Tranferring VHS to Dvd

@Tailspin
I use Tsunami DVD Author Pro
http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/tsunami_mpeg_dvd_author_pro_guide.cfm
Copy vhs tapes to a Panasonic recorder and import the files into the authoring prog.
Either record to DVD-RW or DVD-RAM disks.
If the tape is a commercial movie it may have Macrovision protection.
I run those tapes through an ancient Optex 'video stabilizer' to fix that problem.
The DVD-RW has to be finalized in the recorder to make it useable in any other PC or player.
If you use DVD-RAM disks, the video is in a large file which has .VRO as an extension.
If your PC's player or rom has the capability to read ram disks, you can copy and paste the .vro file to your hard disk and rename .mpg and use it as you would any mpeg file.

 

@attar

So, it looks like you have no problem copying vcr tape (home camcorder video) to a standalone dvd recorder. Then placing it into the computer for editing. Can I assume there would be negligible quality loss and worth capturing vcr tapes this way? I also noticed you mentioned a Panasonic recorder.

 

so, if I got the Tsunami DVD Author Pro would I need anything else or does it come with the set up? Also are you saying to first use the vcr/dvd recorder to record first and then hook it up to the computer?

 

@Tailspin
The quality of the disk is the same as the quality coming off the tape.
If it's a good tape you get a good disk.If it's a ratty tape......
Best quality is when your tape is two hours or less.
More than two hours means compressing the data onto the dvd.I believe that six hours is mentioned as possible on my Panasonic, but I have never tried it.
I referred to DVD Author PRO because it accepts the files from a RAM disk without problems, but note that your PC burner or rom must be able to handle ram disks.
I did all of my transposing from tape to dvd with dvd-rw so any other authoring prog should be fine.
I found that DVD-RW disks prefer to be used in either your PC burner or the recorder.Don't erase disks in a PC and use in the recorder or vice versa else sooner, not later, they will fail.

@geross
Download DVD Author Pro and try before you buy.
I like it because of the adjustments to the audio that need to be made when converting PAL to NTSC.

P.S. I previously had a Samsung recorder that produced disks which momentarily froze (only when played on other standalone players)at the chapter points which it inserted in the DVD.
A firmware update did not help, so I returned the Samsung and purchased the Panasonic.

 

@ geross

If you would like to capture your vcr tapes into the computer....you could use an All In Wonder video card, tv tuner capture card or burn it with a dvd recorder then put it in computer.

Have you ever installed a graphics card? If you have, then just install the software that came with the card and then hook up the cables to the card from the vcr. After you start sending the signal from the vcr to this capture card a vcr type display will show up on the monitor and you can record from that.

If you need to do some editing there are plenty of programs to choose from. I use one of the expensive ones Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5

When your done editing, you'll need to make it into a MPEG file. I use TMPGEnc XPress. After that, I use TMPGEnc DVD Author for making all the chapters, then an image file so that it can be burned to a dvd. Finally I use Nero 6 Ultra Edition for burning this image file to my DVD.

It can get a bit expensive though if you get the software I picked up. I use Premiere Pro a lot and have no regrets with that sofware. Many people here can help you pick out cheaper buys though.

Hope this helped, good luck with your captures.

 

If you are going to do any real video editing then don't use a DVD recorder. By real video editing I mean colour correction, adding titles to video, or anything that will cause you to have to re-encode the video. Things like making a custom menu or removing dead space do not require a re-encode. The DVD MPEG2 will lose quality with every encode. I personally use an ATI AIW capturing card mainly because of the versatility. It can capture in almost any format and with multiple resolutions or audio settings. DVD recorders are great because they are fast but only useful if you don't plan on editing your captured videos.

 

Am trying to record old programs to DVD that I recorded onto blank VHS tapes off the TV with a Magnavox MWR20V6 DVD/VCR recorder. Have recorded 7 successfully, but was trying one today and got the message that the program is not allowed to be copied. The error code in the manual says it is a copy probited program. Is it possible that this tape has some sort of copy protection even though I made the tape myself off TV?

 

Macro vision inserts an unstable, VSync I think, in the over scan area of the signal. If you have a VHS tape that has an unstable signal (misaligned recording heads or other possible issues) then the recording device is fooled into thinking that the tape has Macro vision protection. The only way around this (or best way) is to use a full frame TBC between the VCR and recording device.

