I have hundreds of VHS tapes that I need to digitize and I just recently purchased the Blackmagic Design Video Recorder for this purpose. This device captures analog video in an h.264-iTunes/iPod/AppleTV ready format. It gives me the option to "Remove Fields" when recording, resulting in a file that does not have any interlaced tearing. However, this also results in a file that is 320x240 (or I think, actually 640x240 displayed at 640x480). I'm having a hard time deciding if I should use the Remove Fields function or just capture at 640x480 interlaced and would like to get others' opinions on the matter. So, should I remove fields or not?
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Interlaced vs De-interlaced
- Thread starter Exidor
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I would not choose to de-interlace this way, unless you really don't care that much about the resolution. Blending fields is much better, IMHO, if you feel you need to de-interlace. You get some softness in the picture quality, but at least you keep the resolution.
Can I ask why you chose to go with this device? I know it will be a huge time-saver, but if these VHS recordings are things worth keeping then you might want to consider capturing them as dv and then keeping them archived. Better codecs are always being developed, and you might want to migrate your videos to a better format at a later date. Just my two cents.
Can I ask why you chose to go with this device? I know it will be a huge time-saver, but if these VHS recordings are things worth keeping then you might want to consider capturing them as dv and then keeping them archived. Better codecs are always being developed, and you might want to migrate your videos to a better format at a later date. Just my two cents.
That's exactly it. It is a huge time-saver, and I don't have THAT much time to commit to this project - plus I got a really good deal on it off of ebay. Of course, I would like to archive all this VHS in the best possible quality, but I also want to be able to watch it on my iPhone and AppleTV. Even if I did it the way you described, which I considered, it would be quicker for me to re-record it all using this device than converting it all through software on my G5. I already own the equipment necessary to do it your way, btw.