Lines in digitized VHS

MovieEditorr wrote on 12/18/2025, 7:00 AM

Operating system: Windows 11 Pro
Device: Magix Video Saver! 2022 (8546KA1)

When I digitize old VHS cassettes. The quality is poor. Espesially in blue sky there is lines (see screenshot).

When I watch same cassette with same VHS recorder from TV there is no those lines and quality is much better.

Is my Video Saver broken or something? The quality has been like that from the beginning.

Comments

SP. wrote on 12/18/2025, 9:03 AM

@MovieEditorr Did you deinterlace the recorded footage? Analog video images are saved in lines and only contain half of the full video frame. Each frame switches back and forth between even- and odd numbered lines.

So, if you didn't deinterlace the lines, they are out of sync 1 frame and become annoyingly visible.

Do you have a CRT TV? VHS looks much better on those because of the way the screen works. It also could be that the signal on the tape weakend over the years and the TV boost it while the grabber might not boost the signal.

MovieEditorr wrote on 12/18/2025, 1:38 PM

Do you have a CRT TV?

Full HD LCD TV with Scart.

It also could be that the signal on the tape weakend over the years and the TV boost it while the grabber might not boost the signal.

The problem also applies to other VHS tapes.

AAProds wrote on 12/18/2025, 3:12 PM

@MovieEditorr

I doubt that it is the digitiser. You'll notice the yellow banding in the sky; that will be caused either by poor tape quality or the VCR, so I think the lines are probably caused by the same issue. You could try cleaning the VCR heads. This is a good guide.

@SP.

I doubt that it is interlacing jaggies; you probably wouldn't see them on a plain area such as the sky. They would, of course, show up on edges of objects which are moving.

MovieEditorr wrote on 12/19/2025, 5:42 AM

I doubt that it is the digitiser. You'll notice the yellow banding in the sky; that will be caused either by poor tape quality or the VCR, so I think the lines are probably caused by the same issue.

I just tried another VCR by Samsung and the quality is much better! Maybe video grabbers are not compatible with all VCR models.

It also could be that the signal on the tape weakend over the years and the TV boost it while the grabber might not boost the signal.

@johnebaker Maybe next model of MAGIX Video Saver should include signal booster? This could be accomplished with two USB cables, one for power and one USB 3.0 for data transfer. For example, external DVD drives use two USB cables.

johnebaker wrote on 12/19/2025, 7:37 AM

@MovieEditorr

The better quality from the second VCR, suggests the other one has either worn heads, and/or misalignment as I posted in my comment which has disappeared (!!).

. . . . Maybe next model of MAGIX Video Saver should include signal booster . . . .

With respect to the converter, its power consumption is within the capapbilities of a single USB 2 port which can supply 2.5W maximum, the capture device, depending on the internal converter chip, requires < 1.5 W, so adding another power cable would be of no benefit for boosting the signal output of the VCR which is set at 1 Volt peak to peak for the SCART output, this is the same for all VCR's.

VHS analog and digital video resolutions do not have a direct relationship, however both PAL and NTSC VHS theoretical resolutions are lower than the equivalent standard DVD resolutions of 720x576px and 720x480px. This along with a framerate of 25 or 30 fps means the data rate from the converter is well within the capabilities of USB 2 which has a bitrate of 200 - 300 Mb/s (in real world conditions).

USB 3 capture devices are available, however for VHS capture they are overkill, they are intended for higher resolutions and framerates than VHS and mainly used by gamers for better high framerate capture via HDMI of their game playing .

HTH

John EB