How to Copy Family/Home Video Tapes (VHS, Betamax, Hi8, mini DV) to Digital - ElGato Video Capture

[@Maraksot78]

Wanna skip to a particular part of the video? Use the Time Stamps. :) Time Stamps 0:00 - want to convert your old analog video to digital? 0:15 - things you'll need 1:46 - The ElGato Video Capture, what's in the box? 2:38 - setting things up 3:26 - ElGato Video Capture software - Getting started 6:25 - converting analog video to digital 8:27 - Thanks for Watching! Like, Share, Comment & Subscribe! :)

[@tekcore6290]

You should take MiniDV out of the title, they are digital and should be capture via firewire. Not only it is easier, but also doesn't degrade the quality by converting it from digital to analog and back again to digital, like in this process.

[@alexslusher16]

Do you know if the Elgato Video Capture can copy Copyrighted Tapes? Say for example Star Wars or Pokemon. Thanks in advance.

[@tomkaufmann9064]

Thank you for the video. I purchased the equipment and easily transferred my videos onto my computer. Your detailed instructions made the process very easy. Now I have many cherished videos of my family stored safely on my computer and backup drive.

[@lioninguccisuit]

Hi i only got a very old camera , my parents one, and it brarely even charged.. so i only got the camera, should i just buy the cable from video and that's all i need?

[@Bama1963]

Absolutely you get what you pay for, I tried a couple of the low priced video converters and they were useless. I then bought the Elgato, I have converted at least 50 VHS and VHS-C using the Elgato and it has worked flawlessly. For what it does and it’s price it pays for itself many times over compared to sending your tapes off to some company to have them converted.

[@Peterkragger]

I love how the cookies works. I recently found some Mini DVs in my house, I searched for something to play them with, and this video popped up in my recommended

[@Crlarl]

Disregard this video. MiniDV should always be transferred over Firewire.

[@WhiteJarrah]

If your home movies are miniDV, you should use the camera's DV out port to capture a pure digital video signal. If you have a DVD recorder which has a DV input, you can connect the camera to the DVD recorder via firewire and transfer the footage as a clean digital signal. If you need to transfer the miniDV recordings to the computer, you should buy one of those HDMI Elgato cards. I use the Elgato Game Capture HD. There are some miniDV cameras with HDMI out. Alternatively, if your DVD recorder has a DV input and HDMI output, you can use that to capture a clean digital signal. This will preserve the quality of the miniDV. I have no hesitations using S-video to capture VHS, but for miniDV you should use either DV or HDMI.

[@RockinEnabled]

And if you have smth on DV medium, there might be a DV-in in your PC. That way, you can connect your DV-device directly to the PC and capture the stream. The only things you need here are the cable and the software. (no DV-in = you can get a DV adapter)

[@fueledbymusic3]

I use a windows Vista computer with the firewire hook up for my miniDV

[@Crlarl]

Unless you're recording 1:1, you're doing it wrong. DVDs don't have enough capacity to record an entire MiniDV tape. Recording from HDMI doesn't get any metadata nor does it separate different clips.

[@WhiteJarrah]

@@Crlarl What are you talking about? In standard play mode miniDV have a tape length of 1hr, in LP mode they record for 90minutes. All DVD recorders I've used have an XP mode which a record capacity of 1hr and an SP mode of 2 hours. The XP or SP mode is the quality most people would want.

[@Crlarl]

@@WhiteJarrah MiniDV will fill up 1GB in a bit under 5 minutes. A full 60 minute tape will be around 12GB and in LP, around 18 GB. If you're recording to DVD, you're re-encoding it in lower quality.

[@ShevillMathers]

The SCART connector is required for use with many European made recorders and players. They input or output Composite & Y/C video. Composite video is 240 lines - Y/C is 400 lines, almost twice the quality, use Y/C whenever possible for optimum quality. Google composite video vs Y/C video for a detailed comparison and tech specs. VHS is composite video, S-VHS is Y/C video, likewise Video8 is Composite format and Hi-8 is Y/C video format.

[@Crlarl]

S-Video doesn't have more resolution than composite for just the luma signal. As for chroma, S-Video is superior because it's not modulated into the luma signal and gives it much more bandwidth. VHS, S-VHS, Video8 and Hi8 all record separate luma and chroma. S-VHS and Hi8 just give more bandwidth (≈400 TVL) to the luma signal than their VHS and Video8 counterparts (≈240 TVL).

