newmy51
Novice Member
Hello AV Forums,
I come to you with a long standing desire to build my own VHS to digital setup, not having made the leap thus far. There is an ocean of data out there on the merits of one system/unit over another, the hazards and perils of old tapes and the delicateness needed to convert them safely and properly. Part of the reason I've put it all off this long is how daunting it is to stand in the middle of that ocean of information, not knowing up from down, leaving me overwhelmed. Of the many matrix disks I've long wished to jack into my skull for rapid upload, the world of AV ripping/encoding/conversion/etc. has long been a high ranking one.
In getting back in the saddle to do research on this topic for the umpteenth time, I have found your community, which seems a helpful and informative place. With that in mind, I wonder if you would be so kind as to help a greengill like myself to a: determine the most appropriate hardware for my needs, and b: suggest reputable sources/retailers from which such equipment could be obtained. Those needs are really nothing more than taking rare and hard to find media from one or more VHS formats to digital, retaining (if not improving) as much audiovisual quality as possible in the process. My ideal unit would have features capable of addressing/correcting for certain common kinds of damage/decay/noise/aberrations present on old magnetic media, with full recognition of the lipstick-on-a-pig reality of certain tapes.
I've had some dirt simple composite to digital adapters recommended to me in the past, as well as newer DVD/VCR combo decks, but I would be surprised if that's enough to produce archival grade digitizations of analog media. Perhaps "archival grade" is and will likely remain well outside of my skillset and I should abandon such lofty hopes. Maybe that is another question you fine folk can answer for me: with a mind as novice as mine, what level of quality is realistic to aim for?
Many thanks in advance for your consideration and advice,
-newmy51
I come to you with a long standing desire to build my own VHS to digital setup, not having made the leap thus far. There is an ocean of data out there on the merits of one system/unit over another, the hazards and perils of old tapes and the delicateness needed to convert them safely and properly. Part of the reason I've put it all off this long is how daunting it is to stand in the middle of that ocean of information, not knowing up from down, leaving me overwhelmed. Of the many matrix disks I've long wished to jack into my skull for rapid upload, the world of AV ripping/encoding/conversion/etc. has long been a high ranking one.
In getting back in the saddle to do research on this topic for the umpteenth time, I have found your community, which seems a helpful and informative place. With that in mind, I wonder if you would be so kind as to help a greengill like myself to a: determine the most appropriate hardware for my needs, and b: suggest reputable sources/retailers from which such equipment could be obtained. Those needs are really nothing more than taking rare and hard to find media from one or more VHS formats to digital, retaining (if not improving) as much audiovisual quality as possible in the process. My ideal unit would have features capable of addressing/correcting for certain common kinds of damage/decay/noise/aberrations present on old magnetic media, with full recognition of the lipstick-on-a-pig reality of certain tapes.
I've had some dirt simple composite to digital adapters recommended to me in the past, as well as newer DVD/VCR combo decks, but I would be surprised if that's enough to produce archival grade digitizations of analog media. Perhaps "archival grade" is and will likely remain well outside of my skillset and I should abandon such lofty hopes. Maybe that is another question you fine folk can answer for me: with a mind as novice as mine, what level of quality is realistic to aim for?
Many thanks in advance for your consideration and advice,
-newmy51