transferring vhs to dvd

BillTrac

Have you actually seen a VHS transferred to disc? You will probably watch it once then throw it away. It is c**p! The only things I have kept after transferring are home films, like for when the girls were young(before the days of HD and dvd camcorders)

And the cost of DVDs now, especially the older films, which I am guessing yours are, is so low now I know what I would do. I don't know where you live, but localy we have a shop which sells second-hand DVDs and CDs. All guaranteed. I bought a rew the other day. Each one cost £1.99

BritRael

BillTrac wrote: »

Have you actually seen a VHS transferred to disc? You will probably watch it once then throw it away. It is c**p! The only things I have kept after transferring are home films, like for when the girls were young(before the days of HD and dvd camcorders)

And the cost of DVDs now, especially the older films, which I am guessing yours are, is so low now I know what I would do. I don't know where you live, but localy we have a shop which sells second-hand DVDs and CDs. All guaranteed. I bought a rew the other day. Each one cost £1.99

Yes, of course I've watched old porno movies

The ones I've transferred using SCART to this DVD recorder are pretty good, considering they're coming from video. The protected ones are old guitar tutor videos (expensive in any format) which I wanted to study while away for a few months.

BritRael

I've now managed to digitally copy all of these 'copy protected' videos using a bit of hardware that I bought years ago (which I've just found after a quick rummage in my attic ) called Dazzle Video Creator 80. It connects to the PC via USB and to the VCR either by SCART or a video out and audio out cable.

The quality is pretty good; not digital quality but not much different from the original videos, and certainly watchable

AirCooledHeaven

You'll need one of these first of all (or something similar):
http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/uk/Products/Consumer+Products/Home+Video/Studio+Family/Pinnacle+VHS+Saver.htm

To backup commercial (copy protected) VHS tapes you'll probably need a 'macrovision remover'. I won't post a direct link but you can google it.

BritRael

AirCooledHeaven wrote: »

You'll need one of these first of all (or something similar):
http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/uk/Products/Consumer+Products/Home+Video/Studio+Family/Pinnacle+VHS+Saver.htm

This looks very similar to the 'Dazzle' one that I used.

AirCooledHeaven wrote: »

To backup commercial (copy protected) VHS tapes you'll probably need a 'macrovision remover'. I won't post a direct link but you can google it.

The ones I have done are copy protected, but Dazzle copies them without using the macrovision remover. Actually, unlike my DVD HDD recorder, it doesn't even mention the protection at all; it just copies effortlessly

AirCooledHeaven

BritRael wrote: »

The ones I have done are copy protected, but Dazzle copies them without using the macrovision remover. Actually, unlike my DVD HDD recorder, it doesn't even mention the protection at all; it just copies effortlessly

As far as I'm aware the UK versions of the Dazzle products do not support macrovision removal for legal reasons...

robredz

if you connect the Dazzle to a scart to composite adapter on the scart out on the vcr, it would play the tape back through the dazzle allowing capture to the PC, only problem with the early Dazzle is that as it is USB 1, you can get dropped frames if you try to capture at a very high quality. 352 x 288 VCD is roughly VHS quality, and SVCD 480 x 578 SVHS. Capturing at VCD is usually Ok. Later Dazzle and other devices use USB 2 so are less prone to dropped frames.

The Dazzle is useful for digitising old analogue camcorder footage to put onto optical disk. Mine is in a drawer somewhere, when I went to firewire with DV camcorders.

usignuolo

I too have some old vhs videos I should like to copy for personal use. I have no objection to buying the current DVD version, if it exists, but some of my vids do not exist in DVD version and there is no other version available apart from the original VHS.

robredz

There are certain old films like, "The Night My Number Came Up" and other films with historical value, like Dirigible" oneof Frank Capra's first films, that are unavailable on DVD, the only option for some of them is to transfer old VHS recordings taped off Channel 4 onto DVD. not legal though..........

mobby-2554

I've just found an old VHS video of my grandaughter when she was about 3yrs. She hasn't seen it since I recorded it, so I would love to suprise her on Xmas day & just play it when she came over.

Anyone know anywhere I can take it to get it converted to DVD?