I'm trying to convert some old VHS home videos to digital. After finding the cost of professional conversion too high, I decided to try it myself. I didn’t realize how challenging (or expensive) it would be! I started with the Roxio VHS to DVD, thinking it would be a simple solution. Roxio Link
I tried using the Roxio software, but the file sizes were small, and the quality was terrible. I then switched to OBS and VirtualDub. The video quality improved, but the file sizes were massive (about 1GB per minute). However, I noticed the recording would randomly fail, showing a blue screen as if the connection was lost.
After researching VHS tech, I learned there’s a lot more to this process than I initially thought. The tapes had white grainy lines and video glitches, which seemed to trigger the blue screen recording failures. I have about 20 tapes to convert and don’t want to babysit the process constantly.
When I connected the VCR directly to a TV, the video looked great (for VHS) with no grain, cutouts, or other issues. It became clear the problems were due to the cheap Roxio capture card.
I ended up buying a RetroTINK 5x Pro, which was pricey, but based on YouTube reviews, it should fix the grainy video and cutouts—at least, I hope so.
https://youtu.be/Br6YRkOM9jA?si=nuLlKx_wH6g0coUC
Now, I need a standalone HDMI capture card (external or internal PCI) for my computer.
Any suggestions on which capture card I should get?
Any tips?