Connecting a VCR/DVD Player to a new iMac?

Question

Hi,
Just bought an iMac 17" with the 2.0 cpu. It is connected to the internet via a wireless dsl router elsewhere in our house. No problems, my daughter has put nearly 15-hours on the net with no complaints so far, fingers crossed, of course.
[I have an older Dell pc and a vcr/dvd player connected using RCA plugs directly from the player into my video & sound cards. I have the option of using the S-video cable as well.]
I asked the dealer if it was possible to connect a vcr/dvd player to the iMac for viewing only, and the salesperson did not know. Has anyone seen such a device? A customer at the Apple Store said that I might have to bypass Apple's OS and get a copy of Windows. I thought I was getting rid of the pc when I switched to the iMac.
Any help would be appreciated!

Answer 1

I use a Dazzle Hollywood DV bridge. It's a firewire A/D converter that lets me capture composite or s-video to my iMac. I also use it to watch TV on my desktop using a VCR and Video Viewer utility.
I would recommend you use a firewire device to ensure maximum compatibility with the Mac (iMovie, etc.) with no need for drivers. In the case of the Hollywood Bridge, it was sold as a Windows only product. But as a firewire device, no software was needed for the Mac. It works great with all video/media software and is recognized like any firewire camcorder.
Although the Hollywood bridge isn't sold anymore, you can find them on ebay. Otherwise, you can research any video A/D converter device such as those sold by Pinnacle (pinnaclesys.com).
Mark
iMac C2D (20in:2.16Ghz)   Mac OS X (10.4.8)