purpose. The default keyframe interval of 0 in OBS is the "auto" mode which is around 8 seconds and not ideal for precise cuts.
Awesome video! Just watched your upscaler video, very informative. Do you recommend certain VCR players? Thank you.
It depends on the type of tapes you have. If you were going to get one minimally I would get one labeled hi-definition with 4 heads. But if you had some of the newer high definition vhs tapes you would want to get one that could support the highest quality tape. Some of the higher end ones also have the S-video port and that might get you a better quality picture.
I've used the Elgato on my MAC for a few months. It was great. Then all of a sudden NO video signal (but I do have the audio) I did not change the physical connections. I tried the coax (yellow) and it did not work as well as the S-VS connection and no video. I reinstalled the program and no luck. Any ideas? TIA
Newbie here. Your videos are excellent! In trying to mesh several of your videos together to go straight from VHS to hi def (1080p, I think). Would I connect the VCR to the Yitrox HD Converter to the Elgato HD 60 X to my laptop USB to make this work? And it sounds like the S-cable is superior to the composite cables so I have that option available. Have I understood how the Yitrox and the Elgato work together in between in the VCR and the laptop? Or should a newbie just stick with the regular Elgato simple setup because it's good enough? Thank you for all the videos.
You got it all perfectly. The VCR / Camcorder what ever will use the RCA or S-Cable to go to the Yitrox (the upscaler) and that will go into the Elgato Capture card. then the piece I did not share, use something like OBS Studio to record the video, or Elgato will provide software also.. But I used OBS. thanks for watching
Stumbled onto your videos and subscribed. I have tons of older videos I would like to convert to digital. I had originally copied many videos to DVD using a DVD burner however the results are not near as good as I would like. Both VHS and Hi-8 formats. But I also have a ton of even older 8mm/Super8 film that needs converting as well. I've sorta been eyeing a company in AZ that will do this for you. They also have the ability to enhance the video quality to make these older videos look even better......at a price however.
I might have to try your methods for the newer(VHS/Hi8) stuff. I will admit however that over time the videos degrade on tape making the conversion possibly less than original.
I am working on my 8mm and super 8 film conversion you will have to check that out. Thanks for watching
For method #2, can you pause/move footage frame-by-frame for editing with Elgato?
Thanks for the great video! I am having trouble connecting the Elgato to my DVD player. My LG DVD player does not have the yellow/white/black audio video jacks, just an HDMI jack (out to TV). Is there a coupler I can use to hook up these two (the female elgato jacks to the HDMI)? Any advice you can offer would be great!
are you trying to record on the DVD? what Elgato device are you using?
The Elgato is easy to use and works great.
As far as an upscale I’ve yet to find one that works. Prism and Hitpaw did nothing and Yitrox was a waste of money. On all of these the output video was no different than the original.
Hi, What Windows version you're using? Windows 10 32bit or 64bit or Windows 11?
Thank you for this video. I was using the Hauppague PVR to digitize some VHS performance tapes, but that unit no longer works. I am not as educated as others on the various components needed to make the upscaling and conversion work on a video that lasts almost 3 hours. I get the upscaling converts the 480 res file to a 1080 file, so that is the first step? Then which Elgato unit to use to send the file to the computer? I am using a laptop to do this.
Thanks for the video! I hope you don't mind a quick question. I purchased the Elgato HD60X (external) capture device and, on the box, it says NVDIA GeForce GTX 10xx is required. I will be using a mini-PC with Intel Corei7-13700H (13th gen) with integrated Iris Xe Graphics. Will my PC and the HD60X work OK for VHS conversion? I am still looking for an upscaler so I'm also interested if you (or any fans) have updated your recommendations.
Hi, thank you for this informative video!!
I do experience some problems with method 3 (I ended up with the EasyCel upscaler + Elgato HD60x connecting with my macbook pro 2021): it seems like the Elgato capturing software is not recognizing the device (there is a blinking red light): any ideas how I can fix this? thank you !!
Interesting demo of these 3 different converters. They all look great, but i really didn't care for the 4:3 to 16:9 upscaler, because it seemed to stretch the picture. Unless i missed something, is there a way to up scale to a 4:3 to an HD without stretching it to 16:9? Thanks
Yes with the Yitrox it does support 4:3, I was learning in some of these and at times got lazy and just stuck with the 16:9. You might also need to set up a special profile with something like OBS because most computers are 16:9 now and they all want that format. good luck
When converting there is a latency in signal from the vhs tape to the recording software. The first few seconds show a black screen without sound and is missing. How do you fix this? Also, green flashes sometimes appear in the saved video. How to get rid of this?
