vhs to dvd

[TEFP]

i am trying to backup my vhs's to dvd
my vhs is really old and doesn't connect to a computer

is there a way to put them on my computer?

[Ward River]

Use a DVD recorder or a capture device to transfer the video.

[CSULB71]

Assuming you don't want to buy a capture card (for analog input from your VCR) or a firewire card (for DV input from a digital camcorder), get a stand-alone DVD recorder and make DVD's directly from your VCR. Then put the DVD in your computer's DVD-ROM drive and copy the files to your hard drive. Or, do a search/check the guides for many related discussions about this topic.

[wwjd]

Are these VHS tapes of store bought movies? If so they probably contain macrovision. If they contain macrovision then a DVD recorder will not help you.

However, if they are home movies or recorded TV shows and you do not want to cut or trim or add menus then a DVD recorder is the way to go.

[TEFP]

what should i use if they're store bought movies?

[BrainStorm69]

You will need to get a device that defeats Macrovision. Sima makes several, and some other companies do as well. Do a search for "remove" or "eliminate" and "macrovision" in this forum and you will should find lots of suggestions.

[TEFP]

thanks for your reply's

[wwjd]

I am not familiar with most of the hardware that can defeat macrovision. I have used a Canopus ADVC-100 to defeat macrovision and to convert the analog VHS tape to DV. You can hook up any VCR that has composite out connections. The Canopus ADVC-100 then transfers the converted analog video as digital video (DV) to your computer hard drive via fire wire.

Before I say more, I should say that the Canopus costs over $200. You will also need some software and a great deal of time a patients to learn how to do the entire process. So the question you have to ask yourself is it really worth it or should I just go out and start replacing the VHS movies with commercially available DVDs?

[TEFP]

is there anything just a "little" bit cheaper
i don't really want to spend $200 for it

does anybody know of any good capture cards?

[wwjd]

Most capture cards do not defeat macrovision. If you do find one that does be sure that the capture card has on board hardware encoding. If it does not then your CPU will have to do the encoding which in most cases will result in dropped frames/audio sync issues, jerky video and so on.

If these VHS tapes are really rare and commercial DVDs are not available then maybe its worth the effort but other wise it is NOT.

You probably know this but for clarity you should also keep in mind that putting VHS on a DVD will NOT improve the picture quality. In fact it is quite probable that the quality will degrade. How much it degrades depends on a number of factors.

[Lurch]

Hard good things about this unit.

http://www.ecost.com/ecost/shop/detail.asp?dpno=493710&store=ecost&source=ECOSTPG&adca...=email,ECOSTPG

Gonna order one when I get rich(er)..

[lordsmurf]

is there anything just a "little" bit cheaper
i don't really want to spend $200 for it

does anybody know of any good capture cards?

This hobby is going to cost you money, to obtain good results and effectively archive your tapes. If you enter video with the "can I fund it with change found between the couch cushions" attitude, it'll end in headaches, bad results and wasted time/effort/money.

A DVD recorder with an anti-MV filter (which may not work 100% of the time anyway, need a TBC for 100%) you're gonna spend about $200-300 total.

I don't aim to be mean, but these "aw that's too much money" posts tend to get obnoxious sometimes. Especially after you've gotten so many decent answers through the thread, only to discount them based on $$$.

You may be able to get a really dirt cheap crappy PCI card for about $50 that ignores MV, but good luck with that one. Be aware the trade-off is MANY HOURS in encode time, should that route work. And the output quality is going to look not all that great.

[lordsmurf]

You probably know this but for clarity you should also keep in mind that putting VHS on a DVD will NOT improve the picture quality. In fact it is quite probable that the quality will degrade. How much it degrades depends on a number of factors.

Totally untrue.
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=43
This whole forum is dedicated to the pursuit of improving video.

[wwjd]

lordsmurf,

Thanks for the correction! What I meant to say was that putting VHS on
DVD will not result in the kind of video quality most people associate with commercially produced DVD movies.

Garbage in, garbage out. Yes you can help the colors some and take out some noise with the right equipment/software and knowledge but it will still be low resolution VHS source.

[lordsmurf]

lordsmurf,

Thanks for the correction! What I meant to say was that putting VHS on
DVD will not result in the kind of video quality most people associate with commercially produced DVD movies.

Garbage in, garbage out. Yes you can help the colors some and take out some noise with the right equipment/software and knowledge but it will still be low resolution VHS source.

Yeah, that's right on the money.