Convert VHS to DVD - Comments Page 1

Thanks for the article. Vey timely as I have been looking the various options for a number weeks now and this summarised these very succinctly.

Cheers

I got an ATI All in Wonder, partly so I could port in video. But it turned out not to capture to MPG (an older model) and the quality was rather basic. Newer models are better but I found a 2 head video card with seperate capture was better.

Now I have 2 solutions - if I want to edit, I got a Pinnacle MovieBox DV. Its a USB device that has inputs and outputs to SVideo, composite, and firewire. I edit with Premier or Pinnacle Studio (easier, came with MovieBox).

For just porting tape to DVD, its easier to use the livingroom. My VCR is now just a tape playback box hooked to the back of my DVR. The Panasonic DVR has both hard drive and DVD recorder. For tape dubbing, you can record direct to DVD or to the hard drive, edit commercials out, then dub to DVD. If this is all you need, you may find it a simpler solution than upgrading your computer.

I do use a DVD Recorders. Couldn't be easier. I bought a Cyberhome (DVR-1200) at Walmart on clerance for $50. Supposed to be DVD+R/RW only but it also records DVD-R.

I simply plugged my VCR into it, selected my input and burned to DVD. You have choices of Super quality (1 hour per DVD) or lesser quality, up to 8 gours on DVD. Remember the DVD will only look as good / bad as your tape/source.

Dave

I've used ADS an Ulead for years and found the product problematic and enemic. A much better choice would be Pinnacle software and thier black box available from tigerdirect.com.

Just a word of caution in assuming that even if DVDs last 50 years if stored correctly, you will be able to find a machine that will read what will then surely be an obsolete format! As formats are replaced with ever-increasing frequency you need to think about moving your archive along to the next thing from time to time. I am currently agonising about what to do with 8mm and 16mm home movies shot more than 50 years ago. I can still view them on the projectors I own but dread the day the bulb goes and I have to try and find a replacement!

EDITOR'S NOTE: Brett, there are companies that specialize in transferring your old home movies to today's digital media. And I'm sure that in 50 or 100 years, entrepreneurs will be around to transfer your old dusty DVDs to those newfangled 50-Terabyte titanium buttons that all the kids are wearing. :-)

I wish to thank all who have left comments as they have helped me to make up my mind about putting all of my recorded movies on DVD. I record from a PBS station so there are no commericals. I also record from other stations. Thanks again.

Thank you, Bob! I have been working on this problem with my friend's dad, and we were a bit stuck. All of these solutions are applicable to our project and practical. True thanks.

Thank you, thank you! I, too, have been agonizing over which route to take. This is the FIRST time I have seen the various options spelled out in one place, and so clearly described! Now I finally have what I need to choose my course of action, and begin saving my cherished cassettes!

I run a small commercial film archive - for any of you who have 8mm or old 16mm film, if you do re-master it to DVD, either hang on to the original film or donate to an organisation which will cherish them and (very important) allow you access to them again when the next electronic format comes along. So far, film is the only medium proven to last over 100 years; all other formats wear out over time, some of them amazingly fast. CDs were supposed to last forever, too...so I will believe the estimated lifespan for DVD-R etc when I see it. There are many commercial facility houses with Telecine machines to transfer 8mm and 16mm film; well worth the money, if you value your material. As for my hundreds of time-coded VHSs - am transferring to a HDD DVD writer. Quick and easy.

Brett,

I too have some old 8mm home movies of my parents wedding. Last year I was working with a video/media group at our state university and he suggested playing the movie on a screen or white wall and taping it with my digital camcorder, thus getting away from the expense of having someone else transfer the movies to a digital format. I haven't tried it yet but am planning on it this summer. Has anyone else ever tried this?

Julie, (March 30, 2006), I have tried projecting on a screen and it works with a little practice (proper set-up is important also).

You might have to set your camcorder to manual focus. I noticed after my first attempt that the recordings would go in and out of focus. You may also consider turning the microphone off. Leaving it on will add realism to the playback. You will hear the 8mm projector. You might also talk about Jed, that lazy bum of a 3rd cousin, and without a doubt, he will stop by next week. I found myself in this situation a while back while playing back a DVD. Luckily, lazy bum guy was not here but I did learn a lesson just the same. Good luck and have fun!

Does anyone know, among the various options, which provides the best quality transfer? In other words, if I use a combo VHS/DVD Recorder at highest quality (1 hour per DVD), will this look as good as importing the VHS directly into my computer video card on composite cable then burning to a 1 hour DVD?

Also, does anyone know if 8mm frame-by-frame transfers to DVD are provide better quality results than the standard YesVideo type transfers?

EDITOR'S NOTE: I've heard that VHS quality is only at the 4 hours per DVD level. So recording at 1 hour per DVD will just waste space.

I am a medical professional and have a lot of techno knowledge with my gadgets at work, however I am limited with this stuff. I like trying to figure things out though, so....copying from VHS to DVD AND having the ability to edit, what would be the best but simplest, easiest way (out of all the above)for a techno ignorant person to accomplish this? Any help would be appreciated.

Would anyone have knowledge of which VHS/DVD Recorder Combo brand is best. Seems there is an LG, Sony, and Panasonic units at Best Buy.

Being a techno-retard the more they talked the more confused I became. Main problem, as a 61 year old, I do not fully understand the language & terms. Might as well have been Greek. We have Beta and Vhs tapes to transfer. Thank You

Is there any way to use cable through usb port into computer from vhs/vcr to burn dvd/cvd directly without using capturing,any card and software?

EDITOR'S NOTE:I don't think so... the video outputs from the TV/VCR cannot be interpreted by the computer with a video capture card.

I just bought a Magnavox model available at Walmart that dubs VHS to DVD. It is totally amazing and I am really excited about copying all of the hours of videos I made of my kids on Super 8 video. I also wanted to look into making copies of the old Disney videos I bought when my kids were little. I know they are copyrighted, but I would like to be able to make a "backup" of them on DVD so that when they are worn out, I have a good "hard" copy. Is there any way that I can do this legally? Thanks!

EDITOR'S NOTE: Does the Magnavox box prevent you from copying those Disney tapes? If not, go for it!

I have a Sansui combo unit which dubs family VHS tapes to DVD very easily. However, finalized for play on another player, I get stalls and pixelation a lot of the time. Sansui Cust. Svc. sort of said, "too bad, so sad; cannot guarantee compatibility." WHAT? Is this true of all models and all brands? If so, I am highly saddened. Comments? Solutions? Suggestions?

Just wondering about this scenario. Connect my JVC MiniDV cam to the VHS player, dub VHS tapes to mini DV, then use the fire wire to input to PC and thence onto DVD media. We just got a new hp with XP Media Center on it, so I'm hoping that I won't need any other software.

Can anyone tell me if this is true? I know that this will mean real time play through twice, once to miniDV and once to PC.

What program should I use under media center for the best image quality to DVD? I realize that at best I will get no better an image than the original VHS quality. Thanks

EDITOR'S NOTE: If the cam had a USB cable to transfer video files directly to the PC, that would be much easier.

Regarding Walt Disney videos, I too would like to "backup" copies onto DVD but there is a "block" when trying to record. Do anyone know how to over come this.

Hi, I have just managed to find a secondhand copy of Disney's Polly on video. A friend tried to copy it to DVD and said it did not work. How do I copy it? It would ony be for my children's use.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Have you tried playing it on your VCR, with a DVD recorder hooked up to the same TV? Or using a black box as suggested in the article?