Now that you've decided to transfer all those home video memories on VHS tape over to the more durable DVD medium, it's time to evaluate what you'll need to do the job. You probably already have at least half the gear you'll need for the transfer. Follow these strategies to select the remaining hardware you'll need to transfer VHS tapes to DVD. You can create a fancy editing suite using converter boxes and a computer with hardware that will allow you to edit your creations, or you can make simple transfers with a DVD Recorder/VCR combo.
What You'll Need: the Basics
Here is the basic hardware needed to transfer VHS recordings to DVD:
DVD-VCR recorder combo or:
VCR
DVD recorder or computer with built-in DVD burner
Video capture card for your computer, if one is not already installed
Connecting cables with RCA-type plug jacks
Connecting cables with USB jacks
Analog to digital converter box.
You'll also need VHS tapes to transfer, and blank, recordable DVDs for burning the converted VHS programs.
If you have VHS tapes, chances are you also own a VCR and the patch cords to hook it up. You may also have a computer with a built-in DVD burner, in which case you do not need a DVD recorder to make your videotape transfers. Just use your computer or laptop for easy transfers.
Choosing a Converter
The essence of transferring VHS tapes into a signal suitable for DVD is an analog to digital converter. This boxlike component transforms the analog signal on magnetic videotape into digital information that can be burned onto a DVD.
Converter boxes are available at electronics stores and online retailers. A serviceable converter costs less than $100, although you can spend much more for devices that offer such capabilities as sound equalizing, picture enhancement and digital restoration. As a compromise, you can buy a less expensive converter and purchase computer software that will allow you to clean up the sound and image from your newly digitized VHS programs before you burn them to DVD.
Look for ease of use, particularly plug-and-play features, when choosing a converter. Ideally, you want a unit in which the RCA plugs from the VCR jack into one end and a USB cable attaches to the other side for connecting to a computer.
Check Your Computer's Capacity
The biggest challenge in transferring and manipulating audio-visual information is the sheer size of the data moving onto your computer, laptop or DVD recorder.
Converter boxes will change the analog signal to digital, but depending on your computer's processing speed and memory capacity, you could be looking at hours of work, especially if you plan to edit and adjust the converted VHS footage. Before buying a converter box, check the list of system requirements on the package and make sure your computer's capabilities meet or exceed every one of them.
As an alternative, a DVD recorder-VCR combo allows you to make straight copies of VHS tapes and burn them directly to DVD. There is no editing capability, nor can you tinker with image and sound quality, but if you want quick copies with one-button recording capabilities, a DVD recorder-VCR component is your best bet.
Tags: your computer, computer with, analog signal, built-in burner, burn them
