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Technical Help > Best video quality for Bowie Station

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TomLeMajorPosted at 2016-09-02 11:05:29(451 wks ago) (Technical Help / Best video quality for Bowie Station)


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I have some questions for the experts on Bowie Station.

1) Source: analog tapes.
 What are the best video formats for digitizing analog video tapes in the best quality?

2) Source: digital tapes.
What are the best video formats for importing and storing digital video tapes to hard drive (DV and HDV)

3) What are the video formats that should favor today to share these recordings on Bowie Station?

4) Source: digital video files
There is a quantity of digital video formats. When converting a video file into another format, it is often a loss of quality. So choose the best format initially.
What do you consider the best SD video format and what is the best HD format?

I do not want to burn DVDs or Blu-ray. Just digitizing and transfer my video collection, store and back up on hard drives, then work on some videos with Adobe Premiere CC and share.

Last edited by TomLeMajor on 2016-09-02 11:24:35



http://www.whambam.fr
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TomLeMajorPosted at 2016-09-02 14:55:20(451 wks ago) (Technical Help / Best video quality for Bowie Station)


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I forgot something very important : the best video formats with the best sound if possible!  B)


http://www.whambam.fr
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neilwilkesPosted at 2016-09-11 12:09:28(450 wks ago) (Technical Help / Best video quality for Bowie Station)


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This is one of those "How long is a piece of string" questions methinks.
I will try to answer though.
Required equipment:
Decent NLE (Premiere Pro CC, Avid, FCP)
Decent Capture Card (Aja Kona, Blackmagic, Avid)
Hardware to actually play the various tapes (this is the hardest part depending on tape type - professional forms (C, Betacam,

1 - Analogue Tapes.
This would be things like a 1" C reel and requires very special hardware & I really recommend getting this done by a professional transfer company as it is very easy to damage the tapes.
As to capture forms, I would again seek advice from someone who does this for a living but my instinct would be to decide what form you are going to use & stick to it. The main thing is to keep the same frame rate - this is very important. It can be changed later if you have to, but capture at Native resolution. A true HD scan is very difficult & expensive.
Hi8 videotape is much easier to deal with & requires a camcorder and an S-Video input (or better yet component inputs on a proper capture card like an Aja Kona HD). Run tests to decide best definition to use but personally I would stick to SD (720x480 or 720x576) or fullHD (1920x1080) and if in SD, use a codec such as the Aja, Blackmagic or lagarith lossless. A lossless codec is the important thing here.

2 - Digital Tapes.
Capture to lossless codec in the same resolution & frame rate that is on the tape. Edit later.

3 - mp4 works well and is pretty universal.

4 - Quality.
SD - this depends where you live, but in all honesty even though PAL is higher quality NTSC is more universal. Remember someone somewhere will try to make discs from these, but for straight file based on a laptop or media player via computer it makes little difference but once you connect to a hardware display TV then frame rate is important. Frame rate should always be captured at the same rate as the source files.
HD - 1920x1080 progressive scan (so 24fps) is the best (4K is expensive & pointless).

Hope this will help, but if clarification is needed please just post back

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neilwilkesPosted at 2016-09-11 12:10:05(450 wks ago) (Technical Help / Best video quality for Bowie Station)


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TomLeMajor wrote:

I forgot something very important : the best video formats with the best sound if possible!  B)

Best audio is always, always PCM. Avoid AC3 (Dolby Digital) and MPEG audio - they suck.

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willb3dPosted at 2016-09-11 16:50:41(450 wks ago) (Technical Help / Best video quality for Bowie Station)


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And a tip about finding VHS VCRs - most consumer VCRs are not suited for high quality transfers. They almost always apply cheap processing to the image in an effort to make it look "sharper", but that sort of cheap processing is exactly what you DO NOT want when you are importing a tape into a modern computer capable of much more refined adjustments. I seem to recall that they don't even play back the full resolution of a tape, nor the full color or brightness range.

If you are hunting on ebay for a VCR, look for used professional decks - the ones that look like they'd be at home in a space capsule.

You will typically find ones that have been retired from tv stations a few decades ago. They have the ultimate playback quality. However, note that many can only play back tapes that were recorded in standard play mode. Most play both S-VHS and VHS, and most play back the HiFi audio tracks. Make sure there's an output on the back that you can use, such as s-video, since many have more obscure component outs.

And, note that it is getting harder and harder to find any that are in working condition.

If you can't find a professional deck, or cannot afford one, next in line would be a "prosumer" VCR, typically by JVC or Sony and clearly promoted as "prosumer" - they at least have a button to disable all the cheap processing (typically a button called "edit mode" or somesuch).  

Last edited by willb3d on 2016-09-11 16:52:21


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neilwilkesPosted at 2016-09-13 10:45:09(450 wks ago) (Technical Help / Best video quality for Bowie Station)


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That's a really, really good point.
We use a JVC machine running S-VHS out (no component in right now even though it is on the machine) and usually run this into an old Canopus digital/analogue bridge (I think it is an AVC-300 or similar) with all the settings needed for IRE levels, PAL/NTSC etc.

A good place to find these things is an auction house that flogs off bankrupt facility gear - there is one in London called "Techbid" (a part of Stanley Productions) and they regularly hold auctions where you can get kit at astounding prices - I picked up a £15,000 when new Snell & Willcox M.Sc standards converter for £135 including VAT & fees. They always have old tape machines out of post production facilities.....at superb prices too.
http://www.techbid.co.uk/

Some examples:
http://www.techbid.co.uk/lot/123777/lot-127
http://www.techbid.co.uk/lot/123780/lot-130

Always worth a look

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TomLeMajorPosted at 2016-09-13 10:48:53(450 wks ago) (Technical Help / Best video quality for Bowie Station)


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Thank you for your answers.

1) Analogue tapes:
Because I live in Europe, it will be easier for me to transfer my videos in 720 x 576 Pal. I have this equipment.
I did not know it was possible to transfer basic analog cassettes (Betamax, VHS, S-VHS, 8mm, Hi-8) in HD. What equipment that allows this without going through a company because I have too many tapes to be digitized?

I will use a VCR S-VHS HiFi because I have a lot of important VHS and S-VHS cassettes (Not Bowie)

2) Digital Tapes: OK

3) OK for MP4.
Just a detail. Audio MP4 is not LOSSY?


4) HD Video

OK to 1920 x 1080. What to choose: 1080p or 1080i?


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TomLeMajorPosted at 2016-09-13 11:10:55(450 wks ago) (Technical Help / Best video quality for Bowie Station)


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neilwilkes wrote:

That's a really, really good point.We use a JVC machine running S-VHS out (no component in right now even though it is on the machine) and usually run this into an old Canopus digital/analogue bridge (I think it is an AVC-300 or similar) with all the settings needed for IRE levels, PAL/NTSC etc.A good place to find these things is an auction house that flogs off bankrupt facility gear - there is one in London called "Techbid" (a part of Stanley Productions) and they regularly hold auctions where you can get kit at astounding prices - I picked up a £15,000 when new Snell & Willcox M.Sc standards converter for £135 including VAT & fees. They always have old tape machines out of post production facilities.....at superb prices too.http://www.techbid.co.uk/Some examples:http://www.techbid.co.uk/lot/123777/lot-127http://www.techbid.co.uk/lot/123780/lot-130Always worth a look

I had not read this comment before my last answer.
Thanks for the links.

Last edited by TomLeMajor on 2016-09-13 11:11:29



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