Need Guidance VHS to DVD Transfer

[trishp]

Greetings:
I am hoping for some advice from the pros on this website on how to transfer my VHS tapes to DVD to achieve a quality result.
I do not want to upload them on my computer, so will be seeking out a used VHS->DVD recorder to accomplish the task.
Can you recommend:
-the best quality VHS->DVD recorder to look for?
-which DVD type to use (are they really only good for 6 mos??)
-any other tips to reach my goal
Thank you.

[pcspeak]

A good start is to read this thread.
https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/393068-Starting-From-Scratch-Convert-VHS-to-DVD!!!!
And then search Videohelp for 'VHS to DVD'. It's all been said before.

Cheers.

[Truenorth179]

I've done this quite often. I have an old Sony DVD recorder and an old VHS tape player. I record the VHS tape on the DVD recorder. Then I take the DVD and use Handbrake to turn it into a MP4 or MKV file. Handbrake can clean up the video quite well. There are lots of advice posts on this forum about Handbrake strategies for this.

[johnmeyer]

Not sure where you read that DVDs are only good for a few months. If you buy good-quality DVDs, they are probably the longest-lasting digital media you can buy. Back when we could get Japanese-manufactured Tayo-Yuden blanks, the accelerated aging tests suggested that they could last well over 100 years. Some of mine are now well over 20 years old and even the garbage DVDs I bought, before I knew better, are still working fine.

[trishp]

Thanks TrueNorth for offering me another viable solution

And, thank you John for the DVD info. Their awesome longevity and easy storage capability are a win-win in my book )

[lordsmurf]

I have an old Sony DVD recorder and an old VHS tape player.

That will never look good.
No TBCs = wiggly video, audio sync issues, image dropouts (black frames), etc.

Random VCRs = random quality (always bad)
Random DVD recorder = random quality (always bad, worse with bad VCRs)

Handbrake doesn't understand interlacing or aspect. It often butchers interlaced SD sources. Wrong tool. Hybrid is far better.

[victoriabears]

trishp-what is your source PAL or NTSC.?

I spent years digitizing my valued VHS collection. 2004-2013, it was nearly all PAL and recorded from best transmission source either terrestrial or digital in the UK and usually at SP speed.
Computer capture never worked for me, I really do not know why, may be my inability to grasp the way it was done.

So I focused on vhs to dvd transfer. and then created iso's of the dvd and stored them on my home server, I nearly 10 years later have found a lot of the material has surfaced elsewhere in digital form, saving me the job of editing ,filtering to a digital format for streaming, ,mp4 or mkv.

The hardware I used for vhs to dvd was the following myriad of equipment.

VHS

JVC HR-S9500U, 9911, 9800, HR-S8965EK

Panasonic NV-HS 860,Panasonic NV-HS 930,Panasonic NV-HS 960,Panasonic NV-SV 121

A Toshiba also in the mix.

I used a datavideo tbc1000 and unknown brand 8710T, for hardware filtering

DVD Recorder was mainly a JVC, cannot recall model #, but it was the best in jvc range and I had a panasonic es10 and a pansonic vhs to dvd combo that did do very well.

Why so many vhs players?, the trouble with vhs is it is so reliant on the original deck it was recorded on, so may be get same brand of vhs /dvd recorder combo.

The issue with this project today would be getting decent equipment, 10 years ago not so much of an issue.

more reading for you. My practical advice, is the material personal or recorded off air of tv shows/films etc and can you get a digitised file elsewhere to save you the anguish. Also you can only get the best for you result, I sent lots of time trying to improve what couldn;t be and even tried a lot of the various methods touted here by the experts, I didn;t have the patience.

http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-restore/1853-alternative-avt-8710-a.html#post9889

The following also gives a good perspective of how you can drive yourself nuts trying to achieve nirvana, I nearly did.

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/378761-Has-anyone-recently-or-ever-done-business-w...-for-capturing

[victoriabears]

https://www.amazon.com/DVD-VCR-Combos-Players-Audio-Video/b/ref=dp_bc_aui_C_3/146-4815...F8&node=886258

if you are in ntsc land

[Alwyn]

The following also gives a good perspective of how you can drive yourself nuts trying to achieve nirvana, I nearly did.

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/378761-Has-anyone-recently-or-ever-done-business-w...-for-capturing

I note that while everybody was flaming Sameself for being a wally, he mentioned and used the "cheap and nasty" IOData GV-USB2. While no longer $35, it is not "nasty". It is my capture stick of choice as it works flawlessly with Win 10 and Vdub and is comparable to the 710USB and the USB3HDCAP.