[@MichelleGia]

thank you so much for this video! ive been putting this off because i was dreading the process, but you made everything super clear and easy

[@JaredHudson7]

Thank you so much for making this video. I volunteer for the Southern Dirt Track Report and we video dirt track races and report on local dirt track races and do video interviews and more. I just recently got a older style Sony video 📹 camer that uses these little tapes. I'm videoing feature races and just purchased this elgato unit and I gotta say your video is very informative. It's helping me to transfer these to my pc. May God Bless you.

[@ACommenterOnYouTube]

i had one of these, not this brand but a brand from best buy that i used about 10 yrs ago to transfer the same MiniDV videos to my hard drive, done lost it, can't find it but thats ok. i was in my closet looking for something and found my Sony DCR-TRV11 MiniDV camcorder and found about 15 tapes ... Battery was dead obviously but it still works and plays back those 22 yr old tapes ...

[@cdv.8244]

Wow, great detailed video. Thanks so much. I will order the Elgato device and re-watch this video when I’m ready to transfer our home movies. Thanks so much. God bless.

[@lovesgadgets]

wow you have made a very daunting project i have been putting off for a decade seem very doable! thank you so very much

[@kas2388]

Appreciate the video man, keep up the great work! Can’t wait to digitize all my mini DV’s / VHS-C

[@Crlarl]

This is fine for VHS but don't do this for MiniDV. Transfer over Firewire to not destroy the quality.

[@byrnedes]

Clear concise explanation. Will use VHS physical holder for most recent digital tapes. However have old larger tapes from an older long lost camcorder and I guess will have to try and buy an equivalent old s/h camcorder to play back these tapes and convert.

[@JenteGoffinghs-yn4qe]

Very helpful video, keep it up!

[@bendowson3124]

It really irritates me when I see people using analogue video capture devices to convert Mini DV tapes. This means taking a digital video tape and converting it to an analogue signal and then back to digital, resulting in a loss in quality. Not only that, but if your Mini DV camcorder has an AV input, you can actually use it to digitise VHS or 8mm tapes. It just means connecting your VCR to the Mini DV camcorder and connecting your camcorder to your computer using a firewire cable and thunderport adapter. By doing this, you don't even need to get a USB capture device.

[@Crlarl]

Agreed. This video is just bad.

[@bendowson3124]

@@Crlarl It's not terrible, just uninformed. I actually have much more sympathy now for those who choose to convert Mini DV tapes in this way than I used to. When I first made this comment (which was later edited), I had incorrectly assumed that you could use a firewire to USB adapter to connect a camcorder to a computer. However, it turns out that firewire and USB are incompatible and that your only options are a thunderbolt adapter or a card that slots into your computer. However, many laptops nowadays don't have the option for either making them useless for this purpose. Given how popular Mini DV camcorders were during the 2000s, people really need to start making video capture devices with firewire inputs in addition to AV inputs. That way, those who don't have the right computer can still use the correct method to convert digital video tapes.

[@huey6000]

I imagine if you're just converting home videos though then slightly worse quality won't matter much :-)

[@ShravanParthasarathy]

I know I'm a bit late to the party, but thanks for the video! I've been in the process of digitizing some old photos and I'll keep this in mind when I get to the videos.

[@natashac6036]

What device did you use to digitize your photos?

[@ShravanParthasarathy]

@@natashac6036 just a plain old scanner, nothing special

[@MisterYeko]

The Scart adapter was used for the European TVs in order to use composite outputs.

[@marina95117]

Great, detailed video. Thank you for saving me hours of my time otherwise i would of spend trying to figure it out on my own.

[@sls4561]

This is going to make so many people happy!

[@red149]

I was looking for more technical information : bitrate , interlace/deinterlace, aspect ratio, resolution ... !

[@JohnHenrySoto]

Best video for doing this type of transfer! Thank you!!

[@RochesterTVArchive]

I'm sure results may vary depending on overall setup, but I experience significant sync drift with this device and software. I'm sure it works great for shorter lengths of video, but if you plan on backing up entire libraries of tapes (6 hours in length), I recommend using software that has more options for adjusting timing and resampling audio to fit the video.

[@kara2814]

So what software would you recommend? I have about 12 old 60min 8mm Sony camcorder tapes that I want to transfer onto my PC.

