Video Help? VHS ---> DVD

[rancor]

I recently picked up a rack mounted, broadcast quality VHS deck (oxymoron, I know ). The model is Panasonic AG-7650. Anyhow for a project I want to start converting VHS tapes that aren't available on DVD to that format. So I have the tape deck, and it has S-VHS out. I have the monster cabling (unnecessary, right?) and I have mid-level video capture card. Is there anything else I should have, or any recommendations? Would a scaler help? Should I de-interlace the videos before committing them to disc? Should I capture at standard VHS resolution (320x240) or slightly higher? Any kind of software "clean-up" or filters you would recommend? Thanks for any suggestions.

[GaijinPunch]

Easiest way is to get a VHS+DVD combo deck, like the one collecting dust in my room.

[rancor]

sheeit.. really? I heard the quality on those wasn't so hot because you couldn't control the encode bit-rate. I want to use the full 4.7gb of a disc for the encodes I'm doing. I must admit I'm completely ignorant as to how those work. How much would you sell yours for?

edit: What about macrovision? I know back in the day when I used to connect VCR to VCR together the tapes copy protection would mess up the coloring / tint to an unwatchable mess.

[GaijinPunch]

They generally have a few presets. I've found it to be fine. I mean... shit... it's coming from VHS. The problem I have w/ a proper "setup" is many points of error, and I may just have the worst luck in the world but I've had nothing but shit results w/ capture cards.

Macrovision is probably still an issue, I would think.

[TransatlanticFoe]

Copy protection can be removed using a "digital video stabiliser". I did this to convert my VHS to DVD a few years ago because I'll be damned if I'm paying for half of it again (especially if it was in 4:3). I've got something called a MacroMaster (I bought it from http://www.im-uk.net/dvd/products/macmaster2.html under their previous trading name) - the downside is I was just taking the feed straight into a commercial HDD/DVD combo so I didn't have any advanced editing gear. Because you're converting analogue to digital it has to insert some blank frames. Most of the time it's not noticable but the longer the tape, the worse it seems to be.

If you run VHS deck => MacroMaster => recording device (like HDD/DVD combo) you can copy it straight across and burn it in one go if you use an HDD/DVD combo. In order to fit stuff 1:1 I had to downgrade the quality from VHS SP to VHS LP - but it's not noticable unless you try to put it on a big TV. As you say, you don't have any control over the encoding but it's a quick and easy solution. If you can process the output from MacroMaster (onto your PC via some software) then you can play with it to your heart's content.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I just use an Sony DVD recorder deck, the RDR-GX7 dedicated deck. I, then, have a JVC VHS VCR hooked up to one of the RDR-GX7's A/V inputs. Easy as pie.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[StarCreator]

Effective VHS resolution is closer to 333x480, actually. For a DVD capture you should be sampling at 720x480 @ 30/1.001 (approx. 29.97) fps.

In general, yes, a set-top recorder does the job painlessly if you're doing a straight transfer (no editing). I'd only bother capturing if I want to edit the video before a presentation encode or if I really need a lossless capture for some reason.

Being an analog signal, the quality of the cable -does- matter, though the Monster generally only offers marginal improvements if any over other high-quality cable builds. You already have one, so might as well use it.

You should probably not attempt to deinterlace at all - DVD video is stored at 720x480 @ 30/1.001 fps (240p @ 60/1.001 input is woven into fields to match this format - 480p is only possible at 24/1.001 and 30/1.001). Above that, material that was edited on standard def video equipment generally ends up carrying weird-as-hell field errors that never deinterlace properly, so you actually end up causing irreparable damage to the video by attempting to do something about it.

EDIT: Some numbers got lost in editing somehow, and changed units on the math to make the frame rates easier to understand.

[rancor]

Thanks for the help guys - esp. StarCreator - I'll be capping at the resolution you suggested and see if it makes any difference. I have done a bit of research on all of this, and there are so many "experts" out there giving completely different recommendations that it's a bit difficult to know what is truly effective.

I'm interested to know what would happen if you ran a VHS tape through something like an XRGB3.. anyone have experience with that? Or even it there's a software solution that I could run on the fly as the vid. was captured. Would that even make any sense to do, or am I just babbling techno-junk that I don't even understand.. haha. I suppose the point being that I want to get the VHS video at the best / highest resolution possible for audio and video while using every available bit on the DVD (4.7gb). yeah - I know - it's only VHS, but I suppose this is a bit of a preservation project, and not just dopey home videos or old episodes of My Little Pony. (more on that later )

Thanks again to all, and I'll be sure to post my results as soon as I've done a bit of capping.

[GaijinPunch]

You should capture at 1080p so you can say it's Full HD like all those ass clowns selling games on XBLA & PSN.