2024 How To Convert Old Camcorder Tapes to Digital : Cloner Box Pro HDML

[@gregghernandez2714]

Seems to do a great job. There doesn't appear to be any artifacts or ghosting in the final video. I remember wanting one of those cameras when I was younger (62 years old now) but they were well out of my price range. That is back in the day when Sony was King. I loved their products. I still have one of their CRT TVs in my garage, and it is so hard for me to get rid of because the picture quality is just so darn good. I have a ROKU box hooked up to it, and it works just fine. These boxes seem to be a bit more expensive than some of the knock offs that are out there, but if you are going to be doing a bit of archiving, I would rather buy something with a good build quality. Also I have contacted the company with some questions I had, and they answered me almost immediately. Great customer service.

[@woosheroes494]

Appreciate your time and effort. Very helpful. Thank you.

[@databits]

Welcome

[@realmakeup87]

Thank you, I hope I am able to do it. Will be an amazing Christmas gift for my parents. Memories are priceless❤

[@kyoudaiken]

I'm currently working on "Project Diana" which is to conserve video tapes or other analog video sources onto a file that represents the analog signal. I only specified the file format yet. It will be having 4 quality steps with bitrates of 6, 12, 16 and 32 MByte per second. Next step is finding an affordable USB 3.0 oscilloscope with at least 20 MHz bandwidth. This is to be able to run AI on those signals to restore image quality or just being able to restore image quality later when technology further progressed because the original analog signal can be 1:1 reproduced as it was before.

[@kyoudaiken]

@Crashdance22 No, never heard of it. What's their approach?

[@kyoudaiken]

@Crashdance22 My file format has exactly the bandwidth to do that! It just lacks the hardware specifications but you can just use a 20 MHz oscilloscope via USB to just store the raw data. It can be synced and reformatted later into my file format which is optimized for fast seeking. Then you need software to decode the color information and synchronize the lines onto the screen while deinterlacing it with the "bob" algorithm, which comes closest to how CRTs did the rendering of the video. I will publish my file format specification soon in Github as the readme.md in the project. Maybe UK wants to use my file format which is extremely simple and straightforward. How can I contact them?

[@maxtheax]

How is it coming along?

[@kyoudaiken]

@@maxtheax Still didn't find appropriate ADC hardware unfortunately...

[@youbecha64]

I have tried a lot of things...but my go to at my desktop computer is a DV cam with firewire out and video in...using the free DV capture software, it works like a charm.

[@stevenhubbard8445]

Me too. FireWire on mine preserves the quality - vs going through composite like this (yuck).

[@databits]

Most of the retro video on my channel was captured either by a D8 Camera with firewire out or my RCA DVR/DVD-R. I always liked the D8 camera captured quality.

[@hairboy75]

Sorry but your step dad was grumpy af during this priceless moment for you.

[@Gord.Stewart]

haha. funny

[@johnschiffmannjr822]

I have everything I think except a laptop do I need to buy a certain type? I just want to upload all my movies to KZbin for my family to watch , I have 70 plus 8 mm tapes that need tons of editing help please

[@databits]

Any Core i7 laptop will work fine.

[@cemsengul16]

I captured all my Hi8 and mini DV with firewire cable and saved them DV AVI with Premiere Pro. I figured I should capture my precious memories in bit perfect form for when tapes eventually die.

[@johnschiffmannjr822]

How?? Lol

[@cemsengul16]

@@johnschiffmannjr822 Well I bought a firewire card for my desktop on Amazon. Shit still works haha. I first captured my tapes in raw DV AVI then I deinterlaced them with Avisynth and upscaled the videos frame by frame with GigaPixel and now they look better on digital then they ever did on tape.

[@Gord.Stewart]

@@cemsengul16 You need to make a tutorial on that, mate!

[@thebuzz3190]

Man WE need a tutorial on this please !!!!

[@kecall]

This is such a helpful video! I have the same video camera, and just want a simple way to transfer all my tapes. Thank you for making such a detailed video! Just wondering....now that 3 years have passed, would you still recommend the Cloner Box Pro?

[@databits]

Glad this video was helpful to you. Yes, I have kept and continue to use the cloner box pro for many projects, including captures for my videos on KZbin! It appears they no longer sell the one that has the analog inputs though.

[@graay]

@@databits I have just bought the Cloner Alliance Pro a week ago (January 2023) and it indeed has the analogue inputs for composite, Component, VGA, and of course HDMI.