[@Bama1963]

I have converted 6 hour length tapes using Elgato with no problems

[@CJRussell]

Use OBS

[@gamechamp19]

Excellent video, Helping out a friend, this will be a great tutorial for him when I get his Elgato for him.

[@pacowonderful]

Hi. Thank You very much for this very good and instructive video. All is clear and well explained. Thank U for sharing this with us.

[@fueledbymusic3]

I use a windows Vista computer with a firewire hook up for mini DVs.

[@Crlarl]

You're doing it properly. This video is bad information.

[@rokc8782]

the scart input is more used in Europe that's why you guys in the US don't use it❤️ love the video.

[@Maraksot78]

Oh...ok. Haven't made it over to that side of the pond before. That makes sense why I've never seen it before. 😅

[@tekcore6290]

PLEASE, DON'T USE analog capture with MiniDV cameras. They are DIGITAL! They have a FireWire out, which is ment to be plugged to the pc and allows for DIGITAL TRANSFER, which is going to give you individual .avi files for each scene in the DV/DVCAM codec, like if you pulled them from an SD card camcorder. If you use the COMPOSITE or S-Video out, you will make the process more complicated and RUIN the quality. Whenever it says digital on the tape or camera, look for for the digital capture. Newer pc's don't have a firewire port, but you can get adaptors or, even better, a pci card for your desktop or an old laptop. Software-wise you can use WinDV, which is free, easy and the best I've used, but also Windows Movie Maker, Adobe Premiere, Pinnacle and camcorders proprietary softwares.

[@Crlarl]

WinDV or Scenalyzer are great options as they record 1:1 what's on tape, no conversion or compression. Recording via analog from DV is just plain incompetent.

[@irbananas]

I’ve used Elgato Video Capture for years and truly loved it. Unfortunately it no longer works with the new Silicon M1 or M2 Macs. Hopefully they can work out the compatibility problems. In the mean time, what would be the next best option for Mac users? Thanks.

[@MichaelSmith-xm7ll]

SIMPLE INSTRUCTION: Very good video tutorial ,to show how simple it can be to capture your old camcorder tapes and capture to a PC?

[@davidgold5961]

I have a current generation iPad mini in my vehicle for using Apple Maps and Google maps. I need a way to connect the analog video output from my backup camera to plug into the lightning cable. There will be no analog video signal unless I go in reverse, which turns on the camera. So the iPad mini should just automatically switch to that source when I am in reverse.

[@gabithemagyar]

Have you converted any longer (greater than 1 hour) VHS videos with ElGato ? Any problems with audio/video synchronization ?

[@shaniyam.francis3436]

Hi! Thank you for this! I have a jvc camcorder and everything is showing properly but on the play back it shows tbc and the sp how do I take that off?

[@MsMyra22]

Your video was the best I liked how you walked through everything

[@johnmustol8828]

Excellent overview. Nicely done.

[@Samxglez]

By any chance do you know if we can use a video capture that isn't elgato but still be using the elgato program???

[@Crlarl]

Unless you're recording through the Firewire/i.link port, you're just doing it wrong. There is no way to digitize MiniDV tape because it's already digital.

[@daverichards6557]

Really interesting video very informative. Thank you for educating me.

[@Ho-Ten]

Well understood, on my way to some memories!!

[@gregdrmax]

Approx. how many GB for say 1 hr of vhs tape? Watching your video looks like 60 min 1 gig. Trying to determine the size of flash drive I will need for maybe 30 tapes, and maybe 120 minutes each. Have old family tapes that I will just let record to the end (not keep an eye on) and then just trim the end of blank space. Thank you kindly for any info.

[@filiplou74]

Another approach would be to use a FireWire to FireWire or thunderbolt cable. Just need to make sure you have those ports

[@StyleRecordGroupcom]

once you have captured , how do you upscale it to HD.

[@timisaacs9583]

Excellent video, worked like a dream first time, thank you :)

[@renemies78]

Thanks so much for the review and for the step by step process. I have some VHS tapes I want to transfer and unfortunately have purchased crappy Converters that don't work or have audio issues where the audio is out of synch with the video. So I'm going to be purchasing this item to transfer videos. I do have a quick question. Why would you use the analogue connections and transfer a digital video like that? Thanks again.

[@Crlarl]

I think it's due to apathy. Firewire is the only way to transfer DV. By using analog, you may as well have recorded on VHS.

