best analog video to digital video converter

Composite (single connector, lowest quality).There are four popular video connections:

(RCA connectors need a special cable with RCA on one end and XLR on the other.)ĭVD decks may have XLR connections, but AES/EBU connections will also work. Either of these deliver the highest quality audio, with no hum or buzz added to it. XLRs connect directly into the digitizing device, which I’ll cover shortly. RCA connectors are more popular, but tend to be noisy – especially when the length of the cable is more than a few inches. XLR connectors use shielding to prevent hum and noise from entering the audio signal. Still, XLR connectors provide higher-quality (i.e. They tend not to have high-end connectors. VHS decks were designed as consumer gear. As well, you need to look at each step and make sure you are maintaining quality. Quality starts at the beginning of the chain, not salvaged at the end.

The codec used to record the newly-digitized imagesĮverything else is a wash well… assuming the VHS deck doesn’t eat your tapes.

The device used to convert analog to digital images.

The quality of the timebase corrector between the output device and the recording device.

The audio and video output from the playback device.

It is easy to get confused with all the choices out there, but, if preserving and maximizing audio and image quality is your goal – and I think it should be – here’s what affects image and audio quality when doing these sorts of transfers, listed in priority: But, I wanted to concentrate on getting the BEST images – which can’t be done cheaply. There are lots of inexpensive ways to digitize home movies. Still, there is great technology out there that allows us to convert and capture older media, so I thought it would be worthwhile to revisit this topic. But converting analog video to digital is getting increasingly difficult as the gear we need to play it slowly dies. Legacy media is still part of our daily life. I have a 2013 Mac Pro and plenty of storage. What hardware do you advise so I can get the best quality.

I need to convert old VHS and personal DVDs to digital files that I can edit in Final Cut or Premiere.

Best analog video to digital video converter