Convert VHS to Digital - How To Convert Your VHS Tapes  

Glad it helped!

Glad it was helpful!

Thank you Dino.. that makes my day!

Glad it was helpful!

Great suggestion!

Thank you.. Stay tuned for more.. Having fun!

Wow. You have literally left me speechless and touched. I feel as if we have known each other our entire lives. This seriously means the world to me.

@@MiddleSiggyHomesteadThis is so wholesome

Great explanation for VSH to digital

I agree except I'm 73, so it's like my grandson is teaching me:)

Glad it was helpful! These are my first videos.. So that means a lot.. Thank you!

Thank you Daivd!

Glad it was helpful!

All great points. And I totally agree about the interlace comments. I like some of the upscalers as they with the capture card de-interlace the video at 60fps and you can see the difference.

You're right about needing ~480 pixels high. No analog format has a native pixel resolution, but all video formats of a given standard have the same fixed number of scanlines. 525 for NTSC with about 480-486 having information. That's true for VHS, broadcast, laserdisc, etc. But there are no pixels. Resolution across a given scanline is a matter of bandwidth and the way they measure is by how many vertical lines can be resolved (these are lines drawn N-S). Because the number of scanlines is always going to be the same when a given video format's resolution is stated the 480 is implicit. What they're talking about is that number of vertical lines that can be resolved *across* a scanline. You could fully capture the information in a VHS picture with somewhere in the 300-350 pixel across range, so a 320x480 picture would work pretty well but require everything viewing it to be pixel aspect ratio aware, so that it would display as a 4:3 picture properly. That was a fairly common format on the Amiga, back in the '80s and '90s, because it was very video aware. Amigas natively didn't have square pixels. But PCs and Macs are square pixel machines. 720x480/720x486 files with non-square pixel aspect ratios don't always show properly on PCs or Macs if the codec doesn't embed appropriate meta information about aspect ratio or the viewer doesn't make assumptions and apply a transform just based on the container size. Capturing 640x480 is convenient overkill, has the right aspect ratio for viewing on the desktop, while 320x240 is throwing away a lot of information. De-interlacing needs to interpolate and frame blend both spatial and temporal information whether you're looking for the best 30fps result or 60fps result.

Glad it was helpful!

Glad it was helpful!

Check out OBS Studio as the capture software..

@MiddleSiggyHomestead I had also downloaded OBS based on another video I watched about a different method using less capable converter/capture HW. I thought the Elgato capture utility download would be adequate, no?

Yes the Elgato hardware and software is great stuff.. and I did use the Elgato software, but I use OBS because I stream and because I am just so familiar with it. There is nothing wrong with the Elgato software.

It depends on the type of tapes you have. If you were going to get one minimally I would get one labeled hi-definition with 4 heads. But if you had some of the newer high definition vhs tapes you would want to get one that could support the highest quality tape. Some of the higher end ones also have the S-video port and that might get you a better quality picture.

Glad it was helpful!

That is very interesting.. Thank you for the information. I am going to have to redo some of my VHS tapes I will look into that before I do so..

@@MiddleSiggyHomestead You're very welcome. The difference is very easy to see if you compare the cable types with the picture from a DVD player (it provides a clearer reference than VHS) using its composite-out - it's not subtle. It will be somewhat less pronounced with s-video, but still quite noticeable. I've actually seen a player give a better picture with composite via 75 ohm coax than RGB (component) via a poor quality SCART (be thankful you never had to deal with these truly awful connectors in the US) ETA >> BTW, RCA-terminated SPDIF audio cables are the same thing, they carry a similar signal frequency (which is RF) to that of SD analogue video. You can even make your own pretty easily (and cheaply!). If you use RG59 RCA's, most are compression/crimp and don't even need soldering.

After making all of these videos I have found out a few things.. I also think I am going o have to buy a new VCR, because I am limited with the one I currently have, and it does not even have the coaxial connectors.. again thank you for the feedback.. Have a great day!

@@MiddleSiggyHomestead I might have been leading you up the garden path somewhat - S-VHS via dual coaxial would be perfect but of course one is restricted to the standard 4-pin cable and connector, barring some serious modding. Otherwise (and I might be teaching my gran to suck eggs) if your VHS player is a decent one you could just make sure you're using a good S-VHS cable that definitely has individually shielded cores. Keep keeping on!

Thank you!

Not sure if this channel got the right "clients" for this ;) But yeah, domesday is amazing. I'm still going the DV-A/D conversion route (+ TBC) and let QTGMC do its magic at the end. No crappy "A.I" upscaling.

Nice. I like the idea around youtube. I personally use a plex server and share the home movies with family members that way

I agree OBS is a great free substitution. I have used it many times already.. Great feedback!

i could turn my VHS into 1080p using OBS? i havent used it yet, but will try thx

​@@paulpolizzi3421 The best way is to rip in the original 480p then upscale using a software as Topaz AI Enhanced. The result is amazing.

