I have 100 or so VHS tapes to copy into a digital archive on PC. I also have a DVD recorder with hard drive (Panasonic DMR-EX769). This is a machine which has built-in capabilities for copying from a VCR, and the results I have achieved so far (by recording to the machine's HDD and then burning a DVD) are pretty good. Specifically, there don't seem to be any TBC issues arising. However, obviously, I then get a DVD, which I then need to copy to my PC.
This is a cumbersome way of going about copying 100 tapes. I'm happy to carry on doing it, if that is the best way of getting good copies of my VHS material within the limitations of the equipment I have. However, if I am going to get the same results - or possibly better - by using a decent video capture card and bypassing the burning-a-DVD stage, I'd like to go down that route. I cannot, however, afford a dedicated TBC and am well aware of the potential issues around TBC.
So, my specific questions are -
- Generally, is it likely that I will achieve a better result with a VCC than by burning DVDs, given that I can't afford a dedicated TBC?
- Is there anything in the burn to DVD > copy to PC workflow that intrinsically degrades the eventual result below the result you could theoretically achieve going direct to PC (assuming no dedicated TBC)?
- Does anybody have any info on whether using the DMR-EX769 as a passthrough helps with TBC in the way an ES10 or ES15 is supposed to?
Many TIA. If it makes any difference, I'm in the UK and so this is a PAL setup.