Viability of cheap VHS capture

[crissrudd4554]

I know I said I didn't wanna go too expensive with all this but I am considering this. What do you guys think??

http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/d...r1955.html

[crissrudd4554]

Here was another response over at videohelp and the one that seems helpful.

"This is probably the model that uses the same hardware as the ATI 600 USB. Your screenshot has the same characteristic bends as that device produces with "good" tapes: https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/3765...creenshots

The real fix for this is TBC as jagabo mentioned, but you'd need to add a device to remove the copy protection if you'd like to use DVD recorder passthrough.

If you wanna keep gambling on capture devices, maybe try tracking down the 950Q model that vhelp has mentioned. See the sub-links in that post, as it's unclear from one post to the next whether he considers it a good option."

So I'm going to try WinTV HVR 950q next and see how that goes. My only concern is if it indeed has those 'curves' that I mentioned what are my best methods for using TBC to fix this?? TBH I wasn't aware of TBC until just two days ago. After doing some Googling it seems this might be more complicated than I thought. Are there any device suggestions for TBC and one that can override the copy protection?? Furthermore am I understanding all this correct??

[spoRv]

Frankly, I captured few VHS (Star Wars) and had not copy protection related problems... maybe those tapes have not it, or my capture card bypass it... well, if you can use a DVD recorder as passthrough, I'd give it a try, *maybe* it could defeat the copy protection, but probably it will not...

[crissrudd4554]

Hopefully the next tuner thing I use will just record it the way I want it to come out or at least very close that I can live it. I was only asking because TBC seems to be coming up a lot now and honestly I dont know how that works. What to use, where to put it, when to use it (during capture? after capture?), etc. For example, if I get a DVD recorder, do I capture the video with my normal program first and then run it through the DVD recorder afterwards or do I want both running together? Second do I want the recorder hooked through the VCR or the computer or both? Perhaps some of this is logical but again I dont know.

[spoRv]

TBC stands for Time Base Corrector; it stabilize the picture, putting the horizontal lines in sync; just connect the VHS output to the TBC input, and the TBC output to the capture card input.

AFAIK, every DVD recorder have a TBC, so just replace the TBC with the DVD recorder in the previous chain.

Hope this helps!

[crissrudd4554]

Thank you! That helps!

[crissrudd4554]

Yeah TBC would help. This is from an Empire Strikes Back DVD I burned today (captured with DVC100). It was pretty eye opening for me at least when I skimmed through and got to this shot.

[crissrudd4554]

How much help would a video stabilizer be should I not go the TBC route??

[spoRv]

Even if a so-called stabilizer could help somehow, it would not improve quality as mush as a TBC could do - unless it has a TBC inside it, of course... the latter could be obtained at a price starting at 50 bucks, so it could be a good investment, in the optic of price/quality increase. But this is up to you; to me, I'll buy one even for few tapes, then eventually I'd resell it for the same price.

[crissrudd4554]

Hmmm we'll see. My reluctance to try TBC stems from knowing it might not bypass the Macrovision as well as the pricing so may have to keep gambling on capture devices for the time being.