VHS capturing using FFMPEG

VHS videos can be captured using ffmpeg also.

At first must know video and audio devices.

ls /dev/video*


arecord -l

cat /proc/asound/cards

If you have installed packages xterm, tk and tcl , you can use this script.

#!/usr/bin/wish


  frame .top -borderwidth 15

  pack .top -fill x

  button .top.1 -text "Check video and audio devices" -command { exec xterm -e xterm -e "sh -c '

while :

do

echo ###################

echo Video grabber probably is the last one

echo ###################

echo Video Capture devices

echo ###################

ls /dev/video*

echo ###########################################

echo Audio grabber probably is hw 2,0

echo ###################

echo Audio Capture devices

echo ###################

arecord -l

echo ###################

echo Audio device list

echo ###################

cat /proc/asound/cards

echo #######

echo pulseaudio sources

echo #######

pactl list short sources

echo #######

sleep 10

clear

done

'" & }

button .top.2 -text "EXIT" -command { exit } pack .top.1 .top.2 -side left -padx 0p -pady 0

When you know the right devices to use, you can use the script like.

Edit 24.11.2024: For avoiding unknow -x error in antiX, the command must place into brackets. The script:

FFMPEG-capture2

#! /bin/bash time=$(date "+%F-%H-%M-%S") xterm -e "ffmpeg -fflags nobuffer -f alsa -i hw:1 -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 -framerate 25 -b:v 2000k -b:a 40k -s 700x480 video$time.avi"

You must place the right device for hw: and /dev/video in the script or command.

#! /bin/bash time=$(date +”%Y-%m-%d-%S”) ffmpeg -fflags nobuffer -f alsa -i hw:2 -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video2 -framerate 25 -b:v 2000k -b:a 40k -s 700x480 video$time.avi

If you launch the script via Terminal, you can stop capturing pressing q. If you have not, you can stop capturing using command

killall --user $USER --ignore-case --signal INT ffmpeg

Of course you can use a script for stopping ffmpeg.

With some capturers, the settings must be different as alsa must replace with pulse. An example some Terratec Grappy models are requiring pulse.

To see audio sources run

pactl list short sources

Obviously even if pactl list sees accurate input device, but when set default to the script, recording is working automatically.

0 alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1b.0.analog-stereo.monitor module-alsa-card.c s16le 2 kan. 44100Hz SUSPENDED 1 alsa_input.pci-0000_00_1b.0.analog-stereo module-alsa-card.c s16le 2 kan. 44100Hz SUSPENDED 2 alsa_input.usb-TerraTec_Electronic_GmbH_TerraTec_Grabby-01.analog-stereomodule-alsa-card.c s16le 2 kan. 44100Hz SUSPENDED

The script from old IBM Thinkpad T60

#! /bin/bash time=$(date +”%Y-%m-%d-%S”) ffmpeg -fflags nobuffer -f pulse -i default -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video2 -b:v 2000k -s 700x480 video$time.avi

https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Capture/PulseAudio

Case Terratec Grappy 0ccd:0096 TerraTec Electronic GmbH Grabby

There is many different hardware inside Grabby, and that Grabby often works ok, but pulseaudio guesses wrong the audio device every now and then, so then is better to use arecord -L output information for determining the right device.

arecord -L

… a part of output looks like

https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Capture/ALSA

And the command in the script looks like

#! /bin/bash time=$(date +”%Y-%m-%d-%S”) ffmpeg -fflags nobuffer -f alsa -i plughw:CARD=Grabby -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video2 -b:v 3000k -b:a 40k -s 700x480 video$time.avi

FFMPEG-capture-grappy.tar.gz

A script for Köning Video Grabber 1d19:6109 Dexatek Technology Ltd. Video Grabber

#! /bin/bash time=$(date +”%Y-%m-%d-%S”) ffmpeg -fflags nobuffer -f alsa -i plughw:CARD=Cx231xxAudio -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video2 -b:v 2000k -b:a 40k -s 700x480 video$time.avi

Something interesting to read: https://lzone.de/blog/Easily-fix-async-video-with-ffmpeg

Puolanka Wiki

mene poes jo

VHS capturing using FFMPEG