What else do I need to put VHS -> DVD

[viber8]

Hello all,

I have a Radeon 9800 Pro and was under the impression that this would be enough to put VHS into my PC and capture the picture (a favour for my step-father ). Now after reading some tutorials it seems like I need an All-In-Wonder Radeon card or a video capture card.

I have purchased the necessary cables (with scart & s-video etc) and can hear the audio input when the video plays.

Now if there is a way to just use the current graphics card I have, what software do I need, or what software do I need anyway?

Thank you and sorry if these questions have been answered somewhere in this forum already, but I have read a few threads and found no help.

Any questions about my hardware/software just ask.

Thanks again
/Sarah

[edsmith77]

Sarah,
Unfortunately you need a video capture device. Your current video adapter will not suffice for that task.
There are other options, none of which you will probably like.
First, exchange your video card for one of the AIW type cards that will do Video capture. Or purchase an external capture device such as Dazzle, Happauge or any one the many available. I personally use the Happauge PVR2 USB model and am more than satisfied with the results. It is nice in that I can usually capture at full DVD resolution and still do other tasks without affecting the capture process. Which includes TV and VHS captures.
Other people will give you their preferences for capture devices, I am sure.

Ed

[lordsmurf]

Capture card. Good VCR. Possibly a TBC

You could also do a DVD recorder in place of capture card. Still need good VCR. Possibly TBC.

[anitract]

Since I started capturing, I have bought...
1) Parts for a separate PC just for capturing....~$800 (including a used ATI AIW card)
2) A nice prosumer JVC VCR...~$280 new
3) A tbc-100...~$200-50 used
4) A bvp-4 for restoration work....~$280 used
5) Various cables...~$75 new

Future purchases...
1) TV to monitor / preview video footage
2) A couple of 300-400 GB hard drives to archive captured video
3) Possibly a detailer / image enhancer of some sort
__
The bad thing is that I haven't gotten to use my equipment that much since I wait on deals on eBay for things I need for my captures (which I don't care to redo every time I get a new component).

When I started this, I thought I could spend ~$800 for EVERYTHING and be satisfied...well, that changed as I learned more.

If you have a lot of extra money sitting around you can have some fun with this hobby. I consider the money that I've spent "relatively low" compared to what the real enthusiasts on this board spend.

[edsmith77]

Sarah,
Video processing can be frustrating, daunting and downright expensive.
I have a very simple video capture system which also doubles as my home computer system. So far the investment has been ~$600 for motherboard, CPU, RAM and 250Gb HDD. I reused my existing monitor video and sound card.
I then spent $150 for a Happauge PVR2 USB device and I have a complete video capturing system. Of course, I needed some software to manipulate the captured video onto DVD. This set me back about $50 for TDA (full version) and of course a DVD burner (DL of course) ~$70.
Now I can capture from VHS (using currently owned VHS machine) and from TV cable (tuner included with the Happauge).
My outlay was certainly less than $1k and I can capture everything that I want.
From a processing perspective, dubbing VHS tapes to DVD takes as long as the movie takes. About 15 minutes from TDA to author a DVD and another 5 minutes to burn to disk with TDA. TV captures follow the same process.

Obviously, you can have a much more elaborate system but my needs are fairly simple. Evaluate your needs carefully and then decide on what is needed and what is for fun.

Ed

[viber8]

Thank you for all the replies!

I have decided to order a video capture card now, found one on Ebuyer ... I'm not sure that I can post the link to it, but this is the description:

Winfast VC100 Image/video PCI Capture device with Direct Burn, time shifting and picture in picture Retail Box

I hope this will do the trick and it's a very cheap investment. I am not too bothered with quality because as I said, this is for my step-father and initially we are only recording some home-video. Maybe other things will come after, depending on the quality.