Looking for the best/cheapest way to get VHS tapes converted to DVD... Suggestions? (1 Viewer)

[Frank_M]

We've got some home movies which are fading fast, and my wife asked if it were possible to convert to DVD. I told her that I'm sure it is, but hadn't heard of anyone reliable who can do it.
Any suggestions or references out there?
I found this link
http://www.digitalvideocreations.com/?source=overture
But I don't know anything about them.
I'd be happy finding something local, but am fine with sending stuff out.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Shayne Lebrun]

Find somebody you know who has a cd burner, and somebody who has a video capture card. Use the video capture card to grab the videos. You can then turn them into VCDs that will play on a DVD player, or, with some slightly less common software, 'mini DVDs.'

 

[Carlo]

Turning VHS home movies into VCDs would not be optimal. From my experience, VCDs tend to have lower image quality compared to VHS.

You can, however, do it your self and as mentioned above, invest on a video capture card and a DVD burner. For the capture card, I find Pinnacle Systems' DC10+ (with Studio 7 software) decent enough. However, it does not support Win XP, at the moment. Also, you will need at least 20 gigs of hard drive space to capture around 1 hour's worth of video. As for the DVD burner, I read that Philips' burner is the most compatible one out.

If you find all these a hassle, you can scour the local market for video editing services. I'm sure one of them will be able to do it. Also, I do recall a company advertising this same service on the Parade magazine. I forgot their name, unfortunately.

Good luck!

 

[Matthew_S]

You can always get a mac with a big hard drive and use idvd..

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Let me also add my 2-cents....

I don't care for hooking video through my

computer to make video/DVD copies. It is the

least expensive option, and for those that

want to do it -- God Bless 'em!

Standalone DVD recorders are dropping fast.

I am not sure if it has been announced yet

at CES or not (I have been asked to stay quiet

for now), but a MAJOR manufacturer's DVD recorder

unit will be selling for just under $1,000 in March.

We will be one of the first reviewing it here

in a few short weeks.

Yes, I know this is expensive for most consumers

still, but I want to make this point....

In just 1 year, the price on a home DVD recorder

has dropped $1,000.

Wait another year and I bet it will drop an

additional $500.

You can buy a great DVD recordable deck now for

about $1,000 that will last you for years -or-

wait just another year and buy one for even less.

 

[John Geelan]

I received in the Mail a coupon recently from TARGET stores where their photo dept. is offering transfers of VHS to DVD at a reasonable price...I think around $30.

Worth it if its a very valuable VHS tape like a wedding or something.

Check out your local TARGET or upscale photo store.

JohnG

 

[JeffMuller]

Check out http://www.lifeclips.com

 

[Michael St. Clair]

You can already get the Panasonic DMR-E20 for less than a grand from some reputable online retailers.

I'd be tempted if it had a PCM input.

 

[Scott Strang]

Uhh Sears has the above mentioned model Panasonic burner for $1k. Not a bad deal considering the technology.

When stand alone audio pro CD burners hit the market, they were $10k and media often $100 per disc. 2nd gen models were like $4000 which eventually dropped to like $2400. That's what I paid for my Marantz which eventually went down even lower to something like $1700.

The fact that the DVD burners are getting cheaper much faster than audio models is very exciting.

VHS should have died long ago and digital video tape models seem silly. Kinda like Phillips DCC did.

 

[Brett Cameron]

The problem with buying into a DVD recorder now is that they have not settled on a standard recording format yet. Their is DVD-R,DVDram,DVD R-W(I think thats all of them). When they finally settle on a format and when the price goes down(which should be at 500 sometime in 2003 like Ron said), then I would buy consider buying one.

 

[Norm]

The main thing holding me back from buying a DVD recorder is that there's no standard.

 

[Sam_K]

If you want to record video, DVD+RW is the best because it is compatible with most existing players.

If you want to backup computer data, then DVD-RAM is the best.

 

[Rob Robinson]

"digital video tape models seem silly."
Not for digitial content creations pros
I'd like to be able to spit stuf out and archive to DVD, but you cant take a packet writing optical disc drive into the field and jostle it around...

 

[Scott Strang]

I understand that in pro enviros that digital tape is good, but aren't we talking something like the Ampex DCT system or Sony's digital BetaCam?

For consumer and prosumer use, tape seems like the only real practical alternative until we have large amounts or flash memory recording available which probably is not too far away.

Spitting stuff out on DVD-R is like a dream come true.

 

[Kyle McKnight]

I agree with CD+RW being the better choice. For more information on it, check out Link Removed

 

[Tom-G]

a MAJOR manufacturer's DVD recorder
unit will be selling for just under $1,000 in March.

You can obtain DVD recorders right now for under $1000
Check Link Removed out.

 

[Brajesh Upadhyay]

Frank, I provide a VHS/S-VHS (NTSC or PAL) to DVD recording service (a side hobby). YGM.

 

[DeathStar1]

>You can obtain DVD recorders right now for under $1000

Check this out.>

I used to think that DVD RW was the way to go, since it seems to be most accepted. But after reading that DVD Ram can hold up to 12 hours, where as the other only 3 (?) I may have just changed my mind.

It's just a shame that they can't decide on one and get this over with.

Other than that, it looks like a nice machine..

 

[Scott Strang]

Kyle McKnight Texas, USA

I agree with CD+RW being the better choice. For more information on it, check out Link Removed

Howdy Kyle, I think it's
http://www.dvdplusrw.org
The only problem I see is this platform doesn't support
dvd-R. For archiving I don't want a volatile system. I don't entrust important stuff to CD-RW and I'm not about to do the same with DVD-RW, DVD+RW or DVD-RAM.
Here's something I'm wondering. The Compaq model used the Pioneer superdrive which was DVD-RW. Now that HP has sucked up Compaq, will they form them to use a drive with the DVD+RW instead?

 

[Scott Strang]

I hate it when that happens (double posts).