VHS --> Computer

benorbeen

benorbeen

intelligentlemaniac
#1
#1
Chooch has helped me with this in the past ... wanted to open this up for added perspective.

I gotta get my reel onto my computer so I can edit it better with some video-editing software I have.

What hardware do I need to get a VHS tape onto my computer? Then, what do I need to edit it? AND, most importantly, what's the most INEXPENSIVE way to do this by the end of the weekend?

I have some Dell Movie Studio something-something for software, but it's new and I've not used it yet. I don't think I have any special "cards" for video. Yet. Let me know how cheap I can get something like that (new, not used).

P.S. Dell Inspiron laptop, 512MB RAM, 2GHz.
 
Choo Choo Andee

Choo Choo Andee

Hip Hop Honky
#2
#2
I forget what I told you but just in case I didn't say it before.....you'll be saving yourself a lot of time and money if you get someone with a DV camera to come over, hook it up to your VCR and record the VHS to a Mini DV or digital 8 tape. If you get that step done then you just need a firewire card for your laptop (and one open PC-card slot), and you can get those for as cheap $40. Then it's as easy as capturing the video and editing it....

Firewire for laptops
http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.asp?EDC=312939
 
TerryJ

TerryJ

totoro
#4
#4
benorbeen said:
Anyone know anything or have a feeling about Adaptec VidOh! products for what I need to do?
Click to expand...
I believe the Adaptec products convert the analog video into MPEG (as opposed to compressing with DV in the method Milanokis is talking about.) For dumping stuff from VHS to DVD for archiving, it might be ok. For editing purposes, going with Andy's method is a better quality, and more flexible, way to go.

-Terry
 
spacedani

spacedani

whipping churl
#5
#5
Does your computer already have a built-in firewire port? My Compaq laptop does. I have the firewire cable to output from a dv cam into your port, if you need it.
 
Ute Giddeon

Ute Giddeon

cleaner
#7
#7
What Chooch said.

Dub VHS to DV, capture DV to hard drive via firewire.

If your editing program supports it, do a batch capture and save the batch log file. This means you are specifying an exact timecode in and out point on the DV tape when you capture. By saving the batch log file, you can delete the video files from your hard drive if they're taking up too much space, then re-batch capture later and the edited project will automatically re-assemble itself, as though you never deleted the footage from the drive.
 
benorbeen

benorbeen

intelligentlemaniac
#8
#8
Thank you for all of your suggestions.

As I don't have a digital videocamera, and I want to be self-sufficent, I went to the grand opening of Best Buy in search of the $70 Adaptec thingy.

They didn't have it, but they had something called Dazzle. I bought that. A director I worked with on a film I saw later, and he had heard of Dazzle. I hope it works.

Ben
 
Ute Giddeon

Ute Giddeon

cleaner
#12
#12
Ben,

The question is: What do you want to do with the video that you edit?

Acording to the Dazzle product comparison chart , your DVC 80 captures analog video over a USB port, at a max resolution of 352 x 240. It indicates the "capture format" as "AVI," which is just that: a format, not a codec.

Knowing the codec will tell us what quality of video you're working with. Knowing what you intend to do with the video will tell us if the quality is good enough for what you want to do.

The chart does give us a good idea of the video quality, however. Your capture resolution is 352 x 240, which is about half the resolution of full-screen video. Knowing that the capture interface is over USB 1.1 tells us that the data rate of the video is very low, which means the compression is high and the visual quality is low. If you're intending to send the final product out on a VHS tape to directors, agents, and casting people, you will NOT be satisfied with this solution.

If you're trying to put something together for web-based delivery, this product may work for you.

I reccomend that you return the product and spend the $69.99 on the Dazzle DV Editor , which appears to let you capture, edit, and export at DV resolution, which is perfectly acceptable for any application of your reel. This solution requires that you own or borrow a DV camcorder.

If you want to get by without a DV camcorder, you need the Dazzle Hollywood DV Bridge, which is $250 (of course, for not much more than that, you could hire me to edit your reel).
 
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benorbeen

benorbeen

intelligentlemaniac
#13
#13
I'm happy with my purchase, esp. considering the cost. :)

I'm not that picky right now, but I might be later.

Yes, the resolution made is essentially VHS quality. I made a reel for potential online consumption (format .avi, and I could do .mpg if I wanted) but also exported it back to VHS after editing--I don't notice the quality difference when it's back on VHS, looks essentially like a red-dubbed VHS. My reel might be lame compared to something Nick Mougis & Co. could stunningly make, but what's important to me is being able to have control over the promotional elements of my career--relying on a designer for a change or relying on someone to borrow her DV camera is not what I want to do right now, as time is money I don't have.

But Thank You for the feedback, Ute. I'm sorry about not answering the codec question--I have no clue.
 
Nick Mougis

Nick Mougis

our mutual friend.
#14
#14
benorbeen said:
My reel might be lame compared to something Nick Mougis & Co. could stunningly make...
Click to expand...
thank you for the kind words, ben. i'm sure you'll do fine.

but if you (or anyone else) ever need a stunning reel (on DV, DVD, or whatever,) holla 'atcha boy!


nick.
 
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