is it possible to capture video from a regular vhs or dvd player onto my pc

[extentofmysin]

is it possible to capture video from a regular vhs or dvd player onto my pc..that is, without any video capture card equipment on my pc? if possible- this is essentially linked to my other problem with reading a video dvd on my pc which skipped in certain areas, but on my regular living room player it worked 100% fine. The disc obviously only has scratches which do got go as deep as the actual data and the laser is messing up with the marks on the protective surface, but ive tried everything and the pc just would not read it! lol

I would like to try to play the file on my regular dvd player while it is connected to my pc so I can record it straight, possibly as an avi, mpeg or similar, but I am unsure of what I would need connections wise on my computer or regular dvd player, or what the best program to use would be?
Unfortunately my graphics card only has regular monitor and s-video connections, which I gather can only be used as the pc output? Im not sure if there is anything on the motherboard which could be used as an input to connect the dvd player. Although im sure im probably stuck and may need to purchase some extra card no doubt, I initially thought that there must be a way to do it by connecting through USB - surely theres some sort of s-video to USB1 or USB2 converter cable out there, or would USB be too slow for the job even if it was possible (which it probably isnt!)?

If anyone can give any info that would be great

[guns1inger]

You have two distinct issues here, both require their own solutions.

1. No, you cannot capture VHS (or any other external video source) to your PC without some form of capture device. This could be a dedicated capture card, a TV card with capture capabilities, a DV (firewire) card and DV camera with passthrough, or a USB capture device (yes, they do exist). Which os these is best depends on your PC and your needs. USB2 is certainly fast enough to capture through, and there are several USB2 based devices to do this, some of which will also encode to mepg2 on the way through. Your other option is to use a DVDR to get the video, and use this to copy the video to your PC for further work.

2. Your scratched disc may require better software - ISOBuster is good for damaged discs - and some elbow grease. Sometimes small scratches can be removed with a mild abrasive such as white toothpaste or brasso