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Converting Old VHS Tapes! Help!

2K views 16 replies 15 participants last post by  keebler27 
#1 ·
I have several old family tapes in the basement, and I need to get them out of there and into DVD form or on the lap top before they disintegrate.
I'm sure someone will provide some instructions in terms of what cords I need, etc. I don't even have an old VHS machine! Might have to borrow one, huh?
Thanks, and I'll monitor this thread.
/Mitch.
 
#2 ·
If you only have a few tapes my suggestion is to let some service do that for you rather than try to do it yourself.

I have done some myself but I had a pretty high quality VHS recorder already, but then still had to buy some sort of analogue-to-digital converter which at the time was around $100.-
Not worth the hassle unless you have a lot of tapes.
 
#4 ·
Just picking up on this post...

I've been dabbling with this on and off for the last few years. I have many old home video tapes that have been transferred but I'm wondering if I screwed up some by transferring them to a dvd using a Toshiba vcr/dvd combo,instead of going straight to a hard drive using a passthrough video camera or something like the Elgato?
The end results look ok,it's from a vcr tape after all, but once converted to a digital format on dvd, is there actually a loss of quality to convert from the dvd to the format Imovie uses (for editing purposes)?

Since these will be something handed down for future generations, I obviously want the best quality I can get,seeing as it wasn't all that great with vhs in the first place...
 
#6 ·
Well, yes, if you transcode from one codec to another you may introduce artifacts or a generational loss. I guess it would depend what container file and codec (MPEG-2?) that you originally captured from the DVD to. It would also depend on what iMovie will read and edit with.

I guess that kinda sorta half answers your question.
 
#7 ·
just my 2 cents

yeah, you may have a little bit of loss, but it's not much. You will have to play around a bit to see which codec looks the best for you. I think iMovie deals with MP4 and digital video (.dv??) and that's it. You can use Mpeg Streamclip perhaps.

However, that depends on how much time and effort you are willing to invest in this project
if you have lots of tapes and time, maybe, otherwise take it in. Me, I had lots of tapes and my mom bought me an Elgato thing. I used a vhs/dvd player combo, then the Elgato,
then my Mac. I also patched in a pro quality equalizer and a bbe unit for better sound quality, but that may be overkill. If you have a video box that helps, maybe use that, but
I wouldn't bother spending the time and money for everything. It also depends on the quality of the original, the machine you play it back on, the quality of the vhs tape, speed of recording, etc and how clean the video and audio heads are. I think the max resolution you can from VHS is around 340 lines

Yeah, so, basically, what he said: take it in and get it done, just so long as you get it done, period

Just my opinion

John b
 
#9 ·
As I posted a while back

I have the Eyetv 250 and have archived some of my old VCR tapes without any problems. Edit:( you will need to find/buy/borrow a VCR of course) The time required is the same as the run time of the tape
- the picture quality is as good or better than the original analog Tv picture. I burn them to a Dvd using Toast Titanium.

Toast Titanium will convert the EyeTv file to several different file formats or save to iTunes,ipods, iphone, ipad etc etc, if that's what you require, or you could try Handbrake, it also converts to different formats.

I edit the Eyetv file in Eyetv, save it, then after burning to Dvd with Toast I convert it directly to iTunes - runs perfectly on my Apple TV2
 
#10 ·
Another alternative is what a fellow I know did, he picked up a combo VHS/CD/DVD Player/Recorder from the Sally Ann for next to nothing, cleaned it up and just put in the VHS tapes and recorded them to the DVD.

I'm not sure what the quality was but I believe he was quite content, and he just wanted to get the job done and not wait for any possible "Round 'tuit' ".
 
#11 ·
I recently did this for a friend, and I used the EyeTV-HD, their latest software, and Mountain Lion. I tried using either an S-VHS connection or all RCA jacks. I found the sound drifted out of sync over the course of the VHS tape. Fortunately, it was a basketball game recorded in a high school gym in 1990, so the sound quality wasn't great. The out-of-sync did annoy me, anyway.

I did not have the same problem when I did this for myself with the 250 a few years back.
 
#12 ·
For just a few tapes, I would also recommend using a service. I wen upscale once and bought a Canopus/Grass Valley card that really failed to make the grade. Going Blackmagic or Elgato AND buying a VCR should cost you more than a pro service.
 
#16 ·
JFYI, our local COSTCO store had a special offer on not too long ago for various VHS and film 8 and Super 8 etc.. type recovery/translation etc. to various other more modern usable formats and media for a very reasonable price not too long ago.

Maybe check with any local Costco Store's Photo Department you may have in your area.

I believe they used some third party out-of-store source to do the work.

And something I meant to do with some old Bolex camera film spools I have that we discovered in our old basement stuff.

Thanks for the "Round-Tuit" reminder. ;)
 
#17 ·
PM is right - costco does ship out their material to California I believe.

I wouldn't want to be shipping my precious family memories out into the void so buyer beware.

Also, I would have it transferred to a DVD as well as the original uncompressed transfers to an external hard drive. Those are cheap and that way, your transfer is done once to your tapes yet you have a medium from which you can convert to all sorts of formats in the future. Most transfer companies should offer this as an included (ie. free) with a DVD transfer.

Good luck!
 
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