Posts: 912
Threads: 162
Joined: Nov 2023
Reputation:
0
Any iMovie experts still awake?
Been trying to convert analog vhs tapes to digital, using a vcr with s-video out into a Pyro A/V Link converter, then out from that via firewire into an Intel core 2 Duo Mac mini using iMovie(I've tried both the 08 version & the older HD version).. The video transfer is skipping and stuttering badly & would be unusable. And...in iMovie 08, I can't even hear the sound during transfer. anyone else have this problem? is the Mini's graphics causing the problems? Or the converter? I haven't done this in a few years, but I swear that I used to get better results with a slower computer.
Posts: 416
Threads: 33
Joined: Dec 2019
Reputation:
0
VHS does not benefit from S-video (I think this is so). Use RCA plugs into the Pyro AV. Could be that your particular Pyro AV is not compatible/needs upgrade/update?
Don't know about the sound. Is it there after transfer?
Posts: 912
Threads: 162
Joined: Nov 2023
Reputation:
0
[quote martin]VHS does not benefit from S-video (I think this is so). Use RCA plugs into the Pyro AV. Could be that your particular Pyro AV is not compatible/needs upgrade/update?
Don't know about the sound. Is it there after transfer?
Yes, there is sound after transfer. Maybe you've got something there about the Pyro. I'll try to check that out.
Posts: 4,143
Threads: 665
Joined: May 2024
I've done a lot of these with my Canopus, and they work fine. Try doing Quicktime --> New Movie and see if that is any better than iMovie (but don't do that for your final work because it compresses a lot, on the fly).
You should use S-Video if you can - might be better than RCA and since the quality will be fair to begin with, you should optimize as much as you can. My Canopus has a few weird settings - to enable S-video and to pass the sound, etc. You should google around for your particular AV bridge to see other users' experiences ( you probably already have).
Posts: 912
Threads: 162
Joined: Nov 2023
Reputation:
0
I found a patch for the A/V Link that was for OS X. My movies now transfer fine in iMovie HD and I do hear the sound during the transfer, too), but they still stutter a bit in iMovie 08 (and still no sound). Yeah, I'll go back to s-video.
Posts: 9,401
Threads: 458
Joined: May 2025
[quote martin]VHS does not benefit from S-video (I think this is so). Use RCA plugs into the Pyro AV.
I don't agree with that. I get much a better picture using S-video with my Canopus card. As noted above, the original quality from VHS kind of stinks to begin with, so you might as well take advantage of every bit of help you can get in the transfer.
Posts: 32,462
Threads: 3,127
Joined: Apr 2025
Reputation:
0
Tommie ---
Somewhere in the process you've dropped the frame rate. Check everywhere you can in iMovie/QuickTime/whatever you're using and force a frame rate that matches your source --- if it's lower than your source you'll get stuttering.
NTSC = 29.97 fps, although a frame rate of 30 might also work well.
Posts: 1,240
Threads: 38
Joined: Sep 2014
Reputation:
0
Are these commercial videos?
Maybe it's copy protection?
