[James Sheppard]

Update,

I used Chris’ method and it worked great, pictures look so much better already!

Much appreciated.

P.s; I will give after effects a blast later, I think I have it lying around here somewhere!

[James Sheppard]

Hi Chris,

So I will try a second export from Final Cut creating a self-contained movie,

and by the resizing, do you mean under the Frame Controls tab in compressor, I have just been playing around and I asume I have to turn Frame Controls ON and then set to BEST, I have left Output Fields to Same as source, but I am a bit lost about the deinterlace drop down box, what do I select there?

Of course, that is going on if I have even selected the right tab for starters!!

Im still kind of learning the ropes on Compressor

-James

[James Sheppard]

No I dont have a Black Burst Gen,

I was told I could just use the video out from the VHS to use as a ref input, then from the ref to the input of the Beta deck

-James

[James Sheppard]

I have an update.

I have figured that the VHS player is at fault. I can play dvds fine and plug a camera straight in fine also.

I have taken the idea of running it thru my beta SP machine then to the computer. This idea is good and works, but the picture is terrible.

If I go straight from the vhs to the input of the beta, the picture has a black sync band thru it. So I take that signal, put it into the reference video input, the from that into the video input. This kind of works.

I say kind because there is a subcarrier phase problem. Where as the picture had a black sync band thru it last time, I still had the sub carrier phase light on to say its all in sync (I presume) and working fine.
But if I route it to the ref, then back into the input the light flickers (out of sync) and viewing the picture on a underscanned monitor, the whole picture wobbles from left to right. This I cannot use which is a pain in the ***!

So my conclusion is I basically need to borrow/buy a new VHS player. Unless someone can help me with my situation.

James

[James Sheppard]

Tony: Your option is a good one, but some of the tapes need editing, but thank you anyway.

Chris: I can see you point, but it is not a sync type isssue as I have captured many VHS tapes before with this system fine.
The picture isnt roolling or drifting, it literally is going black, then coming back, then black again and so on. The audio also turns off as the same time as the picture.

I dont know whether it is worth saying. I thought to myself, I wonder what would happen when I put the tape on pause. So I played the tape, had the flickering, then paused it, and the capture screen turned black as if there was no input.

To me, it seems like the capture card is activeted when the incoming signal is strong enough so when it is not, it turns the input off.
When I put the VCR in dvd mode (its a VHS – DVD player) the capture screen shows the dvd playback fine.

[James Sheppard]

Hi there,
Sorry for the delay in replying, been couped up in hospital for the last 2/3 weeks!!

Anyway, Michael’s idea worked. I opened it in MPEGStreamclip which worked fine, then exported it, then imported it into Final Cut and it worked great!

Thanks for your help both of you.