Best Video Capture Options

Merry Christmas all, I am looking to turn some family VHS movies to digital but am really torn on what would be the best method. I have an HP EliteBook with eSATA, Firewire, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 so alot of options are open. (I also have a MacBook with USB 2.0 and a old desktop if for some reason those would work better). My VCR / DVD player can output Composite or HDMI so recording either would work. I just need to get from there to the laptop!

Does anyone have any recommendations on what works the best without breaking the bank?

Merry Christmas!

 

You'd need something that can take component (and or composite) in and then send it to the computer. The only thing that comes to my mind (that would work with a notebook) right now is a HD PVR, but those will "break the bank", you could also get a PCI-E adapter for your desktop and run a wire, that should be cheaper.

 

Yep, I have came across this Elgato Device as well as a few by Canopus and Hauppauge. I just don't know which ones are worth the money. The Elgato one has a nice price and seems to have good reviews but have read that it is hampered by USB 2.0. The other two seem to be more robust but come at a price.

Has anyone dealt with any of these or other external video capture devices?

 

I got the Hauppauge HDPVR and aside from a USB grounding issue that slightly messes with the signal going through the passthrough on my N50, it performs quite well. You can't watch the video in real time on your laptop while you're recording it though. Also, you will already get a result encoded in h.264 which removes the need to compress it, but you won't get an uncompressed video which may or may not matter to you.

The software that comes with it is a bit rudimentary, but it gets the basic stuff done.

 

My express card DTV tuner also has composite video capture capabilities, but I just used a cheap USB thing from china when I wanted to capture video. I mean its not like you'll really see the quality difference of 640x480 vs 1080p on a VHS transfer anyway.

 

for VHS something cheap like EZCAP or the other china rip offs is ok, move into the big dogs like Happauge, Black Magic, etc when its HD you need.

 

Hmmm okay. I completely agree I don't need the resolution of the bigger ones but I am worried about keeping video / audio in sync with the cheaper ones. I read somewhere that this is a product of computing horsepower and if that is the case I should be fine. I have also read that it is because most of the cheaper ones use USB 2.0 and the slow data speeds cause the audio to lag behind. That is the reason I am cautious about the cheaper ones...

 

You need an analogue to digital converter. An old camcorder with composite/component inputs and digital output like the HVXX will work just fine. If you don't want to break the bank find someone with one of these camera and rent, borrow, or buy it from them.

Some community colleges will also have these still laying around and may allow you to use them for free. If not, you can always take the class (sometimes cheaper) and get access to the equipment that way.

 

The lag/delay are mostly people trying to watch a live preview (to use it for games and things mostly) not in capture.

USB 2.0 is fast enough for any SD capture and even handles compressed HD transfer fine.

 

Good to know, thanks! I will probably try the Elgato one from somewhere like Best Buy so I can take it back if it isn't working right.

Another thought if, my VCR actually has an HDMI out on it. It might be easier to go from digital to digital but I haven't found away without going with the bigger converters mentioned above.

Thanks!