capturing vhs and importing to fcp
 

hello,

i am trying to use the limited resources that i have to capture vhs footage from a vcr to my computer using my gl2. the footage will be edited in FCP and i am not sure how to go about capturing the vhs stuff.

any help?

thanks

Jerry,

unless you have something like an AJA IO to convert analog to digital, the simplest thing to do is to connect the VHS deck to the GL2 with an AV cable and record your VHS footage to a MiniDV tape then capture as usual with FCP.

you have a few options: Dub the VHS footage to DV [from the VHS VCR to the Camera], or if the Camera has inputs, run the audio and video through the camera and capture through firewire. Keep in mind that you will not have deck control using this option.

-paul.

There are several moderately priced analog to digital convertors with FireWire out. Sony, Canopus and Dazzle are several that I can think of off hand.

A:
Go from VHS to mini-DV tape.
Then capture from that mini-DV tape.
The advantage is that you can easily recreate your project by re-capturing from the mini-DV tape with exact timecode (this is for archival).

B:
Go from VHS and use "capture now" in Final Cut. Check the time limit- you can disable it or set it to however long your VHS is.
Set your camcorder to convert from analog / A/V --> DV (not the other way around, which it can also do).

The Canon cameras don't allow for the video to passthru, so the VHS must be dubbed first.

Also, Avoid Dazzle like the plague. They just plain dont' work on a mac. The Canopus ADVC-100 is the most rock solid converter out there. $269.

I have a Dazzle at home that works with my Macs just fine and the school I teach at has several Dazzles that also work fine with the Macs.

sorry to bring this post back but i cannot for the life of me figure this out.


I have my gl2 with the AV in/out cords plugged into the television which is playing the vhs that i want to record and in the VCR mode of my camera nothing is happening, it is just blue.

I have tried putting the AV cords into the VCR deck and the back of the TV to no avail.

I am on a super tight deadline so I would really appreciate your help

Connect the AV cable to the VHS VCR video and audio Outputs and connect the other end of the cables to the video and audio inputs on your camera. Put the camera into the record mode (consult your owners manual to determine the proper buttons to push and the proper sequence.) Press play on the VHS VCR. Make sure the tape inserted into the camera is record enabled and the record tab is not in the wrong position.

thanks for the prompt reply jeff.
unfortunately, i could not find anything in the gl2 owners manual about how to put it into record mode. do you use a gl2?