{"video_id":"xOq7BRDHPBs","title":"I've wasted THOUSANDS of dollars... - Domesday Duplicator","channel":"ShortCircuit","show":"ShortCircuit","published_at":"2025-05-04T14:58:16Z","duration_s":417,"segments":[{"start_s":0.04,"end_s":7.759,"text":"I spent thousands of dollars over the past 10 years on my perfect VHS capture","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":5.64,"end_s":11.799,"text":"system and I realized it was all for nothing when somebody messaged me on","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":9.36,"end_s":17.08,"text":"Twitter and told me about the Doomsday duplicator this is the Doomsday","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":14.36,"end_s":22.8,"text":"duplicator back in the day I would use something like this which it digitizes","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":19.68,"end_s":26.56,"text":"and captures over firewire composite","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":22.8,"end_s":27.679,"text":"video it worked at the time however","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":26.56,"end_s":35.0,"text":"you're still going through your composite out there's a lot of processing done on the actual VCR as","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":32.64,"end_s":39.04,"text":"well as in the device itself in the early 2000s it worked but there were","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":37.0,"end_s":44.079,"text":"always issues that's where this guy came in it does have a BNC connector right","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":41.6,"end_s":49.92,"text":"here but that's not capturing composite video that's capturing the RF signal","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":47.28,"end_s":56.6,"text":"from the VCR now something like this has its limitations you need a really Bing","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":53.32,"end_s":58.879,"text":"VCR to get decent quality if you're","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":56.6,"end_s":62.879,"text":"capturing older tapes which I am you need something that has the TBC with","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":61.039,"end_s":70.6,"text":"something like the Doomsday duplicator you don't need any of that in fact you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":65.799,"end_s":73.52,"text":"can get the cheapest $20 VCR on Facebook","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":70.6,"end_s":79.08,"text":"Marketplace and get the same result because you're capturing from the RF","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":75.799,"end_s":80.799,"text":"test Point inside of this that doesn't","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":79.08,"end_s":86.119,"text":"give you the footage itself that gives you the RF samples digitized to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":83.96,"end_s":92.24,"text":"something that you can decode on your computer at home so in my use case I'm","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":88.68,"end_s":95.72,"text":"capturing old family tapes and some of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":92.24,"end_s":98.72,"text":"them you can't even recognize who's in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":95.72,"end_s":101.759,"text":"them anymore and through the magic of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":98.72,"end_s":104.96,"text":"VHS decode it's reversed the whole","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":101.759,"end_s":108.2,"text":"process and I can actually see people's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":104.96,"end_s":110.399,"text":"faces again and it's kind of magical so","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":108.2,"end_s":116.399,"text":"another use case is preserving old media that has never been digitized or brought","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":112.64,"end_s":120.399,"text":"to DVD or any other digital platform one","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":116.399,"end_s":123.56,"text":"example is the Doomsday 86 project which","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":120.399,"end_s":127.439,"text":"was produced by BBC and this product is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":123.56,"end_s":130.56,"text":"named after it was mastered to laser dis","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":127.439,"end_s":132.28,"text":"but never properly digitized and it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":130.56,"end_s":137.64,"text":"would have otherwise been lost if it wasn't for the team that made this but","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":136.2,"end_s":141.72,"text":"that's not what we're going to do today we're going to capture a VHS","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":142.08,"end_s":150.28,"text":"tape you pick uh Mrs delire all right","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":150.44,"end_s":159.44,"text":"Pierce broen's PEC are glorious in this movie but not as glorious as our sponsor","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":156.4,"end_s":161.84,"text":"charge as Slim as a few credit cards","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":159.44,"end_s":166.12,"text":"their aluminum dis plus SSD enclosure magnetically attaches to practically any","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":164.04,"end_s":171.56,"text":"device letting you bring along up to 4 terabytes of additional storage for your","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":168.319,"end_s":173.48,"text":"music movies games and more it supports","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":171.56,"end_s":177.56,"text":"transfer speeds of up to 10 GB per second and even comes with a built-in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":175.36,"end_s":182.159,"text":"data cable plus you don't even have to hog a USB slot thanks to its dual port","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":179.84,"end_s":186.76,"text":"ports that allow for up to 85 watts of pass through charging check it out using","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":184.2,"end_s":190.12,"text":"our Link in the video description today one thing I forgot to show you is the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":1},{"start_s":188.599,"end_s":193.519,"text":"actual RF test point that we're connecting to there's many different","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":191.84,"end_s":200.64,"text":"little test points here and they're usually listed on this particular unit","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":196.92,"end_s":204.2,"text":"as TP so the one that I was looking