Topic: VHS to DVD

[Garden Manager]

I am sure like many people we have loads of stuff recorded on VHS, and would like to conserve many of these for future veiwing. I am aware that the technology exists to copy VHS onto DVD (either direct or via a PC), but am not sure what system would be the best to use.

However today i received an email about a piece of software which claims to do what i am looking to do with my VHS tapes, and was wondering if it was any good:

http://site.magix.net/english-uk/home/online-marketing/movies-on-cd-dvd-50/

What i dont understand is that we bought a similar system for recording audio (music from tape or vinyl), which required an external device to allow the PC to convert the analogue music into a digital format. This 'Magix' system appears to be just software, with no requirement to have a special card in your PC or anything. There isnt even any cables to plug into your VCR!

On that note i then found this:-

http://www.qvcuk.com/ukqic/qvcapp.aspx/app.detail/params.item.555656/walk.html.%7Cmetadrill,html.

This looks better, but is it for VHS or just camcorder stuff (dont have a camcorder - never have).

I guess I need some advice/support as to choosing the right system. I am also wondering if anyone has converted VHS recordings to PC/DVD and how they did it. Maybe there is something better out there than the two products i have found?

Thanks

[Baccy Man]

This will work with most video sources VCR/camcorder/TV etc... It includes all the software & hardware you need.

http://svp.co.uk/products-solo.php?pid=1197

[kt.]

PC world offer software with all the leads required to attach from your VCR to a DVD RW on your PC. Prices start at £30 upwards.

[Barnowl]

I think that unless you have a very powerful PC a purely software driven solution will prove pretty slow.

[Garden Manager]

PC world offer software with all the leads required to attach from your VCR to a DVD RW on your PC. Prices start at £30 upwards.

Thanks. Do you know the name, so that I know what to look for?

[kt.]

They do about 8 different varieties from £30-70 depending upon what else you want to do. All varieties are on the same shelf.

[Garden Manager]

They do about 8 different varieties from £30-70 depending upon what else you want to do. All varieties are on the same shelf.

I found one on their website for around £15. Looks like the right thing but could be too good to be true?

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0484712155.1172238388@@@@&BV_EngineID=cceladdkffflmfhcflgceggdhhmdgmj.0&category_oid=-27703&sku=433694&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null

[Baccy Man]

That appears to be just the software not the nescessary cables etc...

SVP do a cheaper version than the one I mentioned above at £30.80 again it includes both software & cables etc & allows you to record from VHS, camcorder Hi8, video8 etc...
http://svp.co.uk/products-solo.php?pid=1196

Or for £36.41 you could get an "LG GSA-E20N Super Multi External USB2.0 DVD Rewriter with AV Capture" you just connect the video source directly to the DVD writer & it records directly to the DVD disc.
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?LG-E20N

[Garden Manager]

That appears to be just the software not the nescessary cables etc...

SVP do a cheaper version than the one I mentioned above at £30.80 again it includes both software & cables etc & allows you to record from VHS, camcorder Hi8, video8 etc...
http://svp.co.uk/products-solo.php?pid=1196

Or for £36.41 you could get an "LG GSA-E20N Super Multi External USB2.0 DVD Rewriter with AV Capture" you just connect the video source directly to the DVD writer & it records directly to the DVD disc.
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?LG-E20N

That second one doesnt say it works with VCRs. No good if it doesnt! Top one looks promising though.

Thanks for the links.

[Baccy Man]

The second one will work with VCR's I found it slightly cheaper £34.56 (link below) in the customer review on this site it clearly states they used it to transfer VCR tapes to DVD & on the description on Bigpockets they say it is compatible with VCR's although they charge £39.99 for it so I didn't bother with a link to their site.
http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?quicklinx=4F5N&CategorySelectedId=11155&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11155&InMerch=1&v=3

[Garden Manager]

I have been having a bit of a rethink. I was wondering if it would be better to get an inexpensive DVD player/recorder and transfer the VCR recordings to DVD that way. I have a VHS/DVD combined player but no recording function for DVD, so a seperate unit is nessesary. I am assuming that this is possible. If so there is the added bonus we will have a second DVD player to replace the VCR machine once the VHS recordings are transfered.

I have come up with this option after realising there were several technical obstacles to the PC/software option, namely the only DVD writer I have is on the big desktop PC and not on the laptop, so i would have to take the VCR to the computer rather than the PC (laptop) to the VCR! Plus once all the VHS is transfered to DVD then the equipment would become redundant!

So any thoughts, is what i am now thinking of doing possible? I am guesing I will need an extra SCART lead to make it possible.

Thanks

[Baccy Man]

The LG GSA-E20N DVD Rewriter I linked to earlier could be connected to the usb port on either the computer or the laptop & would still function as a regular dvd writer when you had finished transferring the tapes.

If you need a new dvd player/recorder then that would be very straightforward just make sure it has 2 scart sockets on the back most do connect the VCR to the ingoing scart & the outgoing to the TV then you will be able to record from the VCR.

[ACE]

Nearly all these old films are shown on tcm, film 4 etc, so get a digital tuner with a hard drive recorder, then plug it into your pc.

[dtw]

If you're thinking of buying a dvd recorder, get one with a freeview tuner.
I got one just after xmas and wouldn't be without it now.

I record most things before I watch them now, so I don't have to endure hours of adverts.

[Garden Manager]

If you're thinking of buying a dvd recorder, get one with a freeview tuner.
I got one just after xmas and wouldn't be without it now.

I record most things before I watch them now, so I don't have to endure hours of adverts.

Nice idea, had thought of it. However I checked the freeveiw coverage for our area and the number of available channels wouldnt justify the extra cost of a DVD/Freeveiw decoder. Not compared to Sky with all its range of channels!
Thanks anyway.

[woppa30]

The software you are looking at won't allow you to copy a commercial VHS tape to a digital format. I know because I tried to by...
Hooking up a VHS player to my (digital) camcorder
Hooking up a different VHS player to a Hard drive / DVD writer machione that sits under the TV, that at least gave me a very polite message that said I couldn't do that.
Alternatives for commercial tapes, find somebody with a) beefy computer hardware, b) Linux OS and the knowledge how to do this and finally c) the time.
Sorry to be a bit of a party pooper. These techingues and windows based software are fine for your home movies (I copied my daughters baby VHS to DVD recently) but they won't work on commercial tapes.
Woppa

[timiano]

Hi

My tuppence worth.

If you are not wanting to edit the videos you have, I would suggest recording to a DVD recorder unit. The SCART out that goes from your VCR would go into the SCART in on the new DVD Recorder, and the SCART out on the DVD recorder to the telly. Basically you are recording, or what is known as dubbing, from one source to the other. You hit play on the VCR and record on the DVD recorder at the same time and off you go (making sure the source on the dvd recorder is set the correct AV source - which you'll see on the telly anyway).

If you have any commericial VHS tapes that you have bought over the yearts that you want to transfer, then you will need a cable that stops a little thing called Macrovision (picture fades in and out). It is essentially and ordinary SCART cable that you connect the two devices together with. Such as http://www.ktvision.com/shop/osc/product_info.php?cPath=39&products_id=198

It maybe recommended to use such a cable anyhow as it'll probably be better quality than the one you are using now and you will get a better transfer. Also, clean the heads on the VCR with a tape cleaning head before you start.

If you do want to edit the videos on the PC, I can't recommend highly enough the Dazzle products that have already been mentioned. Ideally get one that is USB compatible.