Upscalling from 480p to 4k introduces artifacts.

You lost me at OBS😮

That is a great question. I use Vegas for my editing. I will run some tests on the videos I have and find out. Might be a bit I have a bunch in the queue. I will post it as a video in the future. Thanks again.

Thank you sir!

IvoMac, Thank you for watching and the comments.

Dave the only one that gives you any ability to cut or trim the video is the Elgato software. But it only allows for a trim on the beginning and end. You will really need some other video editing software. I use Sony Vegas. I have been thinking of researching others to share that don’t cost as much. I do think Microsoft’s movie maker has some basic functions and then some better for a fee. Hope that helps

I recently started capturing footage from my VHS tapes using a Diamond VC500 and OBS Studio. There's an excellent RU-vid video from Tim Ford which has detailed instructions on using OBS to capture videotapes. As for software to edit and cut segments without re-encoding, I recommend a free program called LosslessCut. It's easy to use but quick and clean cuts can only be done at keyframe locations so I specify a keyframe interval of 2 seconds in the OBS recording options menu for that purpose. The default keyframe interval of 0 in OBS is the "auto" mode which is around 8 seconds and not ideal for precise cuts.

Thank you!!! For watching ;)

I am working on my 8mm and super 8 film conversion you will have to check that out. Thanks for watching

There are multiple ways to do that, off the top of my head any of the professional editing software can do it, like Adobe Premier, Sony Vegas, or others. Thanks for watching

It does exist, but I don't know how good it is. I haven't researched it.

The strategy is to have everyone buy this method first, so companies make as much money as possible.

Most people back in the day used combo units to record to DVD or HDD which can be copied to PC.

Having a screen is better as it lets you know of any issues there will be from the original source e.g. bad tracking or interference.

Uh, they did. And, you can still find them used. VHS/DVD recording combo. I actually have one. That I seldom used. Other than recording (on DVD!) a soap opera my wife liked but couldn't watch at daily broadcast times. Then, it got put away in a cabinet for years. Recently, I pulled it out and set it up to use to transfer some old VHS tapes to DVD for a friend. And of course, my "single button smart dubbing" doesn't work. I spent a couple of hours setting up because the outputs are RCA and S-video only. And of course, none of my available TVs or monitors have such inputs. When I finally got it to work with an old TV I had, I found that it played the VHS tapes and any DVDs I threw at it just fine. But of course, I can't get the DVD to record. I've spent another five or ten hours messing with it, following the instructions to a T and trying to find solutions on the internet. To no avail. And, silly me, I purchased fifty blank DVDs and labels for the DVDs and for their Jewel cases BEFORE finding out my old combo unit doesn't work. And, it's hardly worth trying to have fixed. That's why I'm here now, for this video. I was trying to find out if those cheap analog to digital converters work. At $35 I was afraid they would just be another Amazon come on waste of money. I still have a computer with a DVD burner in it. And, I've been building a digital music and video library with it. That's the next step I wanted to take if one of these converters will actually work. For old VHS video as well as some old records.

Smart I actually do the same just did not put all of that in my videos

Thanks Bob, I am glad you enjoyed the video. Sounds like you have a fun project on your side also

So I have found the using the upscaler or even the Elgato UDB device is a better way then the VHS to DVD, mainly because I believe the MPEG4 encoding is a better encoder than the DVD MPEG2 encoding. The better of the two is using the Yitrox Upscaler, and the Elgato HD60 Capture Card. If you wanted even better upscaling and more options the Gefen device is even better than the Yitrox. Check out my upscaler video : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9vyugJsLDpk.html and the Gefen review video : ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZCURqv-pkHk.html

OBS studio is supposed to work with a MAC and you can use the external Elgato capture device and maybe go that way. I am not a MAC guy but I think that path should work

@@MiddleSiggyHomestead Thanks. I'll check it out.

I would but considering these tapes are from the 80’s and they are standard VHS I am sort of stuck. But thanks for the idea.

You are exactly where I have been for the last few months, which is what started all of this.. So good luck with your project.. :) If I were to do it again (and I just might) with a laptop, I would go with 1)The Elgato Video Capture device I shared in the video. or 2)The Elgato HD60 X External Capture Card which will work with a laptop. Plus an upscaler... (Right now I am leaning towards the "YITROX AV Svideo HDMI to HDMI Converter Upscaler") also listed above... This would be my choice if I did not already have the Elgato internal capture card. If you give me a few weeks I am reviewing a stack of upscalers that are reasonably priced, and I should have a video out as soon as I can. (There are links to all of this in the Description). Be aware I have had some issues with the different upscalers, so waiting for the video might be a good idea before you make the investment. There is too much to share in this comment. I believe a friend of mine has the Elgato HD60x, I will see if I can borrow it and make a video. Thank you for the comment.. have a great day!

