Are you embarrassed easily? I am, but it’s nothing to worry about, it’s all apart of growing up and watching old VHS videos to remind yourself how far (or not so far) you’ve come. This thing makes it so much easier to do that, also time stamps below or check out the chapters for the relevant parts. 0:00 - Introduction 0:39 - ClearClick Video 2 Digital 2.0, WHAT is it? 0:56 - What's In The Box 1:35 - What YOU Need 2:11 - VCR/VHS SETUP 3:59 - RECORDING VHS TAPES 4:51 - TRANSFER FILES TO COMPUTER 5:27 - FIRMWARE PATCH Note 5:57 - Getting Blown Away 6:35: HI-8 Sony Setup HandyCam Intro 8:22: INDIANA JONES PART THREE AUDITION?
Hi Mark, have a technical question. I haven t use this gadget with the screen that you use for transferring videos , but I have tried a few other similar looking devices without the disk storage and the screen, and the quality of the picture is poor going into the computer. I've tried tweaking the video programs (cause the signal goes out of the device and into the computer to a software program for recording, unlike your gadget) and there are tracking issues that don't seem to get resolved. and the picture is fuzzy. Does the quality of the video deteriorate using this little box that you recommend. Again, I'm transferring old family videos and understood that the quality is not amazing, but the original shows up well on our tv monitor before transfer. and much less quality after I record. Does the video you create look about the same as the original? thanks so much, await your reply!
I just found my wedding video (on VHS) after searching for it on/off for a few years and told my wife that I needed to find a device to transfer it over to the computer. Then you posted this video a couple of days later. Thanks for creating this and going through the processes of how it works. I look forward to spending time going through old tapes and reliving the memories. Thanks again!
My pleasure, it's been a huge asset for me and figured there's loads of people out there like me who feel the same about this stuff. RU-vid loves to tell me how badly this video does compared to my other ones, but I keep telling this...it's the long game, this one is for not just the lens geeks, but anyone who's captured old memories are stuck on old tech.
I can’t thank you enough for posting this video. I recently discovered my copies of vhs home movies when I was a kid had all been ruined. I then decided I had better convert my hi8 tapes of my kids as babies before they became unwatchable too. Over the years I have made several attempts, wasting money on cables I couldn’t get to work. This time I looked up companies to do it for me but that would mean sending the tapes away & I was worried about losing them in the post. Then I found this video. After watching, I found the converter for sale. It cost more than I would normally risk on something I didn’t know would work for me, especially coming from a different country. It might not be compatible. This video made it look so easy though so I took a chance. And I’m so glad I did. Best purchase I ever made. My memories are safe for years to come. Again, thank you so much :)
Some tips for folks. You'll get the best playback results if you use the VCR, or camera, that was used to record the tape. If you have some type of head cleaning device for the VCR use it before making your transfers. For dirty heads you might have to make two or more passes. Before you copy, fast forward the tape to the end and then rewind it. This will put even tension on the tape and sometimes tape that has sat for a long time can get a little sticky and this will help with that. Be aware that how your tape has been stored, and for how long, will affect the quality of playback. Time is the enemy as the magnetic coating on the tape can start to shed. If it was kept out in the garage where it saw extremes of temperature and humidity the tape will shed more of its oxide coating. If it was kept near a magnetic field, like an unshielded speaker, or electric motor, it may in fact have been erased or have severe drop outs. Always store tapes wound to the end, not the beginning of the tape, then rewind to even tape tension. Store tapes in places, like your closet, that don't see much change in humidity or temperature. Store tapes on their edges, not laying flat. If you haven't used the VCR for years turn it on and let it sit for awhile, run all the controls with a non-important tape. Devices to copy VHS tapes to your computer start at less than $15. The only thing you might need is an adapter or two to attach the wires. I had to get a set of RCA male/female adapters. I used Windows built-in Camera app to do the recording and recorded directly to a file on my computer.
Thanks for the advice man, just have one question. I’m about to transfer all my videos and I was wondering if I used my VHS-C Camcorder to hold the tapes and have it plugged it in at the same time along with this having an Algato AV cable capture card connected from the camera built in port to this straight to my computer. If I do this method can I skip not using a VCR machine because my camera has the deck playing the video? Thanks and let me know 👍🏽
@@kas2388 Sorry to take so long answering. I'm not sure about your connection but you can use a camcorder for playback, in fact that's a plus for any tapes made by that camera as tracking and head alignment will be better than using some other device for playback. If by some chance your camcorder doesn't do the job then you might already have a VHS-C to full size VHS adapter, if not you should be able to find some for sale at your local electronics store or online like on eBay. Remember to keep the heads clean because old tapes will shed oxide which will clog heads.
I use a firewire card in my pc to capture 8mm, Hi8 and D8 tapes with my still working Sony D8 camera. The plus of this is that the D8 tapes are not converted to analogue as inbetween format, but are directly converted to a pc digital format. Also the analogue tapes are converted inside the camera to the firewire interface and are also coming out the camera digitized. I find this a very convenient way. Usual glitches or the wellknown stripes at the bottom of the analogue tapes will also be captured perfectly, so I have to edit them out somehow. But for other analogue material this kind of device you've shown may be a very convenient solution . Thanks for this insight.
