I have been busy converting my old VHS tapes to DVD using my PC. It has been a while since I have used this forum so I will review all of my PC specs now:
P4 2.4 gHz Processor w/ 1 GB RAM. NEC 3500 DVD Burner 120 GB Hard Drive just for video files GeForce FX 5200 128 MB Video Card and Aureal Vortex 8810 Sound card. I am using Pinnacle Movie Box DV along with Studio ver 9.4 going through my firewire port and my VCR is a Sony SLV-688HF
The problem I am having is that some of the tapes I have get flashes of pixelation or green flashes while I am trying to capture them. The problem is sometimes so bad that it causes the capture process to stop completely. These tapes are non-originals, stuff I either taped from TV or copied from other VHS rental tapes.
I purchased a Sima CT-2 Digital Video Enhancer with the hopes of clearing this problem up. I first hooked the VCR to the CT-2 and then to the movie box through the yellow component cable. I saw no difference in the picture quality at all. I then hooked from my VCR to the CT-2 and then to another VCR, same brand and model as the first and tried copying the tape and then capturing it seperately, still no luck.
I will also say that when I bought the unit on ebay, it did not come with an AC adapter. I purchased a universal adapter at Target that could handle the 7.5Volts but only had 0.3A when the unit requires 0.5A. does this make a difference? The power light does come on.
Am I using the right device for this or is there a better one out there for what I want? I would really like to get these DVD's made so any advice you have is helpful. Thanks!
Do the flashes occur at the same place in the film every time? If not, you could try to use Pinnacle's editing program to splice together good sections from different encoding runs.
Rentals are usually encoded with Macrovision, so the dupes of them may not play correctly in the first place.
The Sima enhancer can be used to stabilize the video signal, but because it's a secondhand unit, it may not be functioning properly. The amperage does matter. Go to Radio Shack and get one of their multivoltage power adapters that's good for up to a full amp (1.0 amp or 1000 milliamps). It comes with a variety of tips so that it will fit many different devices.