Eat cheese, what equipment are you using to do your process?
I am using a device similar to method 1 from the video to capture footage from a camcorder. I am using OBS as recording software
Thank you for this excellent video!!
Thank you Daivd!
Amazing, Joe!
Thank you.. Stay tuned for more.. Having fun!
8:27 Yeah, because the VCR records in 480i, not in 240p, also the horizontal resolution is more then 320, but it's in analog. The real resolution is arround 400x440i.
I was wondering about your third option. If you upscale an output to 16 x 9 at 1080P, doesn’t it just stretch your image? It looks good, but everything seems stretched out. Is it not possible to output and upscaled 4 x 3 file with the Elgato software or OBS? I know 4 x 3 is less attractive but it is native and the images and people in the video will look proportional.
Its distorts to 16:9 though, which ruins the original aspect ratio, that is the problem, I dont want anything stretched or cropped out, i'd rather have the black bars on the sides on the video than ruining the video all together for the same of making it HD.
My Elegato video captures go out of audio sync. Any idea why that is?
super helpful! thanks a lot
Glad it was helpful!
what about if you have a laptop that only takes USB type C? It's a MacBook laptop from 2022. Can I still use elegato and VC500?
Kindly make a video that explains about "chemical cleaning" of VCR tapes and how to do..?
I have never looked into that, I will put it on my list.. Thanks for the suggestion
Hi, thank you for your videos..ive learned so much. I did create the similar set up with upscaler and elgato hd60+ with OBS. I did a 5 minute test run with my vhs transfer.1440x1080p 60 fbs, mp4...after I completed and it transferred to my laptop...the video file was huge. 5 minutes = 1GB of a 6 hr tape! I lowered to 720x480 (1gb=9 minutes) then 680x480 etc. Obviously the OBS does not compress. What do you do with your files using this way? Do you use a compression software? Perhaps, I've completely set the parameters wrong. I'd appreciate any advice. I should say, I'm tech savvy but a little more than a beginner. Thank you
Do either of the usb options fix the audio sync problem? On a long capture, the audio gets increasingly out of sync with the video with all of the devices I have tried so far.
I plan to finally try converting VHS and VHS-C casettes to DVD's using a Funai converter. Do you think that the setups shown in this video will give better quality than the Funai converter?
When I have almost hiend card Sapphire RX 6800 (16GB vram ) and hiend processor AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D (16 core), is it possible to use this hardware instead of Elgato HD60 Pro?
Can't find the yitrox for sale. Everything says unavailable
My problem is that my videos have mold. I have about 50 tapes. I tried putting one in the vhs and it jammed. And I dont have the time nor the capacity to do this myself. Can you recommend a professional service that can clean and convert to digital? One idea I had is to see if it is possible to move the vhs tape to an old time movie reel and then project on the walls.
Does a broken camcorder screen affect digitalisation? I have a sony handycam, tapes all working when viewing through the viewfinder, but the camcorder’s viewing screen had broken sometime ago, so the issue i have been running into is a black screen only when i open any video capture software, obs or any other does is the broken camcorder screen causing this issue? And do i now have to seek for a new camcorder ?
Hi,
Very nice which is reason, for teh first time, that I ask a question: The Hi8 video look OK in teh eye-piece. Hooked to a TV they look a little fuzzy and quality of voise deterirated. Hooking with a Video Capture card the video quality is terrible, jumping all over, color distortion, poor audio. This is an inexpensive Video capture external unit. Will the more expensive video capture unit get me better result, or there is something else need to sync the laptop and teh camcorder? I followed all the set up as they showed it and tried to different SW. Thanks
Good morning, do you think adding a time base corrector will help with the digitizing process? Or is it just overkill because of the multiple connections?
Thanks
Depends on how bothered you are about perfection, but to be honest it sounds excessive for simple projects.
