Re: Transferring VHS to computer

"Arklier" wrote...
I have a Turtle Beach Video Advantage PCI in my desktop for transferring data from VHS tapes into the computer using a DVD/VCR combo unit.

Your equipment is kinda lightweight for the kind of challenging application you are considering. Consider taking the tapes to someone with more professional and flexible equipment to get a better transfer than you can do.

Most of the tapes I have are from the mid-90s, with five or six I've found recently dating back to 1989. Obviously not the same unit as the tapes were recorded on. They were also recorded using EP mode and most were several years old at the time the last recordings
were made. 17+ years have left their mark, though.

Recording EP makes it much more difficult to read the tapes, even on the same mahcine that recorded them. It is considerably more difficult to get a different machine to track them properly.

Two of them will not advance or rewind, and are probably a total loss.

You can likely do a world of improvement by doing a
"transplant" of the tape pack into a new cassette shell.

The others have a constant buzzing sound in the audio, and a narrow line of static along the bottom.

These are classic symptoms of mis-tracking. You could try
adjusting the tracking control (if there even is one?). Some
people even go so far as to "adjust" the mechanics inside the
VCR to get the tape to play better. Note that this is NOT
RECOMMENDED unless this is a life-and death matter
and you can throw away the VCR at the end of the project.

The combo unit also tries to switch back and forth between
regular and HI-FI mode. The sound will be so quiet as to be
barely audible, then the (HI-FI) logo will appear on the
screen and the sound will be blasting.

This makes it seem like the tape WAS recorded in HiFi,
but the mis-tracking is not allowing your playback machine
to consistently pick up the HiFi signal, so it is switching
in and out. :-(

I would like to transfer the commercials to the computer using my Video Advantage and upload them to Retro Junk, but I'd like to know if there's a way to either make the input quality better,

Sure. There are things like TimeBase Correctors (TBC)
and proc-amps (external adjustment of brightness, contrast,
tint, and color) and dropout compensation (DOC) and
dynamic tracking machines, etc. etc. But any one of those
gadgets cost several times more than your computer and
VCR combo put together. You're trying to put ten pounds
in a 3-pound sack.

or edit out the static and buzzing using software
once it's on the computer.

It is unlikely and difficult to edit out static and buzzing
(or any kind of broadband noise). It is difficult, time
consuming, and rarely produces satisfying results. Do
everyting possible to eliminate as much as possible
before feeding into the computer (or other video capture
or conversion device).
.

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