[@Dim.X]

2:47 why not transfer raw footage via FireWire since it’s digital video? 🤷‍♂️

[@imyhomemovies3636]

Hello! My Elgato does not have PREFERENCES. How do I get this?

[@rioborzeli147]

Thanks in 202@ lol. Yes I bought my Video capture from Best buy, lucky they still sell it lol. Funny how fast things change . All hi8 to be put to digital files.

[@garleto]

Nice video. I wonder if you can make a video about converting tapes from the JVC through Elgato video capture. I’m having an issue with hooking the camera to my Win laptop. Can’t seem to get the proper cables. Thanks for any help.

[@pecunia1701]

Hi , Once I record to the Hard Drive can I transfer to a memory stick ? Thank you

[@syedshehzad8149]

Sir pls advice that what are best for video capture from VCR 1-elgato capture usb 2-easycap capture usb if output movie size are same in both stuffs so what i chose

[@chrispickrell4027]

Hi there , Legato video was helpful however can you trim segments of the video ie crop or is trim only available at the beginning and end of the video?. Thank you.

[@goatmen7996]

i use fire wire

[@Hunger3Love]

Thanks for great video! Please specify, when digitizing VHS, the mp4 file ends up with a PAL 576 lines vertical resolution or only with a poorer NTSC 480 quality? 30 or 25?

[@ChrisPriceCars]

I've just bought this but unfortunately my VCR only has 2 RCA holes so I can only hear the audio of the video, not the picture. My pack didn't come with the adapter - would a SCART Adaptor AV Block To 3 RCA Phono Composite S-Video With In/Out Switch rectify this so I can plug in all 3 RCAs into the Scart adapter? Many thanks

[@CookyMonzta]

I have over 200 VHS tapes dating back to 1986 (I went to DVD recording in 2008); and assuming my tapes are not badly degraded, the sooner I get an acceptable refurbished VHS player or recorder, I plan to turn all of my tapes into digital files. Do I risk losing _too much_ video quality from the original if I convert all of my VHS material to DivX? I don't particularly have any use for a 10GB AVI event if it can be compressed to 2GB or smaller without losing too much visual quality.

[@Nine4Eternal]

When I plug the el gato to my computer, nothing happens? Can you help with this? I don’t get anything come up for me to install the program

[@marlarice]

I recoreded a few 5 min. Clip and my audio does not sync. How can I prevent this?

[@atul2363]

SIR NAMSAKAR MUJH PAR SONY DCR HC 32 E HANDYCAM HAI KYA YEH SUPPORT KAREGA MAI INDIA SE HU PL .ANSWER THANKS

[@mom2jlar]

Great video!! Thank you so much.

[@Maraksot78]

You're welcome. Glad it was helpful! 🙂

[@reactionfunnyfunny]

this was a great video thank you I don't usually comment

[@joeysevn8331]

Hey, thank you so much for this video, is this software compatible for the newest Mac? macOSmonterey ? 12.4 ?

[@gopherbar]

Great video I have an old Easycab video capture cable which is now about as much use as tits on a fish. So I bought one of these

[@bekind0919]

Very helpful! Thank you!

[@TinLeadHammer]

Does it pass through interlaced video, or does it deinterlace? Can you choose whether to deinterlace or not? Does it deinterlace to 30p or 60p?

[@TheFrenchChef]

great video very informative _ i was looking to replace my video mate c200 but for windows 7 - but i have windows 10 - you convince me to gete elgado -thank

[@ruthnmike1]

Very well done, thanks for the video

[@outdoorslackers1449]

there is no audio on my Elgato. How to fix it?

[@franciscoxochical149]

Will this work on a Samsung scL810 camcorder?

[@victoriastatz6844]

I do not have composite audio video cable that came with the camcorder. Is this something I can buY? If so, is that what I'd shop for, "audio-video cable" and is it universal to all camcorders?

[@Anglynn74]

will this download for Elgato work with a Windows 7 desktop pc? I just bought the video adapter cable & an external hard drive so that I can capture my old VHS home movies onto my PC, I was going to use OBS but it sounds like OBS is only for Win 8 and up.

[@lioninguccisuit]

Can you help me what should i do with my minidv, i got very old one, with my pets that died years ago and my grand parents, i would like to keep their memory on a 2TB hhd.. so i keep trying to find ways to take the recod from old formats to my pc.

[@Crlarl]

You need to transfer it over Firewire. Don't listen to anything in this video. WinDV on Windows or QuickTime on Mac.

