Okay, I'm terrible w/ hardware so be gentle, heh. I'm trying to find the most affordable way to convert VHS tapes to DVD, and I'm planning on using DVDxMaker to accomplish this on the software side. Besides a DVD Burner and VCR, what else do I need in the way of cables, adapters, or any other devices? If you need more information from me to formulate an answer, just ask, and I'll get back to you ASAP. Thanks in advance for your help, guys! Looking foward to replies.
If your video camera has a firewire port, and your computer has a firewire port, you are good to go with the software that came with the camcorder. If you have an old camcorder like me, which has no ports on it, for capturing, you will need a VCR and a capture card to get the tapes onto your computer, for editing.
Okay, so I'd buy a video capture card, and I'd install it the same way I would a 56k modem or sound card, correct? I wouldn't need to worry about being USB 2.0 compatible unless I was actually going to use a video capture device?
Well, it's either or. You can either buy an internal card or an external card. It depends on what you want. They both do the same job though.
Big thanks to both of you! I'm sure I'll be back once I blow away a big chunk of my next paycheck replacing my old DVD burner and buying a vid capture card.
... A less expensive alternative to a video capture card is at this link ... http://www.laserballs.com/videobusII.htm
Get real. The Belkin USB Videobus II only allow you to capture resolutions up to 352 by 288 dpi. I bought that and it wouldn't allow me to capture at PAL resolutions of @720x576 at 25fps. The DVD showed the low resolutions. Don't even consider this product.
Firstly, decide how much you're prepared to spend on a capture device. They cost anywhere from a measly $25 upwards, but believe me, you get what you pay for. If you want decent quality, check out this site http://www.canopus.us/US/products/Index/product_index.asp . They have both internal cards & external standalone devices. As Nintari said, your choice. With the advent of dual layer burners & disks, I'd suggest you get a dual layer burner, but wait awhile before you toss out your old burner and buy a new one. The prices of the dual layer burners will come down a lot after the initial novelty has worn off. Use the time to experiment with capturing, encoding & authoring until you get it right, so that you don't waste too many disks. If you don't like the results, you can always delete from your HD & try again. I've ended up with quite a few "coasters". It takes a bit of time to find an authoring program you're satisfied with. Also, make sure you have LOTS of room on your hard drive. Mpeg2 takes up a lot of HD space, AVI even more. Most experts on this site even recomend having a second HD(min 80GB) soley for video.
... For a mere $140, you can go to http://www.samsclub.com and buy yourself a Lite-On LVW-5101 DVD recorder ... I'm sure that this has to be the easiest way to convert VHS to DVD ...
It usually works that way, heh. Damn... I've ripped DVD's before so I was already expecting this to take up a couple GB, but 80?! That's the size of my existing HD of which I've only used 1/3. So what kind of advantages do you get out of dual layer burners? A DVD Recorder might be a practical way to go about it. What kind of drawbacks am I looking at though?
