@NickDerrickson

Welcome to Magix, Nick. We're all users here; there's no Magix staff on the forum. The USB dongle you got in the box has the Composite and S-Video sockets. Install the software/drivers and plug in the dongle in the correct sequence, which should be in the installation instructions.

Then, you can connect your VCR to the dongle's sockets. S-Video will yield better video quality but many "standard" VCRs don't have S-Video Out. If that's the case with yours, use the Composite connections.

JohnEB beat me to it. 🙂

@NickDerrickson

Hi

Did you not get a USB video converter with Rescue your Video tapes ?

The manual available under Help in the program has detailed instructions on how to connect the Player or Camera and capture video.

If capturing from a DV camera and the computer does not have a Firewire port and the camera has a composite output on the camera and an appropriate cable, this would have been supplied with the camera, connect this to the converter.

In Windows, Privacy & Security Camera and Microphone options you will have to ensure that the options for allowing desktop apps to access your Camera and Microphone are turned on.

HTH

John EB
Forum Moderator

 

Hello John. Access to camera and microphone is on.

The only way I can connect the video convertor to the PC is with a USB connection. When I play the VHS tape, I don't see anything on the preview screen. The help section says that to transfer VHS footage, I need a composite or S video port on my pc:

Video recordings that were created using analog camcorders or that are played back with a video recorder must first be recorded with the computer and then converted to digital video. This requires special hardware that features a video import (TV, video, or video-in graphics card).

The so-called "video grabber“, "video capture device", or "video cards" are all available, plus insertable cards that need to be built in and activated by computer specialists, or even USB or FireWire devices.

My PC has a S video port but its negative. As well as the S video insertion I got with the product. Both are negative and cant be connected. Make sense?

EDIT: At the menu to import from an analog source, there is a checkmark between the ports and the icon of a laptop, Then there is a choice between composite or S video. But I don't have those ports. Only USB,

@NickDerrickson Hi, it might be easier if you upload some pics of the back of your PC, the back of the video player & of the lead/s you have. Use the arrow button at the top of a new comment to upload pics. 👍

@NickDerrickson

The composite and/or S-Video ports are to be found on the VHS player you are using, they are not on your computer! In my experience ALL VHS players have a composite output, some (a few) also have S-Video.

You need to connect the output of your VHS player to the input sockets of the USB Device that comes with RYVT. It then connects via USB to your computer. Just to be clear, this "USB Device" is what is referred to in the quoted section of the help file as a "video grabber or video capture device".

Assuming you have installed the RYVT software you may also have to check that the correct driver for the USB Device is installed, depending upon which specific device you have.

HTH

Jeff
Forum Moderator

@NickDerrickson

The composite and/or S-Video ports are to be found on the VHS player you are using, they are not on your computer! In my experience ALL VHS players have a composite output, some (a few) also have S-Video.

You need to connect the output of your VHS player to the input sockets of the USB Device that comes with RYVT. It then connects via USB to your computer. Just to be clear, this "USB Device" is what is referred to in the quoted section of the help file as a "video grabber or video capture device".

Assuming you have installed the RYVT software you may also have to check that the correct driver for the USB Device is installed, depending upon which specific device you have.

HTH

Jeff
Forum Moderator

The manual says it should be on my pc, not my VHS. Besides, I am using the scart input on the VHS. Isn't that standard?

@NickDerrickson Hi, it might be easier if you upload some pics of the back of your PC, the back of the video player & of the lead/s you have. Use the arrow button at the top of a new comment to upload pics. 👍

@NickDerrickson

The Scart output, not input on your VHS player is the "composite" one, i.e., the one you need to use. If you have a Scart plug which can be switched between "Input" and "Output" it is the latter you need to select.

You need to ensure it is connected to the inputs of the USB Device and that the USB Device is connected, via USB, to your computer.

Jeff

EDIT: to add; I see you've posted two images whilst i was writing. From these it is clear that your Scart plug DOES have a switch to select between Input and Output. Make sure it is set the right way!

If that makes no difference (assuming you have correctly connected that USB Device) try using the other Scart socket on your player.

@NickDerrickson

The manual says it should be on my pc, not my VHS.

Nick, ignore the manual/Help. For whatever reason, it doesn't make sense.

This is the way Rescue Your Video Tapes works:

The signal comes from your VCR (via the SCART connector set to OUT, either Composite [yellow RCA plug] or S-Video [black mini-din plug with 4 tiny pins] to the USB grabber/capture device/stick, which has sockets for the leads coming from the SCART connector.

The USB grabber is then plugged into your computer and all going well, VideoEasy, the Magix video software, will detect the USB grabber and you can then capture any signal coming out of the VCR.