for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":200.64,"end_s":206.12,"text":"is called TP something envelope EnV all","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":204.2,"end_s":211.28,"text":"right so that's right there and this here is a ground there's also a test","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":208.319,"end_s":216.439,"text":"point for Hi-Fi audio which will give you a high-fi audio signal this guy","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":214.519,"end_s":221.319,"text":"can't capture it there are other products out there that can for today we","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":219.2,"end_s":226.599,"text":"are just capturing the video with that said let's uh let's watch Mrs doire so","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":224.2,"end_s":232.2,"text":"in order to connect to this I need to connect to this so that's the test point","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":229.599,"end_s":237.68,"text":"and that's the ground and it all comes down here and around and out here that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":235.319,"end_s":243.84,"text":"is new that shouldn't be there Dan did this I am not good with solder Ing and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":240.76,"end_s":245.68,"text":"that is connected to the RF test point","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":243.84,"end_s":249.879,"text":"now if you're not good at soldering there's also options for like alligator","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":247.959,"end_s":254.799,"text":"clamps like these two so you can just connect these to your test points and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":252.079,"end_s":258.88,"text":"have uh your little BNC come go into this so capture software is pretty","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":256.759,"end_s":263.4,"text":"straightforward just got a big capture button right here and uh I'm just going","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":261.479,"end_s":267.36,"text":"to start playing the video I'm not doing a full capture because that would take","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":265.639,"end_s":272.16,"text":"hours so we're just going to start capturing now so as you can see there","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":269.72,"end_s":277.36,"text":"there are some issues visually with this tape right now we're capturing video","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":274.039,"end_s":280.039,"text":"only you can capture audio however I","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":277.36,"end_s":283.919,"text":"don't have anything set up for that at the moment I also don't need audio","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":282.28,"end_s":289.84,"text":"because most of the tapes that I'm capturing are family videos so there's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":287.8,"end_s":295.08,"text":"not going to be much difference in terms of audio quality from an actual","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":293.12,"end_s":299.08,"text":"conventional capture once the capture is done you'll have to run it through the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":296.36,"end_s":302.16,"text":"VHS decode software it is command line but don't worry","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":300.24,"end_s":308.0,"text":"it's very straightforward you'll be left with two TBC files one is for Chroma one","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":305.56,"end_s":313.12,"text":"is for Luma you can open them in LD analyze to see what everything looks","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":310.56,"end_s":318.28,"text":"like and check out the signal to noise ratio see if you have any line dropouts","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":315.68,"end_s":323.479,"text":"it's very straightforward and finally you can get your final output video","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":320.759,"end_s":327.88,"text":"through TBC tools again it's command line just make sure your files are all","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":325.56,"end_s":332.84,"text":"in the same folder as the software for more information there's a mass massive","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":329.96,"end_s":336.88,"text":"Wiki with all the steps it's very straightforward you might need about an","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":334.8,"end_s":340.36,"text":"hour to read through everything but once you're done you're good to go so looking","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":338.759,"end_s":344.96,"text":"at the side by side it should be pretty obvious the capture from the Doomsday","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":342.16,"end_s":349.28,"text":"duplicator is much cleaner it's much sharper there's way more color","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":346.56,"end_s":355.84,"text":"information it just looks better but this does come at a cost","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":351.759,"end_s":358.24,"text":"$500 or about $500 you can also build it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":355.84,"end_s":362.4,"text":"yourself but currently there are other options that are pretty much better than","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":360.319,"end_s":367.599,"text":"this in every way the CX card with the clock gen mod is the gold standard Harry","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":365.44,"end_s":372.96,"text":"one of the main developers from bhsd code informed me that they are currently","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":369.56,"end_s":375.919,"text":"working on a new card the merch card","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":372.96,"end_s":383.44,"text":"that just has more options and can do everything the CX card can do and run","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":379.12,"end_s":385.68,"text":"through USB the CX card is a PCIe addin","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":383.44,"end_s":389.84,"text":"card if you're running it on a laptop this is probably your best bet there","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":387.759,"end_s":395.84,"text":"really is a lot and it's really hard to cover it all today you can check out the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":392.36,"end_s":398.84,"text":"Discord and the wiki and the GitHub and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":395.84,"end_s":400.96,"text":"it's a very active and Vibrant Community","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":398.84,"end_s":405.08,"text":"International