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Now I'm getting the hang of capturing and editing Mini DV I'd like to have a go at some old VHS and S-VHS tapes. Can anyone recommend a suitable basic capture card, preferably an external one? Is there one that will also output the result to VHS?

Are there any particular problems or things I need to do differently?

Does your mini DV cam have pass-thru? Pass-thru allows you to connect the VCR to the PC, with the cam in between, digitizing the signal as it passes thru it.

Sorry, that isn't too clear is it? Your mini DV cam connects to the PC via firewire. You should also have a video out port where you connect the yellow and red (or yellow, red and white) RCA leads to a TV. On some cams that port is also a video in port, allowing you to connect the VCR to send the signal thru the cam to the PC. But note that not all cams allow pass-thru.

If your cam doesn't allow pass-thru you can always connect the VCR to the cam and record to the cam, then transfer that to the PC. I have done that with great success. Some might say that you lose some quality because of the extra recording step, but I believe the quality is slightly better, probably from the digitization. Your VCR footage isn't of great quality anyway, compared to your cam's video.

I would at least give that a try before buying more equipment.

It is unlikely that you will find a camcorder with "Pass through" in the U.K. because of our tax laws. The Inland Revenue consider that they become Video Recorders and impose a higher rate of tax. Due to this the camcorder manufacturers disable the facility on camcorders sold in the U.K.

What I did was to invest in a TV card, these fit into a desktop computer and are easy to install. You can also obtain a TV Dongle - these are USB devices that turn your computer into a TV and are particularly useful for laptops because you cannot fit a TV card into a laptop.

You then connect the VHS player to the TV card/dongle either by way of co-axial cable or by RCA plugs and use your computer as though it was a recorder. Same principle as a Sky+ box.

If you can get a TV card that records in DV (avi) all the better, but most TV cards record in MPEG2. Only real problem with recording in MPEG2 that I have found is - you have to be more careful when editing that you don't lose audio/video synchronisation (Where they speak before the lips move).

There is quite a range available in PC World and other similar shops, or you can buy online. Perhaps the biggest TV card manufacturer (for the U.K.) is Hauppauge

I recommend the Canopus ADVC-110, which will go both ways to/fro VHS.

Please read http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewtopic.php?t=29031 to appreciate the pros and cons for different methods.

Hi Trikie

What is the make and model number of your camcorder? If it does support ¡¥Passthrough¡¦ then it will not only save you some money, but is one of the best methods to capturing VHS.

When you say you capture from MiniDV, I assume you are using Firewire cable/card to capture your footage to DV format.
DV capture is less demanding on your pc than other methods, given your pc spec¡¦ this may be the best method for you.

But as Jeff says you can always record to camera then capture to pc. It just takes a little longer.

I just picked up a Pinnacle pci capture card on eBay for $35, which came bundled with Pinnacle Studio 9. It seems to work great for capturing from any analogue source. VS, although recognising the capture device, captures only the audio, but not the video. That's no big deal, I suppose Pinnacle put something in there that forces you to use Studio 9, but I can edit the captured footage with VS anyway.

(and actually, Corel/Intervideo/Ulead could learn a lot from Pinnacle when it comes to capture - you get the option to name the file, rather than simply having to accept a default capture file name that disables smart render and the mpeg optimiser!)

There seems to be little difference in picture quality between capturing to DV avi and then transcoding in VS to mpeg2, compared with capturing directly to mpeg2 - but the former method gives better results if you're going to add any titles or filters/transitions/effects.

My advice would be to go for a used, decent quality internal card as opposed to any USB-connected external device.