I want to save my vhs tapes to digital on my computer and then make dvd copies from that. Per your recommendation I purchased the yitrox with added power supply. Should I connect my yitrox to my vcr then from yitrox to Elgato hd60 x then to my computer using the elgato software. Also what resolution do you recommend I set my yitrox to. I’ll be using 4:3
I have a tv/vhs combo. Can I use this to convert my vhs tapes? It only has audio/video (white-yellow) inputs.
thanks! I need to do this for so many tapes
Thank you for this informative video. I recently got a VCR, with other accessories, to convert our old VHS tapes. Do you have any recommendations on a software that would upscale after we transfer the movie to the computer?
There are multiple ways to do that, off the top of my head any of the professional editing software can do it, like Adobe Premier, Sony Vegas, or others. Thanks for watching
Why virtualy no-one talks about such a critical topic as deinterlacing? How to get smooth 60 fps video with no comb or blur effect. Yadif+bob
isnt the upscaler pointless if you can just upscale it after on the pc?
When dubbing VHS, I record in Filmora. I have the following problem. Sometimes empty fields appear in the recorded material (they are blue in Filmora). More precisely, these are interruptions in the recording in Filmora that last less than one second. Some of them later they are not visible in the video, but the longer ones are visible. What is the cause of this and how to eliminate it, does anyone know from experience.
I know what you are talking about, but I am unsure what caused it.. I am trying to think where I saw that issue so I could try and debug it. The only think I could think is the signal is bad and instead of displaying noise (or snow) it shows a blue screen, like a VCR does when nothing is playing.
Appreciate the videos and peoples comments. I'm Capturing video from VHS tapes using my Samsung DVD-V8600 dual DVD and VHS player (which plays S-VHS tapes, and has both S-Video out and Component out...) I'm still uncertain what is recommended for getting the best reasonable results. I'm mostly doing this to preserve the content for the future... I have both a Windows 10 laptop and Macbook Pro 2017 (with Final Cut Pro), so I can use either... Is S-Video out the best? And plug it into what? Should I use an upscaler or not? And what software? Again, thinking of the best reasonable results. I'm willing to spend a reasonable amount if needed... Thanks!
Chris, watch my video on the upscalers.. what you will end up as a recommendation for your situation is the Yitrox upscaler, which does support the S-Video cable, and yes you want to use that if you can. Then a good capture card. I would recommend any of the Elgato brands, I have been having a lot of luck with them. For a Laptop look at the HD60X
I am sorry new to this, so my questions is does converter capture at high def and use the upscaler for just a better play back in he? Do you have to use both to get hd out of the VHS on computer?
I run Mac mini so no way to add a card do you have a suggestion on which usb capture device would be best to use at the top end I would like to get the best quality I can
@Creg P, You have a few options:
Option 1) The Elgato Video Capture USB device does support a Mac, so that is one path.. This will capture the videos in 720x480 and they look great. (Depending on the original tape :) )
Option 2) The Path I went down, and you could look at is using an upscaler, and then using the Elgato HD60X which is an external inline product. Then use OBS or the Elgato Capture software to store the video in 720p or 1080p. This personally is what I have done, but instead of the external HD60X I am using the internal HD60...
For an upscaler, I would go with:
- RCA to HDMI Converter, Wenter 1080P AV to HDMI Converter - $15 - amzn.to/3JZjNgT
- YITROX AV Svideo HDMI to HDMI Converter Upscaler - $37 - amzn.to/3lc5LOr
I have a problem with conversion that even Elgato can't seem to figure out. The Elgato will work fine after I reboot my Mac, but after about 7 or 8 uses, the saved finished video on the Mac is saved at double speed, rendering it useless. I have swapped out computers, swapped out 2 different Elgato devices, swapped out VCRs, and swapped out the patch cords. Yet, it's still happening. What is going on? Anybody had this issue?
Or, can I start the VCR playing and let it play a bit b4 hitting the record button on the Degato ?? As mentioned below, I'm just trying to get out the blank or unfocused parts of the video before transferring in onto a dvd, Thank u again
Yes you can do that. The software I use on the PC is OBS Studio for the capturing
The final 1080p video looked squashed.
It is because of the 16:9 watch the upscaler review you will see the same video in 4:3
I hope you can give me a little insight: What's better: upscaling while capturing (like in your video) OR capturing and then use a software to upscale it? Thank you! Your video was informative and organized!
I liked the result of upscaling during, it fixes the interlace by doubling the frame rate and smoothing the picture. The other way I would have to wait for the video to capture, then provess the upscale with software, and then I am at the same point. Skip the step
Thank you so much for your reply! Helps me with my decision-making.@@MiddleSiggysDigitalWorld
When I record to laptop the image is choppy and jumpy. It’s hard to watch. Audio is fine. Will the newer products you reviewed fix this?
