Best DVD-VHS players for conversion? (for PH POTY Play-off 1995)

[Fractured]

Hello, I'm new around here, and just subscribed earlier today.

Anyway, I am looking to do some digital conversions here, from VHS, preferably with a more modern DVD-VHS combo unit, and I wondered what recommendations others here might have, as far as specific models. I figured this board would be the right place to ask too. At first I was just going to buy a regular VCR, but I figured that having a combo unit would be the best idea.

As the title suggests, I intend to convert my original copy of the Penthouse 1995 Pet of The Year Play-off - the one with Bonita Saint, Andi Sue Irwin, Levena Holmes, and Tiffany Burlingame. I am also looking to AI-upscale it as well, and see if I can improve the overall image quality & resolution. I also understand it's a bit of a holy grail find for some, which is easy to see, given the great scene with Bonita, which is my favorite by far on the tape...

I must have bought that tape in the late 90s, as I've had it for a very long time. It's still in great condition and hasn't been viewed in over a decade, at least, I'd say. I figure I can get a good quality rip out of it if I am careful about it.

Edit: Apparently I doubled-posted this, though I am not quite sure how. There is an older, incomplete version of this post, several minutes earlier. Could a mod please delete that one?

+ no problems, fixed it for you - the board's been a bit glitchy today, so don't worry, it was nothing you've done
Welcome aboard!

Jazz, section Mod

[Adam35]

The Funai did great for me & my sizable collection, but they're hard to find, there are very few left, and they're very expensive new, and even used. A new Funai ZV427FX4 runs $725 at least.

[Jazz67]

Could you not just copy it direct to your PC, especially if you were planning to do some software clean-up on the digital capture? Or do you really need a combi player?

there's an article her on the best VHS converters

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/uk/buying-guides/best-vhs-to-dvd-converter

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SANYO-HV-DX2-COMBO-DVD-PLAYER-Silver/dp/B0035F0EZ8/

the Sanyo above seems to get the best reviews short of professional level archive machines

[Viklas]

I got a used Toshiba combo DVD/VCR DVR620KU at the pawn shop for about $100. It has an HDMI output and does pretty good de-interlacing. I did try ripping VHS to DVD with it, but it has Macrovision protection so it stops the dub if the tape is a commercial tape. Instead I capture to the computer using an Adafruit HDMI/USB adapter.

It doesn't letterbox, however, so a 4:3 VHS tape output will be stretched to 16:9. You can adjust the aspect ratio of the captured video in VLC, which is a free download. It allows saving a file (stream conversion) but I have found it to be too finicky to mess with. Instead I use FFMPEG or MPEG Streamclip. The latter is old and unsupported but it still works on my older Macs. Handbrake also might work for you.

[Fractured]

Originally Posted by Adam35

The Funai did great for me & my sizable collection, but they're hard to find, there are very few left, and they're very expensive new, and even used. A new Funai ZV427FX4 runs $725 at least.

I've seen those Funai units, though for now they're well outside my budget for a project like this, given how expensive they are. I'm probably going to have to settle for a good used combo drive. Part of my reasoning (I believe?) is that the combos are probably a bit more modern and might be of better quality (newer tech) than the older VHS units from the 80s and 90s.

Although, I did find listings for used Funai DV220FX4's on eBay for about $50. Would that be a good choice?

Originally Posted by Jazz67

Could you not just copy it direct to your PC, especially if you were planning to do some software clean-up on the digital capture? Or do you really need a combi player?

there's an article her on the best VHS converters

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/uk/buying-guides/best-vhs-to-dvd-converter

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SANYO-HV-DX2-COMBO-DVD-PLAYER-Silver/dp/B0035F0EZ8/

the Sanyo above seems to get the best reviews short of professional level archive machines

Actually, I do plan on copying it directly to my PC. I just thought that a (relatively new) combo drive might have better quality on playback than older standard VHS unit. I was looking at buying the UCEC USB 2.0 captured device (the newer model). They are available on Amazon for a bit under $30. I'd still need something to play a VHS tape on though, of course.

Originally Posted by Viklas

I got a used Toshiba combo DVD/VCR DVR620KU at the pawn shop for about $100. It has an HDMI output and does pretty good de-interlacing. I did try ripping VHS to DVD with it, but it has Macrovision protection so it stops the dub if the tape is a commercial tape. Instead I capture to the computer using an Adafruit HDMI/USB adapter.

It doesn't letterbox, however, so a 4:3 VHS tape output will be stretched to 16:9. You can adjust the aspect ratio of the captured video in VLC, which is a free download. It allows saving a file (stream conversion) but I have found it to be too finicky to mess with. Instead I use FFMPEG or MPEG Streamclip. The latter is old and unsupported but it still works on my older Macs. Handbrake also might work for you.

I'll take a look at the Toshiba. There are also a lot of other options on eBay, with free shipping, as well. Quite a few are available for under $60. But, in general, would I be better off going with a combo drive (as I mentioned) because of the newer hardware?

I am primarily a Linux user, but I keep Windows on hand on a separate SSD for a few programs that won't run under Linux. The UCEC capture software is Windows & Mac only so I'd use my Windows installation for that.

Once I have the captured raw video file I can try upscaling it with Waifu2x, and I can do video editing on Linux with Kdenlive, or Olive Video Editor. I'm fairly experienced with video editing, but I just haven't ripped anything off of a VHS tape. My primary concern is getting a good quality player that will provide the best output.


... Anyway, thanks for the replies.