How to convert VHS videotape to 60p digital video
Channel: The Oldskool PC
Date: 2023-02-07

This tutorial will teach you how avoid the most common mistake people make when trying to convert VHS/videotape to digital video -- and all it takes is a $50 piece of hardware and free software.  Intended for pure beginners, this tutorial walks you through every step to produce perfect conversions every time, with output ready to upload to YouTube or share with friends.

Chapter markers:
00:00 - Intro
01:04 - What we'll cover
01:38 - An attempt to stay on-brand
01:57 - Scope
02:58 - The Secret: Frames vs. Fields
03:50 - Hardware
06:04 - Configuring OBS and performing your first capture
21:36 - Troubleshooting
25:11 - Outtro

Devices shown in this video:

I-O Data GV-USB2: https://amzn.to/3ZN4GMP
Startech SVID2USB232: https://amzn.to/3D7fJXr
Need a cheap RCA mono-to-stereo adapter? https://amzn.to/3WM2G4y

The GV-USB2 and Dazzle device drivers I used in Windows 10: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11e3T4NEDOcNYvrZDqJd4d8NenRKNeuKf?usp=sharing
No sound with Dazzle? This has helped some Dazzle owners: https://youtu.be/i3q-kKTM5Wg?si=BpEF4RyOv3IzVGgP


ALTERNATIVE DEVICES:

DO NOT get an Elgato capture device!  More info from @vwestlife: https://youtu.be/9NuquTDhjGY

Some cheap devices that force deinterlacing can sometimes provide all deinterlaced fields if you set them to capture at high rates.  To use these devices, you must **modify this tutorial** by setting them to capture at 50 (PAL, Europe) or 60 (NTSC, North America) fps.  When adding the device in OBS, make these changes:

- Resolution/FPS Type: Custom
- Resolution: 720x480 (or 720x576 for PAL)
- FPS: Highest FPS

Also, do *NOT* perform the Deinterlacing--Yadif 2x step in the tutorial, since the signal is already deinterlaced.  By doing the above, you can use some cheaper devices whose drivers force deinterlacing.  I have personally tested the following devices successfully:

Top-Longer USB Video Grabber (Model TL AVC05) - *NOTE*, this device only captures mono audio: https://amzn.to/3ok5cnA

FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q: Can you recommend a capture device for Mac?
A: I haven't tested with a Mac, sorry.

Q: I just want a quick hardware solution and I don't care about quality.
A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC5Zr3NC2PY

Q: I have my video already captured to interlaced 480/486/576-line files, how can I process them without re-capturing them?
A: Download FFMPEG for your operating system and run it with the following command-line:

ffmpeg -i (sourcefile) -c:v libx264 -preset medium -crf 20 -vf "idet, bwdif, scale=1440:1080:flags=spline" (outputfile.mp4)

Q: I am ready for the next step in making my videos look great!  Is there anything additional I can do?
A: Look into avisynth or VapourSynth, which let you run better deinterlacing scripts like QTGMC, which is a huge improvement over yadif.  I personally bring interlaced captured video into Premiere Pro and perform noise reduction using NeatVideo, correct bad levels, and clean up the audio using Izotope RX.  Then I export to a new intermediate file using a lossless codec for the QTGMC portion and final encode to .MP4.

Q: My tapes are DV -- should I use this tutorial?
A: No, you should transfer DV tapes via firewire (IEEE 1394) instead, then use the FFMPEG command-line above to convert them. In Windows, I've used WinDV for this.

Q: My audio is out of sync, or the sync drifts.
A: Try these videos for some OBS audio sync tips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XGT0XEFqRM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUYFNR1AfaY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnh63pZrXWw

Q: I cleaned my VCR with a cleaning tape, but things didn't get much better.
A: Try a more thorough clean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-6XZZq8Nxs
DO NOT TRUST ANY VIDEO that tells you to clean your vcr heads with a q-tip or cotton swab -- you will damage your VCR!  That's why cleaning videos recommend using either paper or a pre-moistened alcohol pad.

NOTES AND CAVEATS:

- If the above drivers don't work for you exactly, then search the web for alternate or updated drivers.  They worked for me, but they might not work for you.

Want to support me, and help me make more videos like this?  Consider becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/TheOldskoolPC

Gear I use to make my videos: https://kit.co/mobygamer/4k-youtube-on-a-budget

Contact info:
Twitter: @MobyGamer
Email: http://www.oldskool.org/personal
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