Digitizing Analog VHS, Hi8mm with HD UpRez and frame rate conversion for Video Editors

Products in this video:

Software I use for capturing analog tapes:
Quicktime - comes with Mac
FCPX - purchase from App Store
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The opinions expressed in this video were not influenced by or paid for by any outside individual or company. I only use and test products I buy myself with my own money unless otherwise noted.

[wrightmf]

I like this tutorial, reminds me of such back in the usenet days of the internet where one can get techie info without bombarded with sales and marketing schmuck. Obvious this tutorial is not for the casual user but you provide good advice and yet not get too deep like tech advice on places like BMD forums. The latter which is basically notes for experts for themselves in some very esoteric advice.

Interesting about the time based corrector, I've digitize VHS tapes and simply accepted any dropouts. I have learned SDI is the best mode and I make use of that BMD analog to SDI converter. That UpDownCross converter looks very interesting as I have been looking for reliable method of converting HDMI into SDI.

Maybe you can explain various modes such as composite, S-video, firewire, HDMI, SDI. I see why broadcasters go with SDI as it is a single coax with rugged BNC connectors and the mode does not have digital rights management nonsense. Where Firewire and HDMI can have issues.

[Snailmale]

Thank you for sharing ! I purchased a BlackMagic Converter Analog to SDI, but didn't know about the BNC and the RCA to 1/4. I'll pickup the Upscaler converter, and give my project a go. And I'll pray to find a Time Base Corrector in the near future :).

[LTEKMULOUB]

I believe the canon camcorders and digital cameras are compatible with digital lcd picture frames for low cost video slideshows that can be set to loop for ages.

[TechTVusa]

Using a Firewire DV converter with IMovie would be super easy to use and offer good results.

[jbsmith]

If you really want the highest quality from vhs you should get a cable that splits s-video into chroma/luma signals, the blackmagic converter you have supports it

[aldolega]

Is it really worthwhile to record to such a heavy file? Does the signal being output from the string of recorders actually contain, for instance, 4:2:2 color info?

Also, for upressing, de-interlacing, converting framerate etc, have you compared using this hardware chain vs. using software? Like Topaz AI, deinterlacing in an NLE, etc.

*Just finished the end of the vid and I see your captured file was only 124mbps, guess I'm so used to huge files with 4K nowadays that I was just automatically assuming huge bitrates 😅

[SaltCoastMedia]

Thank you for this! I have a couple questions:

1. Why use the RCA Y instead of SVideo?

2. What would the quality and file properties be like if you went VCR -> SVideo -> hi8 cam (ex Sony DCR-TRV320) -> Firewire to usb -> pc/mac?

3. What kind of delay / lag would you experience in the setup in 2 or in your full TBC setup?

4. Could the lag be avoided by splitting the signal on the first converter and sending that to a monitor to play games on?

[TheBukman]

Very helpful video thank you.

Have you had any experience with the Retrotink products? Their 5x and 4K products have inbuilt time code correction plus seem to be able to do configurable analog to digital transfer. I assume these could be an all in one alternative to the 2 black magic devices?

Anyway my main question was regarding capture frame rates. Does this differ when up scaling a digitised PAL video versus NTSC or is frame rate only relevant to how you plan to edit the video and where it finally ends up?

Also what would be a good alternate option to ProRes for video capture if you wanted to maintain quality and editing flexibility but cut down on file size?
I am not doing pro film archives but want to be able to transfer from vhs to archive but also to create as high quality as possible edited movies for sharing with the family.
While I have a decent amount of storage the amount of video I have to capture I would certainly run out quickly using ProRes. Any suggestions on a good compressed alternative to ProRes?

[michaelmitchell]

I have that time base corrector, they go for a lot of money now. I wanted to sale mine it’s like new and only used once lol. It’s great little unit.

[luismalab]

Great video, I have a question, the vixia hv40 has HDMI out, can you connect it to the cam link 4k direct to capture the footage from the mini dv cassette?

[rhymeswithcigar]

Great overview, nice to see this process well documented end to end in a short video.

One more question: why 23.98 fps instead of 29.97 or 59.94p? I've noticed most deinterlacing in post (QTGMC) tends to output 59.94p after the process. Are there advantages you're aware of using 23.98?

[dave_dw]

Thanks for such a great, indepth video.

One question I have is how effective would it be to find an old Sony or Panasonic DVD recorder and plug the sony video8 camera RCA cables into the component IN ports on the front of the dvd player, then out the back feed the HDMI into a capture card?
I appreciate there are lots of dvd player models out there but does this 'method' stand any chance of handling the progressive scan and some degree of time base correction in one step, because if it does it might be a "halfway" method between the one you outlined in this video vs the av to hdmi switch method you mentioned at the beginning.

Finally - if someone was using the av-to-hdmi converter method, is there anything at all we could do to minimise problems caused by not having a time base corrector (for those of us who can't find or afford one), or is it a case of everything needs to be done at the hardware level before even reaching your computer?

Thanks again for such a great video - definiately one of the best I've found on this subject (and I have been researching this now for many months).

[zalione]

Great video. One question: I want capture my hi8 tapes without upscaling and deinterlacing. because I was told its better not to deinterlace. And I can´t see a benefit in upscaling if I just want to archive my videos. In this case I would not need the updowncross converter but a sdi to hdmi converter? and what other software for capturing could I use on a Mac if I would like to have more options? thx for help

[iloveorphans]

Excellent video. Thorough and clear. I appreciate it. I had a question and I’m sorry if this is a repeat, but I didn’t see it explicitly. If I went from your LVY method to the Cam link, is a time-based corrector still required? Might I still have glitches that you mentioned if I went with this method and some of the tapes are older?

Also, while I know you can’t control the frame rate with this method, wouldn’t the output handle the deinterlacing and be progressive since it’s coming out as HD or is it just uprezing the 60i video into interlaced HD, which means I’d have those artifacts and lines?

Some of the methods I’ve seen on YouTube suggest outputting to 60P and then handling frame conversions later. I’m not an expert on this, but I am about to start digitizing some a few videos for an editing project, and I don’t want to make the wrong selections. I know with most editing software, it will handle videos with different frame rates these days, but it would also help to have it consistent. I just want to avoid the interlaced video in my project. Those lines always bother me.

[blakeschmucker]

I see that you have the Toshiba DVD/VHS player linked in the description. Why do you recommend that specific one? Thanks for all the info as well. It has been helpful.

[iVTECInside]

I know you wanted your 23.98, just a reminder that NTSC is(was) 29.97. Scale is a matter of preference too, but I'm not a fan of pillar boxing a 16:9 frame to maintain the 4:3 aspect of the video.
That being said, I'm not archiving anything so I prefer 30fps progressive. If I had your gear I'd try 720p60 on the up-convertor and then apply the appropriate PAR to get a 4:3 image out of it.

[sajinfilmstudio]

Hi mate, awesome video, does the clear click need aspect ratio correction?

[videoization]

Thank you for this very video in which you explained good how to get the highest quality.I have a question about the Analog to SDI converter. Which one do I need or are both for digitizing analog videos good enough?

[starling]

This is superb video!! I have question, what do you mean by having High 8 tape and it is digital? Are there Digital and Analogue Hi8 tapes?

[Stream-wb]

Thanks for the video! With the firewire setup, is there a way to enhance/upscale from digital 8 or miniDV?