converting vhs to dvd

[adameep]

hello...
i am new to this whole world, so bear with me. i tried searching the forums a bit but couldnt find what i was looking for...I was curious if there is generally a difference in quality when converting vhs to dvd using a consumer model dvd/vcr combo drive and when using a vcr with a svhs line into a laptop (for me, its a macbook with imovie)? is there a method between these two perfered more often than the other in regards to getting the highest quality vhs to dvd transfer? or is it mostly a preference thing (ie for ease of editing)? im trying to decide if its better to buy a basic combo drive or use my computer. anyways, thanks in advance!
~adam

[redwudz]

S-video gives you a better separation between the color and the brightness, but not much difference just using regular VHS tapes as a source. No difference in editing, as that's done after a digital conversion of the video.

What you really need most for highest quality VHS to digital conversions is a TBC (Time Base Corrector) to clean up the variations in the VHS output from the deck. Some VHS players have a built in TBC and that helps.

Depending on the quality of the tapes, some noise filtering may also help, or possibly a proc amp to adjust color, etc. If they are commercial tapes, you also may need to deal with MacroVision.

Is a S-video VHS deck worth the extra cost? Not for me. I would rather spend the money on a TBC.

If you have specific Mac questions, I would post them in our Mac forum.

And welcome to our forums.

[thecoalman]

...I was curious if there is generally a difference in quality when converting vhs to dvd using a consumer model dvd/vcr combo drive and when using a vcr with a svhs line into a laptop (for me,

For direct conversions the end result is generally the same. The benefit of direct MPEG capture is speed as opposed to capturing to AVI then converting to MPEG. If you want to do extensive editing or add filters to the entire video such as noise filters not only do you negate the benefit of MPEG capture but you'll get better results with AVI.

http://www.nepadigital.com/articles/analog-capture.php