AntcuFaalb said:

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, everyone! The image I posted is from my first full-length capture test with PS78 and the Panasonic AG-1980.

I'm going to have to do the captures sans audio because VirtualDub's "Sync audio to video by resampling the audio to a faster or slower rate" resync mode doesn't work well with the ATI Theater HD 750 (it's well-documented) and I don't want to mess with the video by resampling it or adding/dropping frames. Don't worry -- I plan to capture the audio separately and sync it myself.

I've decided to use AviSynth's TooT() filter, so I'll have to do three captures. I'm going to post screenshots of the various settings involved (including a picture of the Panasonic AG-1980's front panel) tonight for everyone to critique. I think they're fine, but I'd like the experts here to chime-in.

Does anyone have any tips for setting the tracking on the Panasonic AG-1980?

The 1980 has pretty good automatic tracking, if the tape isn't giving you any problems, you shouldn't have to mess with it. I only ever had a couple tapes give me trouble over the years, and that was mostly keeping the Hi-Fi track from dropping out on poorly made pre-recorded cassettes.

If you are having tracking issues, repeatedly press the + or -  buttons and see if the video gets better or worse, This will adjust the tracking in finer increments than simply holding the button down. Keep in mind ejecting the tape will reset the tracking from whatever "sweet spot" you find.

SilverWook said:

AntcuFaalb said:

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, everyone! The image I posted is from my first full-length capture test with PS78 and the Panasonic AG-1980.

I'm going to have to do the captures sans audio because VirtualDub's "Sync audio to video by resampling the audio to a faster or slower rate" resync mode doesn't work well with the ATI Theater HD 750 (it's well-documented) and I don't want to mess with the video by resampling it or adding/dropping frames. Don't worry -- I plan to capture the audio separately and sync it myself.

I've decided to use AviSynth's TooT() filter, so I'll have to do three captures. I'm going to post screenshots of the various settings involved (including a picture of the Panasonic AG-1980's front panel) tonight for everyone to critique. I think they're fine, but I'd like the experts here to chime-in.

Does anyone have any tips for setting the tracking on the Panasonic AG-1980?

The 1980 has pretty good automatic tracking, if the tape isn't giving you any problems, you shouldn't have to mess with it. I only ever had a couple tapes give me trouble over the years, and that was mostly keeping the Hi-Fi track from dropping out on poorly made pre-recorded cassettes.

If you are having tracking issues, repeatedly press the + or -  buttons and see if the video gets better or worse, This will adjust the tracking in finer increments than simply holding the button down. Keep in mind ejecting the tape will reset the tracking from whatever "sweet spot" you find.

Thanks for the information. I think it's tracking fine. I might just be mistaking jitter that's on the VHS for tracking issues.

I've heard that holding down + and - resets the tracking. Is this true?

It may reset it, I've seldom fiddled with the tracking though. I don't have as many tapes as I used to, and tracking was never an issue with my own S-VHS recordings.

Capture #1 is done. The results are fantastic, but I'm not entirely happy with them. The flicker is gone, but there's still a luma fluctuation issue that I believe can be attributed to AGC Pumping. SilverWook suggested looking into an external TBC; more details to come.

Great.  Keep up the great work!  I think that using the new 35mm HD version coming out, combined with the colors from this version, we will be able to reconstruct the original SW.  Very exciting!

A low-priced external TBC that is easy to use and that I have had good success with is the AV Tools AVT-8710.  You can probably find one on eBay for cheap.

AGC pumping may not be helped with a different TBC.  You could try mitigating it in post with the Virtualdub deflicker filter - that doesn't always work but sometimes it does.

I'm sorry for the silence; busy weekend. Anyway, here's an update: I've purchased a Leitch DPS-290 TBC/Synchronizer for $41.00+S&H! It should arrive soon.

AntcuFaalb said:

I'm sorry for the silence; busy weekend. Anyway, here's an update: I've purchased a Leitch DPS-290 TBC/Synchronizer for $41.00+S&H! It should arrive soon.

Seems like a really nice price for this....it looked a bit high tech too.  

I don't think I'll have to bite my tongue again by saying that the Leitch DPS-290 is high-end.

Some Hyperlinks

1. The eBay listing I won
2. Technical Details

The Leitch DPS-290 arrived today and it's in great shape. The cables arrive tomorrow, so I won't be able to know if it works until then. I'm going to have to buy a component cabinet for all of this stuff!

The Leitch DPS-290 works great. I'll be doing a test capture tomorrow.

I took a backup-capture with my current setup (AG1980 -> DPS290 -> HD750) and it looks better, but still exhibits minor AGC pumping and horizontal jitters.

I've ordered a Hauppauge 610 USB-Live 2 Analog Video Digitizer to see if another capture card will solve the AGC pumping issue.

I'm working on obtaining a Panasonic DMR-ES10 or DMR-ES15 to correct the horizontal jitters (via its line TBC in passthrough-mode).

Google "automatic gain control".

frank678 said:

Can any one fill me in on what AGC pumping is?

Sorry! AGC pumping is the flicker seen on the first PS78 capture. In this case, it's not really pumping, but semi-random luma variations; that is, some scenes become too dark or too bright for no reason at all.

OK, the Panasonic DMR-ES10 is on its way! This thing is supposedly a monster at correcting jitter.

^^
Yes, what he said :)

Yes, there's definitely some dedication going on here.