Holy Smokes! I've been waiting for a simple, straight forward system like this to come along for years! It's pretty amazing if it can eliminate the issues created from interlaced footage too. I think I'll have to get one of these units and try it out for myself. Excellent tutorial and great find Mark!
This one wins hands down, why I had to update my VHS video as that old adapter i was using is no longer OS compatible. Wanted something i didn't have to worry about software ;)
If I were to add one more important thing, having learned the hard way myself from years of experience. I highly recommend you fast forward and rewind old tapes a few times to loosen things up before playing. Some tapes may have been exposed to different temperatures, elements or areas of the home that may have caused condensation and drying (even mold) inside during their dormant time. Other advice is starting out with a clean VCR or player and keeping it clean, what may look like bad tracking could be a dirty video head and playing old tapes can dirty them fast with peeling.
This is a game changer for the average person trying to convert their tapes, especially considering the interlacing is done for you. Most pc programs in the past were not straightforward for the less than tech savvy.. I have a nice upscaler with interlacing options that I normally use with my retro gaming consoles, but I'm still going to check this out in the case that it may be a better solution. Thanks!
This will probably get lost in the comments, but this device in no way can replace a quality VHS digitisation setup. In fact, I would almost go as far to say you can do far better for not too much extra if you're going DIY. At the cheaper end, you need a decent VCR (JVC or Panasonic), a device to correct errors (look up the Panasonic es10 or es15) and a decent capture card with analog input. This all will probably set you back about $500 USD, but you may do better if you're a bargain hunter. Keep in mind that these setups, while still having subpar picture quality, are still leaps and bounds ahead of this device. In an ACTUAL good setup you need at least 3 major components: 1. A high quality VCR, preferably one with S-Video out as these are the highest quality decks. 2. A TBC or Time Base Corrector. These devices prevent dropped frames, which are notorious with VHS tapes, especially really worn ones. These are absolutely essential. 3. A quality analog capture card. Most of these are only Windows XP compatible, but some do work with Windows 7 as well. The best ones all hate windows 10. Actually good setups will set you back at least $2000-$3000 USD. The device in this video is just a pipe dream. If you've only got a few tapes, just take them to a professional, less fuss and an almost guaranteed quality capture. If you're really set on DIY, go to digitalfaq.com, buy a setup, do your tapes, then sell the setup.
This is great info, but for the market who may be looking at doing this, much too expensive. The term "BEST" in this title really comes down to the balance of cost, simplicity and overall quality of the transfer. Accessibility is number one since most people who want to do this aren't video tech savvy and just want a quick and easy way to capture and share their memories. You clearly know the best technical way to achieve this, I suggest possibly making your own video on it for that market. I work as an editor in film and TV series so my knowledge with this stuff goes pretty deep so I definitely see the value in your post.
@@MarkHoltze I respect your honesty mate. I 100% agree that to do this properly is way too expensive at the moment, and these devices offer a quick and simple way to achieve this goal for the average person. What I may do at some point is invest in one of these devices and maybe do a comparison video to show how the quality compares across captures so consumers can decide what's best for them. I honestly believe that a high quality all-in-one modern solution is possible (possibly using an FPGA), but I don't think those that are able are willing to put in the legwork to make it happen.
@@Brodensson I, for one, would be extremely interested to see your video and breakdown! Devices like the one in Mark's video are way to "cheap" to satisfy me. On the other hand, I have WAY too many VHS tapes to send out to a pro house (I used to work at one a lifetime ago; Should have done it while I was near the equipment). I wouldn't mind buying all the proper pieces and then re-selling them to the next guy (or even buying them from the last guy). When is that video coming!?! 🙂
Dude, I have a box or tapes and was like I’m never going to get through digitizing them all... no longer my mindset. Thanks for this! I also have 2 or 3 hi8 cams for this exact purpose, and fully plan to wear out the heads during this process lol
My dad just called me and asked if he could borrow it. He’s got loads he wants to do too lol. It’s infectious and once you see how easy it is lol. There is always a risk, but if you avoid it all together, you’ll never get a chance to save what you can lol.
We had an old machine that had only the purpose to do VHS/DVD transfers, about 20 yrs ago. That was more indirect, and the machine was about 18" wide, 7" high, and 10" deep. I like your idea better, but we already transfered (IIRC) VHS content to about 40 DVD disks. Took forever.
Hi Mark, thank you so kindly for your valued service. I have been thinking about converting the dozens of family vhs tapes, but dredded the process. You have saved me. Many, many thanks.
Looks like a great device! I can't believe how hard it is to find a working VCR nowadays. Something to keep in mind when postponing digitizing your home videos
@@MarkHoltze agreed! Currently trying to borrow any used equipment I can find to back them up asap. But will definitely pay up for the most modern way possible
@@MarkHoltze have you noticed any quality issues/improvement when using the AV cables provided, or if you've upgraded to higher quality, shielded ones?
