Possible dumb question...MPEG-2 to VHS

[JennyBear]

My friend had me make her a slideshow...I have encoded it as MPEG-2(DVD) format for the best quality. Now, she doesn't own a DVD player so she asked me to put it on VHS. How can I do this?

Would it be best to burn it onto a DVD-RW and then play it from the DVD player to the VCR? Can you do that?

Or can I do it directly from the computer to my VCR. For your info, I do have a Canopus ADVC-100 box...if this helps. Help me out here guys.

Thanks,

Jenny

[FulciLives]

My friend had me make her a slideshow...I have encoded it as MPEG-2(DVD) format for the best quality. Now, she doesn't own a DVD player so she asked me to put it on VHS. How can I do this?

Would it be best to burn it onto a DVD-RW and then play it from the DVD player to the VCR? Can you do that?

Or can I do it directly from the computer to my VCR. For your info, I do have a Canopus ADVC-100 box...if this helps. Help me out here guys.

Thanks,

Jenny

The best thing would be to burn it to a DVD and then play it back on a DVD and simply record it from there to a VHS VCR. Like you said you can use a DVD-RW disc so you don't "waste" a blank in the process.

As far as making the DVD you will need to use an authoring program. There are many to pick from and some offer free 30 day full use demos. Although I haven't tried it alot of people here on this website seem to like DVDLab and I know you can download it and use it for 30 days before it locks up and needs to be registered (by paying for it on-line). So you might want to give that a try. Trust me ... the hardest part was making the MPEG-2 file. The authoring stage is not THAT difficult.

Also since this is a DVD you have made (or WILL be making) yourself there will be no COPY PROTECTION on it so that is why you can simply play it back on any standard DVD player and copy the analog outputs to a VHS VCR without any problems. Most store bought commercially made DVD discs do have some sort of copy protection that prevents that DVD player to VHS VCR copying.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
You might want to go ahead and create this on a regular DVD-R or DVD+R instead of a -RW or +RW because eventually your friend will have a DVD player (after all many name brand models are out now for around a measly $100 or so). Give your friend the DVD and the VHS ... she will appreciate this when she DOES get a DVD player. No use going to all that trouble just to end up with a VHS video