VHS to MacBook

[robf]

Please can someone suggest some good hardware for transferring old family videos from VHS to my MacBook? I have tried using a Pinnacle Video Transfer unit and I was disappointed with the results.

 

[wwchris]

Elgato

http://www.amazon.com/Elgato-100208...25130519&sr=8-1&keywords=elgato+video+capture

I used this and it worked great. I bought some cheaper ones before and had terrible luck. The software on this one is simple and intuitive. It also lets you trim the beginnings and ends before saving, so you can let the whole tape run and then easily delete the static from the ends and beginnings of the video before saving. You can see by the Amazon review people like it

 

[monokakata]

This is a good one too. I've used it for VHS and have been pleased.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?N=10558914&InitialSearch=yes&sts=pi

 

[robf]

Thanks all.

I have read the Elgato is good but I'm from the UK and we use a different FPS apparently?

 

[Unami]

both, the elgato and the blackmagic support 25fps/PAL.

you might want to deinterlace the videos after capturing.

 

[JustinePaula]

Find a cheap as chips mini dv camera on gumtree.co.uk or ebay uk, that has analogue in and fire wire out. If you have a more recent mac, then you might need a thunderbolt to firewire adapter.

That is what I use and it is great, if it is important, then I capture onto mini-dv tape first, then later onto my macbook pro to edit, mini-dv tape is so cheap and stable in the long term, and if you look after the camera, it should be useful in years to come, hard drives will crash, good bye material...