Consumed! The best part is that it doesn't tie up a computer to use! I don't have time to have my work computer down converting old tapes, so this would be great!
Thank You So Much for this knowledge since many out there do like to convert their VHS into Digital format for their family to enjoy in the future! 🌷🌿🌍💖
Hi 8 and Video8 tapes should rather be digitized with Digital 8 camcorders. They handle the whole TBC stuff a lot better. This is also important when you digitize VHS tapes that your VCR has Time Base Correction and that you can turn it on or off. It helps to stabilize images but also has an effect on the audio but it also keeps everything sync'd. In most cases you'll need at least 2 digitizing passes of analog video tapes. Just to be sure that you do one with and one without TBC. And sometimes you have drop outs that are not there again another time.
Got one of those Video8 tape players with the firewire output. Don't need any conversion stuff, just a firewire input on the computer which I do have. :D
@@Bonzi_Buddy Yeah those are great as they already digitize the Videosignal to a DV stream for you without any additional hardware. Technically you could even use the Video Inputs of it (if it has some) to pass through analog video and digitize it. :)
Thank you so much for this very informative and clearly explained and demonstrated how to video! It helped tremendously to see someone else show and explain how to do this.
I thought the one that let's me do HDMI as well. I Love it. I had trouble transferring my High Def 1080i Sony mini DV tapes. For some reason it just wouldnt communicate well with my PC through the Firewire like it should. Even tried a brand new cable from my old one and that was not the problem. But with this device I finally transferred my HD tapes in HD instead of having the camcorder downgrade the video quality to SD which never gave me issues and my PC desktop was built specifically for video editing in 2017. It's quite powerful and capable. This device worked perfectly to give me the best quality transfer.
Brilliant mate! It's coming into that era where this old stuff is now "OLD" and people want to look back on it. I think it could be a big addition to the value you offer your clients! Best of luck with it my friend!
Gold mate , as usual great job love that tv intro was very well done! great reference to 97 i was backpacking through europe and def like trainspotting :)
I'm so sad watching this because my one year birthday tape got missing a few years ago and I always wished to convert it to digital at some point in time. all the same, thanks Mark and great job as always... this is very helpful
Sony's I.LINK port is just a brand name for a standard IEEE-1394 port. If your camcorder has such a port, it's already recording digital video, so you don't need to buy an analog to digital converter. You do need a computer with an IEEE-1394 port, and those are rare these days. But if you do, software to import DV is here: www.videohelp.com/software/sections/dv
As a collector of over 2500 VHS, this makes me so happy! PRO TIP: An easy way to share memories with the whole family is by making privately listed RU-vid playlists...
A little throwback video! Love it! I have been helping my mom with digitizing her VHS tapes of my brother and me as well as some of the stuff her and my dad shot. But this device looks like a game changer!! Keep making stuff dude, always love seeing what you are up to.
Ya, I figured I'd update an older topic with a more efficient way of doing it lol. How are you guys liking going through the old stuff. My dad called me and wanted to borrow this one, first time one of my videos inspired him in that way lol.
I did a lot of my childhood stuff but since my parents moved they found a bunch of tapes from before I was born and now they are looking at them. It’s kind of cool to see my parents when they were my age. Also I just bought the recorder lol. I’m going to let my mom use it so I dont have to keep remoting into her computer to fix it haha
I just bought one of these and had serious issues with video levels. Yours looked okay. Composite level was dark and color oversaturated. S-Video levels were too high - video washed out, low contrast and color badly muted. Any ideas? CCCS said nothing about a firmware update. Also the MP4 files the CC produced would not play in my editing software though they played on my TVs and computer.
As a someone who does this professionally...this video makes me shake my head. This is a FAR cry from the best way to do this. Important information like making sure the VCR has time based correction or post editing converting the video to a proper 60 fps is bad. The interlacing errors visible in the video he captures just screams "amateur".
Hi Curtis, no need to shake your head mate. The BEST way is SUBJECTIVE and for 99% of those looking to do this, just want a VERY quick and EASY way TO do it. That's where this title comes from. I've done another video on this that was a bit more involved and the amount of very generic questions I got on the easiest task inspired this video. All the settings are pre-selected so for those who DO NOT do this professionally and just want to capture their home movies in a very easy way, this option exists. As well as more involved options that you may personally in your professional knowledge recommend. Maybe you should do a video on those? Just a suggestion. The device de-interlaces the video automatically, any interlacing you saw was from the OLD adapter and was stated as such, hence the reason I say this process de-interlaces it for you. Also i don't talk about editing the footage after at all, most editing software will render or ask you to default your SEQ timeline to the footage which is captured at 60fps and as long as your SEQ is 60fps will be as such. This is an EASY way, not the TECHNICALLY best way...like I said earlier, a way for the very causal user to VERY easily capture footage without playing with a million settings. This is plug and play so ya, it's easy and IMHO for what I need it for...the BEST way. Just FYI, I work as a professional editor for film and TV and we've used elements captured with this device for broadcast that passed QT just fine so pump the brakes there a bit my friend. I'd love to hear how YOU capture them though instead of calling into question the credibility of the video information based on YOUR standards and not the standards of the general audience I've intentionally made this video for. 5:57 i mention interlacing specifically and why you're seeing it.
