How to convert VHS videotape to 60p digital video (2016)

I'll leave this video up for posterity, as there is some great info in the comments. But seeing as this video is now outdated, I'll only answer questions over on the new video's comments section.

The layout is different from this tutorial video but it's more stable with more features.

The lossless code I use (install before running virtualdub):

Tutorial sections:

00:00 - Intro
01:22 - Understanding the problem: Interlaced Video
03:12 - Cheap USB capture devices
04:46 - Free software we'll need
05:31 - Capturing VHS properly
14:38 - Processing VHS captures properly
21:50 - Compress processed files with Handbrake
24:16 - Processing for YouTube upload

FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q: I just want a quick hardware solution and I don't care about quality.

Q: I don't run Windows, I'm on OSX/Linux. How can I post-process an interlaced video correctly?
A: Download a recent build (2015 or later) of FFMPEG and run it with the following command-line:

If the output suffers from field order judder, try removing the "idet," portion.

Q: 720x480 doesn't always look right in players. Shouldn't I capture in 640x480?
A: No, you should capture at 720x480 and then resize to 640x480 after deinterlacing. This is because some drivers actually only support 720x480 and resize themselves, usually with a lower-quality algorithm. If you do it yourself, you get better results. Also, ALWAYS RESIZE *AFTER* DEINTERLACING.

Q: My audio is out of sync no matter what I try.
A: Try capturing using a different program like AmarecTV, then bring the resulting footage into VirtualDub.

Q: What is the specific model of EZCAP device used in the video?
A: The Syntek STK1160 or STK1150 (both operate the same, mine was an STK1150).

Q: Everything captures correctly but the audio is out of sync. Any tips?
A: If your audio starts out OK at the beginning of the captured video, but by the end of the video is out of sync, you have a sync drift problem. Instead of using "Sync audio to video by resampling", you can try "sync video to audio by adjusting video timing". This might retain sync at the expensive of a few dropped or duplicated frames.

If your audio is out of sync at the beginning and also out of sync by the same amount at the end of the video, that is an audio skew (offset) problem. You can try to fix it in Virtualdub after capturing: Load the captured file, then go to Audio--Interleaving and changing the Audio Skew correction values. It starts at 0 (no sync problems), but you can try altering the values and playing the file until it looks like it lines up. Try negative values like -100, -50, and also positive values like 50, 100 until you find something that works.

Q: What about PAL?
A: Change any framerate reference from 29.97 (NTSC) to 25 (PAL), and change any number of lines reference from 480 lines (NTSC) to 576 lines (PAL). Also, instead top-field-first, you may find that bottom-field-first works for the majority of PAL capture devices (this is in the yadif deinterlacing filter section). Finally, in the Handbrake section, change 59.94 fps to 50 fps.

Q: I am ready for the next step in making my videos look great! Is there anything additional I can do?
A: If you want to research how some people make their videos better, try looking into avisynth or VapourSynth. These let you run better deinterlacing scripts like QTGMC, which is a huge improvement over yadif. As for me, I bring interlaced captured video into Premiere Pro and perform noise reduction using the NeatVideo plugin, correcting bad levels, and cleaning up the audio. Then I export to a new intermediate file using a lossless codec for the QTGMC portion and final encode to .MP4.

[nasafamily]

How does it feel to publish something on the internet that is EXACTLY what people were looking for? Easy to understand. Explained things I would have never have realized I could do to video. The only problem is now I need a bigger hard drive for all the videos my wife wants me to convert. AMAZING. TEACH US MORE! TEACH US MORE!

[BramWalraet]

I'm a professional video archivist and have to say that this video is not only very informative, it also handles a few technical issue's perfectly. Hat's off to you, sir!

[ginginthing]

I'm so glad I found this video. I've been searching for 20 years to find my old Hi8 video tapes and just found them a week ago, so I've been searching YT 24/7 to learn how to properly digitize them. You have addressed a very important and pretty complicated subject (for most of us over 70) and made it a pleasure to learn how to do it. Not all teachers can teach. You are an incredible teacher.

[skykid]

My mother-in-law gave me 85 videotape some VHS 8 mm. All of my husbands childhood is documented, your instructions are so easy to follow, now for the next 90 days or so I will be doing this digital conversion thank you so much for taking the time. And for saving us a buttload of money versus sending it out to be digitized.

