VHS digitizer / video grabber

Skybird · 03-21-23, 04:42 PM

Three or four weeks ago somebody and me talked about my collection of old Spenser videos which in their - great! - German dub are unavailable on market due to neverending wars over ownership rights for the German versions. He said that I could digitze them.

Of course I could, but when I looked at it in the past, it was complicated a bit and comparable to how you would digitize music cassette tapes via Audacity (I did that), and with "in the past" I mean very many years ago... I would have needed to connect the VHS directly to the PC, making sure the graphics card I had back then had such connectors (it hadn't, as I say it is long time ago) and it also needed to support the monitor at the same time, I next would have needed interface and recording software, and a working installation.

Way too much work!

Later, video grabbers came out, in principle just a connection cable between VHS recorder and PC with a black box inbetween doing the digitizing magic before spitting the result onto the PC. You still need to reaarange your furniture to make sure you can connect via cable the VHS to the PC and to the momitor for the VHS.

But I checked again now and found a new category of items that I so far did not know of, they are blackboxes with rechargable batteries or AC connection, plus an inbuild monitor (9 cm), and they get connected only to the VHS reorder - not to the PC. Like a USB stick, that easy. You see on the monitor what the VHS does, and the digitized version gets saved on SD card in MP4 format, and the card then can be handled on the PC just like any other MP4.

This is the most convenient solution for it, though not the cheapest available, but convenience was trump for me. The result I get equals the visual quality that VHS back in the days had, it was what it was, and I feel I do not lose anything compared to the standard back then. Of course the image is not magically improved to DVD standard, but that nobody expects anyway, I suppose. Its the VHS quality that I remember. I am lucky that I had the best recorder that was on the market back then, a Panasonic, and also used only the best tapes that money could buy - 30 years of storage have not done damage to the recordings, the investment in quality has paid off. Even while I recorded the Spenser episodes in long play (halved tape speed)!

I am satisfied, its easy to handle and causes no construction mess in my room, its comfortable to use, and does the job. These devices are available from several companies, some are cheaper than the one I bought, but the specs told me (and customers' reviews) , that they had some deficits or disadvantages.

In principle, if you are looking for something like this, I can recommend my choice. But you can get the job done for less money, but then you need to invest more effort into it.

The mini monitor can also be mirrored via HDMI to an external big monitor. You can also attach a game console via HDMI and record from it. Easy like plugging in a USB stick and pressing a button.

It takes mini SD cards up to 120 GB. The included 32GB card marked 2 hours 49 minutes recording time. (MP4). So, with a 120 GB card you could even record a 240 or 300 min VHS tape recorded in LP long play (8 hours, 10 hours film time).

Jimbuna · 03-22-23, 06:10 AM

Many years ago I transferred my wedding video onto a CD and that is the sum total of my experience.

Skybird · 03-22-23, 07:41 AM

No experience and no cable salad and no moving tech components closer together is needed. With devices like shown above it is as simple as picking your nose. Plug it into your VHS, press a button, and thats it.

03-21-23, 04:42 PM	#1
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,471 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	VHS digitizer / video grabber Three or four weeks ago somebody and me talked about my collection of old Spenser videos which in their - great! - German dub are unavailable on market due to neverending wars over ownership rights for the German versions. He said that I could digitze them. Of course I could, but when I looked at it in the past, it was complicated a bit and comparable to how you would digitize music cassette tapes via Audacity (I did that), and with "in the past" I mean very many years ago... I would have needed to connect the VHS directly to the PC, making sure the graphics card I had back then had such connectors (it hadn't, as I say it is long time ago) and it also needed to support the monitor at the same time, I next would have needed interface and recording software, and a working installation. Way too much work! Later, video grabbers came out, in principle just a connection cable between VHS recorder and PC with a black box inbetween doing the digitizing magic before spitting the result onto the PC. You still need to reaarange your furniture to make sure you can connect via cable the VHS to the PC and to the momitor for the VHS. But I checked again now and found a new category of items that I so far did not know of, they are blackboxes with rechargable batteries or AC connection, plus an inbuild monitor (9 cm), and they get connected only to the VHS reorder - not to the PC. Like a USB stick, that easy. You see on the monitor what the VHS does, and the digitized version gets saved on SD card in MP4 format, and the card then can be handled on the PC just like any other MP4. This is the most convenient solution for it, though not the cheapest available, but convenience was trump for me. The result I get equals the visual quality that VHS back in the days had, it was what it was, and I feel I do not lose anything compared to the standard back then. Of course the image is not magically improved to DVD standard, but that nobody expects anyway, I suppose. Its the VHS quality that I remember. I am lucky that I had the best recorder that was on the market back then, a Panasonic, and also used only the best tapes that money could buy - 30 years of storage have not done damage to the recordings, the investment in quality has paid off. Even while I recorded the Spenser episodes in long play (halved tape speed)! I am satisfied, its easy to handle and causes no construction mess in my room, its comfortable to use, and does the job. These devices are available from several companies, some are cheaper than the one I bought, but the specs told me (and customers' reviews) , that they had some deficits or disadvantages. In principle, if you are looking for something like this, I can recommend my choice. But you can get the job done for less money, but then you need to invest more effort into it. The mini monitor can also be mirrored via HDMI to an external big monitor. You can also attach a game console via HDMI and record from it. Easy like plugging in a USB stick and pressing a button. It takes mini SD cards up to 120 GB. The included 32GB card marked 2 hours 49 minutes recording time. (MP4). So, with a 120 GB card you could even record a 240 or 300 min VHS tape recorded in LP long play (8 hours, 10 hours film time). __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert. Last edited by Skybird; 03-21-23 at 05:18 PM.

03-22-23, 06:10 AM	#2
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 181,070 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	Many years ago I transferred my wedding video onto a CD and that is the sum total of my experience. __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!! GWX3.0 Download Page - Donation/instant access to GWX (Help SubSim)

03-22-23, 07:41 AM	#3
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,471 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	No experience and no cable salad and no moving tech components closer together is needed. With devices like shown above it is as simple as picking your nose. Plug it into your VHS, press a button, and thats it. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.