@@MarkHoltze I wasn't trying to insult you or your capabilities with the post but when you title your video with "best way" it's going to invite comment. Obviously "best" is subjective but I felt that due to your obviously high production values and the quality of your video you implied a level of authority that I was concerned the information provided didn't live up to. The quality of the VCR is arguably the most important factor in this concept and, unless I am wrong, you never even mentioned it. I personally use a Panasonic AG as my source device with TBC. Based on many years of experience, going all the way back to the 90s, I find that DV is the best method for capturing VHS. 20 mbps is not an incredibly high bit rate by today's standards but for such a low resolution it is quite substantial. That combined with with an all "I" frame compression you get immaculate capture with video that is super easy to handle digitally. There are a ton of great filters and options for DV that allow you to clean the footage immensely without the use of AI and other algorithms. I know this outside the capabilities of most users but I also don't make videos telling people the "best" way to capture VHS is using any VCR and an off the shelf capture device that uses MP4 video. If you want some examples of my work.just ask.
@@Curtis.mullins I wasn't insulted Curtis, I just wanted to explain my position. Do you happen to know any good IEEE (MINI DV) adapters or devices that would do this well? I have my old G5 tower and can use my XL1 through mini dv to capture on FCP 7, but then have to convert everything after the fact. Kind of a pain and I'm guessing a lot of people are going to be looking for a good way to do this while preserving as much of the quality of mini DV as possible. Appreciate your additional knowledge, definitely a good resource for deeper dives, I might even go into this a bit more once I experiment a bit more with it. My entire channel is about (to a degree) maintaining and using old tech in new ways. I suspect also as the 80's, mom jeans and mullets start to make their way back onto the scene, more younger people are going to want to experiment with this stuff more. This way is easy, but the market could find all of the sudden a new demand for new devices that give a bit more control and maintain the quality. Right now it's popular but also quite niche. Anyway appreciate your time sincerely, thanks!
This is an very well thought out video and I really like how Mark demonstrated the product. Thank you to Mark Holtze for sharing this. I am now a subscriber and will check out your other videos.
Hi, you mentioned interlacing and that it does away with that. Very nice, what about file size and compression, I want the best I can get, does this offer that? do I need to input frame rate? What is the size of the file, 720X480 or 640X480?
720x480, compression is h.264 which is fairly efficient. Smaller sizes while retaining quality. Other adapters that have let me set the compression quality didn’t compare to this one. You want the best quality definitely consider using S-video if your camera has it.
Does it say what de-interlacing method it uses? There are many from just throwing away one picture field (provides lowest resolution) to clever algorithms that interpolate when movement occurs.
i prefer to digitize them with a vcr dvd combo recorder. dvds (.vob files) have better quality than mp4 videos and you can deinterlace the videos with handbrake (you can get this software for free)
Well done, Mark! 👍. Cool product - have a ton of VHS tapes of old TV shows (with commercials that should be amusing to see again). My concerns are tape sticking/tearing after 20 plus years of storage, and the time it would take to run them at play speeds. Your thoughts? Can you pause record on the device while playing a tape? Looks like Mark is auditioning to replace the “Brawny Paper Towel” model.😁
Commercials are the best, I get a kick out of those the most lol. Honestly if a tape sticks it sticks (my thoughts on it) it's only going to get worse so that's why I'm spending the time now to capture what's most important. It's either that or they stay in a dark closet for the rest of life as I know it. This stuff has more relevance to me now than it did at the time it was shot, it's like we shot this stuff so we could enjoy it when we're older!
Great video...regarding it 2 questions before i buy: 1. if recording from a VHS recorder...does it make sense to upscale from scart to hdmi and then record with this device? 2. when recording from VHS does it stretch the picture (4:3 -> 16:9) ? Thanks in advance for answering.
No, this is NOT the "best" way to do it. Converting analog video to a lossy format like H264 is just as bad as converting all your Vinyls and Cassettes to MP3 or AAC. It's simply the easiest and cheapest way but not the best. Also keep in mind that the picture and soundquality during the digitizing heavily depends on how good the playback machine is. And when it's already digitized into a lossy format, you cannot really edit it anymore without another quality loss. Either use a DV capture box and digitize it to a lower compression intraframe format (DV stores every single frame and doesn't just save the changes in a Group Of Pictures) or use something like a YUV codec. You need to stay as close to the analog Composite signal as possible.
