VHS to DVD to .avi or VHS-.avi?

[xxnonamexx]

I have seen devices that are supposed to convert VHS to DVDI have the SONY DVDDirect that does wonders but I want to get the VHS into digital format .avi or .mkv. Any ideas? Best software capture card if needed? I am trying to not use my PC it is a 4gig Quad etc. but I would like to get the DVDs from DVDirect into .avi .mkv format.

Thanks

[hech54]

have the SONY DVDDirect that does wonders

So do you own one of these or not?

[jagabo]

DVD is a digital format. You can use MakeMKV to remux your DVD VOB files into an MKV container. Or MkvToolNix's MMG (MkvMergeGui).

[xxnonamexx]

I own the DVD Direct and I can get the VHS to DVD media (VOB files). I want to get these VOBS into .mkv or .avi files to play via usb external hard drive through my various players. The MakeMKV looks very interesting and I plan on trying it out.

[jagabo]

Give MkvMergeGui a try. It's trivially easy. Start the program (MMG.EXE), select the first VOB file (it will automatically append a VOB set), Save as MKV.

https://www.videohelp.com/tools/MKVtoolnix

[xxnonamexx]

Quick question it states output file .avi does this mean that this can also convert to other formats like .avi? Does it lose any quality or audio sync issues? I know more formats (dvd-blu-ray usb thumbdrives into USB dvd players) are starting to play .mkv files but many more play .avi's which is why I think .avi is better to convert VHS too. Thanks I am going to give this program a whirl.

[hech54]

Players don't play just .AVI files. It depends on what is INSIDE the .AVI file. You have much reading to do. The "AVI" that players are referring to are most likely Divx or Xvid "compression"....and you WILL lose quality by converting your DVDs to Divx/Xvid.

[xxnonamexx]

Yea I read alot about .avi etc. The dvd player states .avi/.mkv files and thats all that I look for when deciding if it's worth buying. I have been converting my DVD collection into a 1TB HD so my parents or anyone just need to plug the USB external 1TB drive in and play the movie they want to see and toss these VHS and DVD media mediums.

[hech54]

toss these VHS and DVD media mediums.

Extremely DUMB idea. VHS to DVD is a great idea....but whoever told you that "AVI files" are as good as your DVDs as far as quality goes is an idiot.....there is no nice way to say it.

[xxnonamexx]

Well isn't it easier with all of this new technology to access movies from files or streaming instead of using Discs. I don't mean toss the dvds out but use them as a backup. This way every media file is storied on a server.

[hech54]

Well isn't it easier with all of this new technology to access movies from files or streaming instead of using Discs.

I do that same thing right now....have been for years with an external HDD that plays Xvid/Divx files and DVD folders. There are strict parameters for the Xvid/Divx files(no VBR audio), No ISO images, etc etc etc....AND I know that my Xvid/Divx files are a tiny fraction of the quality of the original DVD....and that quality loss can NEVER be restored....EVER.

[jagabo]

MakeMKV and MkvMergeGUI only remux the DVD contents into an MKV container. There is no re-encoding, no change of quality. Whether or not your media player will play that is another question.

[xxnonamexx]

Thanks I am going to try them out. I notice Seagate and WD have Media hubs but I don't think it's worth it if I can just plug a external USB drive into my existing dvd player to play the files it will eliminate an uneccessary player box.

[Zetski210]

Quick question it states output file .avi does this mean that this can also convert to other formats like .avi? Does it lose any quality or audio sync issues? I know more formats (dvd-blu-ray usb thumbdrives into USB dvd players) are starting to play .mkv files but many more play .avi's which is why I think .avi is better to convert VHS too. Thanks I am going to give this program a whirl.

Both avi and mkv are simply containers, or wrappers, to hold video and audio streams. You can throw whatever you want in either of these containers, but just because a player states it can play an avi file does not necessarily mean that it can decode any avi file you throw at it.
DVD video is encoded using MPEG video and have file sizes in the order of a few GB (depending on the length of the video) as the bit-rate is about 10 Mbps. You can demultiplex this video into raw m2v format and put it into an avi file and you have perfect replica of the original video. This may, or may not, play on your DVD player.

More commonly, as previously mentioned in this thread, avi files hold Xvid or divX video formats that are heavily compressed and therefore are of lesser quality that the original DVD. However, both of these compression formats are quite old now and there are better compression options available.

MKV is quickly becoming a more popular container as it can hold a great deal more video and audio streams within it, along with subtitles and chapters. Most mkv files floating around contain AVC video (h.264 compression) and many will agree that this is a superior format to Xvid/divX. Again, as mkv is a container, you DVD player must be able to decode the contents of the mkv file in order to play the video.

Regarding your options for converting VHS to some digital format to store, chances are that the video quality on your VHS tapes has degraded over time. Even though avi with Xvid or divX is an ageing format , if you convert to a lower bit-rate, compress with Xvid or divX and place into an avi container, you probably won't notice any deterioration in quality due to the video compression.

For DVDs, I would recommend using mkv as the h.264 compression can be used without noticing any degradation in quality, depending on the bit-rate of the converted video. All my DVDs that I've converted have been done using h.264 with a bit-rate of about 1.5 to 2.0 Mbps. They look great and consume about 1/4 of the size of the original DVD.

[xxnonamexx]

Even though avi with Xvid or divX is an ageing format , if you convert to a lower bit-rate, compress with Xvid or divX and place into an avi container, you probably won't notice any deterioration in quality due to the video compression. ---->the SONY DVD Direct puts the VHS to DVD media from there I can convert it to .mkv.

For DVDs, I would recommend using mkv as the h.264 compression can be used without noticing any degradation in quality, depending on the bit-rate of the converted video. All my DVDs that I've converted have been done using h.264 with a bit-rate of about 1.5 to 2.0 Mbps. They look great and consume about 1/4 of the size of the original DVD.---> Is the program mentioned above the one you used for your conversions? How long did it take to convert? Thanks

[Zetski210]

...the SONY DVD Direct puts the VHS to DVD media from there I can convert it to .mkv...

Try AutoGK, it will convert a DVD structure directly to avi. You can adjust the target file-size or bit-rate depending on your requirements. Depending on your PC it will take anywhere from 30mins (high-end PC) to over an hour (lower spec PC).

...Is the program mentioned above the one you used for your conversions? How long did it take to convert? Thanks

I use MeGUI based on this guide.
It is not a simple procedure as the streams must be decoded and extracted, AVIsynth scripts created, video/audio converted and then repackaged into mkv, although I use m2ts, but that's only due to my media player (PS3) not liking mkv.
All up, the conversion takes about an hour on my PC, including ripping, extracting and conversion.

[hech54]

if you convert to a lower bit-rate, compress with Xvid or divX and place into an avi container, you probably won't notice any deterioration in quality

WTF are you talking about?

[Zetski210]

if you convert to a lower bit-rate, compress with Xvid or divX and place into an avi container, you probably won't notice any deterioration in quality

WTF are you talking about?

I was talking about dubbing from a well used VHS tape. VHS tapes that have been watched a number of times tend to be grainy and noisy.

[xxnonamexx]

I just remember one other thing Handbrake isn't that also a video format convertor that will work?

[xxnonamexx]

I just tried MakeMKV using a VIDEO_TS folder and it worked. I am curious did I need to change any settings? Thanks