converting VHS to DVD

[n8dagr8]

Had been wanting to do this for a while but this (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=4013&page=1&pp=25) thread and watching White Noise reminded me to ask....What is the best way to convert VHS to DVD. I have a pretty nice computer, a VCR, and an internal DVD burner (with lots of blank media. Thanks!

note: the videos I really would like to convert are my fathers and they would be for him. He no longer has a need for his VCR except for this one set of tapes.

[JonBlack]

If you want to use your PC, you will need a video capture card. I've seen them on Newegg and TigerDirect from $25 up.

The easiest way is to buy a stand alone DVD recorder.

[Bogy]

My digital camcorder functions as a video capture device. Feed the analogue signal from the VCR to the camcorder, and from that to the PC.

[DonLandis]

n8-

First of all, let me wish you, family and Mason well tomorrow.

To get from VHS to DVD is easy with the right tool, a DVD-R realtime recorder. These are getting lower cost all the time and they do an excellent job for real time dubbing.

The next best way is with the equipment you have except you need a way to get from analog video to compressed digital. The best way to do this without expensive real time hardware is to make a dub to a miniDV camcorder. All these little camcorders have analog inputs and you simply make a mini DV tape dub of your VHS. Now you are in compressed digital DV format. Here's where you connect your miniDV camcorder to your computer with firewire. Load up microsoft moviemaker that comes with media files of windows XP. Capture the MiniDV video to your hard drive. For best results the computer should be fast and I suggest using an external 1394 connected hard drive as saving the file to your C drive is a sure way to get poor results with dropped frames, aka stuttering. Once you captured the video onto your hard drive you can use one of the DVD authoring programs and create the file structure for the DVD. Next burn the files to your DVD burner with proper software. Seems complicated but that's how it is done.

Also, some computers have a low end capture card, like an ATI all in wonder. I never had much success with the ones I tried. The work but not high quality. Maybe today these are better but the problem is getting the analog video converted to an AVI file that is manageable. This is why making a copy to miniDV to go from analog to digital is a slick way to do the conversion and compress the video at the same time. I used to do it this way but this year I sprung for a real time analog to digital DV compressor. It replaces the dubbing process and handles full time code, professional RS422 control plus betacam component, composite, and Y/C video inputs as well as SDI. I've also tried the lower cost analog to 1394 converters but these never gave good results either.

[n8dagr8]

n8-

First of all, let me wish you, family and Mason well tomorrow.

To get from VHS to DVD is easy with the right tool, a DVD-R realtime recorder. These are getting lower cost all the time and they do an excellent job for real time dubbing.

sorry for the confusion but it is not me that you are thinking of. no wife and no kids (that I know of). no problem, though.

I need to check more into these DVD recorders. Seems to be the best solution. Does it record like a vcr? multiple shows onto a single disc over and over (assuming +/-RW)?

thanks

[Ron Barry]

You also might want to look into the VCR/DVDR combos. My Mother-in-law has one and I have beeing helping here. I have been very impressed with the ease that one can make the transfer. Truely a one button transfer.

Yes the other suggested above would work. However, I don't think any would be as easy as thise one. All depends how many tapes and what you want to do with them. If you are going to edit them, this solution will not work. If it is just a transfer from one media to another, this option is worth checking out.

[DonLandis]

My error! Confused you with nTexasDude. Wonder why?

Yes, for simple analog video to DVD the stand alone recorders are the best option. As for the dual systems, I have always had bad experience with them, mostly the VHS transports are pretty cheap and are often cause of wrinkling of the tapes when they get a "little" age on them. But then again, I suppose by today's quality most of the VHS stuff is pretty cheap.

Bogy- In your camcorder, can you feed your analog video EE or do you have to make a copy and then play that back to get the conversion into the PC?
I can go firewire from a source through the camcorder to live analog out but can't feed analog into the camcorder and do a capture to hard drive, letting the camcorder convert from analog to 1394. There is no way to execute a deck control. Now I can do that with the Convergence design box ( my real time DVCAM converter) but that converts the deck control from 1394 to RS422, Lanc, or RS232, so it can control just about any VCR for capture.

