6 replies to this topic

[sschen]

Hi there

I have a library of 50-100 old VHS tapes I need to convert to DVDs.  Just wondering if anyone knows what is the best way to go about this.  I know LG or Panasonic use to have a DVD/VHS combo player but I am thinking I will need a DVD Writer/VHS combo player that allows the VHS to be played back whilst allowing DVD writing concurrently?  Is there such a player?

Alternatively I have a standalone VHS player, that I can setup to feed the video and audio inputs into the PC for recording purposes?  Then convert to DVD on the PC?

I don't have any experience converting VHS to DVDs so any help/suggestions are appreciated

Thanks in advance!

[DrP]

I'd stay away from combo VCR / DVD recorders.  They are usually low quality devices.

If you have no experience with transfer of tape to DVD probably the best/easiest way is to purchase a DVD/HDD recorder.  Hook the VCR to the recorder, press record and wait.  DVD and HDD based recorders will let you perform rudimentary editing if there happens to be bits you want to chomp out of the end product.

Many (but not all) DVD recorders have some sort of time base correction built in too.  Some VCRs also have the feature on their outputs.  TBC is, IMO, essential when transferring from unstable sources such as a consumer VCR.  However, a higher MPEG-2 encoding rate will counter the bit consuming effects of unstable sources.  If you do buy a DVD/HD recorder check to see if it has TBC features.

If you go down the path of PC conversion, there are plenty of options available, some good, some bad and there's a wealth of information out there waiting to be read.

Another option you may not have considered is professional transfer services.  A decent service won't cost the earth, will use TBCs, will correct the signal levels to give a better picture, will have superior playback equipment that does a far better job at drop out concealment etc.

Edited by DrP, 11 July 2011 - 09:18 AM.

[OzyColin]

Hi sschen  

As Dr P has suggested. I have a large volume of VHS tapes that I'm progressively migrating to DVD and use a Pioneer DVR-630HS. I usually record the VHS contents onto the hard drive, then tidy it up via the editing facilities, before bouncing off onto a DVD. With a Cannon Pixma printer (built in CD/DVD label printer) and the use of CDCovers.com you can get a pretty decent result label and cover wise.

[sschen]

OzyColin, on Jul 19 2011, 02:17 PM, said:

Hi sschen

As Dr P has suggested. I have a large volume of VHS tapes that I'm progressively migrating to DVD and use a Pioneer DVR-630HS. I usually record the VHS contents onto the hard drive, then tidy it up via the editing facilities, before bouncing off onto a DVD. With a Cannon Pixma printer (built in CD/DVD label printer) and the use of CDCovers.com you can get a pretty decent result label and cover wise.

Colin / Dr P

Thanks for your valued advice.  Personally I would have done what you guys have suggested.  In the end, I ended up buying a LG DVD-Recordable/VHS combo player.  This is mainly because this is the easiest way with its one-touch recording from VHS to DVD-Recordable disk.  It is still sealed in the box so to be honest, I am not even sure if it is as easy as it says.

I am not actually buying it for myself, but rather for people using it who are not necessarily tech-savvy so I went with the solution that requires the least amount of human efforts.

EDIT: Another thing, I found out during the course of decision making, that there are more than 50 VHS to convert to DVD.  So it will be too time-consuming to do editing on a PC considering they are all going to be played back on a 68cm CRT anyway.

Edited by sschen, 19 July 2011 - 05:05 PM.

[OzyColin]

No worries sschen    - Glad you sourced a solution.   - You think 50 is bad - we inherited 520 videos from a deceased estate (wife's relative) and wife wants ALL of them converted -   - I wonder how many will be left over from OUR estate   .

[Hardy]

hey guys just wanted to add my 2c

iv seen places advertise the service of converting vhs to dvd for reasonable prices. maybe even better prices for bulk lots, might help some of you that are time poor or just got huge collections

Edited by Hardy, 20 July 2011 - 12:32 AM.

[laurie]

Next door neighbor asked me how to do the very same thing a few months back. I said it ain't worth my time to do so I suggested a commercial outlet would be his best option,next day he knocked on the door with a tape in his hand and said "do you think they will do this" I placed it into my vcr my wife just walked in as it started to play need I say more,what was on the tape almost gave me a heart attack!!

cheers laurie