Most people want simplicity not technically sophisticated. It’s not the same thing. Most people who do this do not want to fuss or even understand what video format, so ya from a casual perspective it IS the best way. I work as an editor in film and tv series, I understand those concepts but 99% of people don’t. This is plug and play and works fine for most use. Maybe not broadcast, maybe not for those who want to maximize the preserved quality, but for the majority it is. Hence the title. Meta I know, your way is great but I still get questions on my first video I did doing this that are so basic, the very concept of codecs boggles their minds. Ask a million people what the best way to do something is and most of them will pick “the easiest”.
@@MarkHoltze The problem is a lot of people don't know what they do and convert their analog treasures to badly digitized copies and then throw away their analog tapes to make room cuz "we have them digital now".... but all they have are forced-progressive files that don't even look like the original videotapes. I still remember when the first Cassette to MP3 or VHS to VideoCD tools came around and people converted their treasures to these horrible formats and now this is all they have left since they thew away the originals. Or scanning 35mm negatives to low-res JPEGs.... If it's an easy thing to use for most people, it should at least be pre-set to maintain as much original information of the analog original as possible.
Agreed but quality isn’t the concern for many. It’s not about full preservation, it’s about sharing. It works well enough, most people won’t notice the difference, computer is a different viewing experience anyway. It’s like 8mm film, best way to view that is to project it, no digital transfer will do the colours and resolution justice. Light was always its intended medium.
What you should do is your own video on how you feel is the best way to do this based on your list of demands. This one is fast food for masses, the people who ask “how do I turn the camera on?”...those people don’t care about codec, frame rate, interlacing or why it doesn’t look the same when played through their camera on a tv.
@@KRAFTWERK2K6 Hey, I am very interested in your method, but I don't understand fully what you're saying. Do you have a video on this? Outside of a VCR player, what is a better playback machine to get the best possible video quality out of a VSH?
This tool is great for "quick and dirty" transfers for beginners. The MP4 h.264 output bit-rate is about 5 megabits per second or about 2GB per hour of video, which is a little low if you want to upscale to 1080p, remaster color, sharpness or use any other AI tools. I normally use digital tape decks with firewire DV output at 25Mbps, which results in much more remaster-friendly bit rates. Does anyone here experiment with capturing analog signal at 4:4:4 RGB for remastering?
Another awesome vide Mark :) I too have been looking at this device.. I currently use a old Pro Sony HDV deck that does all my DV style tapes then for the older 8mm units the deck has phono in and FireWire out and Final Cut X has been no problem... However Apple being Apple not causing enough issues with the ever changing ports (currently own 2 from Apple to get FireWire on a 2018 Imac) are soon brining out the new Mac OS Big Sur and it so far at least has stopped FireWire working anymore :( I have submitted reports to them and they once replied saying it should still be working but they needed more info on my hardware, so I sent it few months back and still not fixed... so I hold little hope it will work again as loads of reports of music hardware not working with FireWire too. This device would just allow me to plug in a SD card and go capture nuts then copy over to my Imac and edit my videos easily once more! Also having a handy device to watch things on is fab too... So think I might just grab one soon. In other news the intro rocks! Is that a simple software used to make that or did you find the footage then green screen yourself in?
This is honestly why I keep my G5 tower still running. It's got an old version of FCP 7 on it and i use it to capture all my Mini DV stuff using my XL1 as the "deck". I have to export those files as quicktime files (mpeg4) so it's an extra annoying step, but I feel you on this codec change Apple loves to do. There has got to be a way you can convert them through third party software. I haven't dug too deep as i've got my MINI dv option now and i don't have a lot of great nostalgic stuff on there, just legacy work projects from the early 2000's.
Enjoyed your video and bought the product. It works very well. Question, what is the simplest or easiest way to split the finished clips into smaller segments? Thank you for the video and good advice!
Important to mention you should use a decent VCR. At the bare minimum it has to be a 4 head hifi VCR. The difference in quality between hifi and linear audio sound from VHS is staggering. VHS hifi is CD quality, VHS linear audio is worse than audio cassettes.
Just got my JVC camcorder from ebay! Unfortunately my package did not come with a cassette adapter so I need to get one & a VCR probably at some thrift shop to play it on hahahah. I will purchase a ClearClick Video to Digital device soon as well.
@@MarkHoltze Update! I was able to get the Clearclick 2.0 converter from Amazon and some RCA cables included and have some good clips now from my JVC camcorder! All went well :)
Great video! I would love to see a tutorial on how to record digital video from a computer to VHS and back. The back part is clear now, tho... ;) I would like to use a video tape recorder as outboard gear for some authentic analog effects some day.
Currently, I transfer my vhs to DVD recorder, then rip the mpeg2 file from the DVD and convert to mp4 . Of course, I realize this would quicker and easier.... but would the quality be equal, superior or inferior to the vhs-dvd method ?
I actually did a pretty crude setup years back when I was going through all my grandfathers old 8mm film reels. Most of them are on my channel, it’s a pretty dodgy setup lol, but looked better than the scans I got lol.
