Copying VHS Tapes

[PaulB]

I have over 15 years of VHSC tapes of the family and intend on purchasing a DVD recorder/Video combo to copy them to DVD.. I would then like to edit the copies to create short stories of the family history.

Has anyone done this and know what file format the DVD recorder saves the copy and is it then easy to edit & author the files

regards

Paul

 

[ponzan]

please use the search button (with VHS to DVD or something like that), this has been answered a zillion times, here and there

In my modest opinion the best, safest, less expensive and easiest way to get through the analog to digital conversion of video, which can be a nightmare, is to use a digital video camera to do the conversion to DV (Digital Video Format). For this you connect your VHS to a digital camera with inputs (many current digital video cameras have them). Then, from the video camera connected to your putter you save your videos onto a big hard drive, and from there you do all the editing and authoring (Ulead Video, Sony Vegas Video, Pinnacle...)

I got to this option after a lot of research, trial and error. There are many other ways to do what you want. For me, this was the one that worked. Also, if you have analog 8mm video cassettes, they will play and transcode directly to DV in the digital video camera

 

[ipdave]

I have over 15 years of VHSC tapes of the family and intend on purchasing a DVD recorder/Video combo to copy them to DVD.. I would then like to edit the copies to create short stories of the family history.

Has anyone done this and know what file format the DVD recorder saves the copy and is it then easy to edit & author the files

regards

Paul

I find using a standalone deck as you suggest to be the easiest way; streaming via a DV camera still requires conversion, space, ad nauseum. VHS is not up to DV quality anyway, so I went the same route, buying a Sanyo DVD/VHS combo deck. It records in VR (not recommended for computer conversion use afterwards) and regular DVD with AC3 sound. I then pull out the DVD-RW, read it in with TMPGEnc DVD Author to an MPEG2 so I can rewrite the RW for the next transfer. Then I use DVD Author again to cut out the bad spots and add menus, then author to AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders and burn with either Nero or BurnAtOnce.

 

[PaulB]

Thanks, I don't have a DV camera yet so will stick with the VCR to DVR recorder option. What software do you use to edit??

Paul

 

[ipdave]

Usually just TMPG DVD Author. I trim out bad parts (or commercials for TV shows), either using the MPEG itself for the background of the main menu, or a picture. If you enable motion menus, you can use the MPEG, and if you tick the save MPG to HD option when pulling it off of your DVD-RW, you will have it available for the background.

 

[LTR12101B]

VHS-C ? that's the smaller than VHS tapes that play via an adapter, is it?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHS-C

One thing, I believe the motorzed adpters are a bit more gentle on the tapes than older, purely mechanical ones.


If you make the transfer using a standalone DVR, the result will, of course, be in DVD format, so DVD ripping tutorials and any other info on DVD-edit will apply.

The alternative is to play it into a tuner/capture card (preferably capture over AV cable, rather than through the tuner - you won't find a DV (DIGITAL Video) camera that uses VHS-C tapes.
If the camera still works, and plays with decent quality, this may be a better solution - I'm concerned about how much strain an adapter will put on 15 year old tapes.

Just depends, have you used them in an adapter before? - any breakages, failures to take up etc.