Does anone know how to record a home VHS movie onto a DVD?

Answer 1

Connect the output of the camcorder or VCR to the audio in and video in on your computer and use Windows Moviemaker. If your computer does not have these inputs, your easiest solution is to buy a USB external video converter like the Pinnacle USB. These also come with the software to record and create the DVD disk.

You can also use a stand alone DVD player / recorder connected to your camcorder or VCR.

Please note that pre-recorded VHS movies have copy protection and you would have to use an aftermarket "sync-booster" to get a movie to record correctly.

Good luck

Answer 2

Talk about synchronicity! This is an email I received this morning from Kim. Great website. Sign up for Tip of the day, Site of the day, Weekly newsletter. It's great. You learn all kinds of awesome stuff! www.KimKomando.com

Transferring a VHS library to DVD
I have about 300 VHS tapes. They range from six to 10 hours. For years, I’ve wanted to transfer the tapes to DVD. I have been waiting, because the space on a DVD seems inadequate. I want to put at least 12 hours on a DVD; 24 hours would be better. Can I put this much video on a disc? Or is there a breakthrough coming that will allow this? Is the amount of video a disc can hold a feature of the disc or the recorder? Should I keep waiting or buy a DVD burner/VCR combo now.

My word, that’s a lot of video! If you average eight hours per tape, that's 2,400 hours. I hope none of this is copyrighted material!

Anyway, I can understand why you want digitize it. Your VHS tapes could be deteriorating.

Besides, DVDs are more convenient. And they take up less space. So I'd get started on this project right away.

The amount of video you can fit on a DVD varies. The compression settings on your recorder/software will determine that.

You probably won’t be able to fit 24 hours on a disc. However, you can fit more than 12 hours on a dual-layer DVD. Dual layers almost double the amount on a single-layer disc.

Couple ways to transfer

There are a couple of ways to transfer the video. You could hook up a video capture gadget to your computer.

You would record the video in MPEG-2 format. Adjusting software settings changes the compression. The compression range depends on your software.

Then, you burn the video to DVD. Dual-layer DVD burners are available for your computer. They are relatively inexpensive.

But you want to use a standalone DVD recorder. This is probably the quickest and easiest route. You will transfer your videos in real time. In other words, it will take an hour to transfer an hour of video to DVD.

DVD recorders have video quality settings much like VHS recorders. The settings essentially adjust the compression. At the highest setting, you can fit an hour of video onto a single-layer DVD. At the lowest setting, you can fit eight hours.

Again, you’ll find DVD recorders that can read and write dual-layer DVDs. One manufacturer says about 14½ hours will fit at the lowest quality setting.

Remember the compromise

Remember, compression is a compromise. The higher the compression, the lower the video quality. You'll probably have to buy a machine and experiment.

Ultimately, you may decide to put less video on a disc. This is preferable to unwatchable DVDs.

Now, DVDs are currently undergoing a big change. It's probably only a matter of time before today's DVDs are obsolete.

What is the change? Next-generation, high-definition DVDs. These are much like traditional DVDs. However, they can hold much greater quantities of data. They store high-definition movies, which require the extra storage space.

There is just one problem. (Cue ominous music.) There is a format war between the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD camps. They are battling to become the de facto standard. A similar format war occurred in the 1980s between Betamax and VHS.

Burners available

You'll find HD DVD and Blu-ray burners for your computer. But this route is probably cost-prohibitive. The burners start around $400. The discs are at least $15. Then, you would need a standalone player to connect to your television. These start around $400.

That’s a steep investment. And you only have a 50 percent chance of choosing a format that will be around in a few years. My advice: Go with standard DVDs for now. You need to create a new copy of them every few years. By that time, the high-definition DVD format war should be over. And prices should be more palatable.

Let me leave you with one last piece of advice. Clean the VCR heads regularly when you’re transferring your videos. Tapes leave residue on the heads that will affect video quality. This is especially true of older tapes.
Coming up in tomorrow's Tip: Too good to be true.

Most of us don’t like the idea of allowing cell phones on airplanes. But what about e-mail and surfing the Net? On tomorrow's Kim Komando Digital Minute, I’ll tell you about new plans for in-flight Wi-Fi access. To find the radio station nearest you that broadcasts my Minute, use the map on my site. If there isn't one near you, don't fear: Kim's Club subscribers can download the Minutes directly from my site!

Learn more about digital video with my newest book, The 50 Greatest Secrets of Digital Video. Learn everything from how to take the best digital shots to how to edit them.

Kim :)

Answer 3

Get a DVD recorder or a DLink t.v. tuner.