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08/17/2013 09:02:54 PM · #1 |
Original post below:
UPDATE:
OK, I'm back. Been a bit since I posted this but I have since purchased a Diamond VC500MAC to help with the transfer of VHS to DVD
This is the product I purchased Diamond VC500MAC Comes in a nice box with virtually no instructions.
I have worked out how to use it but I am completely lost when it comes to what format I should copy it in and then what to Export it as to create a DVD that can be played on a TV.
It has the following codecs to copy to the computer:
Animation
Apple Intermediate Codec
DV - PAL
DV/DVCPRO - NTSC
DVCPRO - PAL
DVCPO50 - NTSC
DVCPRO50 - PAL
H.264
MEPG-4 Video
Photo - JPEG
YUV422 Codec
Each of these offers a different create process afterwards. Will advise the options for CREATE if someone could let me know which one of these I should be copying with.
Thanks heaps.
My father took movies of us as kids and in his retirement he played them on a screen whilst videoing them with his favourite music.
We have also taken movies of our kids in the same format
What is the best way to copy these video's over to DVD and have the best picture quality possible whilst doing it (something about them being analogue and things now digital??)
Do I play them on a VHS player connected to an old analogue TV and also hook up a newer recorder that transfers them to a hard drive and then burn them to dvd.
Copying would be in real time.
Would this give me a better picture recording than playing it on a new digital TV (provided I can hook both up)?
Anyone done this successfully themselves?
Thanks
Message edited by author 2014-01-03 18:59:11. |
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08/17/2013 09:25:16 PM · #2 |
Here's a conversion link. The last page has a list of services instead of doing it yourself.
My dad had a service convert 8mm movies to DVD. It was years ago so I don't know how much he paid.
Personally, I'd pay a service to do it... time is money and all...
Cheers
Eta: Google link.
Eta: Review link of various hardware.
Message edited by author 2013-08-17 21:31:06. |
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08/17/2013 10:18:47 PM · #3 |
I have a combo unit with both a VHS and DVD recorder ... for non-copy-protected tapes you are supposed to be able to just push a button to transfer a tape to DVD. I'm not sure what you can do about editing those however ...
I've also had camcorder tapes transferred at Costco -- looks like the current cost is $18 (I believe for for up to a two-hour tape), which includes 2 DVDs and online storage/viewing.
If you really have a lot of tapes (and time) I'd probably recommend investing in the equipment and doing it yourself, but where the "break-even" point comes for you personally will depend on your time, budget, and ultimate purpose. Note that if you get decent equipment you can probably set up a side business doing this for friends and relatives ... ;-) |
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08/18/2013 03:23:10 AM · #4 |
Originally posted by RamblinR:
Do I play them on a VHS player connected to an old analogue TV and also hook up a newer recorder that transfers them to a hard drive and then burn them to dvd. |
It is how I have done it, copying them to a DVD recorder and then burned them to DVD. I don't think the television you are using is making any difference in image quality. If you can hook up all equipment with SCART cables, that will do best. |
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08/20/2013 10:40:01 PM · #5 |
Check out DVD Creator from AppGeeker, accepts anything to DVD.
I used to use it many years ago, works well on my computer. |
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08/21/2013 09:44:19 AM · #6 |
Avoid recording them off any TV screen - copy electronically if you can. It is a time consuming process. There were VHS-DVD Recorder units available some time ago, which work great for home video transfer.
There are basically three functions you need:
Convert the VHS video to digital
Video editing / DVD creation software
DVD creator
The VHS - DVD Recorder combines #1 & 3, but you have to get the video off of the DVD into a computer, along with some software to do step 2.
If you use a computer, there are products available from roughly $30 up (think in the $70 - $100 range) that will do all three. From the info at //vhs-to-dvd-converters-review.toptenreviews.com/, you can get a decent idea of what is available. I've always been favorably impressed with Roxio's products, but haven't used this particular one. Corel has VideoStudio (primarly to do #2) for around $70 - I have used it to put together slide presentations including music. Adobe Premier Elements would probably also do the job.
Just keep in mind that you should only be running the video capture when you are getting the video from the VHS tape on a PC - it is crucial that your input source be as high quality as possible.
So, if you have more than a few tapes you want to convert, and have the time and patience for it, getting your own setup would be more cost effective. Otherwise, using a service is probably the best bet.
Good luck.
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08/21/2013 06:41:42 PM · #7 |
Thanks everyone for your help.
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08/21/2013 07:16:22 PM · #8 |
Thank you for the link about the top ten reviews site. I was surprised to see this thread come up, as I am working on a way to get about 50 or 60 digital 8 Sony Handycam tapes into my current Mac Mini.
The older G5 Powermac could be hooked right up to the camcorder, via Firewire 400, but the hard drive crashed in it, so I no longer have that option.
The VHS to DVD software/hardware package would do it, and I have been looking at those. The link will help me narrow down the final choice to purchase for the job.
Fortunately, I still have a couple of Hancycams that will play back the D 8 tapes. |
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08/21/2013 07:18:07 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by MelonMusketeer:
The older G5 Powermac could be hooked right up to the camcorder, via Firewire 400, but the hard drive crashed in it, so I no longer have that option. |
Hard drives are cheap ... |
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08/21/2013 07:35:56 PM · #10 |
| Thanks, General, but I no longer have the start up discs, so I don't know if that would do the trick. It has two HD's in it, but the OS was only on one of them as far as I know. It was still limping along a bit, but would hang up often. I hope to be able get all my music off it before doing anything else to it. It was a 2004 model, and served me well, about 4 hrs a day average until last Jan. I think I have an extra HD somewhere, so maybe I will put that in it and see if it will boot and accept a refresh from the backup that I made to an external HD. |
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08/21/2013 09:17:29 PM · #11 |
| I have a similar G5 (with a similar problem but still working) -- I don't know if I can find the start-up discs either, but I never (willingly) throw anything out so they are probably around "somewhere" ... I'll let you know if they turn up. |
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01/03/2014 06:58:25 PM · #12 |
OK, I'm back. Been a bit since I posted this but I have since purchased a Diamond VC500MAC to help with the transfer of VHS to DVD
This is the product I purchased Diamond VC500MAC Comes in a nice box with virtually no instructions.
I have worked out how to use it but I am completely lost when it comes to what format I should copy it in and then what to Export it as to create a DVD that can be played on a TV.
It has the following codecs to copy to the computer:
Animation
Apple Intermediate Codec
DV - PAL
DV/DVCPRO - NTSC
DVCPRO - PAL
DVCPO50 - NTSC
DVCPRO50 - PAL
H.264
MEPG-4 Video
Photo - JPEG
YUV422 Codec
Each of these offers a different create process afterwards. Will advise the options for CREATE if someone could let me know which one of these I should be copying with.
Thanks heaps. |
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