[Bogy]

I can feed the analog into my camcorder and then directly from the camcorder to the computer with a streaming signal. No need for a copy in the middle. After one of our other recent threads I checked and I can run streaming USB or 1394 straight into the computer without recording something I am "taping" on a tape in the camera.

[DonLandis]

Well that's pretty slick. I can't do that here. Tape copy is the only way. I have a camcorder, the new Z1U HDV that may work this way. I have to give it a try sometime but I know my Pro stuff doesn't live convert analog to digital.
Just had a thought. Maybe it's the computer software that is the problem. I'll have to test it with some other capture software.

OK, I'm back. Still doesn't work. The software tries to control the deck. If I eject the DV tape I get a message on the screen- Please insert a tape to capture. The image and sound pops up for a moment and then goes blank. Then with a tape inserted, I get the message press capture to capture tape. So, I'm back to the 1394 trying to control the dv VCR to capture what's on the dv tape yet I do have the analog video signal feeding the analog input to the DV VCR.

What software are you using to capture your analog video fed through your camcorder? Do you put in a blank DV tape or leave the tape out?

BTW- I tested with Sony Vegas capture utility.
I tried this with the following hardware- PD100, DSR-20, DSR-11. I will try the HVRZ1U later but that is packed in the production van right now.


Back again!
Success! It's the software used to capture. I also had Moviemaker, the windows utility loaded to test and this works. Vegas does not. With the video feeding live and NO tape inserted. I selected "capture parts of the tape" Then I just hit start and when done, hit "stop capture" and it saved a perfect AVI file.
What an easy way to capture VHS tapes to the computer using a camcorder. My edit board is already wired for making this easy but all I needed to have is someone confirm it was possible. Plus use the right software. :) Thanks Bogy. BTW this test was done with the DSR20 but I'm sure the limiting factor is the software.


Confession time-
What interested me here with this is to be able to take a shortcut to a process I already do. I provide a service here where I make WMV files from analog video tapes, particularly TV shows and commercials for webcasting. The process of being able to capture directly to wmv files allows me to bypass a digitizing to editor and render. It saves about an hour per project as long as the quality is OK. Moviemaker has two choices with it's capture. wmv and avi DV codec. Both are useful to me but the wmv may be a real time saver in taking betacam SP video to wmv in one step.

[n8dagr8]

Alright, good stuff so far.

Next question... My D* receiver has a function that turns on the receiver and starts the VCR (my so called, "poor man's TiVo"). How does the DVD recorder work "like a VCR"? I assume you have to set it (DVD recorder) to record. I guess I have to find one withe an IR blaster. I have a RCA DTC 210 (FYI).

[Bogy]

Don, glad it worked for you. I have a Sony DCR-HC40. I think when I tried it previously I used Intervideo WinDVD Creator. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but I figure using the laptop to record will be a much quicker way to edit and then burn DVDs.

[jpurkey]

You also might want to look into the VCR/DVDR combos. My Mother-in-law has one and I have beeing helping here. I have been very impressed with the ease that one can make the transfer. Truely a one button transfer.

A VCR/DVDR is what what I have been using to convert my VHS tapes to DVD. Editing options are limited when creating menus (compared to what you could do on a computer) but the copying process couldn't be easier.

Plus I love the features the DVD recorder has given me like chasing playback and simulaneous record and play. Much better than a VCR.

[jpurkey]

Next question... My D* receiver has a function that turns on the receiver and starts the VCR (my so called, "poor man's TiVo"). How does the DVD recorder work "like a VCR"? I assume you have to set it (DVD recorder) to record. I guess I have to find one withe an IR blaster. I have a RCA DTC 210 (FYI).

Generally what I do is set timers on the DirecTV receiver and then program than DVD recorder to record at those times. Both the DTV receiver and DVDR let me set one-time, daily or weekly recordings so for shows I record regularly I only have to set the timers once. I just need to remember to have a disc in with enough free space. I use DVD-RAM for my time-shift recordings and they are supposedly good for 100,000 writes. Definitely longer life than tape.

Of course, there are also the HD/DVDR recorders which give you more space and let you edit out the commercials before doing a high-speed dub of the program to DVD-R. If you have a lot of tapes with commercials you plan to transfer to DVD then it may be worth the extra $$ to get one of those.