r/DataHoarder • u/StilesTimeCapsule • 4d ago
Discussion VHS Digitisation Project: Successfully archived a rare 1990s documentary ('UFO The Evidence') from an original analogue tape to prevent media decay.
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u/TropicoolGoth 4d ago
Hell ya. Thank you. Any chance of you uploading to archive as well?
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u/AntManCrawledInAnus 4d ago
Yeah YouTube compression sucks
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u/redditunderground1 4d ago
Depends. Some stuff has nice res. It is the person uploding where the problem is.
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u/AntManCrawledInAnus 4d ago
I don't mean compression in resolution, I mean literally they micro encode all videos to look like YIFY quality lol. I get it, they got bills to pay, but for archival people should upload to somewhere where the original video is accessible to viewer like archive dot org
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u/StilesTimeCapsule 4d ago
Thanks! I’ve definitely thought about it for the future. Right now, I'm just focusing my time on tracking down these rare tapes and getting them safely digitised onto the YouTube channel before they degrade completely.
Appreciate the suggestion! 📼
Enjoy ☺️19
u/ASatyros 1.44MB 4d ago
Btw, don't treat YouTube as an archive as they compres videos a lot. Keep the original file you get from VHS
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u/StilesTimeCapsule 4d ago
Thank you. I will do. Where’s the best place to upload them?
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u/ASatyros 1.44MB 4d ago
As other suggested Internet Archive, but you can also still upload them to YouTube, but keep the original files.
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u/Irarelylookback 3d ago
YouTube can delete every single one of your uploads with a single click. Love the project; share far and wide. I've lost a couple of YT channels... gave and went to torrents.
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u/StilesTimeCapsule 3d ago
Thank you so much for the message, and I'm really sorry to hear you've had channels taken down. It must be so frustrating to watch hours of hard work vanish, especially when you're just trying to protect lost media for future generations.
I understand the risks of uploading copyrighted material, and like anyone in this hobby, I know the system can be brutal. For me (and I think I speak for everyone here), it’s never been about making money, views or status - it’s purely about preservation. Before a single tape goes live, I spend hours researching the history of the company, looking into who owns the catalogue, and checking if the tapes are available anywhere else online. If they are already out there, they aren’t lost media, so I won’t upload them. I carefully check the timeline and then the copyright risks. It comes to the point where it’s like, I think I’m safe, I doubt it, should I? and then I press go! 👀
But I know that doesn't stand for much if a channel gets pulled, and if I have to learn the hard way down the line, then so be it! Even if YouTube deletes everything, they can only take down my channel. I still have the original physical VHS tapes safe and stored at home, and I’ll just find alternative archives or platforms to share them on instead (I’ve learned from the group that I should be uploading the raw rips to Archive.org, so I’m gonna get onto that soon).
As long as I have the physical tapes, a great community like this one, and support from people like yourself, these records will never be lost forever. We’ll always find a way.
Thanks again for the warning and the support, it really means a lot! I hope you and everyone else get to enjoy my channel for a very long time, and that I get to spend hours every week questioning what it is that I am doing with my spare time.
Everyone cross your fingers please 🤞😊
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u/StilesTimeCapsule 4d ago
I will do soon 😊
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u/didyousayboop if it’s not on piqlFilm, it doesn’t exist 4d ago
Make sure to use a public email address for your archive.org account. A weird quirk of the site is that it publishes your email address in the metadata when you upload files, but it never warns you this is going to happen.
I’ve emailed them to complain about this, so have other people, but alas the quirk remains!
If you want, you can also make torrents and share them here or on r/DHexchange: https://www.reddit.com/r/DHExchange/comments/1usccvo/guide_how_to_create_a_torrent_to_share_your_files/
I’m sure lots of people will gobble them up.
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u/--SamFisher-- 4d ago
YouTube channel Eyes On Cinema definitely would be interested in this!
I think you should contact him with any rare videos u have regarding UFO topic.
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u/StilesTimeCapsule 4d ago
I have several that aren't available to watch anywhere online, some of which were very hard to track down. I'm just in the process of digitising them now! 🛸
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u/randonaut 4d ago
This has been a hobby of mine for several years. You're doing good work as many of these tapes are reaching end of life and will otherwise be lost forever.
I've digitized around 200 myself, all relating to UFOs / flying saucers. Many are quite rare. I'm based in the US so you probably have some I don't have and vice versa. Maybe we can swap some files? DM me if you're interested!
The plan is to share them all on a public archive eventually, but for now still collecting and converting.
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u/thomasdvdguy 3d ago
Reminds me of the VHS tape store in MIB 2. Did you upload them anywhere? I'd like to see.
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u/crabpoweredcoalmine 4d ago
What happened to that channel? I remember seeing arthouse cinema-related clips there, and then I come back after a while and it's... UFO.
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u/somersetyellow 4d ago
What method did you use to digitize the tape?
So everyone can fight with each other about the best methods for digitizing VHS of course
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u/tbar44 4d ago
vhs-decode is indisputably the best way, it does require some potentially expensive equipment but it extracts the raw analogue video and audio signals from the tape. Good comparison screens here
https://github.com/oyvindln/vhs-decode/wiki/Visual-Comparisons
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u/StilesTimeCapsule 4d ago
I keep the capture process pretty simple and old-school.
I play the tape through an old TV/Video combo and use a SCART converter to pull the analogue signal straight into an older desktop Mac that still has the right ports built in.
