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Activity Forums Blackmagic Design Problems digitizing analog video with Blackmagic Decklink Studio 4k capture card

  • Problems digitizing analog video with Blackmagic Decklink Studio 4k capture card

    Posted by Coretta Marchant on October 15, 2020 at 7:58 pm

    I’m new to this forum, so if someone knows a better place to post this question, please tell me.

    I’ve been trying to set up a Windows 10 system to digitize analog video from VHS tapes. No trouble installing and using the Blackmagic Decklink Studio 4k capture & playback card, and I’ve used both Blackmagic Media Express as well as Premiere Pro for capture. But sometimes the video signal has distortions which look (viewed in either software) like a tracking issue, but don’t act like tracking issues, because fiddling with the tracking knob on the deck does not change anything. Audio continues throughout. This only happens sometimes, not always; seemingly at random. I’ve tried restarting the computer and having no other apps running, tried changing capture to location. I can capture live video (via HDMI into the same capture card) without this problem, so that points to the deck. I’m using a JVC BR-S288DXU, and running the (component) signal through a Snell & Wilcox Component TBC/Synchronizer (DPS-290) before it goes into the capture card. But I’ve cleaned the video heads and done everything in can think of. Does anyone have any other ideas?

    Computer system details:

    Dell T5820 Workstation, Windows 10 Enterpise 64-bit operating system

    Processor: Intel(R) Xeon(R) W2125 CPU @ 4.00GHz 4.01 GHz

    Installed RAM: 32.0 GB (31.7GB usable)

    Version: 1809

    Installed on: 11/13/2019

    OS build: 17763.973

    Creative Cloud 5.0.0.354 installed

    NVIDIA-Quadro-Graphics-Driver_NHJN7_WIN_26.21.14.3140_A00

    Dell Update Package: nVIDIA Quadro Graphics Driver, 26.21.14.3140, A00

    File Version: 3.8.3.67

    Product version: 26.21.14.3140

    Blackmagic Desktop Video v. 11.6 installed

    Blackmagic Design DeckLink Studio 4K Capture & Playback Card installed and working (v.11.6)

    Coretta Marchant replied 4 years, 2 months ago 2 Members · 2 Replies
  • 2 Replies
  • Glenn Sakatch

    November 11, 2020 at 3:34 pm

    You need a locked signal going into your card from the vhs deck. A TBC would be the preferred piece of equipment, but I actually run vhs tapes through a DVD recorder. This was suggested by somebody somewhere…and it works. The DVD must have a built in TBC, because it does seem to lock down the signal before going into the capture card.

  • Coretta Marchant

    November 23, 2020 at 7:53 pm

    Thanks for the response, sorry for the delay in answering. as stated above, i have a TBC in the signal path. So that can’t be the problem.

    but in the meantime, i have found the problem. my deck was misaligned. i found this out by trying alternate decks and video sources. then i was able to realign the deck, so i’m back in business.

    regards.

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