Analog Video Capture Device?

I and a friend have old Pyro devices that are falling apart, and not compatible with Lion. We both have tons of old VHS and S-VHS stuff to digitize. Any recommendations of what is working for you all as capture hardware? Can't be a PCI card, must work with MP or MPB. SD material. Thanks in advance.

I've got 3 ways I have captured VHS that might work for you all with different quality:

1. [strike]MiniDV (or HDV) camera with pass through conversion. On my camera it is a setting called AV -> DV. I haven't tried it but I believe FCP X will capture that without a problem. Of course would be 4:1:1:[/strike] Turns out this doesn't work in FCP X. You would have to capture to a MiniDV tape first.

2. AV source to inexpensive DVD-R, then MPEG steamclip to another format. 4:2:0

3. Matrox MX02 Mini - AV capture into various codecs. Works with MBP through thunderbolt or PC Card. 4:2:2. I have the Matrox, but a Blackmagic version is cheaper, www.blackmagic-design.com/products/intensity/

4. An inexpensive AV to USB (h264). 4:1:0 ? www.blackmagic-design.com/products/videorecorder/

I use the Elgato Video Capture device, very, very robust:)
www.elgato.com/elgato/int/mainmenu/produ...ure/product1.en.html

I do a ton of these conversions for people and I am still using my Grass Valley ADVC300. (Previously owned by Canopus). It is still available in a few slightly different configurations from Grass Valley but it is a bi-directional AV converter that also has a D-sub component output that I connect to a JVC production monitor. I use a Power Mac with FCP 6 to take advantage of the monitor output (and it also runs the included ADVC Picture controller software). I have used it recently with FCPX, but obviously the monitor output is lost and the software won't run on Intel Mac's. The box, however, still works fine and you can adjust line TBC, levels, etc. from pushbuttons on the box.

We also get S-VHS or just VHS every blue moon.
For this reason we had two workstation equipped with a Multi-region SVHS player that runs into a AJA io (love these external io from AJA) from there Its FireWire to any equipped FW 800 computer.

Tpayton- I just tried choice #1 in Fcpx, doesn't work. Needs a controllable device. You can watch the video play through the device into the capture window, it says it's importing with a running clock, but when you click stop, it doesn't save it.

When you tried this did you elect to create a camera archive, or did you try to import from the event viewer? My ADVC converter is basically a non-controllable device as far as FCP is concerned and I generally create a project for the imported footage which is then copied into the Final Cut Events folder. I have never tried the "Create Camera Archive" option, which is why I am asking.

Splicerman - ahh. I see that as I just tested it myself. I previously did a live capture on the camera. One strike against me.

No Camera Archive, just a live capture and import to an events library. I would think it would be an easy addition, since you can do a live capture from a isight cam.

I am a big fan of the Matrox options. I have a mini with max for my laptop and I love it for monitoring (fcp7 only, at least for now) and the added speed on encoding web screeners for clients. Heck I can even be on site and encode a full Bluray in almost real time (time for a dinner break) and while it's encoding you could build all your pop up menus in the mean time.

I just had a project come up using old analog 8mm tapes to FCPX. Right now I'm testing Quicktime X. Just choose File>New Movie Recording and a record window pops up. My setup is a 1990's 8mm handycam with a rgb connection to a mini dv(set to AV pass through), and that is connected by firewire to a mac pro running lion 10.7.3. In quicktime X, you can set the video source, audio source, quality and save location. Does not need deck controls like FCPX.

Seems to be working so far. I haven't reached the first hour yet, so I'm not sure if there are time limits. The tape is 2 hours long.

I'm looking at the Roxio solution, seems to be the cheapest around.

I will have to check out the Roxio option. Quicktime X failed miserably. It did record video, but stopped at every break in the control track. Audio was hit or miss. I recorded the same section of tape 3 times, and only once did it record audio.

Gosh I really miss the full functionality of QT 7 Pro. Glad it's still on my system and functional in Lion.