What is the best format to capture my VHS tapes to?

[who4ever]

Like I said, what is the best format to capture VHS tapes to? I will want to burn them to DVD. Some I may want to edit, some I may not. And, can I enhance the picture in any way (get rid of static, sharpen them, etc?) Thanks
Dave Schwartz

[GuyL]

I would suggest you capture them to AVI if you plan on doing any editing. If you have a DV camcorder with a passthrough it will do this automatically. If not, you will need an analog capture card. If you are not planning to edit, capture it directly to MPEG 2.

As far as enhancing the video maybe others can comment on tools that may be out there that can help. I have an ATI All-In-Wonder card that uses a technology called Video SOAP that cleans up video quite well.

[dstringh]

I bought a cheaper brand, and can capture only at a low resolution. Which model specifically did you purchase??

thanks!

[GuyL]

I bought a cheaper brand, and can capture only at a low resolution. Which model specifically did you purchase??

thanks!

I'm not sure if your question was directed at me or not but if so I have owned several All-In-Wonder cards. My first was a Rage Pro 128. I have sinced owned a 9600, and 9800 Pro. I now have an X800XL.

[who4ever]

To Guy, won't a 2 hour VHS captured to AVI create a huge file? I have about 50 tapes to capture, then to the editing later.

[GuyL]

Yes, it will. You can capture to MPEG-2 if you wish but you take your chances editing it. I used to do video productions that way and I got tired of the audio sync problems and video "anomalies" where editing took place. I had to start more than one project over from scratch and that can be very frustrating.

I switched to AVI about a year ago and all my problems have been solved. Yes, I had to invest in a large hard drive but it was well worth it in my opinion.

I still capture in MPEG-2 when I don't need to edit or I simply just need to "trim the ends" - like when recording from TV.

[heinz-oz]

To Guy, won't a 2 hour VHS captured to AVI create a huge file? I have about 50 tapes to capture, then to the editing later.

Yes it will, about 16 GB/hour, well worth the trouble though, especially with the low cost for large HDD's these days.

I do as GuyL stated. If editing is required, capture to DV-AVI type1. No editing or simple shortening back/front, capture to mpeg2 if your system allows.

Never looked back

[maddrummer3301]

50 Tapes.
2 hours per tape = 100 hours.

Time for you to purchase a "Brand Name" Sony/Panasonic Dvd Recorder.
I would Capture only the videos you need to edit in DV format on the computer.

For your information Panasonic makes a dvd recorder with a harddisk.
You can cut/trim & mix the videos on the harddisk.
Then output to various dvd formats in various modes as one video or
a few videos.
You can also "Import" the dvd's created in this unit into VS9 or MF4 for
custom chaptering & Menuing system or creating multiple copies.

Hope this helps,

MD

[DVDDoug]

... can I enhance the picture in any way...

FYI - This also counts as "editing". Capture to AVI/DV if you're doing anything other than simple cutting & splicing.

MPEG is not meant to be edited. It is highly compressed, and it's "lossy" compression. Almost anything you "do to" the video requires an additional decode/re-code cycle. The 2nd (lossy) encode will always cause some extra degradation. I don't know what the heck causes the doggone "lip-sync" problems... But, I did have that problem when I joined MPEGs with crossfade transitions.