[BdR]

A tip, after doing "Set capture file" in the file menu, you can also select "Allocate disk space". For example you can set it to 20Gb if you expect like a 15Gb capture file. And also in the menu Capture -> Disk I/O, I set the Chunk size to 16MB instead of the default 256KB.

I've found that this helps to get a better video capture, with less dropped frames.

[vwestlife]

Just remember to use an RCA Y-adapter or encode the audio to mono if your audio source is mono, so you get the audio coming through both speakers, instead of only in the left channel. Besides bad de-interlacing, that is the second most common -- or maybe even *the* most common -- mistake I see when people convert old analog video sources.

[JcmJ_]

WOW!! Thank you so very much for this tutorial! I would have been absolutely lost without it. I was given a box of old home movies that my parents had left for me and I didn't have any place for them. I'm a total beginner and I had no idea where to start or what to do. Thanks to this tutorial I've already captured one full VHS tape and it looks amazing and is a good size to boot! Thanks again! Very very very very helpful!

[neoasura]

Thank you SO much for this tutorial, you won't believe how long I held off backing up my VHS tapes for years bc I had no clear way..but you did this tutorial perfectly!

[erik]

Wow, we just bought an elgato capture card and their software converts Analog tapes to digital to an unwatchable quality. So glad I found you and your impeccable video!

[pangrafix]

This tutorial is by far the most comprehensive yet succinct video on how to capture/convert video tapes that I have seen on YouTube. I can't thank you enough for answering virtually every question I wanted to ask about the subject. Kudos!

[HockeyNinja]

This is the absolute best videotape conversion tutorial vid on YouTube. Thank you very much for taking the time to share your knowledge. I think it would be fantastic if you made an updated 2020 version of this video using VirtualDub2. Don't want this video and knowledge to slip into obscurity.

[JungleJimABAB]

Your video is exactly what YouTube was suppose to be all along. An informative, factual presentation of procedures that provide a guide path for others. I am so very glad to have found your channel. I am now subscribed and look forward to whatever you have in your content. Thank you for posting.

[peterferst]

Thank you. This the best instruction video I have seen not only on subject matter (increased my knowledge by 200%) but the quality of your production. No loud distracting music, no garbled speaking, clear and concise screen shots sharp in focus and easy to read. A thousand thanks for your effort oh forgot no annoying advertisements.

[deepredson]

Ok. So I'm 4 years late in seeing this, but doesn't prevent me from commenting on your wonderful and easy teaching style. Really fabulous.
I am a teacher in UK.

[mrjintheuk]

Superb work!
I shall now attempt to clear the 35, 422 VHS tapes I've stored inside my special storage pouch.
Many thanks. Mr J

[BdR]

Wow excellent tutorial :) The deinterlacing filter is really a necessity when converting VHS, so thanks for explaining.

*A quick update for 2019* VirtualDub2 is now available, which supports Save-as to MPEG-4, Quicktime MOV or any FFMPEG format. So with VirtualDub2 it is possible to do the deinterlacing and/or resizing plus compression in one go, instead of re-compressing with Handbreak. This saves time and requires less diskspace, especially when converting long videos or lots of tapes. :)

[ImBazi]

Absolutely Fantastic Tutorial Jim! Had no idea how to do this before. Very clear video with instructions that were easy to follow. Thank you very much for this, appreciate the effort! Watched this video multiple times and this helped me get an understanding. It was great with the amount of detail and depth into which you went! Liked the video and Subscribed. I have digitised many VHS tapes with different capture devices and software settings but none of them were this smooth and crisp. Thanks again! :)

[ajaydesai]

OMG! The best video I ever saw on YouTube with the most simplified way! I have converted my all VHS and Hi8 videos to hard disk but never satisfied with it. So I hung on to those original tapes thinking someday there will be a better technology or tools will be available. Gosh, it's was never the tools issue but rather lack of knowledge for what settings needs to be used for the best conversion. Thank you so much for publishing this video. I will be looking for all of your publications.

[ryangordon]

EXCELLENT Tutorial!! Your explainations are flawless (considering this video was totally ad lib) and simplified enough for anyone to understand. I've been looking for a while now for a good layman's tutorial on these conversions of analog tapes to digital and this couldn't be a better demonstration. Even your voice is soothing. Lol. Thank you sir.

[alexstewart]

Great tutorial. Loved the pace and clarity of subjects covered. Really nice.