Convert your old VHS tapes to DVD before they die!
There are plenty of people out there who have an old collection of VHS tapes gathering dust. It’s definitely time to get those old tapes converted to DVD if you haven’t already. The typical shelf life of a VHS tape is about 15 to 20 years (or slightly higher if kept in a cool and dry storage location). The video quality of VHS tapes degrade over time, so each day you put off converting to digital format, the quality of the video and sound on the tapes get worse and there’s no way of getting that quality back. So here are a few options that will get the job done.
Option 1: Use a Video Capture Device
Dazzle Video Creator Plus
The Dazzle Video Creator Plus is a simple video capture device that plugs into a USB port on your computer. You simply plug your VCR’s output into the device. It comes with Video editing software so you can import the video from your VHS tapes to your computer and then edit into your own home movie before burning to a DVD. If you’d rather not bother with editing the videos and want to just backup the VHS tapes directly to DVD, it can do that for you. It even has an option to convert the videos into formats that can be played on an iPod or Sony PSP.
Roxio Easy VHS to DVD
This device works in a very similar way to Dazzle’s offering, but is a bit less expensive. It’s another USB device you simply plug into your computer, and then you just need to plug your VCR’s output into it. It comes with its own software which allows you to go straight from VHS to DVD, or you can choose to edit the video before burning to DVD if you like. It also has the ability to create an animated menu system and allows you to insert credits at the end of the video. So if you feel like being creative, than this may be a good choice for you.
Internal Video Capture Card
If you’re comfortable opening up your computer, you could opt for an internal video capture card. You will need to make sure you have a spare PCI slot on your motherboard if you’d like to go this route. This solution will function pretty much the same way as an external video capture device, in which you’ll simply plug your VCR into the video capture card, and then you’ll use software on your computer to convert the video to DVD. Be sure to look for a card that includes the software to do this. Another benefit of using an internal video capture card is that many of them come with a built in TV tuner, which will allow you to watch and record TV on your computer.
Option 2: Use an All-In-One VHS to DVD recorder
If you’d rather not bother with installing hardware or software on your PC for video capture, then an all-in-one VHS to DVD recorder may be what you need.
Lite-On LVC-9006
This particular VHS to DVD recorder has gotten some fairly good reviews and also has a pretty good price. With a device like this, all you have to do is plug insert a VHS tape and a blank DVD, press a button, and that’s it. It has been reviewed as one of the easiest to use models out there. It doesn’t include frills like thumbnail previews of your videos on the DVD, but it gets the job done.
Panasonic DMR-EZ48VK
This model is on the higher end of the VHS to DVD recorders. It has a huge plethora of features. It has best in class recording quality, MP3, DivX, and JPEG playback, one touch VHS to DVD dubbing. It even includes a digital TV tuner, so it can be used in place of a converter box if you have an old analog TV and you get your TV signal through an antenna.
Option 3: Have someone do it for you
If you’d rather not bother with converting all your tapes yourself, or if you only have one or two tapes that need to be converted, it may not be that economical to invest $50 to $150 on a device you may use once. Most professional services offer fairly low fees of just $8 or $9 per tape to convert to DVD. Some websites such as NetTapes and iMemories allow you to mail in your tapes, which they then they ship back with DVDs. If you’d rather not send out your tapes through the mail, there should be local business in your area that can get the job done, such as Ritz Camera stores.
Whatever method you decide to use, be sure to get it done soon! The video quality of your old VHS tapes is degrading further each day you wait!
February 21, 2009
Tags: capture, conversion, convert, dvd, recording, tapes, vhs, vhs-to-dvd, video Posted in: Audio-Video
5 Responses
Hi Jim,
I notice there are internal video capture cards that have TV tuners that are either analog or digital. If I’m hooking up to basic cable do I need to use the digital tuner or will the analog tuner work. Big difference in price. Does the cable company already take care of managing the digital info so that I don’t have to?
You will need to contact your cable company to find out whether you can use an analog tuner or if you will need a digital tuner. Keep in mind that as of June 12th, 2009, all television networks will be switching over to digital broadcast only. It will be up to the cable company if they will still send an analog signal to your home after that date.
If the cable company decides to continue sending an analog signal to your home in which no cable box is needed, then you can go with an analog tuner and just plug your cable from the wall directly into the tuner.
If the cable company decides to switch all their service to digital, then you will need a cable box for each analog television in your home. So you could probably get away with an analog tuner for your computer, and have a cable box plugged into it.
If you decide to go with a digital tuner card for your computer, you will be able to attach an antenna to capture over-the-air digital signals for free. Also, most digital tuner cards are backwards compatible with analog signals, so you should still be able to plug in a cable box to receive your cable signal on the computer.
Hi Jim,
You answered my question on Yahoo Answers about how to record from VHS - DVD. Thanks. I don’t want to bother with computer stuff to do this and i see the examples of VHS - DVD Recorder Combos you’ve given here. I have Comcast Cable in Boston, and don’t have a HD TV. I could buy one of those, but could I use my old VHS player and new DVD Player? Is there a way to connect the two and do this? It might be cheaper than purchasing a VHS-DVD Combo Recorder. Thanks! Ellen
Yes, you should be able to connect a VCR to a standalone DVD-Recorder. You would have to purchase a DVD-Recorder such as the Toshiba D-R410 or Samsung DVD-R155, or any other standalone DVD-Recorder model. The Toshiba D-R410 has a TV tuner, which you may find useful if you’d like to program it to record your favorite TV shows.
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