[@DavidGilesColorado]

I have the same question and it is 2023

[@emmettturner9452]

I only get left-channel audio when I watch the recording on a Galaxy Note9 ( 9:31 )

[@josericardogs1435]

Me too, Galaxy J7 Prime

[@maxpowers2168]

Same in my Mac, but I guess was originally recorded in mono or the cable from clone to Handyman it's faulty.

[@databits]

I found that after I played it in my car. Apparently my cable is faulty as Max mentioned.

[@xavierzander4201]

@@databits HDMI sound channel fault ?

[@johnschiffmannjr822]

How do you edit video??

[@databits]

Try Microsoft Movie Maker, it’s free.

[@mickyjb2003]

Great vlog,Thankyou.

[@databits]

You’re welcome 😊

[@hubert-williams3379]

Nice, How about audio causetts digitizing

[@databits]

This unit also does audio capture but cheaper to get a usb to rca adapter.

[@nticompass]

Do everyone's parents just have the same CorningWare set?

[@musicmonkey7676]

Yes, mine too.

[@databits]

Yes, my wife and I still use CorningWare plates and bowls!

[@slwtgf]

NTICompass Computers , haha..and a majority back when seem to have the same interior deco taste/style, too! Many Garage sales seem to sport the wares straight from our 70-80’s home, the art 🖼 pictures wall decoration are identical hehe

[@pHD77]

Did the device record interlaced (59.976i) or did it convert the video to 59.976p?

[@maxmustardman298]

I think the codec used here allows for deinterlaced playback, but it doesn't deinterlace by itself. Could be seen as a downside to those instant capture devices.

[@derrynj]

I presume the output file was in 4:3 and your editing software stretched it to 16:9?

[@BilisNegra]

Or it might have been the box itself. We can see it has an aspect ratio menu item, but I don't know if it applies to capture or just the HDMI output to the TV/monitor. Since the remote has direct option keys on screen aspect ratio, guess there's a chance that the menu item does apply to capture, but, well, might have had the wrong setting in this case (I'll tag stretching as a mistake any day).

[@derrynj]

@@BilisNegra I'd hope the creators are more intelligent than that... that said it does scream Chinese junk, well the menu does anyway.

[@BilisNegra]

@@derrynj Yes, the menu does. The whole unit being china crap would be a matter of concern, as it is not that cheap at 150-200 buck. The capture looks quite good, apparently, but it's true we lack a side by side comparison to judge.

[@databits]

I didn't change the aspect ratio for the recording process, it may be possible to capture it in 4:3 but figured most amateur folk would wonder why there are black bars on the sides.

[@jeandivine3]

On their website, Cloner Alliance indicates that the unit can record 720x480 when controlled from a PC which is the correct resolution to record 4:3 without sidebars. Just thought I would mention that for people who came hear searching for an answer to this, who don't want to stretch the picture.

[@sei3036]

Hello! How do you put the timestamp on the video itself? Like when you export it into mp4 its shows in the video the time and date. Thank you!

[@bridgetjnesbitt7186]

is there a simliar device but a bit cheaper? i wont be using the device often.. just want to get a few 8mm transferred and hate to spend that money on this product..

[@Gord.Stewart]

good question. I am looking also. I am sure there is just for old movie quality. Let me know what you find.

[@williamwilliam9993]

Can cloner alliance box capture video game console and as an alternative to elgato

[@veryveryvonfused]

Great advert very helpful. I am going to have a chat on my towns Facebook and see if we can buy it as a group and just pass it on.

[@databits]

It’s a terrific product. I still use it all the time!

[@alexwhite504]

Hello! Thank you so much for making this video! I have about 40-50 home movies from my birth till about 10 years old and have never seen them and want to convert! Is there any way to do this if I no longer have the camera?? AND if I can get my hands on one, instead of a flash drive, can it be plugged into a computer Instead?

[@NOTALWAYSRUDY]

My camera was stolen and unfortunately I only have the tapes left. Is there any chance that I can do it?

[@mcramp20]

Nice device review !!!

[@databits]

Thanks Mike.

[@grugruu]

My SONY cam is dead :/ I'm looking for a device to read the cassettes so I can digitize them... or should I try to find the same camera?

[@databits]

Just buy another camera off eBay.

[@80sretrogamergamingarchive90]

Could u plug in a old consoul?

[@nticompass]

As long as it has the yellow, red and white plugs, then yeah.

