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Niagara Frontier
John P. Weiksnar, Ed.M. | Drupal™ futurist.
Currently preparing an online startup based on this modern definition of Drupal—to paraphrase Jeffrey A. “jam” McGuire, “A user interface for building digital businesses.”
Longtime active member of the Drupal Association,
Western NY State Drupal User Group and
SMPTE® (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers).
Keeps it light by maintaining cultural and culinary ties worldwide, plus a local love affair with the Niagara Gorge.
Authored Comments
This may be the first time I've seen open source and VHS digitization mentioned in one breath—thank you, Don!
Here are some pseudorandom thoughts:
It doesn't hurt to throw a Time Base Corrector into the mix (between the deck output and the input device, be it a camcorder or other A-to-D device). This helps conform any funky output signal from the VHS machine to NTSC specs, at least. Chances are that camcorders with TBCs or frame stabilization will only perform those functions on their own tapes, not in an "E-to-E" transfer.
A Hi-Fi VHS deck isn't a bad idea either, in the event the audio was recorded in that mode originally. Chances are it will work if the video signal is still present (they're tied together). The lower fidelity audio on the linear track is usually a dupe of the Hi-Fi . . .but not necessarily if the source material was edited. Almost every editing deck allowed insert edits and redubbing solely on the linear track. There was one exception: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGy8huyO0vI
Speaking of which, S-VHS (Super VHS). It wasn't designed to be played back on conventional VHS decks. S-VHS units should be able to play most VHS, audio and video. A caveat would be that "pro" or studio S-VHS VTRs won't play back in any mode other than SP . . . which screws anyone who may have archived FM radio programs for up to 8 hours continuously in SLP/EP mode (don't ask how I know this). . . . "Prosumer" S-VHS decks to the rescue, as long as the tracking is tolerant enough to read the Hi-Fi track (often a crap shoot).
These are all anguishing leftovers from a time when marketplace competition and the general lack of standards in the 1/2" video market had everyone one-upping each other. You almost wonder if the engineers had any concept that solid-state storage (used only in videogame consoles and home computers of that era) would evolve into the norm, leaving magnetic recording in the dust.
I don't blame you. It just goes to show there's often more than meets the eye. And "the simpler, the better" rings true!