Introduction

What a nightmare rabbit hole this is! I have never come across a subject that has so many different methods and opinions on how to achieve the aim, being digitisation of analogue (tape) video. That said, I thought it might be helpful if I simply detail what I use for analogue tape digitisation and the workflow. I consider my workflow is “intermediate”, because I don’t use a VCR with an inbuilt TBC, nor do I use an external TBC. For Video8 and Hi8, I use a Digital8 camcorder with internal TBC and capture the S-Video Out. For DV and HDV, I use a Digital camcorder and do a DV (or HDV) transfer.

Equipment

VCRs

I have a few: • 3 x JVC HR-S5700AM SVHS VCR-good quality video, S-Video output, great controls and OSD • 1x Panasonic DMR EZ48 VHS/DVD Combo. Has the Panasonic Diga stabilisation system, similar to the ES-15. S- Video and HDMI output, great all-in-one machine. • Various other Composite VCRs that I use to play tapes that don’t play well in others. • 2 old VCRs for rewinding and tape cleaning/mould removal.

Stabilisers

I don’t have a dedicated TBC. My primary stabiliser is the Pioneer DVR-645H. For really bad/wobbly tapes, I use a Panasonic DMR-ES15 (in some limited scenarios, it can increase the brightness a little, so I avoid using it unless necessary).

Digitisers

My primary digitiser is the IOData GV-USB2. Other digitisers: • Hauppauge USBLive-2 (needs a stabiliser before it in the workflow) • Startech USB3HDCAP (good SD video capture, can capture HDMI but needs a splitter for signals from the EZ-48) • Pinnacle USB-710: doesn’t work with Win 10 or 11 for analogue capture. Works well for DV>USB conversion.

Software and Workflow

For analogue tapes, including Video8 and Hi8, I use this workflow: • Windows 10 and 11. • Brightness/Contrast adjustment prior to capture: Virtual Dub 2. • Capture: AmarecTV. • Processing: AVISynth for deinterlacing and advanced video restoration, VDub2 for opening the AVISynth scripts and cropping/resizing, Magix Movie Studio for editing (with Neat Video noise reduction and Mercalli stabiliser plugins). • Upscaling/export for Youtube and MP4 viewing: Magix Movie Studio.

Results

You can view my videos on my Youtube channels: Rodent Flying Films AA Productions

Introduction

What a nightmare rabbit hole this is! I have never come across a subject that has so many different methods and opinions on how to achieve the aim, being digitisation of analogue (tape) video. That said, I thought it might be helpful if I simply detail what I use for analogue tape digitisation and the workflow. I consider my workflow is “intermediate”, because I don’t use a VCR with an inbuilt TBC, nor do I use an external TBC. For Video8 and Hi8, I use a Digital8 camcorder with internal TBC and capture the S-Video Out. For DV and HDV, I use a Digital camcorder and do a DV (or HDV) transfer.

Equipment

VCRs

I have a few: • 3 x JVC HR-S5700AM SVHS VCR-good quality video, S-Video output, great controls and OSD • 1x Panasonic DMR EZ48 VHS/DVD Combo. Has the Panasonic Diga stabilisation system, similar to the ES-15. S-Video and HDMI output, great all-in-one machine. • Various other Composite VCRs that I use to play tapes that don’t play well in others. • 2 old VCRs for rewinding and tape cleaning/mould removal.

Stabilisers

I don’t have a dedicated TBC. My primary stabiliser is the Pioneer DVR-645H. For really bad/wobbly tapes, I use a Panasonic DMR-ES15 (in some limited scenarios, it can increase the brightness a little, so I avoid using it unless necessary).

Digitisers

My primary digitiser is the IOData GV-USB2. Other digitisers: • Hauppauge USBLive-2 (needs a stabiliser before it in the workflow) • Startech USB3HDCAP (good SD video capture, can capture HDMI but needs a splitter for signals from the EZ-48) • Pinnacle USB-710: doesn’t work with Win 10 or 11 for analogue capture. Works well for DV>USB conversion.

Software and Workflow

For analogue tapes, including Video8 and Hi8, I use this workflow: • Windows 10 and 11. • Brightness/Contrast adjustment prior to capture: Virtual Dub 2. • Capture: AmarecTV. • Processing: AVISynth for deinterlacing and advanced video restoration, VDub2 for opening the AVISynth scripts and cropping/resizing, Magix Movie Studio for editing (with Neat Video noise reduction and Mercalli stabiliser plugins). • Upscaling/export for Youtube and MP4 viewing: Magix Movie Studio.

Results

You can view my videos on my Youtube channels: Rodent Flying Films AA Productions
My Setup
My Setup