[@databits]

Should work great. Then you could wear a mic and narrate your play as you record.

[@80sretrogamergamingarchive90]

databits retro tech sounds like a plan if their cheap 😀👍

[@80sretrogamergamingarchive90]

databits retro tech pahahaha not at 150 uk pounds it’s not cheep your better of getting a second hand elgato for 40-50 pounds

[@RailRide]

@@80sretrogamergamingarchive90 Does the Elgato do composite? If he's hooking up an old console, that will be his only output. I have the Elgato Game Capture HD and it only does HDMI or component (RGB+audio) inputs.

[@aflyingsailor6412]

Wow, this is very informative! I went to look for the item to purchase and I saw the Cloner Alliance flint 4KP plus. Is this an upgraded version of the cloner alliance plus?

[@databits]

aa flyingsailor - they released a new 4K version and asked me to review it but I don’t own a 4K TV so I declined. I really enjoy the one I reviewed. Expensive, but the results are superb!

[@xavierzander4201]

@@databits I guess the only downside is that it will also "records" the side bars, when the aspect ratio is set correctly to 4:3

[@ThriftyAV]

If the goal is to transfer VHS, SVHS, Video8, or Hi8, and a computer is available, there are much less expensive options for creating shareable digital files. For example, DIGITNOW sells a USB capture device for 6.25% the cost of this HDML Cloner Box Pro. While it's nice to have the HDMI, VGA and component inputs, the HDML Cloner Box Pro lacks S-Video inputs, an interface superior to composite found on SVHS and Hi8 devices. The Cloner Box makes more sense for someone needing a standalone unit to capture 1080p/30 or 720p/60, or the supported VGA resolutions.

[@xavierzander4201]

The computer will always be the failpoint somehow, the computer will be a variable "strongpoint" capture outside the computer is better, less failpoints….

[@ThriftyAV]

@@xavierzander4201 Stand alone capture devices offer convenience & portability, and most I have tested have been reliable. My comment from three years ago had to do with cost, and was aimed at viewers on a tight budget. Fortunately, the price for a stand-alone capture device has dropped over the past couple of years, but USB EZCap devices are still less expensive.

[@vintagelife3504]

Do you know of any cheaper ways of doing this

[@databits]

Yes, but the quality will suffer. There are VHS capture devices for less than $30.

[@xavierzander4201]

@@databits these devices will give audio sync problems, the Cloner is great, it's worth it's money. shame about s-video though...

[@reticulan5]

You should plug it into the component plugs. Much higher quality.

[@rjoyhelvie]

So, based on a few vids you have, you seem to be based in the St. Louis area...? Would you happen to know of/have any recommendations for professional home video transfer companies in the area? We have 20+ VHS tapes that are all from the early 90s that we want to get transferred, and we'd love to be able to send our tapes somewhere in the same state as us (my mom's super protective of the videos and doesn't want them lost in the mail).

[@databits]

www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=vhs+to+dvd+conversion&find_loc=St.+Louis%2C+MO

[@DDLTex]

Thanks for the info

[@HuskyDog88]

Where can I get my hands on that core alliance device? I need that.

[@databits]

Check the description of this video.

[@KingswinfordHalt]

Can these methods be applied to PAL system as Im in the United Kingdom and want to do 40 Hi8 tapes.

[@databits]

Don’t have an answer. Someone else may chime in.

[@Max_Payn3]

I saw in another video that the software had an option to select PAL and others I believe most should have that .

[@DavidGilesColorado]

I bought a sharp HI8 camera to convert my movies to digital. Question .....is this method still the best way? So yea I can get that hardware just wondering if maybe there is a better way fast forwarding to 2023.

[@randersonctr77]

Hello data bits. Love this channel! I just bought a Hitachi reel to real video recorder from 1968 and it has the same hookups as the Sony reel to reel recorder you demonstrated a while back. But you never showed in that video how to connect it to record something or to play to a TV. Would you mind posting a comment about how you hooked it up to play to the TV and to record?

[@databits]

Hi Russell, I bought two UHF to RCA converter cables. I found them at a local mom/pop electronics shop.

[@databits]

Something like this should do the trick: amzn.to/32JO22A

[@randersonctr77]

Thank you so much!!!!

[@crashbandicoot4everr]

@@databits Yeah. The old PL-259 connectors. I have some early Beta and VHS VCRs that use this connector for video input and output.

