If you’re sitting on a collection of Digital 8, miniDV, or the short-lived D-VHS, you’re probably wondering what can be done to make these recordings more easily viewable. Like their analog cousins, these formats will also degrade over time, so don’t let the word “digital” lull you into a false sense of security. If not, locate the resulting file on your computer and open it in iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, VLC, or a similar program that can burn your footage to DVD.
The other option is to convert to NTSC on a computer BUT that can be very complicated to do just right. Some film lasts about 50 years with proper storage, and magnetic tape only lasts from 10 to 30 years before it starts degrading. Experts take about one hour to digitize 500 feet of film, and it might take you a bit longer.
However, you’ll need to provide your own software to capture the video. Along with your computer and VCR player, you need an analog to digital converter.
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You may refer to this article to find the best performing DVD creators to meet all your requirements. There are several video transfer services that most of the big box stores ship your tapes to as they don’t deal with the video transfer service themselves. But you can usually get a far better deal by shipping the tapes as many of these services have deals and coupon codes if you order directly from them. Now you’ve captured the VHS to your computer, the last thing you need to do is edit your video. You’ll want to use high quality video editing software for this – at DVD Your Memories, we use Sony Vegas.
These have a USB connector on one end and audio and video inputs on the other, and they start around $13. Check the manufacturer’s specifications to make sure the dongle is compatible with your computer.
Converting your old home VHS tapes into digital files may feel like a never ending project, especially if you’ve got decades of memories stored in the aging format. The process isn’t quite as straightforward as digitizing photographs or negatives and it can be difficult to track down a VCR to even play the tapes, let alone convert them. The VHS format wasn’t intended to be archival, and chances are your old home movies are already starting to degrade. However, once you convert VHS to digital, you can then use one the best free video editing software to clean up and share your videos with friends and family. The VIDBOX Video Conversion Suite includes a capture device that connects your computer’s USB port to the audio and video outputs on the VCR or camcorder, and has support for both Mac and PC. You also get all the cables you need—both USB and RCA analog audio.
If you’re over 30, you probably have drawers full of bulky VHS tapes that chronicle family highlights. With the compact, high capacity of DVDs, you can now reduce that jumble of tapes to a neat stack of discs. They take less storage space, you can burn endless copies and mail them to anyone, and they’re simpler to play. If you have an iPhone, you can use iCloud Drive to store the video and then access it via the Files app. Another option is to import the MP4 video into your iTunes library, then connect your phone to your computer and drag and drop the file from your library to the device.
How Much Does it Cost to Transfer VHS to DVD or Digital?
Have other analog media, like audio cassettes or 35mm slides? For the vast majority of people, the best video file format for turning VHS video into digital video is MPEG-4 using H.264 compression. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on pro-level video editing software just to tweak your videos. Once you’ve got one, connect the analog-to-digital converter to your computer and your VCR or camera. Refer to the installation disc, instruction manual, or manufacturer’s website for more information on installing the software and downloading the necessary drivers. Walmart offers video transfer services either dropped off in the store or completely online where you get sent a box to ship your tapes for transfer. Sam’s Club also offers video transfer services but at a higher price than Walmart.
Read more about change vhs to dvd here.