Capture, record old tapes on your Mac

Free Mac app for digitizing Hi8, VHS, MiniDV and other tapes through any capture card. Never drops a frame, fixes the 4:3 shape that cheap converters stretch, and saves one ProRes file per tape at the tape's real resolution with sound.

How it works

1. Camera into an RCA to HDMI converter, into a capture card, into the Mac.
2. Name the tape, hit record, press play. It stops when the tape ends.
3. Get one ProRes .mov per tape, in its real shape, with sound.

FAQ

How do I digitize Hi8 or VHS tapes on a Mac?

Plug the camera or deck into an RCA to HDMI converter, the converter into a USB capture card such as an Elgato, and the card into the Mac. Open Capture, name the tape, hit record and press play.

Why does my tape look stretched after capture?

Most RCA to HDMI converters stretch the 4:3 picture to fill a 16:9 frame. Capture detects that and saves the file back in 4:3.

What resolution should old tapes be captured at?

Hi8 and VHS hold roughly 640x480 of real picture. Capture saves at that size in ProRes 422 HQ, about 60 GB an hour, instead of an upscaled 1080p copy. A lossless archive mode keeps every byte the card sends.

Does Capture drop frames?

Every frame is held in memory before it is written, so a busy Mac does not lose frames. After each take the file is checked frame by frame and a report lists anything that never arrived from the card.