Convert your home movies yourself - tutorial
When transferring your home videos, the pluses of DVDs outweigh those of VHS tapes. Video tapes can degrade over time and the cassette casings are prone to damage as well 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 sound is higher on DVDs.
So how does one convert VHS tapes to DVDs to salvage them for the future? There are several options. For starters, you could use a VHS to DVD converting company that will do the transfer for you. We are one of those companies. Visit our conversion page today at http://www.vintagevhs.net/vintagevhs_services.html
But if you are computer savvy you can do it yourself, and even though we are in the converting company , we also like to help out where we can and share the information we know, so you know.
The computer savvy will use their desktop to transfer their home movies to DVD. It requires reproducing the video to a digital file on the computer using an analog converter. The file gets reduced 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 program that you use, you could add a menu or other special features. The process can be quite slow 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 duplicate the film to a DVD without the use of a comp. There are two possible ways to do this:
The first involves getting a DVD recorder that allows input from another source. Just connect your VCR player by cables to the DVD recorder and while the video plays, it records.
The second option is to 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, be sure that you have cleaned the heads of the VHS tapes between replicating videos. Old home movies carry a lot of dust or other particles that could block up the VCR. And because you are copying directly from the footage to the DVD, any picture quality difficulties you have with the video will appear on the finalized DVD. Knowing that if you have movies which are recorded at S.L.P. you will not get the exact 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 information visit our blog at http://www.vintagevhs.net/Video_Editing_blog.html
Converting home movies from VHS-C cassettes present only minor problems. VCRs and VHS or Hi-8 recorders are with R.C.A. modulation video 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 viewed on VCRs and camcorders, older video reels of family movies present a different obstacle to convert them to a digital formats. The older reel projectors do not have video video output jacks. The old movie projectors never converted the movies to any analog signal, what they did was just to mainly pass the images on film in front of the projector screen. There is no simple way to directly render this content to a digital format.
Consider using Vintage VHS conversion services to transfer the videos; just $10 a reel this month!!
Based on how many videos you have and your budget, hiring 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.