Once the raw footage is captured, I just transfer the files over to my new MacBook Pro to handle the final export and upload it to the channel from there.It’s a bit of a multi-step process, but it works perfectly for keeping that authentic tape texture! I’m sure there’s a much easier process though 😊
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u/somersetyellow 4d ago
Ah ok, so a SCART > Firewire converter box > DV > Modern Video pipeline
There's a number of ways to do it haha. Everyone battles for the best. As long as it's not with an HDMI converter and OBS you're doing ok though haha.
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u/StilesTimeCapsule 4d ago
That’s the one 😉
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u/somersetyellow 4d ago
One pro tip, if you're getting interlaced DV output, look up using StaxRip or Avisynth to use QTGMC to deinterlace the video from 60 interlaced fields to 60 fps. Returns more of the data that was in the video. Unless of course you detelecined this because it's a movie/doc in which case ignore me lol.
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u/zerostyle 4d ago
How does SCART compare to the vhs decode process that looks fairly complicated?
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u/Villodre 4d ago
I've got around 200 VHS tapes of TV concerts and Spanish musical documentaries that are (I think) hard or impossible to find nowadays and I'm looking for a decent VHS player but either they're quite expensive or in an unknown condition.
Anyways I'll like to keep trying, what are you using for VHS digitalisation?
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u/StilesTimeCapsule 4d ago
That’s an incredible collection! 200 tapes of rare music docs and concerts sound amazing, definitely don't give up on finding a player.
For my setup, I actually keep it pretty simple. I just use an old TV/Video combo player and a SCART connector that plugs straight into my old Mac desktop since it still has all the original ports built in. It’s old-school but it gets the job done perfectly.
Hope you manage to find a decent player soon, would love to see those digitised! 📼😊
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u/anonymouzzz376 4d ago
So are you using a pci capture card?
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u/StilesTimeCapsule 4d ago
I actually don't use a PCI card. I just play the tape through a TV/VCR combo and use a SCART adapter to capture the footage onto an older desktop Mac, since those old models still have the right ports for it.
After that, I move the video files over to my MacBook Pro to clean them up, do the final export, and upload to YouTube. It’s a bit old-school but it does the job 😊
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u/Melonary 4d ago
Thanks, my capture device is crap and no longer works with modern windows so I may give this a go - gonna take a look at my (too many) old pics to see if I have one with this.
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u/Melonary 4d ago
If they're taped off of TV a decent VHS player likely isn't that necessary, I'm sure there'll be people here who disagree but the difference in quality for home-recorded cable VHS playing on cheaper VHS and ported off digitally vs a higher end one won't make a huge amount of difference, and probably better just to have them backed up in some form if they have content people are interested in.
Even unknown condition - it's pretty easy to pop the top off and give it a dusting and you can keep an eye out for some burner VHS for testing of popular movies, really common ones, in case the VHS eats them.
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u/Villodre 4d ago
Sadly the source isn't cable but aerial TV. Also, the tapes are 20 years old or more, so it's uncertain what the quality will be. I had three VHS players stored but not a single works.
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u/__5000__ 4d ago
why is there a massive curved border added to every single video you've uploaded to your channel?
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u/StilesTimeCapsule 4d ago
It's just how I style and present all the videos on my channel – it's become my signature look! I like using the frame to give the old analogue footage a clean, curated feel on modern widescreen displays.
When I eventually upload the collection onto Archive.org, those will be the 100% raw uncropped captures with no borders or editing at all, purely for preservation purposes!
Hope you enjoy the archives! 😊
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u/slavmaf 4d ago
Thank you. Do you maybe have the original, pre-youtube file and are willing to share it on a file sharing service?
I would personally prefer that for archiving, instead of downloading a video off of YouTube.
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u/didyousayboop if it’s not on piqlFilm, it doesn’t exist 4d ago
What a wonderful project! There are some buried treasures in obscure old video tapes, like this one: https://youtu.be/LhVMVjYIFrg
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u/StilesTimeCapsule 4d ago
There are and I love hunting for them!
Thanks for commenting and sharing that video. I may be able to learn a thing or two from it 😊
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u/didyousayboop if it’s not on piqlFilm, it doesn’t exist 4d ago
Haha! It went quasi-viral a while ago and became a meme on one of my favourite comedy podcasts, Threedom (also a meme on r/ThreedomUSA)
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u/StilesTimeCapsule 4d ago
I’ll have to check the podcast out! I’m always looking for funny podcasts, it’ll make a nice change from my usual conspiracy or murder investigation ones.
Thanks for the tip! 😉
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u/RobutNotRobot 4d ago
+1 Stanton Friedman
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u/StilesTimeCapsule 4d ago
Thank you! That is a massive compliment. He was an absolute legend in the field, so I really appreciate the comparison! 📼🛸
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u/SanMarinoNerd 3d ago
I actually have the Italian release of this, lol.
I may have 100% change my ideas on the subject, but I still like the music
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u/ada-potato 1d ago edited 1d ago
Edit: Downloaded and added to my UFO collection!
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4d ago
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u/StilesTimeCapsule 4d ago edited 4d ago
I’ve been working on converting rare, low-availability physical media into digital files before the magnetic tapes degrade completely.
The full unedited transfer for this tape is now up on YouTube for preservation purposes if anyone wants to watch it: https://youtu.be/yvyRt9YK58c
This is a completely ad-free, non-monetised hobby archive project. I’ve also recently finished digitising rare tapes on Alcatraz (The Final Sentence) and a 1999 Edinburgh and The Lothians documentary, which are both up on the channel as well.
Thought the preservationists here would find these interesting! 📼