VHS to DVD converter

I have a ATI TV tuner card that I got from woot for cheap. I don't use the TV tuner at all, but it came with video editing software that can capture analog video, lets me edit the video if I want to and then burn it to DVD. The VHS player plugs into the card. It works pretty good.

I believe there are other ways to do it.

How much and where from? My research thus far shows them from around $30 to almost $200. I'm not so worried about the price but more that it actually works. I don't care if the DVDs burnt are copyiable or not.

I really am ignorant about this. I only heard about it from some kid yesterday afternoon.

Eric, I bought (some time ago) a combo VHS/DVD player/recorder. It allows me to burn DVDs directly from the VHS. I think I paid $200 or so a few years back, probably a bit cheaper today.

-JD-

Have been using a little adapter called a Dazzle for a few years. It has a bunch of AV jacks on it and plugs into USB on the PC. Captures trhe VHS as you play it back and then can use the DVD burner on the PC. The extra jacks have come in handy for transferring stuff from other devices like old camcorders etc.

Disclaimer first: I have not actually performed the process, but will impart what I have heard.

Yes, there are units that allow copying through a computer. I have heard it can be time consuming with multiple steps (copy to hard drive, copy to dvd, need appropriate software for conversions etc) and takes a fair (a lot) of processing power. Also, when the dvd is made, it may not be compatible with an older dvd player attached to a tv. Had that happen to me.

The vhs/ dvd units would seem to be easier to use. Plug in tape and dvd, punch the appropriate buttons, walk away for the length of the movie plus dvd writing time. Done.

> Have been using a little adapter called a Dazzle for a few years. It has a bunch of AV jacks on it and plugs into USB on the PC. Captures trhe VHS as you play it back and then can use the DVD burner on the PC. The extra jacks have come in handy for transferring stuff from other devices like old camcorders etc.

I'll ask again.... how much and where from?

What operating system do you have? What kind of expansion slots does your computer have? This one is very similar to mine.

Beer...VHS to DVD converter

I'm on XP Pro. I only have few USB ports open.
I think the bus is PCI so that might just work.
I wouldn't mind to see one in action but I doubt you are nearby.

Beer...VHS to DVD converter

Eric,

I use Roxio to convert and copy VHS to Digital Video format.
From there I make DVD's,screeen captures, etc.

its around $70 to $80

works great

Taso

Beer...VHS to DVD converter

Let me correct myself. I just pulled the cover off of my computer to check. Mine is a PCI e card. It came with the Catalyst software, which you'll need. This is it. They also make a PCI version. The one pictured in that link is a PCI-E version, but they are advertising it as a PCI card.

It worked very well. I copied some of my father in laws home videos for him and it came out good. You will need HD space to temporarily store the video until recorded. Make sure what ever you buy comes with the software that you need to record.

> > Have been using a little adapter called a Dazzle for a few years. It has a bunch of AV jacks on it and plugs into USB on the PC. Captures trhe VHS as you play it back and then can use the DVD burner on the PC. The extra jacks have come in handy for transferring stuff from other devices like old camcorders etc.
>
> I'll ask again.... how much and where from?

I googled it for you BigE so you don't have to ask again 🙂 . around $50-$60 at New Egg.

Here is what I ordered:
http://www.roxio.com/ DVD3

That'll work. There's more than one way to skin a cat...

> That'll work. There's more than one way to skin a cat...

I hope so Beer. Like I said, I'm ignorant to this stuff. I used to be a gadget man decades ago - no longer. I called Taso - who I used to work for - and he speaks well about the package. If it doesn't work out ... well that's ok. I have a little money to burn right now (not that I should) $77 and change won't be too big of hit on me right now. A few months from might be a different story. But that's ok to. I've been rich and lost it all 3 times in my life thus far.

We had a bunch (maybe 10 hours worth?) of VHS-C video of our son in his early years that we wanted to digitize before the tapes became unreadable. My wife has a friend who's a videographer, so she asked him to do it for us. It's a standard service that he offers to the public, and she told him to charge his normal rates. I handed him an external hard disk, and a few days later he brought it back along with a bill for around $600! I was kind of stunned, but swallowed hard and paid it.

I really don't know if the conversions we got are of any better quality than I could have gotten using a consumer-grade conversion device (and a lot of my time swapping tapes in and out), but I sure wasn't prepared for that level of cost. Thankfully I'll never have to do that again.

Jim, that is exactly why I wanted to my own setup to do this. If it is sub hundred (that I ordered) I'm good with that. Years ago my Dad had some of Grandpa's 9mm movies transfered to VHS and it cost him about a grand for about 8 hours of recorded time. I just want my personal VHS tapes put on DVD - like "No Time For Seargants", some of my Monty Python stuff, etc.

Why don't you just buy a VCR DVD recorder? No cmputer is needed, just a TVo or monitior.
the disadvantage is that copying must be done in real time.

I don't want to start a fight or anything, but isn't this practicing or offering to practice movie making without a license? :-X