[@affordkohomes6607]

I really need this

[@rhauf1]

When capturing long videos with this device (1 hour or more) are there any issues with audio drift (not staying in sync)? I've tried a number of methods to capture and always seem to have audio drift.

[@databits]

I had this problem many times when transferring with a computer via software. This is not typically a problem with a hardware-based capture system.

[@xavierzander4201]

@@databits an atvantage to that is, that it's compressed in real time into h.264, and does not get slowed downed by by slow HDD's

[@breakingbadatron8874]

Have you ever used a sandisk vmate?

[@databits]

I have not tried a Sandisk yet.

[@breakingbadatron8874]

Check out the vmate if you can, the last firmware is lost online, but I managed to get get a copy saved, its older tech, but I've been pretty happy with it for the last few years

[@Gord.Stewart]

you should do a review on it!

[@francinepeters3327]

I connected everything and it didn’t work. Can you show what you connected to the tv please

[@databits]

I’m sorry. The HDMI out goes to the TV.

[@tinavanhoosier8001]

What if there is not sound playing from the camcorder? Will there be no sound on the recorded version? I have some tapes that were recorded on a different camcorder that broke so I purchase a different one to transfer tapes by the tapes have on sound with the new camcorder.

[@islamabadphotos3873]

Good video but here are confussion. 90s handycams was make STANDARDS DEFINATION (SD)videos who was in: 720 x 576 Now EASYCAP also have maximum 720 x 576 capture ability. My question is that is ths urs described device can increase Default 720 x 576 resolation..?

[@xavierzander4201]

720x576 is PAL digital resolution 720x480 is NTSC resolution(DVD)… my guess is the Cloner converts directly to progressive, but the Cloner captures to (full?)HD, this resolution format is widescreen, (stretched) TV those times were 4:3 aspect ratio, the Cloner with aspect ratio16:9 puts the 4:3 in the middle of that, the Cloner has a maximum resolution of 1920x1080 ?

[@piratk]

Nice stuff! But will it record HDMI with HDCP? And will it record fancy audio streams?

[@databits]

That wasn't the focus of my video, there are likely plenty of other reviews on this same product which test this. I will test this soon though! :)

[@RailRide]

Others have said that you can reset the input to bypass HDCP if the device throws an error code. It might be described in the Amazon listing.

[@MicahLoewen]

really helpful thanks!

[@databits]

No problem!

[@karldiamond9722]

I’m looking at getting something similar. Did it save the files on the usb drive as mp4 files?

[@kyoudaiken]

I think this thing creates digital cam corder like AVCHD files, like either .mov or .mp4 container files with H.264 video and AAC-LC audio multiplexed inside it.

[@wii1245]

KYŌDɅI KΞN so you can use it on Sharefactory?

[@kyoudaiken]

@@wii1245 I don't know what that is. But you can share on Google Drive, KZbin, OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud,...

[@wii1245]

KYŌDɅI KΞN it is a video editing app on the PS4. Very useful to create such awesome videos.

[@databits]

Yes.

[@atracamoniusvlogs]

Darabits to dubai expo memories and archive

[@williamwilliam9993]

Can cloner alliance box pro used as a upscaler for video game?

[@databits]

This might be worth trying although there may be some lag/latency.

[@morleyadama6215]

we don't have the camera anymore, does Walmart do digitalization?

[@databits]

Grab a camera used off eBay.

[@AstroRef68]

On digital you never can avoid shake pick when focus is going left to the right Analog never will be replace

[@williamwilliam9993]

Can cloner alliance box pro used to upscale retro game console to hdtv?

[@databits]

Yes

[@RemiDupont]

Neat little box, better than using a VHS to DVD unit then rip the DVD on the PC... Hey, how about a behind the scene, would be nice to see how you do.

[@databits]

Hi Remi: I'm not sure what you mean "how I do"? Just how I'm doing?

[@RemiDupont]

@@databits Oups! My bad, I meant how you create your content (research, the equipment you use, where you find all those awesome devices and retro-tech).

[@joshstollery9358]

what if u don't have anything but tape?

[@veryveryvonfused]

May be buy a video recorder on eBay and once you've finished sell it - that's what I am going to do.

[@xavierzander4201]

wait for a miracle….

[@emrekaplan5737]

Which year is footage from? So sweet :)

[@AllenFreemanMediaGuru]

He said 1994.

[@Solvation55]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!

[@databits]

You're welcome Laker!

