vhs to dvd

[lordmajax]

Hello,

I have two non-copyrighted vhs tapes that I want to transfer to dvd. I don't have a camcorder so that rules that option out. What other ways are there to transfer both vhs tapes to one dvd-r or dvd-rw?

[Noahtuck]

Hi
You should have just continued it in your original post.

There is that way, you can use a video capture card, a standalone dvd recorder, you can buy firewire and usb capture devices that can connect your vcr directly to your pc. if you only plan on doing these 2 tapes the cheapest way would be the usb capture device that connects your vcr to your pc,
Something along these lines,

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6376192&type=product&id=1077627694879

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6376209&type=product&productCategoryId=c...=1077627694938

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=category&id=cat01054
But for the price of some of these you might be better off buying a capture card or standalone dvd recorder.

Although there are prob. better ones and other people here that know more about them because i don't use them, they are just a cheap alternative but i have heard many get good results from them.

guess it really depends on how much you want to spend and how much you plan on doing it.



Or you could look for a local service that will do it for you.

[lordmajax]

Thanks for all the great advice. Could you tell me more about the video capture card vs. usb capture device? I don't think I have firewire on my pc. It's a Dell.

[lordmajax]

I've got another question. I want to be able to create chapters, edit video, and create animated menus. What would be the best way of doing this? I haven't picked out any software yet to do this. I also want to be able to take two still images and combine them with a title on either side and make that my label to put on the dvd. Alot to do.

[hsugawar]

Are you really willing to spend money to buy a capture card? It's an option to ask a pro to copy your VHSs to DVDs. Google "VHS DVD COPY" to find out.

hiro

[DVFun]

I have used Pinnacle PCTV Pro, which is well reasonably priced and delivers an acceptable quality.
Do not expect to improve the VHS quality of your tapes, unless you invest in more expensive hardware/software.
Anyway, PCTV Pro comes with a reasonable capture software to capture either AVI or MPEG2 and then you need an authroing/burning software.
So, if you are only converting those 2 tapes, you should weigh in the pros and cons of investing in something you would not be using in the future, in which case a conversion from professional labs may cost just as much, but would be hassle free.
NOTE: For the audio, you'd need to get it thru the Line-In of your audio card!!!
Just my 2 cents............