Rip VHS to Digital on Laptop (No DVD)

[Todd Perchert]

You talking about something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Multimedia-VC500-Video-Capture/dp/B001FAE8MA

I’ve used this to capture home VHS to my computer – my wedding videos.

Or something like this to avoid going to your computer – VHS to DVD

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-RDR-VX525-DVD-Player-Recorder/dp/B000S5INFQ/ref=sr_1_15?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1512590097&sr=1-15&keywords=vhs+to+dvd+recorder

[Zack Culver]

I had no problem finding the hardware… I was looking at this one myself:

https://www.amazon.com/NAMEO-Composite-Converter-Adapter-Upscaler/dp/B01GDF9VMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512596798&sr=8-1&keywords=Mini+Composite+CVBS+3RCA+HDMI+to+AV+Video+Converter+Adapter+1080p+720p+Upscaler

But in the description it sounds like its just to get a VHS onto a new digital screen. And both your links were about DVD burning. I do not want to burn VHS directly to a DVD. I want to play the VHS tape off a VCR, run it through an adapter into my laptop, and capture it as a video file. From there I can edit out clips, make color corrections, add captions or add the footage into a composition… but what I want is VHS to Computer.

[Shane Ross]

You need a video IO card capable of RCA inputs…like this:

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/intensity

Now, what computer do you have? And what connection types?

Shane
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[Andy Patterson]

I love my Blackmagic Design Intensity Shuttle. Having said that the inexpensive $45.00 solutions might better for capturing VHS tapes. The Intensity Shuttle wants a strong broadcast quality video signal. Depending on the VHS tape quality you might need a TBC (time base corrector). Don’t get me wrong even with an inexpensive $45.00 solution you might still need a TBC depending on the tape quality and the VHS player. The Intensity Shuttle is great for playback from the Premiere Pro timeline where the $45.00 devices probably will not work with Premiere Pro. The Intensity Shuttle will also let you view your capturing process on the old NTSC SD CRT monitors if you have one. The cheap $45.00 capture devices will not. If you have a lot of tapes seeing it on the old NTSC CRT monitors is money well spent. If you are only capturing a few tapes it would not be worth the extra money unless you want to use the Intensity Shuttle for broadcast previews when using Premiere Pro. Having said that the Canopus ADVC 110 Fire Wire device will let you view the video on the old NTSC CRT monitor and will probably not need a TBC but they are discontinued. The videos below might be worth watching. For broadcast previews the Intensity Shuttle is awesome but for VHS capture not so much. The DV converter works much better for capturing VHS tapes and does allow timeline playback to NTSC monitors using Premiere Pro. I hope this helps.

https://youtu.be/LOqTFH3PSE4

https://youtu.be/oqAa-9LpMx4

https://youtu.be/cksh5ylEkLU

https://youtu.be/u_gOE67i-MI

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[Todd Perchert]

First link was what you are describing. But there are a lot of options. Shane gave a higher end option. The link you posted would do what you want if you have any way of capturing from HDMI.
TC

[Zack Culver]

My lap top is an ASUS that I got about a year ago…. Q534U is the model number on the bottom.

I’ll have to check out your videos later I don’t know what the timebase thing is… never heard of that… is it matching up the frames per second from VHS to the digital formats I assume?

So here’s a fuller context for what I’m hoping for:

I’m planning this webshow where an old creepy ventriloquist dummy does movie reviews of old obscure VHS movies. The type of stuff that just never makes it to DVD. And when I can find stuff without any current rights holder maybe even do “hosted” movies where I show the whole thing with the review character popping in and out like Zacherle or Elvira or Joe Bob Briggs back in the day…

So I need to play the movies, “record” them into a digital file as they play so that I can edit out clips and make compositions with my footage.

As an afterthought, since I’m trying to do this video services self business thing and I just got into collecting VHS, I figured I could offer up Home Movie transfer/restoration/editing as a service as well.

So I need a deeeeecent quality but I’m also crazy broke and need to be mindful of my budgets.

[Jon Doughtie]

Time base correction is pretty straight-forward. It was a necessity in broadcast, and grew out of the reality that tape decks are mechanical devices.

Your broadcast devices (switchers, other tape decks for tape-to-tape editing) expected VERY precise timing for every single line of video in the signal. Video tape decks, being mechanical, just couldn’t quite do that.

Enter the invention of the time base corrector, or TBC. TBC’s were basically as much memory as technology could manage in the era combined with input/out timing circuits. It could detect the millisecond errors in line timing output from a tape deck. After all the tape reel motors and head motors couldn’t be perfect.

The TBC would shuffle that video information into a digital memory buffer. The TBC internal timing circuitry could use that buffer to re-time each line of video and send it out – precisely timed – to other devices.

Remember how multiple – generation dubs of old analog tapes could get kinda “wiggly” on the horizontal? That is an example of time-base errors building up over each dubbing generation.

System:
Dell Precision T7600 (x2)
Win 7 64-bit
32GB RAM
Adobe CC 2017.1 (as of 8/2017)
256GB SSD system drive
4 internal media drives RAID 5
Typically cutting short form from UHD MP4, HD MP4, and HD P2 MXF.

[Andy Patterson]

I hope Jon Doughtie answered your TBC questiion.

As far as capturing VHS tapes I highly recommend you invest in an Old NTSC CRT Monitor and a Fire Wire DV converter if you are going to capture and edit a lot of VHS tapes. It is money well spent. Looking at the computer screen while capturing VHS tapes using Avid, FCPX and Premiere Pro sucks. Editing interlaced video on the computer screen would be even worse. You really need to see it on an NTSC monitor. Use a standard NTSC interlaced timeline/sequence to edit if you have a Fire Wire converter and an NTSC monitor but when uploading to the website make sure to render a progressive version. It is super easy.

https://youtu.be/BGe–pXGlgw

[Zack Culver] “I’m planning this webshow where an old creepy ventriloquist dummy does movie reviews of old obscure VHS movies. The type of stuff that just never makes it to DVD. And when I can find stuff without any current rights holder maybe even do “hosted” movies where I show the whole thing with the review character popping in and out like Zacherle or Elvira or Joe Bob Briggs back in the day…”

Sound interesting.

[Zack Culver] “As an afterthought, since I’m trying to do this video services self business thing and I just got into collecting VHS, I figured I could offer up Home Movie transfer/restoration/editing as a service as well.”

It might be wise to get the Intensity Shuttle and a TBC as well as an iEEE Wfire Wire converter. Or you could get a VHS deck with a built in TBC.

[Zack Culver] “So I need a deeeeecent quality but I’m also crazy broke and need to be mindful of my budgets.”

An IEEE ADVC convert from ebay and NTSC CRT monitor from craigslist will be your best option. If the tapes are old you still might need the TBC but the Fire Wire converter should capture at least 80% of the videos. The Intensity Shuttle probably will not capture anymore than 20% of the video without a TBC. The Intensity Shuttle needs a strong consistent signal. Having said that if you purchase a VHS player with a built in TBC the Intensity Shuttle might be your best bet.

The Canopus ADVC 110 would be your best bet since it does not require a third party power supply. It get it’s power from the Fire Wire cable. Having said that the ADS Pyro A/V works OK but beware. Some of the listing on ebay for the Fire Wire converters do not have the power supply included. I imagine the person lost it.

I hope this helps.