[@roryreinbold3363]

My camera has svideo but the audio in doesn't support the elgato chords is there a different way to get the audio to work on a Sony camera

[@lisakelly3849]

Thank you! My Mom passed away and I’m keen to transfer videos…does the software work with window 10? Thanks again

[@Nightrain76]

Can a Microsoft surface handle this program? The El Gato program doesn’t have any chance of giving you a virus or anything?

[@hessamhessami1772]

Thank you so much!

[@berlindabahnam6044]

Hi, how do you think Elgato compares to a Dazzle* Video Creator for quality when transferring H8 videos? Thank you

[@conniescicluna1677]

Why can't I capture my own family video I took myself ,? Every time I try it tells me you can't record this video is copyright

[@Hunger3Love]

Does connecting via S-video or RCA give better video quality?

[@wherebluemeetsgreenoutdoors]

Hi from Oz ! My Sony HandyCam simply has a yellow and black output cords ? I was surprised when I opened the old case.... will this still work ? Cheers.

[@remcolourenz3609]

thank you very much for this tutorial,yours was the most simple one to follow because you did it zonder slap geouwehoer. last few words are dutch.

[@Peterkragger]

I have a question. Does this software works with different video captures? The Elgato one is a bit too expensive for me

[@Maraksot78]

As far as I know the software only works with the elgato capture device. Other capture devices will most likely have their own software too.

[@Crlarl]

You can use software like OBS Studio or VirtualDub. They give you much more control.

[@marisollopez4804]

Quick question. My camcorders display window no longer shows picture but I can still watch the video through the eye piece. Do you think this will be a problem when trying to transfer it to a digital file ?

[@atiradeon4671]

This capture device is great the old analog video formats for VHS, VHS-C, S-VHS, Beta, but i don't know why not buy one used HDD/DVD recorder? All can recording with DV input.

[@RockinEnabled]

DVRs' DVD-drives don't age well. My DVR has lots of recordings which I can't drag out of it only because the drive is dead. Otherwise, DVR are a nice tool.

[@sanaullahkhankhattak3518]

Sir hw to i8 file converted normal video like Mp4 avi...

[@loispratt143]

Excellent! 👍🏼

[@nusratsdiary9679]

Dear friend I have purchased the device and tried to convert my vcr cassette to my laptop but the problem I faced is that the video being run on laptop doesn't show colors and is black and white. Please help to resolve the issue. Nusrat Khan from Pakistan.

[@TheReptain]

will this work with elgato hd aswell?

[@griseld]

My cassettes are perfect when watched on TV, but when using a usb capture like this the video is shown with greenish interference, any ideas?

[@cliffsands8343]

Do you know if this works with Windows 10 because I have read reviews that are confusing to it's compatibility. Thanks!

[@A1cine]

wait, where did that black s video output come from? I didn't see it come in the elgato box, did I miss something?

[@adriaancamambert1971]

Is it compatibee with windows 10 and 11?

[@erich434]

I have a bunch of old Betamax tapes my dad gave me to digitize, but I don't have a Beta VCR/player. Can I rent one somewhere?

[@jenniferpochy2071]

Great video! This is not working for me. Could it be the Apple M1 chip or Monterey? Sent an e-mail to Elgato but waiting for a response.

[@Emily-lo2do]

What’s the camcorder used in this video?

[@coreysoto]

Does this work on an M1 Mac? Seems like a lot of these devices do not have drivers for the newer Macs.

[@TheUKRifter]

thanks - very useful

[@rapteakewl]

Thanks for the great video! Small question, I have a Sony Handycam Vision with only black and yellow output (one for video and one for audio, I'm assuming one for audio and not two because its only 1 channel) You have any idea if this product will support it? I'm assuming it will but I wanna verify before I purchase one :)

[@claymiller]

Yellow is always video, and the black is mono audio. In this case you plug the black into the white input on the Elgato cable, and you don't worry about the red one.

[@toejam9372]

Does this require .net framework 3.5 to be installed? If so, will it work with other/newer versions of .net framework installed? This assumes Win 10 as the base os.

[@daber2000]

#Maraksot78 if I have a vhs with composite output and i get a composite to hdmi adaptor, will the translation of the original vhs tape be better when digitizing?

[@keithaguirre4927]

thanks that was helpful

[@felixsummer4130]

Hi there, this model is no longer in Amazon. Any idea where to find it?