[@celtics2008champs1]

for what it can do it is a very good price...PROBLEM !!! I connected all the parts just as you did but I don't see it on my tv screen. Hit the 720P button on remote and says what yours did on the bottom, but NO video yet ?? SOLUTION ???????

[@databits]

Did you work past this?

[@sumandhungana959]

In which Resolution Does Device Record from Hi8 Or Dv8 ?

[@xavierzander4201]

Widescreen.

[@TommieDavenport]

my question is what if you don't have an 8mm camcorder, what can you, I thought there was a VHS tape converter to transfer it to DVD.. ending how can i transfer the 8mm tape if i dont have a 8mm camera

[@databits]

If your source is 8 mm tape, you must have an 8 mm playback system of some sort. Either a camcorder or a 8 mm VCR.

[@TeamDeane]

couldn't find the Camcorder used in this video with link you provided :(

[@TheMagpyeTrader]

No S-Video? Darn, my Hi8 camera can do S-Video output and it looks amazing.

[@CEzikMaj]

Mine too. Even more stupid fact is that in the new TVs there is no composite or headphone jack.

[@RailRide]

I thought the same thing when I considered I have all my analog video (including a couple of game consoles) routed through S-Video cables to a switch box...which after looking at my setup in the next room I realized the output then runs into a Kanex Pro S-Video/Composite to HDMI converter. So there are solutions to the S-Video dilemma.

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

What about a ATI/AMD RADEON AIO Wondercard with builtin TV-Tuner which plugs into two slots inside your System unit one for the graphics card it's self and the other half card for the AV I/O card and you can save all your videos to your computer hard drive and then burn the video files to a DVD disc using Nero Burning ROM should run under Microsoft Windows 10, mp4 files will burn to disc as Quicktime media files.

[@staciafrench1471]

Will this work with PAL?

[@xavierzander4201]

yes

[@JacobLaurenzana]

First! Love your videos :)

[@databits]

Hi Jacob!

[@charleneh8084]

Great 👍 sadly my Sony video camcorder is broke

[@islamabadphotos3873]

Very sad

[@Gord.Stewart]

I looked on ebay and advertised on local marketplace. Lots of people have them collecting dust. I got one for 50 bucks, a Sony complete system. Perfect.

[@theannoyedmrfloyd3998]

I record my video onto DVD with my Maggie recorder. ;)

[@STRUMMERBOY1975]

Hi ! I have the exact same camcorder as you do in your video...Here is my issue.. I have 8mm and Hi8 tapes that I recorded with my Sony Digital Movie Camera which is no longer operational...So I took out my other Sony Cam..which is 8mm Hi 8 Analog,but my digital tapes won't playback.... So, is there any way I can transfer my tape footage using my analog camcorder to my computer with some sort of a digital video adapter etc.? Thanks !!

[@Gord.Stewart]

Hi, Did you figure out the issue?

[@xavierzander4201]

No, you really need a Digital8 player/camcorder, advantage is you can do your transfer by Firewire of all your tapes, Video8,Hi8, Digital8

[@vintagelife3504]

It's too bad it's high-priced

[@xavierzander4201]

you get what you pay for, any cheap options will have results you don't like, or you need a lot of efforts to try and make some watchable results, there's no grey area

[@CommodoreFan64]

$160 bones is the only real problem I have with this method.

[@julienalexandre12]

do you know about a cheaper option?

[@CommodoreFan64]

@@julienalexandre12 search easycap, you can find them for as cheap as $6 on eBay, just make you point a small fan at them or they can run rather warm. Also if you search for Dazzle USB capture cards you can find them on the regular used for under $20. I've had both show up in Cheese for Linux as generic input devices, they will take any analog source, and convert it to digital.

[@julienalexandre12]

@@CommodoreFan64 thanks so much

[@CommodoreFan64]

@@julienalexandre12 Anytime. 😃

[@julienalexandre12]

Commodorefan64 notice that Easycap comes with software for pc. Is there a way to use it for new Mac operating systems or should I look into emulator

[@jessemeadows6511]

Hi

[@timbigger1731]

It's 189 quid!!!!!

[@databits]

Yup. It’s a solid investment.

[@jesse5389]

JESSEROBINSON😀

[@ze2004]

s-video its better for that camera

[@imtrex521]

170 bucks. Sure. Get real.

[@MiamiMillionaire]

And the Price ?

[@pHD77]

There's a link to Amazon in the description of the video.

[@CommodoreFan64]

$160 USD. That's the only issue I have with this method.