 

I have some old analog camcorder family movies that I transferred to VHS tapes years ago (no copy protection, obviously). I was thinking about preserving them on DVD. I'd like to edit them while doing it.

I have a late HP media center computer with 2 gigs of RAM, Lightscribe burner, Nero 7 Ultra, TV tuner, etc. But rather than use the tuner inputs, I also have Pinnacle Studio 9 Plus movie software and a Pinacle Dazzle 90 USB analog capture device. I think I can hook a VHS player directly to the Dazzle 90 device and capture the analog to Studio 9, edit and convert it and burn mpeg DVD's. Or maybe better yet, save the mpegs and convert them to wmv's using Windows Media Encoder, then burn them (much less space without loss of quality). Anybody see a problem with this?

 

I bow to the experience and knowledge of our more seasoned members here (a big thanks, you've made my life much easier), but I've been using DVD Express from ADS. It's about $40 and it's about as easy as it gets. I've backed up almost all of my home movies, etc. with great results. As to backing up copyrighted media, I would defer to the professionals.

 

Almost all those USB capture devices output as DV AVI which takes lots of space (25GB per hour). Once you have the AVI though you can encode it to any format you wish. It would be better to convert straight to WMV or XviD then from MPEG. Re-encoding the MPEG to WMV will cause some loss of quality over the original.

 

My brother lend me his Pinnacle studio version9 to convert my home vhs tapes. It was going smoothly until I wanted to convert them directly to disc(dvd) where it took so long up to 7 hours while it render each segment of the tape. Is there any easier method to do this with this program. It seem alright taking 2 hours for each tape or will be wise to buy a dvd recorder, hook the camera, run it through the dvd recorder/vhs player. I had to uninstall everything.

 

I've been using DVD Express from ADS with great results. I use the Capture Wizard to rip it into a file (2 hrs or whatever time you have on the tape) and then use Ulead to edit, enhance, and burn the file onto disc. For ease of use you can't beat it and the quality is excellent. I think I've seen it in the stores for between $40-$50

 

RipDog,

You beat me to it. I have the DVDXpress from ADS Tech. It works great. I have already backed up all of my old VHS tapes. You can also hook up a DVD player instead of a VCR and you don't have to worry about copy protection. It doesn't need to break any enryption. You don't get Dolby 5.1 surround. But if you just want to capture some clips from a film, it works great. I bought it a year ago for $99 CDN, and I am sure it is much cheaper now.

 

I haven't used it yet to record direct from the tv. Might experiment with that today.

 

The problem is that you are not capturing as DVD MPEG2, probably DV AVI. Some capture cards or devices only output as this format so there is nothing you can do to get around this. What kind of capture card are you using?

 

In my opinion, I think the easiest way to go from vhs to dvd is by using a dvd player/recorder.

For vhs tapes, I have the cable from wall inputted to my vcr, and outputted to my dvd player, then from dvd outputted to my tv, and rca wires outpuuted from dvd to tv. So basically now when i play tapes from my vcr, all i have to do is hit the record button on my dvd player and it will record onto a dvd disc.

I also have a old camcorder that uses 8mm tapes. Putting the content from these to dvd is pretty much the same. I just have the camcorder with the tape inside then have rca wires outputted from the camcorder to the dvd player/recorder. Now i just switch to the channel on my tv, play the camcorder then record on my dvd player.

 

It is the easiest for straight captures but if you want to do any real editing then a capture card is necessary.

 

or you can visit and try VHS to DVD and transfer your home video tapes to dvd. You can get a pretty good conversion at a reasonable price from a lot of places. But what are most of these companies lacking? Care and attention to detail! Other ways you get totally amateurish product done with domestic equipment.
link: http://www.vhs-to-dvd.com/

 

A little removed, but still on the topic of transferring VHS to DVD:

I bought the Magnavox MWR20V6 and have had no actual problems with it. However, there is one thing I can't seem to find a solution for. After recording to a DVD the segment shows up in the DVD menu as a 'title'. But the empty space on the disk also shows up as another title. I assumed that when I finalized the disk the blank space wouldn't show up in the menu anymore, but after finalizing it's still there as a non-playable title. I've gone through the manual several times but I can't find a way to get rid of the 'blank space title' that's in the menu. I'm supposed to be able to delete any title before finalizing, but 'blank space titles' don't have that editing option. Am I missing something simple, or has anyone found a way to do this?

Thanks for any help-----Bob Ryan.