As you note, VideoEasy gives you the option of capturing the Composite or S-Video signal, but these are coming in via cables from the VCR/SCART connector into the USB grabber. They do not plug directly into your PC. That magenta/green S-Video lookalike socket at the top of your motherboard panel is for the mouse or keyboard, not the S-video video cable.

So you'll need to select (tick) whatever cable you are using for the video capture. If it's an RCA cable (yellow is the colour used for video, red and white for audio), choose the Composite tickbox. If using the S-Video connections, choose S-Video.

@NickDerrickson I don't know if it makes any difference with the Magix cables you have, but in your pic you have two types of USB connection on the back of your PC, USB 2 has the black bit inside, & USB 3 has the blue bit inside,

Google -

'Is USB 2 slower than usb3?
Data Transfer Rate
USB 2.0 transfer speed is 480 megabits per second (Mbps), while USB 3.0 transfer speed is 4,800 Mbps. This means USB 3.0 is approximately 10 times faster than USB 2.0.10'

The pic on the Magix website of the MAGIX USB video converter looks like it is USB 2, but I just thought I'd mention that as in your pic it looks like you aren't using the USB 3 ones with your other leads.

@AAProds What's on the other end of the scart lead in my pic above?

@NickDerrickson

Hi

. . . . The manual says it should be on my pc, . . . .

You are reading the wrong section of the manual.

@AAProds has given you the connection procedure which is detailed in the manual in the section after the one I think you are quoting from. if your manual is the same as mine page 18 which is for a PC that has a video capture card installed, page 19 gives details for using the USB device and pp 20 - 21 the settings to use.

Ensure you have the correct drivers for the USB video grabber installed from here - if the video grabber has K0065 or K0067 on it then use the Premium driver.

@Former user

Re USB speed, AFAIK, the video grabber is USB 2 device most USB 3 ports will drop to USB 2 when a USB 2 device is plugged in.

. . . .What's on the other end of the scart lead in my pic above? . . . .

The corresponding yellow/red/white cinch (RCA) plugs

John EB

 

Re USB speed, AFAIK, the video grabber is USB 2 device most USB 3 ports will drop to USB 2 when a USB 2 device is plugged in.

. . . .What's on the other end of the scart lead in my pic above? . . . .

The corresponding yellow/red/white cinch (RCA) plugs

John EB

 

@johnebaker Hi, yep I understand it would need a corresponding USB3 plug to get full speed but just thought i'd mention it to @NickDerrickson

& thanks, yep i suspected it might have those plugs, but the online picture could be better presented to show that.

PS most of mine are USB3 so i plug USB2 & USB3 into them, but have no way of knowing if a USB2 into a USB3 is anyway faster, like you say i suspect not.

@NickDerrickson

Nick, Magix doesn't make it easy to understand how this all works. I see on the Specs page for RYVT that the following are "minimum system requirements" of your computer system:

Connectors: USB, SCART, S-Video and RCA

This is, of course, incorrect because the S-Video and RCA connections are provided by the USB capture dongle that comes with the RYVT package. A Scart cable may be needed if your VCR has only a Scart socket. Otherwise, you can use the Yellow Composite Out output (or better, the S-Video out, if fitted).

Out of interest, did a Scart cable come with the Rescue Your VT package?

@NickDerrickson

Some more for you (following on from JohnEB's post above), this is from the Support area:

https://www.magix.info/us/support/article/magix-video-converter-is-not-recognized-by-the-system--162/

@Former user

Hi Gid

. . . . have no way of knowing if a USB2 into a USB3 is anyway faster . . .

It is not, as I said in my post above the when you plug as USB 2 device into a USB 3 port the port will drop to USB 2 speeds.

@AAProds

Hi Alwyn

. . . . Connectors: USB, SCART, S-Video and RCA . . . .

That is to include users who have PCie video capture cards such as the Blackmagic Decklink range and others which have various S-Video and RCA (cinch) connectors eg Happauge TV card.

John EB

@johnebaker

John,

That is to include users who have PCie video capture cards such as the Blackmagic Decklink range and others which have various S-Video and RCA (cinch) connectors eg Happauge TV card.

But in terms of the published required minimum equipment, which is what people look for when buying something like RYVT, none of that is necessary/required in the PC, and it is misleading having it written there. As far as Scart goes, that is completely irrelevant because there is no capture device that accepts a Scart plug. As I said, you might need a Scart cable to output signals from your VCR, but it certainly isn't a requirement for the computer.

I highly doubt somebody who has a Decklink card in their machine would be using Vidoeasy. I suspect a person who already had with a Hauppauge capture card wouldn't be buying RYVT anyway.

The section is misleading and I've emailed Support with a suggestion to tidy it up.

Fixed. Just had to hit the switch on the scart cable. I have to say that the help section regarding transferring vhs footage is confusing. Thanks to all who pitched in.