Poor sound quality on a VHS=> DVD conversion?

Seanchai

Hi,

Perhaps somebody could help me with this. I got a double VHS copied to 2 DVDs and just checked the DVD quality and it's quite poor, with constant hissing throughout and repeated sound blotches during it. The restoration cost €50, which is obviously a lot of money so I was expecting better quality.

Now that I have the dvd done, what can I do with it to make the quality much better/top class?

Thanks.

Tactical

What is the audio quality like on the VHS originals?

If it is not as poor as described on the DVD's then ask for your money back and go elsewhere.

LordSutch

Seanchai wrote: »

Hi,

Perhaps somebody could help me with this. I got a double VHS copied to 2 DVDs and just checked the DVD quality and it's quite poor, with constant hissing throughout and repeated sound blotches during it. The restoration cost €50, which is obviously a lot of money so I was expecting better quality.

Now that I have the dvd done, what can I do with it to make the quality much better/top class?

Thanks.

Calling a truce Seanchai, just for this one post :mad:

As the previous poster said it all depends on the quality of the original VHS tapes. Have a listen again to them in isolation,
and if they sound fine then the DVD copies should also sound fine, or even better . . .

VHS tapes by their very nature are prone to hissing, and this is where 'Dolby noise reduction' comes in handy, some advanced VHS players have Dolby, some don't. Finally, I would suggest that you make sure that the person doing the transfer/copy knows his onions, and that he's not just trying to make a fast buck. Has he cleand the heads on his VHS machine? Dirty heads will make the transfer/copying 2nd rate - Is the sound track in Mono or Stereo? and is he doing the transfer in Mono or Stereo?

If he's a pro he will know the answers, otherwise get your money back & start again - Hope this helps.

Truce over - back to the barricades me old foe

highdef

If the audio is poorer on the DVD than what was on the VHS tape, then it would seem like the mono linear track was used in the transfer process rather than the NICAM audio, for whatever reason.

iarann

I had some limited success in the past by extracting the audio track to an audio file and then using Audicity to remove hiss and then combine back with the video using a video editor. Took a while to do & the improvement wasnt brilliant but it was a bit better & worth the effort for me.

Seanchai

OK, thanks everyone. So back I went with the original VHS and they redid the dvd. The first is now substantially better, although not perfect. The second VHS is no better.

Accepting, therefore, that this reflects the quality of the original VHS, I'm wondering is there a company which would be able to improve this quality on the dvd? If so, how would they do it?

Thanks.