Looking to get elgato hd60 external plus upscaler. Does this allow me to recor videos?
where did you get "320 x 240" from? NTSC is bigger than that, isn't it?
Duncan there are 4 major types of VHS tapes, Standard VHS, Compact VHS (or VHS-C), Super VHS for (S-VHS), and compact S-VHS (or S-VHS-C).
VHS and VHS-C had a maximum lines of horizontal resolution of 240 (VHS Tapes labeled with HQ had 250 Lines).
Given that was the case, a 4:3 ratio would make the Maximum Vertical lines to be 320.
NTSC is the American standard for analog television broadcast, which supported 486 x ~440.
But that is different than what a VHS tape stores, NTSC is how an analog signal is broadcast over the air.
Great Question!!
See this article here:
www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/conservation-preservation-publications/technical-bulletins/digitization-vhs-video-tapes.html#a8b
Can I just upscale the video with Topaz?
Super helpful...Thank you!!!
Glad it was helpful!
What if you don’t have a vcr is there’s any other way to do this? I have a small vhs tape that was used from a video camera I don’t either those anymore. Please help me I have some tapes with my deceased son on it and so desperately want to look at it? Thanks ..
You need some way to play them... So you either need the video recorder device or a VCR or something. E-Mail me a picture of the tape you have to middlesiggyhomestead@teamsiggy.com maybe I can help in some way.
Your videos are great! Could you do a video on converting hi8 to digital please.
so if I have a 2020 MacBook 16 inch I basically have to go with eh el gato correct?
Can you edit with the Elgato ? We have a lot of blank spaces on our vhs recordings we would like to edit out. Thank you
No the Elgato is the capture card. I use OBS for the actual capturing, and other software to edit and parse then the videos
Does the the capture device store the video in memory, if so what is the limit for the length of the video or write it to the hard drive ?
Thanks for the info. But I still have my great Magnavox DVD/VHS player/recorder to convert some of my very old VHS tapes. Most of the VHS movie stuff I have is already in digital renditions, so I don't mess around doing them. My old personal home videos are very easy to convert VHS to DVD with this Player/Recorder.
Take care.
Thank you for watching..
what about copy protected videos
In my testing with the equipment, it did not seem to see the copy protection (Macrovision). But it is my understanding that has something to do with the VCR, and the capture device. In my case, I did not see any sign of the Macrovision. I only checked one tape, as I am mostly doing home videos that don't have any form of copy protection. Thanks
Good video. Without music better, it is part time too loud, makes disturb and always makes more difficult to hear talking. Luckily We can use subtitles.
Thanks for the feedback. Yes I agree with you. These were some of my first videos ever so still learning. So thanks for the feedback.
What brands/models will convert VHS to USB MP4 files for PC computers? The VHS to USB converter should come with a video editor software also
Wayne - The Elgato Video Capture device will save as a MP4, and its editing is limited. I made a deep dive video on it here:
ua-cam.com/video/l38l4cXqiPM/v-deo.html
any ideas on how to upscale vid files to HD or 4k. thanks. loved your vids.
The best way is a DVD Recorder. Keeps the video in a 576i 50i and then pull the VOB files onto your PC off the DVD. Everything else introduces noise and compression that you don't want.
DVD is highly compressed MPEG2 with GOP. The best way is a DV conversion (well actually the best way is domesday duplicator but anyway) where you get a 25Mbps intraframe AVI file you can throw through Avisynth filters after cutting and color correction in a NLE (Premiere/Resolve..) which is "losless" when done right [smart rendering]. QTGMC will deinterlace to 50p, denoise and sharpening the image a little and catapult the quality to another sphere.
@@surject Deinterlacing reduces resolution. Sharpening introduces artifacting. Denoising loses detail. Nice try, mate.
Lol. You serious? ..whatever, have fun with your Macroblocks. @@KrytenXBP
Guys if you can deal with spending the money for the Elgato I would do it, cause you NEVER know with the cheaper one. I got mine a few weeks ago but didn't start converting till last Sunday (4/16/23) it was super easy! I have no regrets.
Have to agree 100%
Everything is fine, but from time to time when the shots on the tape change, the picture changes from color to black and white, and I have to switch to switch it back to colors, possibly because I am using an S-Video cable and not CVBS?