and they are always looking for new contributors and people","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":403.479,"end_s":409.88,"text":"who are just interested in this project I know I am interested in this project","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":407.199,"end_s":412.96,"text":"so if you are to comment down below maybe we'll check out more stuff like","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":411.199,"end_s":418.72,"text":"this in the future maybe I'm going to get a merch card have a great day","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":415.52,"end_s":418.72,"text":"subscribe to ShortCircuit","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0}],"full_text":"I spent thousands of dollars over the past 10 years on my perfect VHS capture system and I realized it was all for nothing when somebody messaged me on Twitter and told me about the Doomsday duplicator this is the Doomsday duplicator back in the day I would use something like this which it digitizes and captures over firewire composite video it worked at the time however you're still going through your composite out there's a lot of processing done on the actual VCR as well as in the device itself in the early 2000s it worked but there were always issues that's where this guy came in it does have a BNC connector right here but that's not capturing composite video that's capturing the RF signal from the VCR now something like this has its limitations you need a really Bing VCR to get decent quality if you're capturing older tapes which I am you need something that has the TBC with something like the Doomsday duplicator you don't need any of that in fact you can get the cheapest $20 VCR on Facebook Marketplace and get the same result because you're capturing from the RF test Point inside of this that doesn't give you the footage itself that gives you the RF samples digitized to something that you can decode on your computer at home so in my use case I'm capturing old family tapes and some of them you can't even recognize who's in them anymore and through the magic of VHS decode it's reversed the whole process and I can actually see people's faces again and it's kind of magical so another use case is preserving old media that has never been digitized or brought to DVD or any other digital platform one example is the Doomsday 86 project which was produced by BBC and this product is named after it was mastered to laser dis but never properly digitized and it would have otherwise been lost if it wasn't for the team that made this but that's not what we're going to do today we're going to capture a VHS tape you pick uh Mrs delire all right Pierce broen's PEC are glorious in this movie but not as glorious as our sponsor charge as Slim as a few credit cards their aluminum dis plus SSD enclosure magnetically attaches to practically any device letting you bring along up to 4 terabytes of additional storage for your music movies games and more it supports transfer speeds of up to 10 GB per second and even comes with a built-in data cable plus you don't even have to hog a USB slot thanks to its dual port ports that allow for up to 85 watts of pass through charging check it out using our Link in the video description today one thing I forgot to show you is the actual RF test point that we're connecting to there's many different little test points here and they're usually listed on this particular unit as TP so the one that I was looking for is called TP something envelope EnV all right so that's right there and this here is a ground there's also a test point for Hi-Fi audio which will give you a high-fi audio signal this guy can't capture it there are other products out there that can for today we are just capturing the video with that said let's uh let's watch Mrs doire so in order to connect to this I need to connect to this so that's the test point and that's the ground and it all comes down here and around and out here that is new that shouldn't be there Dan did this I am not good with solder Ing and that is connected to the RF test point now if you're not good at soldering there's also options for like alligator clamps like these two so you can just connect these to your test points and have uh your little BNC come go into this so capture software is pretty straightforward just got a big capture button right here and uh I'm just going to start playing the video I'm not doing a full capture because that would take hours so we're just going to start capturing now so as you can see there there are some issues visually with this tape right now we're capturing video only you can capture audio however I don't have anything set up for that at the moment I also don't need audio because most of the tapes that I'm capturing are family videos so there's not going to be much difference in terms of audio quality from an actual conventional capture once the capture is done you'll have to run it through the VHS decode software it is command line but don't worry it's very straightforward you'll be left with two TBC files one is for Chroma one is for Luma you can open them in LD analyze to see what everything looks like and check out the signal to noise ratio see if you have any line dropouts it's very straightforward and finally you can get your final output video through TBC tools again it's command line just make sure your files are all in the same folder as the software for more information there's a mass massive Wiki with all the steps it's very straightforward you might need about an hour to read through everything but once you're done you're good to go so looking at the side by side it should be pretty obvious the capture from the Doomsday duplicator is much cleaner it's much sharper there's way more color information it just looks better but this does come at a cost $500 or about $500 you can also build it yourself but currently there are other options that are pretty much better than this in every way the CX card with the clock gen mod is the gold standard Harry one of the main developers from bhsd code informed me that they are currently working on a new card the merch card that just has more options and can do everything the CX card can do and run through USB the CX card is a PCIe addin card if you're running it on a laptop this is probably your best bet there really is a lot and it's really hard to cover it all today you can check out the Discord and the wiki and the GitHub and it's a very active and Vibrant Community International and they are always looking for new contributors and people who are just interested in this project I know I am interested in this project so if you are to comment down below maybe we'll check out more stuff like this in the future maybe I'm going to get a merch card have a great day subscribe to ShortCircuit"}