Hi

I have a load of VHS-C tapes that I would like to get into Pinnacle 11.

I have a Dazzle DVC100 USB device but it is crap and can't get a decent image into the computer via USB.

The trouble I have is my VHS-C camcorder is old and only has analogue out.

Question - do I need to buy a VHS-C camcorder with Firewire Out to get a decent capture into Pinnacle 11

Any other way around it ?

Thanks

There are no vhs-c cameras with f wire out.

A camcorder with an analog in is one soloution - many canon cameras with an 'i' in the title can do this.

Or considor a cheap DVD recorder - I got one for 50 quid that has analog video in and then transfer to pc for editing.

Or get a decent convertor, The name excapes me but there is a good oine for about 150 quid that is widely reccomended - try a few forum searches.

__________________
I have two prejudices - I am anti HDV for consumer camcorders, and I eat mooks who claim to be pro wedding vidders and ask dumb questions.

www.zaskarfilms.com You tube channel 'zaskarfilms'
JVC DV5001e (big cam), Sony PC6E (tiny cam), Vinten pro5, PAG light, SM58, Sony ECM50, Sony C-76, 0.5x convertors for sony, Rode video mic, Vegas 7.

A digital camcorder with analogue in is what I think you meant to say Mark, and with Firewire out so it can be connected to your computer. The digital camcorder acts as an analogue to digital convertor, so the analogue signal travels from either your analogue VHS deck or camcorder to the Mini DV camcorder and then out of the Mini DV and into your computer using the Firewire cable.

__________________
Better than a poke in the eye with a pointy stick any day...

Yes - thanks for the correction.

__________________
I have two prejudices - I am anti HDV for consumer camcorders, and I eat mooks who claim to be pro wedding vidders and ask dumb questions.

www.zaskarfilms.com You tube channel 'zaskarfilms'
JVC DV5001e (big cam), Sony PC6E (tiny cam), Vinten pro5, PAG light, SM58, Sony ECM50, Sony C-76, 0.5x convertors for sony, Rode video mic, Vegas 7.

I have a bit of experience with old analog tape - all formats - and friends who know a lot more and work in those formats daily in their profession. I have used professional and top end consumer analog video cameras and equipment for 20 years.

I'm in no way disputing the bandwidth of a dv to firewire connection but I know that every device your analog video must pass through before it reaches your hard drive can have a negative impact on image quality and you will still be starting with your old consumer vhs player and the low resolution of the vhs format.

I suggest you consider renting or ebay buying a professional quality vhs player. There is simply no comparison between consumer and professional (or at least industrial) quality decks and I believe that the playback tape deck can have a significant impact of the read of your tapes for transport and connection to your PC input.

When I converted a ton of old tapes I bought pro decks and can tell you from my personal experience that the better decks with their better heads and electronics and output made the captured files significantly of higher visual quality and image stability.

Also remember with old tapes of any format that sitting on a shelf they deteriorate and vhs was the worst possible quality of the consumer video formats so even if you chain your images through devices to achieve a firewire/dv connection to your pc you are still dealing with 220 line (or thereabouts) video and there is no such thing as up conversion in video capture.
GoodLuck

Thanks for your reply

I hope to get the tapes through a vhs player onto a dvd recorder now

What makes of professional vhs players do you recommend - i am from UK and can look on ebay

Cheers

I got to know a guy that owns a video equipment repair shop and he loaned me one - a really nice JVC player/editor pro deck.

For my Beta tapes I bought an incredible deck on EBay for around $70 and it would play very old tapes that my very high end consumer SLHF900 couldn't even read they had deteriorated so much all all with a much stronger video signal output.

The guy that owned the shop bought the deck from me when I was finished with it as he still gets customer requests to convert old betamax home movies.

Hunt for shops that buy and sell old equipment and I think you will be surprised at how cheaply you can find a machine that originally cost $10,000 for like $70.

Take my word that the better the quality of the tape read and player output the better will be the file captured to your PC.