Yea color comes through the cable either encoded on the Yellow RCA wire or on the separate wires in the S-Cable, maybe try and replace your cable?? That is just odd.
@@MiddleSiggysDigitalWorld I ordered RCA with CVBS cable
Are these all compatible with Windows 10, 11, etc./ Mac's?
Thank you for the info!
When using these methods, is there a way to output the finished product to a DVD-R for use with a DVD player/TV ?
So yes.. you can always convert the MP4 to a MPEG2 using DVD software. Most all the modern DVD creating software will convert the video for you and burn it to a DVD. the MP4 might end up being a better quality video.
@@MiddleSiggysDigitalWorld Thank you !
I echo other members suggestions, Use a S-VHS machine whenever possible so you are not limited to noisy composite even for regular VHS, Never use the software that comes with the capture device, Use Vdub or AmarecTV,. Capture lossless AVI at 720x480 NTSC or 720x576 PAL/SECAM and encode later to h.264, Preferably de-interlace, crop to 704x480 (576) before encoding, For youtube uploading, resize to 1440x1080 before encoding to h.264. The HDMI route is not recommended for analog tape formats, 16:9 is wrong as well, haven't you seen the fat faces? 320x240 is not a legal resolution therefore it should never be used.
@Capturing Memories all great feedback.. Thank You!
This is all helpful...and I'm looking for more advice. I have two projects: 1) I'm capturing video from my Sony DCR-PC100 Mini DV Camcorder (via firewire direct from camcorder to PC using firewire to USB-C adapter), about 20 tapes or so; and 2) Capturing video from VHS tapes using my Samsung DVD-V8600 dual DVD and VHS player (planning on using component out - to a component/HDMI converter - to HDMI input on Elgato HD60 external capture card - to laptop... What software do you guys recommend and what settings should I use? Looking to capture the best reasonable quality... I'm mostly doing this to preserve the content for the future... I have both a Windows 10 laptop and Macbook Pro 2017 (with Final Cut Pro), so I can use either... Thanks!
@@chriseasley3499 For DV use WinDV or Sclive, for HDV use HDVSplit. If you want analog quality capture skip HDMI, Use a component capture card. Off course the best way is to use a S-VHS deck and capture via S-Video (Y-C), Analog tapes are recorded on tape in Y-C.
Thanks! My Samsung deck plays S-VHS tapes (and some of the tapes I want to capture are S-VHS...). Are you saying I should use S-Video out from the VCR and not component? If so, then what is the recommended capture device (in other words, what am I plugging the S-Video cable into)? And what software is recommended for the VHS capture?
@@chriseasley3499 Yes S-Video is preferred because it's the native format for video tape, Component is a processed version from the original Y-C signal, But if it looks good to you just capture from component using any game capture, Capturing S-Video and composite is a rabbit hole using consumer devices, That's why I use pro equipment that don't rely on computer CPU. Join videohelp to get the right recommendation.
Good job - thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Nice video brother!
Thank you sir!
Thank you for posting this video,
The hd60 pro seems to be out of production. Will the 4k60 pro work just as well for transferring old home movies?
Yes the 4K version is just a better version of the HD60 which only supports 1080p. The 4K obviously supports up to 4k
I have the first cheap option you showed. It works fine aside from a few loading glitches, but when I watch them on tv, it is very pixelated and one in particular is choppy. I know these weren't made for big screen TV but what else could it be aside from very old VHS? One is from 1991.
That is the big problem. When you think about the resolution difference from the old VHS tapes compared to a modern digital signal it is a huge difference
Thanks so much for this! I have a Mac, and have found that many of the video capture devices are spec'd for PCs. Do you have a recommendation on the best HW/SW to convert VHS tapes to digital files on a Mac?
OBS studio is supposed to work with a MAC and you can use the external Elgato capture device and maybe go that way. I am not a MAC guy but I think that path should work
@@MiddleSiggysDigitalWorld Thanks. I'll check it out.
Any options that will work on a Mac that doesn’t have audio sync issues? I would like to have it in mp4 format in the end so it can be viewed on pc, mac, or tv.
I don’t use a MAC so I can’t speak to that directly, but I stick by my Yitrox upscaler and any of the Elgato capture devices internal or external. And then use OBS for the capture software I believe it has a MAC version