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Highest quality VHS to digital converter?
I’m digitizing some old VHS tapes for a documentary film, so quality makes a big difference here. What’s the highest quality VHS to digital converter I can buy? FWIW, I’m working in FCP X but I don’t know if that impact at all this answer. I imagine it doesnt.
(Bonus points if it’s portable and something I can hook up to a VHS and my computer)
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3 Replies
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I’d love to hear what people are using these days, since a lot of uncompressed capture equipment doesn’t work with modern hardware. Years ago I used a Canopus device that converted to DV and captured to a Mac with FireWire. Last year I used a Retrotink 2X connected to a generic HDMI capture device and recorded with OBS of all things. This year I used a generic RCA-to-hdmi adapter and captured to an Atomos Ninja V. Each of those solutions delivered a high quality result and while color space is a concern, the source material was always the weakest link in the chain. (PS I did try an Elgato device but the compression was too extreme.)
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I use a BMD ultra studio to convert analog to digital for use in X. That said I can save the captured file as pro res Lt or pro res HQ and ther is no difference: you are putting a thimble full of info in a quart container or a gallon container, its still just a thimble full of info. Getting the best playback possible with a VHS machine in good order and a TBC if at all possible is the best foundation- capturing after that is the rest of it. My BMD device and BMD desktop video app does a solid capture job.
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Keep in mind. garbage in – garbage saved 🙂
This was an old topic back in the day.
I’ve tested so many different options and even the cheapest Composite to USB options did as well as the expensive IOs.
But yes its the final format that does the trick e.g. ProRes, DNxH*, blah blah
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