VHS/DVD Combo Converter

[Evhmoon]

I need to convert 100's of VHS to DVD, using one of those VHS/DVR Combo Converters...

Whats the top of the line out there? and are there any i should stay away from? I want the best quality possible.. So a few tips on what everyone else here suggests would be greatly appreciated!

[hech54]

are there any i should stay away from?

Yea...stay away from combos...
Seriously....they're crap.

[jjeff]

Agree, unless it's a older maybe Panasonic ES-30. I've had good luck with that unit. The newer ones lack many of the flexibility of the older ones as well as false copy protection and program break problems.
For the new ones stick to separates. Note for the VCR part you may need to buy a combo player since no one really makes a new VCR only player. That or try and find a used 4 head brand name VCR.
Not sure of your budget but Panasonic makes a EA-18 tunerless DVDR for ~$180 and Philips makes the 3575 w/hdd for ~$300 new or $200 referb from Philips. Both should make good recordings from a external VHS.

[SmokieStover]

If you are talking about home recorded VHS tapes, it's almost always best to use the VCR(s) that recorded them or ones that are most like the recording unit(s). My VHS home movie tapes played well on almost every VCR, so I used a lowend consumer level S-VHS (Mitsubishi) VCR for play back. For oddball EP recordings that track poorly, an older (1990 to 1996) Sharp VCR is hard to beat. Pre-recorded tapes are another matter due to M@cro Vision.

I haven't seen a VCR/DVD combo that worked worth a hoot. Here's a JVC combo unit that might work for you:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-JVC-SR-MV45U-DVD-Recorder-VCR-Combo_W0QQitemZ18022815704...QQcmdZViewItem

You can find several listed on ebay. I'm thinking LS gave them a passing grade.

[Evhmoon]

hmmm thanks! didnt realize new combo's were bad at all .. i have seen some DVDS that turned out like crap that others made!.. I have been authoring on PC for years and i am just sick of the long process of rendering and all that stuff.. Wanted to simplify things a bit..

I have a great VCR still...So am set for that. So just transfer from VHS player to a good DVR unit? or get an older combo unit?

Thanks for the tips.. as for my budget. it depends what features it has, if i dont need the combo, then i guess i can go with a pretty good quality DVR as i have never had one yet. I have been using my xbox to watch DVDS for many years now...

yes, i have a bunch of VHS tapes that i want to trasnfer to DVD in the best quality possible. I will check out the DVR's suggested here..

keep the tips comin!

[wabjxo]

Check out the Philips DVDR3575H/37. 160GB HDD and NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuners for easy editing and future proofing.

Lots of info here.

[Evhmoon]

That Philips DVDR3575H looks pretty sweet.. but seems pretty $$ for just being DVR but i can see it offers pretty HQ stuff.. hmm

*EDIT*

just found a review of this one. doesnt look so good unless this person has a case of the "user errors"..
http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Philips%20DVDR3575H/37%20DVD%20recorder%20/%20HDD%20record...NlYwNiZ3NpYg--

[victoriabears]

It is useful to know where you are, USA?

There are lots of threads on this subject and I would guide you as follows:-

1: Unless you are trying to copy stuff from vhs to dvd and either capture it for serious archiving, eg: Treasured memories, or trying to win awards dfor the best dvd converions, keep it simple as follows:-

2; Get a dvd recorder you can return once trying it and use the vcr(s) you recorded all this stuff on. Simply connect your vcr to the recorder and away you go, myself I would start with Toshiba, or a Wal Mart cheapie.

3: Try a panasonic :-

http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Video/DVD-Recorders-Players/DVD-Re...00000000005702

My personal experience is good.

4: If you want the go nuts solution then its capturing to avi then using the fancy software and learning it to convert to divx or dvd.

If the majority of your vhs tapes play well then do those first and simplest if you have over, say 10, that are in bad shape then get learning, or use a professional service.

[Evhmoon]

Thanks for replyin!

I am in USA!

What i want to transfer is a mix of home movies and stuff i have taped off TV Back in the day, some of this stuff (the latter) is actually gonna be work related, so i want it best quality as possible..

I have been making DVDS from VHS through my PC for yeeaaaars now.. i Just want to be done with that. too slow of a process on here...

[PuzZLeR]

Combos are lame and for the clueless who want their "quick fix". Marketers take advantage of these naive souls with their "all-in-one solution".

