To launch the Elgato Video Capture software, click this shortcut on the desktop of the Conversion PC account.
The hardware is already connected for you. You will be prompted to name your video project and set the approximate amount of time you expect it to take. Note that you must let the tape run in real time to do the conversion! If you want to convert a two hour tape, the process will take two hours!
Once you have set your project name and duration, click CONTINUE. You will now encounter the preview screen where you can make sure that the VCR is talking to the computer properly. For best video quality, we always want to make sure that the Video Input option is set to S-Video, which has separate channels for color and brightness.
If the software is set to Composite RCA, you may see a No Signal message in the preview box. If this is the case, simply switch back to S-Video and you should see a mirror of what is being displayed on the TV screen.
RCA "No Signal":
Correctly mirrored S-Video feed:
Once the video is working, you can click Continue and configure the audio. Let the video play a little bit and observe the audio bars for the right and left channels (red and white component cables).
If you're seeing a lot of red at the right end of the audio meter, that means your tape is mixed very loud. You can open Preferences and select the Audio tab to reduce the gain and increase final video quality. Alternatively, if your bars are never making it very far to the right of the meter, you may want to increase the gain.
Once you have your audio worked out, you can once again click Continue and finally enter the recording zone. If your tape has progressed further than you would like during the audio testing process, now is the time to stop and rewind it again.
Once it is at the point you wish to start recording from, simply hit Play on the VCR remote and click the big red Start Recording button in the software.
You will have to stay in the lab for the duration of your video conversion. If something goes wrong with your video playback, power down the VCR immediately and inform a lab technician so that it can be addressed.
Once your video has finished playing, you can click Stop Recording and proceed to the Trim screen. This allows you to remove any extraneous beginning or end portions from your recording prior to export. Simply drag the triangles to the points you wish to trim the video to begin and end at.
Finally, click Continue one last time to have a .MP4 file of your converted video automatically saved! You now have a digital version of your VHS tape to do as you please with. Upload it to the cloud or save it to your flash drive!
When you are finished, please rewind your tape and eject it from the VCR, then turn off the VCR and TV.
