Topic: Anybody has experience with converting VHS to digital?

[Raul CB750K1]

Like many of you, I have quite a few VHS tapes that I want to convert to digital before throwing them away. Not films, but home recordings.

I bought a TV module -USB- with external video capabilities a while ago. It can record either TV or video into the PC, both in .avi and .mpg. I have been testing and can't find the best method to use.

If I use the highest resolution, I end up with something like 4 Gb for one hour recording, totally overkill because the quality of the videocam -or VHS for that matter- was never that good. If I record in .avi, it seems that the audio and video are not synchronized. .mpg seems the way to go as it is the same format used in the DVD's, but again seems that the size gets too big. If a movie can be ripped into .avi -at 700 Mb for 1.5 hours-, I think that for VHS you could have something like half the size for the same lenght of time.


If any of you has already break that trail I would appreciate if you save me the time by showing me the way -so I can use the time to fix that annoying oil leak in my bike.... 

[333]

The other problem with using a computer to make the disc is that at the highest resolution, it won't play in a standard DVD machine, it will only play on a computer.  Your best bet is to bite the bullet and buy a DVD recorder.  It's just like a VCR, but burns and plays discs instead of tapes.

[FunJimmy]

Raul

Video from a VHS player, TV or any other external source is all handled the same when imported to your computer regardless of the original source quality. Import it at the highest resolution (480x720 if NTSC) uncompressed if available, (approx 15GB/hour) and then edit if required. The more times it is compressed and then manipulated, the greater the degradation the final video will suffer.

Once all editing is complete, render the video stream to DVD. The DVD authoring software will compress the final clip to fit on a standard DVD. Be prepared to spend several hours per finished DVD though. I complete all editing procedures and set the DVD process to transcode and burn while I sleep.

It’s a lot of work to archive old tape to DVD, but a DVD will last a 100 years without quality loss.

Good luck
Jimmy 

[malcolmgb]

I tried to convert some analogue VHS to mpg/avi using a PCI TV card in my PC and had the same sync problem, it was due to my processor being too slow, only had an Athlon 1800 at the time. I have not tried again since upgrading my PC but I would guess that USB could be a bottle neck, look at computer spec.

[heffay]

i use Nero... i purchased the power director video editing software as well but it really really REALLY sucks and i don't recommend that at all... go Nero.

you should be able to then shrink those giant files into a more usable / storable size.  it should also give you options to record from vhs, digi cams, EVEN LP!!!!!! 

[Raul CB750K1]

I recorded about six hours during our honeymoon in Italy -no bedroom recording you perverts!-, and spent another 10 hours or so watching it, selecting, cutting, and adding soundtrack to create a one hour VHS.... that I never watched again! This was 10 years ago.

I have done some easy things with Windows Movie Maker. It is easy to use, but I don't want to do the same with my old VHS tapes. You know, they have recordings of family gatherings, first steps of the baby, baby bathing, at the beach etc. I don't want to spend time with it, I just want to convert it to digital and that's it.

Over here in Europe you can buy DVD players with AVI capability, that is, they include the chip that make the codification. So you can play any DVD with .avi files inside. So I would simply rip the VHS and copy into a DVD, to either watch them on the TV or on the computer. In fact I don't plan to watch them now or in a near future, I just want to keep them because I don't have a VHS player anymore -I've borrowed one- and it would be a pity that those recordings get lost.


I have done .mpg and .avi ripping and then, using Nero, creating VideoCD or DVD -Nero does the conversion-, and in both cases the outcome is not good. It is indeed worse than in the original file -it's obvious it can't be better, but if it could at least be the same...- so no point in recording DVD when .mpg is fine.

As i said, I don't want no fancy titles or soundtracks. I recorded the images and know where and when were they recorded. I usually don't record much -three or four minutes of bathing is enough, who wants to spend 30 minutes watching how a baby is bathed?- so there is really not much need for editing, just play the tape straight and that's it.

[BobbyR]

I took mine to a local guy and he charged me $10.00 a piece to do a VHS to DVD transfer. Looks great. He also did some 50 year old 8mms my parents gave me.

[mgmuellner]

It's easiest to plug the vcr into a dvd recorder - then if necessary take the dvd & convert to avi.  Or if you go from the vcr directly to avi use something like avitodvd to convert & then burn to disk.

[techy5025]

I have a Canopus ADVC-100 video digitizer. It accepts composite and s-video signals and stores them as avi files. I then use a program called TMPGEnc to convert them to mpeg-2 files using standard DVD audio rates. This can be done in batch mode so you don't have to sheppard the program.

I then use Ulead DVD Workshop to author the DVD. It creates the menus, menu links, etc. and allows multiple videos on the same DVD. This program is also great for creating DVD picture shows from standard jpg images also. I just made one of all the bikes at a recent event to give to the attendees.

It sounds time consuming, but once you get some templates for the menus and such it goes quickly.

I'm now waiting for a "reasonably      " priced Blueray HD recorder for off air programs that aren't copy protected.

Jim

[oldbiker]

Raul, it seems that you have already managed to capture your vhs onto your computer in mpeg format. There is a program called 'AVS video converter' (www.avsmedia.com/)which is quite reasonably priced ($39) that will accept your mpeg file, fit it to a DVD and burn it to the DVD.
You can download a trial version.
It also handles
MP4, AVI, MOV, WMV, RM and SWF formats.
I've used it for some time and it's very good.

[CB360T]

If any of you has already break that trail I would appreciate if you save me the time by showing me the way -so I can use the time to fix that annoying oil leak in my bike.... 

I bought DVD Express DX2 ( http://adstech.com/products/USBAV-709-EF/intro/USBAV-709_intro.asp?pid=USBAV-709-EF ) in August of 2006 from Newegg. It works great and I recommend it. I paid $81.00.

Now you can get it for $69.99 at Newegg ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815255011&ATT=15-255-011&CMP=OTC-Froogle&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Video+Devices+++TV+Tuners-_-ADS+TECHNOLOGIES-_-15255011 ).

Basically you hook up your computer to your VCR and the DVD Express Box. Then you play the tape and burn a DVD. Done

[ofreen]

Basically you hook up your computer to your VCR and the DVD Express Box. Then you play the tape and burn a DVD. Done

I have a bunch of 20-25 year old camcorder tapes, too.  A couple of years ago, I got a Dazzle card and Pinnacle software and started making DVDs.  I got through half of them at most because it is excruciatingly slow.  About 6 hours per hour of tape.  The transcoding takes forever.  That's using a fast computer.  I've been waiting to see how well the VHS to DVD recorders work.  I don't want to spend a lot of time editing.  I figure that's what the fast forward on the DVD player is for.