The parts put together are cheap - cheap VCR unit, cheap encoder and cheap burner. You will end up with badly encoded video and bad audio and many artifacts. Even the final burn may be problematic. As well, some do that double/triple speed dubbing thing - EVEN WORSE RESULT!

And many of these units don't have hard drives. Seriously, don't most people realize that these VHS tapes will need some edits before burning (cutting, joining, etc.)?

Stay away.

Like other posts said, use the original VCR. It's quite likely more "familiar with its work" in playback (tracking, pq, etc.). If your tapes are old and the original recorder is gone then invest in a good one. They are not expensive today. Since you will only use it for playback you don't need to invest in 4-heads. Two heads is enough for good playback, the four head option is only for good recording, which you won't need.

And get a good quality DVR - the price difference between very good and very bad is not that great so get a well-known quality model instead. You can input a VCR into any of them and just press record while the tape is running. Simple.

Get one with a hard drive - you'll regret it otherwise. The bigger hard drives come with a higher price tag, but seriously too much hard drive space isn't necessary unless you're using your unit as a media center. Nevetheless use the hard drive to organize, manage, edit, etc. If you're picky like me, use RW discs to migrate the content to your PC if you want better editing, processing, authoring or even compressing to DivX/Xvid etc.

A good DVR is a Pioneer IMHO - good quality video and good features. Keep it clean with a lens cleaner and it will burn thousands of hours of video like it did for me so far.

Good luck.

[wabjxo]

That Philips DVDR3575H looks pretty sweet.. but seems pretty $$ for just being DVR but i can see it offers pretty HQ stuff.. hmm

*EDIT*

just found a review of this one. doesnt look so good unless this person has a case of the "user errors"..
http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Philips%20DVDR3575H/37%20DVD%20recorder%20/%20HDD%20record...NlYwNiZ3NpYg--

I sure hope one putz's experience doesn't cloud your judgement. I don't recognize ANY of what he says he found with any of my three units.

Here's my own experience with PQ. There are lots of other posts in that series of subjects you could review... just click on the link at the bottom of each page.

[SmokieStover]

Am I the only one who thinks that VHS EP is better than what any DVD recorder is capable of producing from analog input when the recording quality profile exceeds 2-1/2 hours?

I can tolerate VHS noise, but not the blurs, dithering and pixelation that go with 4 and 6 hour DVD Recorder modes. Most DVD recorders jump from a 2 hour recording mode to 4 hours...and that sucks, I don't care what recorder is used.

If you put 6 hours, or even 4 hours of VHS EP on one DVD, unless it's worthless talking head material, you are simply wasting your time.

[Evhmoon]

Combos are lame and for the clueless who want their "quick fix". Marketers take advantage of these naive souls with their "all-in-one solution".

The parts put together are cheap - cheap VCR unit, cheap encoder and cheap burner. You will end up with badly encoded video and bad audio and many artifacts. Even the final burn may be problematic. As well, some do that double/triple speed dubbing thing - EVEN WORSE RESULT!

And many of these units don't have hard drives. Seriously, don't most people realize that these VHS tapes will need some edits before burning (cutting, joining, etc.)?

Stay away.

Like other posts said, use the original VCR. It's quite likely more "familiar with its work" in playback (tracking, pq, etc.). If your tapes are old and the original recorder is gone then invest in a good one. They are not expensive today. Since you will only use it for playback you don't need to invest in 4-heads. Two heads is enough for good playback, the four head option is only for good recording, which you won't need.

And get a good quality DVR - the price difference between very good and very bad is not that great so get a well-known quality model instead. You can input a VCR into any of them and just press record while the tape is running. Simple.

Get one with a hard drive - you'll regret it otherwise. The bigger hard drives come with a higher price tag, but seriously too much hard drive space isn't necessary unless you're using your unit as a media center. Nevetheless use the hard drive to organize, manage, edit, etc. If you're picky like me, use RW discs to migrate the content to your PC if you want better editing, processing, authoring or even compressing to DivX/Xvid etc.

A good DVR is a Pioneer IMHO - good quality video and good features. Keep it clean with a lens cleaner and it will burn thousands of hours of video like it did for me so far.

Good luck.

Cool! Thanks!

I am already a fan of Pioneer as i have only used Pioneer DVD burners on my PC for the last 4/5 yrs...No complaints ever with em!

I will see what i can find.

thx again!