@@MiddleSiggyHomestead thanks for the reply! I Just cant see how I can use the Elgato HD60 Pro with a laptop? How does it plug in etc? You mentioned an external device in the video?

You need the HD60X the internal one I have is the HD60. I spoke with a friend of mine who has the HD60X and he said it works like a pass through, meaning you would plug in the upscaler into it and then it plugs into your PC with a USB to control the capture part. That is what I got from my friend. I will see if I can get some better pictures because the images on the Elgato web site are not great

@@MiddleSiggyHomestead Ironic that 'the images on the Elgato web site are not great'.

Yes the 4K version is just a better version of the HD60 which only supports 1080p. The 4K obviously supports up to 4k

Thank you for watching..

M S When I use the Gefen or the Yitrox upscalers, they allow the Elgato HD60 to capture at 60FPS and de-interlace the image. Unfortunately I believe the Elgato Video Capture card USB device does not do so, and you would still need to use something like VirtualDub to correct the interlace.

Depends on how bothered you are about perfection, but to be honest it sounds excessive for simple projects.

So remember this is just a digital converter, not a capture card, so you need a capture card that can take the output from the upscaler, into something like the Elgato, I then use OBS Studio, although Elgato also has its own software you get with their hardware

Thank you for the compliment. The short answer on stretching is I did not think it looked that bad (I am just a little chubby in the video 😁 because of the stretch) and it was the sample I had at the time I edited the video. That was my very first video for RU-vid and I just forced myself to get it out, so I cut a few corners.. I don’t think I would ever go back, although I could. I think I would just recapture and not have the software stretch. Again thanks for the feedback.

Personally I really hate seeing the incorrect aspect ratio. It is always very obvious to me and annoying. I’m sure the video would look best out of the three options if it was corrected.

@Tyler Hickernell message was received.. check out my latest video on film conversions.. I think I got it right in that one :) Thank You for Watching!

I have never looked into that, I will put it on my list.. Thanks for the suggestion

It depends on why it is grainy. Could be the VCR is not a 4 head unit or high res version. Or it could be the tape / VCR was dirty. Or it might have been the software was over sharpening the video to try and make it not blurry or softened.. try seeing if there are different settings around soften or sharp, also did it convert interlaced? With the upscalers and a better capture card it would generally come across non interlaced and at 60fps and it looked much better

The HD60 is an internal card, so no, but Elgato had an external version HD60X and there might be a 4K version now because the HD60’s are now a little older. I have a good friend that uses the HD60X with his MAC

@@MiddleSiggyHomestead thanks! I managed to grab a new Gefen online and am going to look into the Elgato HD60X. Another unit a friend highly suggested to me was called a Blackmagic Intensity Pro or a Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle... are you familiar with either of those?

I am not, but cost wise they seem to be about the same as the Elgato..

Joe nothing on the pinnacle dazzle from me.

I liked the result of upscaling during, it fixes the interlace by doubling the frame rate and smoothing the picture. The other way I would have to wait for the video to capture, then provess the upscale with software, and then I am at the same point. Skip the step

Thank you so much for your reply! Helps me with my decision-making.@@MiddleSiggyHomestead

Chris, watch my video on the upscalers.. what you will end up as a recommendation for your situation is the Yitrox upscaler, which does support the S-Video cable, and yes you want to use that if you can. Then a good capture card. I would recommend any of the Elgato brands, I have been having a lot of luck with them. For a Laptop look at the HD60X

Yes you can do that. The software I use on the PC is OBS Studio for the capturing

@Creg P, You have a few options: Option 1) The Elgato Video Capture USB device does support a Mac, so that is one path.. This will capture the videos in 720x480 and they look great. (Depending on the original tape :) ) Option 2) The Path I went down, and you could look at is using an upscaler, and then using the Elgato HD60X which is an external inline product. Then use OBS or the Elgato Capture software to store the video in 720p or 1080p. This personally is what I have done, but instead of the external HD60X I am using the internal HD60... For an upscaler, I would go with: - RCA to HDMI Converter, Wenter 1080P AV to HDMI Converter - $15 - amzn.to/3JZjNgT - YITROX AV Svideo HDMI to HDMI Converter Upscaler - $37 - amzn.to/3lc5LOr

That is the big problem. When you think about the resolution difference from the old VHS tapes compared to a modern digital signal it is a huge difference

I know you can use the Elgato USB device on a MAC, and I know you could get an upscaler, and a capture device and do it that way.

In short yes. Wait for this weekend I am editing the upscale video now. You will want to see that before you dive in. Thank you for watching !!

@@MiddleSiggyHomestead ok ill hang until i see your video thx