Thanks! It helps to use a declicked lens, ride the exposure shifts that are sure to happen as people move from inside to outside. Clicks work fine but less noticeable with a de-clicked lens. I shot in LOG so I had more latitude in the edit. But you can save a lot of the delta between highlights and shadows this way. Good luck
You mean, really, really, really, ridiculously good looking? Only problem is, I can’t turn left…. ;) Zoolandwr quote there 😆 Thanks for the confidence boost mate ✊
I first saw this device on the Potato Jet channel. He found a bunch of old camcorders and he bought this to transfer the tapes. My version does not have S video as an input.
Hey Mark thanks for showing all this. I used to have a Dazzle converter back in the day and it did work really good with then windows vista. I've been looking for a new one and only been reading bad reviews of many brands. I like this that will bypass the computer all together which is something I have not thought of. I didn't see any options to enhance the video and or audio. Is there any? Or what comes out of your vcr is what you get? the old dazzle did have that option and I was able to improve the old videos. Especially the dark ones that I could bright them up a bit and for the audio there was some EQ settings that did make a difference. Please let me know if those are available here on this comment. Thank yo so much once again!
This was very helping, I’m trying to get some 📼C tapes to a flash drive an I been looking at this and the Wolverine TransMedia.. most of the stuff I want to switch is tapes so I dunno if I’d need the TransMedia one for 📀 type 🤔 but either way, thank you for the video
Good video, very helpful. Gosh I’m frustrated though. I’m in Australia. Videos here are PAL, not NTSC. I’ve put PAL in my search and I’ve put Australia in my search and still all I’m getting is American channels. I was reading through reviews on the different devices earlier and so many of them have reviews saying they don’t work with PAL. So then I thought maybe if I I used something like OSB with whichever device I get that would eliminate the issue so I start watching OSB tutorials and for a start they’re all American so they’re all NTSC, and then in the comments there are people saying they’re having trouble with PAL. Aaarrrgh! I don’t know where to look next!
I unfortunately can't test PAL because I don't have a PAL camera. The video captures the native frame rate from the camera, the camera is the deck source and the device simply captures and converts that. PAL is 25fps i believe so likely the files will be captured at that frame rate. This is all theoretical of course because like I said I can't test it.
@@MarkHoltze thanks so much for responding even though you can’t be certain. I don’t actually have a camera to use. The tapes I want to convert are things I taped off the tv over the years. Mostly performances and interviews with one particular singer. He’s in his 70’s now and if I don’t save these I’ll regret it at some point. I think I’ve decided on a plan. The DIGITNOW is fairly inexpensive and also converts audio. There’s a box of audio tapes I need to sort out as well. The vast majority in there I’ve now got digital versions of but there were a few interviews and specials that were on the radio, and there are a couple of songs I haven’t been able to get too. So if I get that, I can try it with the video tapes and try out OSB with it, but if it doesn’t work with that I can use it for the audio tapes which none of the others say they can do so I probably would have ended up buying it anyway, if that makes sense. I think it makes sense. Essentially I’m buying an audio converter that might also do VHS. Probably really smart to get onto that now too as when this stereo carks it I’m probably going to have a hard time finding another one with a tape deck! Gosh, if I’ve done them all maybe I’ll join the 21st century next time I buy one! 😂😂😂 Well, no not quite. I’ll always love my vinyl so there will always be a turntable 😁
Thank you for this video. I'm an editor as well and have been looking for an alternative to Elgato's video capture which has been giving me a bunch of bitrate and interlacing issues.
I'm wondering if you have any opinions on tapes that may need cleaning. I remember when growing up we would use a head cleaner for the VCR, but I don't remember anything for the tapes themselves. I recently acquired some VHS tapes from the 80's and I'm not sure what playback or quality issues they may have. Thank you for this succinct and we'll made video!
Thanks for this, just what I needed! Time to charge up the ol' lead-acid batteries... edit: says it has bad S-VHS performance in one of the reviews. Any insight Mark?
I thought it was fine, the RCA colours are more saturated, but the S-VIDEO was fine, it also really depends on the cable. Some S-Video cables are crap.
Robert, if you're talking about the S-video connector, forget about it. S-video was only intended to be used as a dub cable between S-VHS VCRs, and even then it was sub-par compared to Sony's RF dub cables. For S-video to be any use at all, you'd need a digitizer with two A/D converters, one for luminance and one for chrominance. None do, they all use a simple capacitor to merge luma and chroma in the simplest way possible. In contrast, the NTSC encoder in a good S-VHS deck will do the job better, and the single ADC will work just fine for this task. But because this is a standalone device, you're stuck with whatever software it uses, and that software will be limited by the dinky little microcontroller inside. If you have an old computer with IEEE-1394 (FireWire), or a desktop that you can plug an adapter card into, you can pick up a used DVCAM recorder cheap on eBay, and use it to digitize the video and send it to your computer. I found a Sony PDW-1500 for $150 that takes composite video, and a DSR-45 for $415 that also takes S-video (and in this case, using S-video cables might work better) and there's a lot of free software to import the DV format into a computer file. Not the cheapest or easiest way to do it, but that's the best quality that you can get for any price today.
