I have a bunch of old VHS tapes that I want to digitize. I have never digitized VHS tapes before. I picked up a generic HDMI capture card, and a generic composite to HDMI converter. Using both of those, I was planning on hooking a VCR up to a computer running OBS. Overall, I’m rather ignorant of the process. The main questions that I currently have are as follows:

  • What are the best practices for reducing the risk of damaging the tapes?
  • Are there any good steps to take to maximize video quality?
  • Is a TBC required (can it be done in software after digitization)?
  • Should I clean the VCR after every tape?
  • Should I clean every tape before digitization?
  • Should I have a separate VCR for the specific purpose of cleaning tapes?

Please let me know if you have any extra advice or recommendations at all beyond what I have mentioned. Any information at all is a big help.

  • ChaoticNeutralCzechEnglish
    1·
    7 days ago

    What method do you recommend to [capture the video interlaced, preferrably as losslessly as possible]?

    It’s been a while since I’ve done this but unless you’re recovering the Ark of the Covenant, it should be enough to follow these simple steps: use H.264 in OBS with high bitrate on a fast PC and preferrably using a USB 3.0+ port (even if the capture card is 2.0) to avoid clashing with other devices on the bandwidth-limited 2.0 bus. Check that the output is indeed interlacd. Look at stats/logs to see of any frames are dropped and investigate if it’s just the 59.94 Hz compensation, actual blank sections of tape or some part of the processing chain unable to keep up. Adjust audio levels; you might get better results using your PC’s mic socket rather than the capture card’s audio ADC (most tapes are mono anyway) but make sure to disable auto-gain or else quiet sections will get boosted like crazy, increasing the noise.

    • Kalcifer@sh.itjust.worksOPEnglish
      1·
      5 days ago

      Check that the output is indeed interlacd

      Is it possible to see this in OBS? I see an option to select an interlacing technique if I right click the scene

      Look at stats/logs to see of any frames are dropped and investigate if it’s just the 59.94 Hz compensation

      Are you referring to “stats/logs” within OBS?

      make sure to disable auto-gain or else quiet sections will get boosted like crazy, increasing the noise.

      If you are referring to a toggle on the capture card or the converter, neither have a button for that, so I think my setup is fine in that regard?

      • ChaoticNeutralCzechEnglish
        2·
        4 days ago

        First question addressed in other today’s comment.

        Yes, within OBS. IDK where it shows if frames were dropped but it most likely at least writes it to some kind of log. It is a key statistic for most use cases of the software so it would be bonkers if you couldn’t find it.

        Auto-gain is a microphone thing, you likely won’t see it with line inputs on converters and capture cards because line levels are standardized and there will most likely be no overshoot.