As time goes on, progress is crowding out conservative technology. In this regard, every person who, by the will of fate, was holding a VHS-format video camera in his hands, wonders how video tapes are digitized at home.
Videotape path
In the courtyard of the XXI century. Now I can’t believe that the famous VHS standard, which is known to many by such a pleasant rumor the word “video cassette”, is already almost 40 years old. In our country, this was the most common video recording standard on which at least 2 generations managed to grow. Older people will surely remember the first of the Soviet video recorders "Electronics VM-12", as well as video salons.
Most people probably still keep their own films or recordings of various celebrations. This format acted for a long time and ceased to exist relatively recently: in 2008 they reported the shipment of the world's last batch of video tapes.
In what cases is it necessary to digitize a video cassette
Over the past period, the owners of video systems have accumulated a huge number of archives. Of course, if we are talking about films or television shows, then they can be found on relevant media, but not all can be found. For this reason, many people continue to store an old video player, which is used to view "tape rarities."
Unfortunately, a magnetic film is short-lived: it ages, the magnetic layer collapses with time, the recording first loses its quality, and then it is not at all suitable for viewing. If you do not give it due importance, one day it turns out that the unique wedding ceremony, filmed on a cassette and carefully stored in a designated place so that it can be watched with awe on the next anniversary of your own wedding, is hopelessly spoiled. Therefore, the owners of the video archive should think about the need to transfer information to optical discs.
Many do not even assume that digitizing video tapes at home is not very difficult, and for such copying it is not necessary to search for specialized studios that are equipped with unique equipment. We also note that additional prerequisites for digitization lie in devices for reproducing tapes - they are not eternal and suffer from wear and tear.
Currently, there are not many specialists who are ready to take on the maintenance, tuning or repair of complex mechanics in tape video players. There may be problems with various spare parts. The VCR will break down, and all archives will turn to ashes with it.
What is necessary for digitizing video cassettes
We will begin to list the equipment for digitizing video cassettes from a personal computer equipped with a large hard drive. The fact is that you need to transfer data in its original, uncompressed form, and this will require much more space on the drive than for a ready-made record familiar to everyone.
In order for VHS-video tapes to be digitized comfortably, you should use a hard drive with a capacity of at least 320 Gigabytes and a spindle speed of at least 7200 rpm. We recommend that you install the disk into the system as a separate device.
Preference should be given to those external drives that can be connected via a high-speed interface, since USB devices can cause problems due to the relatively low bandwidth. It is impossible, however, to remain silent about the cases of their successful application.
Performance
A computer that is intended for digitization must be provided with sufficient performance: a processor frequency of at least 2.5 GHz, as well as 2 GB of RAM, and there should be enough space on the hard disk to accommodate the selected programs.
The requirement for the system as a whole is that the UPS is required (uninterruptible power supply). It should have enough power to correctly shut down the system. Note that the digitization of video cassettes at home will be more high-quality if the UPS can provide power to the PC before the procedure is completed (about half an hour).
However, this decision can be called unreasonably expensive in many cases. All other parameters of a personal computer directly depend on the selected digitization methods. There are several of them, they are based on hardware and software components.
The next mandatory item is the use of a high-quality video player or video recorder with working mechanics, as well as clean heads. If your device for digitizing video tapes does not meet the necessary requirements, choose another option. Half the success here depends on the reliability of the signal source. Digitizing video cassettes at home does not present any other requirements; a low-frequency output, a cleaning video cassette, and a good cable are sufficient.
What are the methods of digitizing video
We approach the most interesting: consider the methods of converting video from a traditional tape to a modern personal computer. There is the option of digitizing through the input of the video card, but it does not make sense to examine it in detail, since it is incredibly difficult to obtain an image of a sufficiently high quality in this case. And if so, you have to resort to other methods.
We use a TV tuner
To use a TV tuner for digitizing video cassettes is perhaps the most affordable solution. Such a device must have a PCIe or PCI interface. We also emphasize that a tuner for digitizing video tapes can be purchased by anyone, without paying special attention to the cost. The main thing is the presence of a low-frequency input for connecting your VCR. However, you need to take care of the software part as well.
A special program for digitizing iuVCR video cassettes can give a resolution of 768 by 576 points. Such an approach will subsequently allow the lossless conversion of video into a DVD format with a resolution of 720 by 576 pixels. If you do not have an adapter for digitizing video tapes and a TV tuner, and you are currently planning to purchase them, please note that the iuVCR program works best with special cards based on the Conexant BT848 or BT878 chip.
On the advantages and disadvantages of a video editing board
Next, consider a lower budget solution, which, however, allows you to get higher
quality video. It will be about the use of a specialized video editing board (video capture). Such modules are available
in USB- and PCI-versions. Well-established solutions from Pinnacle Systems, among which the Dazzle and Studio MovieBoard series deserve special attention. A feature of these devices can be called the fact that they come with special software that provides video capture and does not require additional user actions.
However, the price of such a kit is considerable, so in the future you will have to think about what you are going to do with the equipment after the process of digitizing your own video archive is completed.
Portable approach
If you plan to digitize video cassettes on a laptop or cannot install a PCI card on a desktop computer, AVerMedia DVD EZMaker 7 can be a good solution.
Well, what can I say here? A very entertaining device, given its miniature, USB-interface, as well as a huge set of connectors for connecting a video player. It is incredibly convenient if you have to engage in digitization outside the home, for example, at a party, with friends or relatives.
Digital video recorder - the most unpretentious option
This solution is suitable for those who do not have the desire or ability to understand complex computer technologies. In this case, you can use a digital video recorder. Using such a device, you can rewrite data from a video cassette without any difficulty: we connect the output of a traditional video cassette recorder to the digital input, insert it into the last DVD and start copying.
Subsequently, the result can be easily transferred to a computer for the purpose of subsequent processing. The main disadvantage of the described method is that it is suitable only for those who do not really care about image quality.
What to do next with the rewritten videos?
The question is not as primitive as it seems at first glance. After capturing the video material, the resulting stream will be saved on the hard drive in raw form, however, its quality will be maximum. Next, you should process the source material, bringing it in a form convenient for recording on DVD.
It will be required at least to clear a bit of the image from various noises, as well as adjust the brightness and color balance. In some cases, you will have to do serious editing: adjust colors, apply transitions and other effects. Separate processes include video editing (if necessary), work on sound (cleaning, volume equalization) and subtitles.
At the end of such a painstaking lesson, you need to transcode the video into the format you need and save it on a DVD-drive.
This will require a large number of diverse software, and in a wide assortment. The set of necessary programs depends on your preferences, financial means and hardware.
For each type of processing of the original video material, special programs are needed. If you want video processing to become part of your profession, actively study this topic using only specialized literature.
Instead of an afterword
Before deciding to digitize your own video library,
weigh your own abilities well. This is a necessary and important matter, however, in essence, it is disposable. If you do not intend to turn it into additional income, consider the fate of his future purchase of equipment.
When your archives are not too large, of good quality, and there is no need to carry out their serious restoration, it is more profitable to seek help from specialists who can be found in any company that is ready to perform all the necessary work. It is cheaper and easier than mastering a new profession, as well as finding unique equipment. Although ... working with video is always incredibly exciting.