Great video! Do you know is buying the “Ultimate” version of this device (which can record in 1080p) would capture better quality on old VCR tapes? Or, would this version of the device suffice because the source (a VCR tape) is not in 1080p quality to begin with?
As far as I can tell unless you have a specialized device you can't capture 1080 because the source signal isn't that high. Horizontal lines of resolution and that will depend on the camera it that captured it. Broadcast facilities have expensive devices that can capture the best signal, but you will have to scale up the video in post production. Technically VHS is - 333×480 pixels luma and 40×480 chroma resolutions
@@MarkHoltze that's not right. First off, analog video resolution is expressed in TV lines. NTSC has a visible raster of 480 interlaced lines. While the broadcast standard yields about 330 TV lines of horizontal resolution, plain VHS has 220-240 depending on whether HQ circuitry is used, and which ones. Chroma resolution is less, of course, but there's no such thing as a chroma pixel, especially not in the sense of DTV pixels. S-VHS roughly doubles the H bandwidth, and so resolution. In either case you should transfer at 720x480 or 704x480 because that's the D-1 standard. 640x480 gives you square pixels for best presentation on a computer monitor, but I always ingest at D-1 and then convert to the final digital format on a computer. VHS was never used for broadcast, so no broadcast facility had any VHS equipment for broadcast use. The only VHS machine I ever saw at a TV station was used by the overnight crew to watch movies. By the time ATSC was ready for simulcast, most stations were already on their second or third generation digital tape (like DVCAM) or disc (like XDCAM) formats, and most analog tape was already digitized. When the stations needed the occasional archive tape transferred, they'd farm it out to someone like me. All I used was a cheap Grass Valley AVDC-500 A/D converter and a $50 IEEE-1394 card and FOSS Linux software. I used the same gear to import some off-air recordings that I had made at home on VHS. Grass Valley was (still is) a big name in production switchers costing upwards of a million bucks, so a Grass Valley box that cost under a grand was cheap-cheap.
@@StringerNews1 Good answer. Great info. However, one thing you said is not quite correct. Yes, many stations had "pro" S-VHS equipment. And for some of the less-funded stations a $5,000 "Broadcast" VHS deck (like the JVC BR lineup) might be all they could afford. Especially if they needed a play deck, a record deck and an edit controller. That alone was about $15,000 in "Broadcast" VHS equipment. Where I worked we even acquired some footage on "Broadcast" S-VHS camcorders. I still remember dreaming about owning my own JVC KY-19 camera with a "Digital S" VHS recording module, and a JVC Pro VHS Edit Desk. "Digital" HAHAHAHA!! I wonder how many people that fooled. Thanks for reminding me of the "good" old days. :)
Thanks for this. I assume that the exact one you're using here has been superseded by one that doesn't have a usb. (the one you have here does have a usb) The one your link leads to, does not. I think I'll buy one just the same. I transferred my tapes to dvd in 2006, but now need to transfer again to video files, which is very time consuming using a laptop. Thanks again,very informative.
few questions on the result file : - what decoder it uses? - what is the bitrate ? - what is the resolution of the result video ? - was the original video PAL or NTSC ? - did you have to deinterlace the video ?
I'll do what I can with these. 1) Not sure what the decoder uses, H.264 is the codec, but not sure the details beyond that. 2) Not sure bitrate off hand either. 3) Resolution is native the video signal 4) Original video is NTSC, but it captures whatever the source signal is 5) I didn't have to de-interlace the video.
Say you had an old VHS or 8mm camera that you wanted to use... Could this device record directly from monitoring in camera, bypassing the tape altogether?
It’s just a great option. A bit more but won’t ever get outdated because of support. These companies are tiny and if they’re not supported anymore, there it goes
This has HDMI but I don’t think it works as an input. I connected it to my S1H and was hoping I could use it as a recorder device but nope. You can connect the camera to this with SVideo or rca and record directly from Your cam to the SD card which is cool.
@@MarkHoltze yeah that would be nice. I have a VHS / DVD recorder that I have been using but would be nice to skip the DVD since that deceased quality even more between the VHS and ripping the DVD to the computer. This particular unit also has a IEEE 1394 input which my hi8 camera has as an output.
Great video. Do you know if it’s possible to record directly from the hi8 camera without playback? As in just turning the camera to camera mode as opposed to VTR mode, and then clicking record on the ClearClick?
mark, terrific video. thanks for sharing this and for making such a well-thought out video. question, do you recommend any device that can transfer/convert 8 mm film (not super 8) to a digital format. thanks, steve
Hi Steve, 8mm film requires a film scanner. I haven't used them myself but I've seen some mixed reviews on them. I actually transfered by simply using a good camera and cinema lens to record off the wall. I had to ride the exposure levels as the settings shifted from bright exterior to low light interior but it was fun to screen them and capture them. Depending on how many you have, you might want to check local listings for a service that does this for you. It's not particularly easy to do, but if you're in it for a bit of a challenge.....:)
Sorry if this has been answered already, but can I do what you did with Hi-8 with my VHS-C? I have VHS-C tapes and a JVC camcorder that has inputs. Can I connect the cords from the adapter to my camcorder or does it only work for Hi-8? Wondering if I need to buy a VCR. Thanks!
