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Idea VHS cassette to DVD

  • phiwe
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VHS cassette to DVD was created by phiwe

Posted 27 Aug 2018 14:32 #1
What to use to transfer an old video on a cassette to dvd?
Last Edit:12 Sep 2018 16:46 by phiwe

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Replied by DoctorZen on topic VHS cassette to DVD

Posted 27 Aug 2018 23:45 #2
I have answered this similar question before, in this forum thread:
www.moviestudiozen.com/forum/vegas-pro/1779-how-to-capture-vhs-with-vegas-pro#9061
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Replied by Robbie on topic VHS cassette to DVD

Posted 01 Sep 2018 14:45 #3
Hi Phiwe
Apologies for being a little late to the party.
As mentioned by Dr Zen in his linked guide, to capture an analog VHS signal and convert it to a digital format on your computer you will need a video capture device.
The other thing you might want to consider is what you intend to do with the captured video, which may influence the format you capture to, and the device you select. If you just intend to capture and either burn to DVD or upload to Youtube capturing directly to an appropriate compressed format like Mpeg 2 or MP4 respectively should be fine. If you intend to do any restoration (noise reduction, colour correction etc) and editing (beyond simple cuts) then you would might want to consider capturing to a less compressed format like DV, do your edits and then compress to an appropriate delivery format. Purists would argue that if you are archiving or doing serious restoration you should be capturing to lossless formats (eg Huffuv, Lagarith = massive file sizes) but then you are getting into some esoteric territory that is beyond the reasonable needs of most people.
For capture devices, the sort of USB devices Derek pointed to are a good contemporary solution for most needs but you do need to check that the one you select will allow you to convert to the format you want -and as always quality can vary so best to stay away from cheap no name products.
Other options you can consider:
  • If you have an older digital camcorder many have passthrough ability that will allow you to connect your VHS player to the camcorder with S-video and at the same time connect the camcorder to your PC via firewire (you would need to install a firewire card in the PC if it doesn’t currently a connector) and will convert the signal to DV on the way through.
  • If you are planning to do a lot of conversions then maybe installing a dedicate capture card (eg All-in-wonder cards) or getting an external devices like the old Canopus ADVC devices becomes worthwhile (most of my captures/conversions are done through either an ADVC50 in a 5.25” bay in the PC or an external ADVC 100 connected by firewire).
  • VHS DVD Combo units are an easy way to convert if all that is required is to get a video from tape to disk.
  • And lastly, if you are only planning to convert one or two tapes and you don’t already have any of the gear needed, then having them professionally converted may be the simplest solution of all.
Cheers, Robbie
Last Edit:12 Sep 2018 16:46 by Robbie
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Replied by sarah77 on topic VHS cassette to DVD

Posted 30 Oct 2018 23:05 #4
I guess some converters can help you.
by sarah77

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