Capturing from VHS using Kona

[Walter Biscardi]

No analog inputs on a Kona 3. You’ll need to use another input device.

Do you have a DV deck or something with composite or S-Video inputs?

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.

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[Craig Thomas quinlan]

K3 has no analog input. The Kona LH does. If you need to capture analog sources to a Kona 3, you need a A/D converter like the AJA HD10AVA, which will embed analog video and audio into an SDI output. VHS is tricky though, you should drop a TBC inbetween. Alternatively you can run it through an AJA FS1, which will give do the same thing (as one of its many purposes) but also gives you TBC and frame sync. Run your rca analog outs on the VHS deck through a mixer before you hop onto the converter.

[Craig Thomas quinlan]

(Or dub your VHS to dvcam or similar)

[Bob Zelin]

sorry Craig, but the converter won’t work. SDI input products require a STABLE SYNC SIGNAL. IF you go into an AJA A/D converter, the VHS still won’t lock up. If he had an AJA Kona LHe, it would not lock up, becuase there is no frame sync input (like there is on the old AJA I/O box).

The best suggestion was dubbing the signal to something like a DV deck, or even analog Beta, and then playing it back in a Digi Beta VTR. Or get a frame sync with an SDI output.

Sorry, no easy answer. And it’s not even VHS SP – you are going to need a frame synchronizer no matter what.

Bob Zelin

[Craig Thomas quinlan]

Yeah, you’re right. We usually dub VHS to dvcam here.

If you already have an FS1, you should be good to go though, right? TBC and frame sync?

[Jason Rodriguez]

thanks for the replies. i am not sure about fs1 (or what it is). i have tried capturing it on an older system through media100 (ifinish) through an s-video cable and it was impossible, every couple seconds or frames it stopped.

we dont have a dubbing station. we have systems using digibeta and betasp decks going through kona.

[Bob Zelin]

are you willing to spend money (buy equipment) to resolve this problem ?

Bob Zelin

[Joe Murray]

Check out the Canopus ADVC110 – it’s a firewire interface that will allow you to capture VHS into FCP, then you can switch back to the Kona for monitoring. They cost about $200, less than that if you’re OK going with a used one. There’s really not much point in spending a more than that to convert VHS to SDI, at least from a quality standpoint. I do not think this will work with copy-protected tapes, though…if you need that you’ll at least need to go a different route. Like maybe dub to BetaSP via a frame synchronizer like the FS1, buy an AJA LA which would give you component as well as composite analog inputs, or follow one of the other suggestions in this thread.

Joe Murray
Edit at Joe’s
Charlotte, NC