VHS-Decode did get a mention in these comments previously but probably beyond the reach (or patience) of even most hackers. But good information on decks and theory:
In the (original) spirit of this site, where people get curious and go off and solve impossible problems, I can point to this guy who gets it. He rants better than I do.
The last useful decks were built 25 years ago. Even then there's acres of bad advice on the internet, specifically around prosumer decks with built-in TBC that isn't sufficient to provide a proper signal to a modern video capture card.
So find any S-VHS deck that actually runs well, S-Video out into a external TBC. Blackmagic owns the cheap-but-great category for capture. Then ffmpeg to suit your storage budget.
Beyond that, things are so screwed up online around preservation technology and knowledge that my advice is to seek the services of a professional if the material is important. Or go ahead and DIY if you're just doing amateur stuff or you're a hoarder trying to justify your conditions. But try to refrain from posting your secret sauce; it likely isn't. Organize and post the videos instead. Most won't, because they know they look like shit and they can't handle the feedback.
I appreciate the reply. It does feel like most resources online are just the summary of 3 web searches and boom they’re an expert. Thanks for the links and info.
