Cleaning up source VHS video data, noise, frame slipping etc -

CubeAce wrote on 1/11/2022, 3:36 AM

Hi.

I'm not a regular user of video tape but do have a lot of experience with audio tape with some video tape experience.

Slippage with tape paths is normally caused by poor tension in the feed reel due to poor rewind tension within some machines but controlled by the capstan and pinch roller mechanism.

The Capstan should be a direct drive motor and relies on the pressure between it and the pinch roller to control the tape speed. They too can get covered in shedding oxides and dirt and need cleaning. There should be no 'browning' of the pinch roller at all and be completely black. There is also a very slight chance the pinch roller rubber has become damaged but that is very rare. The tension arm spring may also have lost some tension which could result in the tape being unevenly wound when wound back.

All tape when stored should be 'tail' out to prevent 'stiction' when played. Stiction can also contribute to slippage as the tension would vary on playback due to the tape getting lightly 'stuck' to the opposing surface of the tape if stored for a long time.

If a tape has been stored 'Head first' ready to be played it should first be run fast forward through its entire length and then rewound before playing. This helps prevent stiction and the shedding of oxides that become bound to the wrong side of the tape during storage.

Storing tape for very long periods should be somewhere dry and cool preferably within something like a zip-lock bag to prevent moisture loss or additional ingress and away from any possible stray magnetic fields including close to large speaker drivers that are un-sheilded.

[Edit]

I should have added when thinking of storing a tape, it should be played forward its entire length to get to the tail out position rather than fast forwarded as that produces a flatter wind onto the open spool.

Ray.

emmrecs wrote on 1/11/2022, 4:19 AM

@g4bee

I do quite a lot of VHS to digital transfers for clients and, to add to the excellent advice that @CubeAce has given would suggest:
For picture noise, IMO by far the "best" tool for removing at least the majority of this is NeatVideo. It exists in two versions, Home and Pro (the principal difference is to do with the size of frame which can be handled) and there is a dedicated version of it for Magix products. It is not especially cheap, unfortunately, but there are a number of posters to this forum who use it quite regularly.

HTH

Jeff
Forum Moderator

AAProds wrote on 1/13/2022, 6:57 PM

@g4bee I will second Jeff's comments re noise reduction using Neat Video: it is amazing. I have experimented with denoising with Virtual Dub and seen some brilliant efforts of others using AVISynth, but for ease of use, Neat Video is the way to go. Hang the expense! It will turn virtually unwatchable videos into quite acceptable videos. It's very CPU-intensive, so expect slower encoding times (VHS renders on my i5 computer encode at ~5 frames a second).

Re your "slippage", I suspect you're talking about dodgy tracking, where the picture rolls, or you get a horizontal line of static on the screen. Your VCR might have the ability to manually adjust the tracking, probably using the Program or Channel buttons. To reset to auto tracking, eject and reload the tape. You need to fix that during capture; I doubt you'll be able to correct it post-capture.

g4bee wrote on 1/14/2022, 6:01 PM

Thank you all for your advice and comments. As I said the tapes have been badly stored (I forgot where I put them!!) but I'll certainly have a go at trying to get them wound better and I'm hoping to borrow a player which has manual tracking and see if that gives better results. Thanks for the tip on Neat Video .. lots of things to try thank you all for sharing your experiences.

AAProds wrote on 1/14/2022, 7:53 PM

@g4bee

Neat Video in action... This was a one-click analysis. There are many fine adjustments that can also be made. It also does a good job of countering cine film flicker.

A couple of tips for using Neat Video:

- select a consistent area such as a section of sky. It doesn't analyse as well if the area has lots of differing colours.

- In MEP, it won't select the frame that the Play marker is on first time round. Simply cancel it, then reselect the effect and the second time Neat video will display the same frame as the play marker.

John666 wrote on 2/28/2022, 2:49 AM

That's a great example of what it can do - thanks for sharing. I also recognised Ross from years ago!

I am just trialling MS-2022 so need to know if I'm sticking with Vegas or swapping over to MS. Fortunately Neat Video works with both.