Need to view a Japanese VHS on my PC

[Jericho]

I've currently acquired an interesting Japanese tape that a friend and I would like to see, but are having trouble with. We've initially tried simply playing it on a regular taperecorder, but with the difference in zones between Japan and here (Netherlands), this was impossible.

Then my friend came up with the idea to play it on the computer by hooking the VCR up to the pc like any other hardware. However, it's proving harder than expected, since we're dealing with an analogue device and a pc that's primarily focused on digital data.

Now my question is this:
What are the steps that need to be taken in order for us to succesfully hook up the device and be able to see the video on our monitor like any other media file? I'm not sure what my friend's computer's specifications are, but if you could tell us what we at least need in order to play the video, I could then check with him to see if he has all the necessary hardware and software.

So what programs/cables/drivers etc. do I need exactly? I'm sure some of you have some experience with transferring VHS tapes to the pc and we could really use your help.

Thanks in advance,

J.

[3fingersalute]

You could use a video capture card, or a tv tuner. I have converted a lot of old VHS tapes to digital format for people simply using my TV tuner card and a piece of coaxial cable or RCA cables, depending on what connections your VCR and TV tuner card have available.

Here's an article that may be a good starting point for you.

[Jericho]

Thanks for the swift reply.

So basically I need to fulfill at least one of these requirements:

* An external USB capture box, such as Adaptec's VideOh, ADS's USB Instant DVD 2.0, or Pinnacle Systems' Studio MovieBox USB
* A video capture card, such as ATI's TV Wonder Pro or Pinnacle Systems' PCTV Pro
* A combination graphics card/video capture card, such as eVGA.com's e-GeForce FX 5600 Ultra, an Nvidia Personal Cinema card, or ATI's All-In-Wonder series

Something else I found on www.muvee.com is this:

Purchase an external hardware box that takes in analog video and converts it to a digital format that your PC can handle.

So basically it looks like I'll need to buy an external (or internal) device that transforms the analogue data into digital data which my computer can read.

*newsflash*
Just got off the phone with my friend. He thinks that basically, if your VCR has an S-Video input, all you need is a specific cable for your pc to connect it with and it should work. Is this true? If so, what is the cable called and how does it look like?

[tyamada]

You need to have a VCR that plays NTSC as your VCR is probably PAL, you could buy a Multi system that plays NTSC or PAL.

You would also need a capture device that will capture NTSC to view on your computer.

[Sandwich]

Your friend may be wrong, if he thinks the s video connection on your video card is a vid in! they are mostly vieo outs. That's why you need a video capture device ext or int!

[CeeBee]

The problem is that Europe uses PAL (except France which uses SECAM) while Japan uses NTSC. You cannot make it work without a VCR that can play NTSC (multisystem VCR - these are quite expensive though - $150...500 or even more). It's all about the VCR, not about the TV or computer. So unless you can see it on the TV, don't even bother trying to record on the PC, it will not work. The VCR does NOT output in the system in which the tape was recorded, it outputs in the system for which it was made, but only *IF* it can read the tape. Exception are the true multi-system VCR's (those that have a transcoder), they can output PAL or NTSC (or SECAM) regardless of the way the tape was recorded.