resolution and framerate (and file compression sucks on this device) i dont recomment it just get a sony dcr (hdd) camcorder or just a plain hdd recorder (lg and panasonic are good) with video in and record directly to hdd at highest possible (analog quality) resolution and 30fps
This is a decent option, but the majority of people who do this want the simplest option. Preserving the integrity of the image quality is less important. The amount of technical questions on another device I used that allowed you to change all the settings and codecs helped lead me to this conclusion. This device is plug and play and works at a level the gross majority are satisfied with. Will look into the option you suggested. Thanks
@@MarkHoltze I dig your video, Mark. Terrific production value! I subscribed so that I may learn more rom you. I have a box full of Hi8 tapes that I need to digitize - and a photographer friend told me that Costco does a great job at it. However, their prices seem pretty high, especially for the amount of tapes I have to do. I was reading through your comments to see if someone else had already asked about Costco (haven't seen it yet) when I saw this comment. Have you tried this method yet and is there a difference in quality? I want the best quality without breaking the bank. Thanks Indiana!
Thank you Mark so much. I have a lot of VHS-C tapes I wanna digitize...I thought of transferring them to my laptop so that I can put them on DVD. But is that ok ? Or keep them on SD card? And if you do recommend on DVD do I use DVD+ or DVD- ??? I don’t want to store the image/video on laptop cuz it can crash or get virus. Thanks again Mark for this awesome video. I’m excited to finally do this.💕
Bear in mind that for high quality digital formats such as miniDV and Digital8, this is not going to give the best results. A Firewire connection from suitable camcorder to a good PC with Firewire port added, will give full lossless quality DV files which can also retain the embedded metadata such as recorded time and date. These full quality files are 13GB per hour, much larger than a device like this will produce, but the quality improvement is well worth it.
Yes that’s why I mention analogue specifically, mini DV with IEEE is a different beast and in the scope of these formats, not quite current yet. You can adapt iEEE to usb c or thunderbolt without “quality loss” and your computer will recognize it even.
Can you speak more about this? I have to get a bunch of old high 8 and miniDV onto my M1 mac. I have the necessary cameras and I have an old FireWire to thunderbolt 2 adapter that I used on an old machine. Can I just buy a thunderbolt 2 to 3 adapter now to transfer the files? I love the idea of this device since it doesn’t require holding the computer hostage, but for this project the best quality possible is key. Am I understanding correctly that this device is not the way to go for best quality in my case? Thanks so much for your help!
Hi Mark - I appreciate the video and am looking forward to going through old videos as my quarantine winter project. I'm curious what you think the pro's are of a device like this over the seemingly more popular, and less expensive Elgato Video Capture. Seems like you're paying more for extra hardware (which I don't need) and maybe some "smart stuff" auto settings (which I might).
It’s just a way better overall product vs the other adapters. I like that I don’t have to tie up the computer to do it as well. It simplifies based on best settings and don’t have to worry about software no longer being supported. If yours works keep it. Mine I couldn’t carry with me on OS update so I needed a new one and wanted a more robust self contained option.
Hey Mark, Love your videos, you talk about interlacing, i love that effect! i was thinking it came from your sony TRV99, but is it only a question of adapter (conversion)? in that case what was your old adapter? Thanks a lot! Clément
Thanks for this, appreciate the attention to detail in your review. This could be useful as a portable recorder for non-camcorder video cameras such as CCTV cams or smaller game consoles with an AV out, like a PSP. You'd just need a USB power bank to keep the ClearClick juiced, but that definitely beats lugging around a PC and capture card dongle. A couple questions about the device: What are the duration/file size caps for individual recordings on this device? Is there a maximum SD card capacity or card class limitations? Can the HDMI Out be used for sending the live signal to a monitor at the same time that AV recording is happening, or only when playing back files? Thanks!
I haven’t encountered any restrictive recording limits. I tend to capture in chunks because it’s just easier to manage and in case any issues recording. Lingering technique since my earlier DV days 2005. Even logging I would just do 10 min intervals. But you can capture indefinitely
I've only tried one other one like this outside of the broadcast standard ones (expensive) And I think it's great, The cable you use to capture being the defining point. I like that it's easy and don't have to fuss with settings, also the de-interlacing by default is nice. There are other options that allow you to select a bunch of different codecs but this device is meant for the casual user who doesn't care about all that stuff (or understand it). It's just plug and play.
Thank you for this information. Is there an "all in one" device that can play each type of tape...such as VHS, VHS-C, 8 and mini dvd's? Our VCR has been gobbling up our older VHS tapes. Thank you!
Just bought one of these, need to get an SD card, anyone know the minimum rec. read/write speeds? The instructions don't say. Also, the instructions say uses a maximum of 128 GB SD card or flash drive, but then it says, if you use a bigger one, make sure it is Class 10 or better...does this mean it will work with larger than 128 gb card?
