May 15, 2012 @ 1:39 AM

How to transfer VHS to DVD with a DVD Recorder

When transferring your movies, the advantages of DVDs outweigh those of VHS tapes. VHS film can degrade over time and the cassette casings are vulnerable to damage also as well make the tape useless. Storage is easier with DVDs since they take up less space than videos. In addition the definition of the picture and audio is greater on DVDs.

So how does one convert video tapes to DVDs to salvage them for the future? There are several options.  For starters, you could use a VHS to DVD transfer business that will do the transfer for you.  We are one of those companies.  Visit our conversion page today at our VHS Services Page

Are you computer savvy?

If you are computer savvy you can do it yourself, and even though we are in the converting organization , we also like to help out where we can and share the info we know, so you know.

The computer savvy will probably use  their comp  to transfer their videos  to DVD. It requires reproducing  the video to a digital file on the computer using an analog converter. The file gets compressed to MPEG-2 format before being burned onto a DVD. This process takes some time, but it allows you to make adjustments  to the video , like special effects or music , before you copy it . Depending on the burning software that you use, you could add a menu or other special options. The process can be tedious because you have to transfer the file twice: first from the video to the computer and then again from the comp to the DVD.

To spare some time and effort, you can copy the video  to a DVD without the use of a computer. There are two ways to do this:

The first involves purchasing a DVD recorder that allows input from another source. Just connect your VCR player by cables to the DVD recorder and while the footage plays, it records.

You could also purchase a combination DVD/VCR recorder. It does the same thing as the previous option without having to connect any cables.

If you do the conversion yourself, make sure that you have cleaned the heads of the VHS tapes between duplicating movies. Old tapes  carry a lot of dust or other particles that could block up the VCR. And because you are copying directly from the videos  to the DVD, any picture quality issues  you have with the video will show up  on the finalized DVD. Knowing that if you have videos which are recorded at S.L.P. you will not get the same quality  of recording onto a DVD as if the video was recorded at S.P. If you find the definition  is not acceptable for you, consider changing your method of converting.

For more help visit our blog at Home movies Blog

Converting home videos from VHS-C tapes present only minor problems. VCRs and VHS or Hi-8 recorders are with R.C.A. modulation film  and audio outputs that can be easily connected to a DVR or a DVD Recorder as well as to a computer port such as U.S.B. using an adapter and video software.

Unlike VHS and Hi-8 cassettes played on VCRs and camcorders, older film reels of home movies  present a different obstacle to convert them to a digital formats. The older reel  projectors do not have movie video output jacks. The older film projectors never converted the movies to any analog signal, what they did was just to mainly pass the images  on video in front of the projector light. There is no simple way to directly copy this content to a digital format.

Consider using Vintage VHS conversion services to transfer the videos; just $10 a reel!


Depending on how many reels you have and your budget, getting a professional to do it may be the best option . Family members might usually are more than happy to chip in for the conversion if they end up with copies themselves. Getting a group of contributors could make this option even more affordable.