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Post #1047338

Author
spoRv
Parent topic
Best VCR/capture card combo for high-quality transfers?
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1047338/action/topic#1047338
Date created
16-Feb-2017, 7:01 PM

I’m not a super expert but, until some of them would chime in, I could write down something that may turn useful.

VCR: if possible, go with S-VHS. Stay with JVC or Panasonic. An industrial model would be better, but head life could be too high, so keep this in mind. If you are lucky, you could find one from a school, so * probably * not heavily used. Don’t forget TBC!

I can add also that you could get a more than decent TBC using a DVD recorder as pass-through; there is a nice thread on the lddb forum.

Capture card: before getting mine, I did my homework, and found some interesting models; the one I get are the Sweetspot (aka PDI Deluxe) and the Aja Kona/Xena; the latter were top of the line, high end product worth thousand $$$, but you can find them used, often in pristine state, for few bucks. Also Blackmagic made great cards; I’d go with the internal versions, if possible.

Last thing: a nice bit-perfect audio card will be the icing on the cake; maybe not so important to grab VHS audio, if your current one is good enough, but essential to capture PCM, AC3 and DTS from laserdisc!