Converting VHS videos to DVDs

How do I use my Mac to convert old VHS video tapes to DVDs? Do I need to buy a converter of some kind? What is the process? I'd appreciate any light shone on this topic since I'm trying to preserve some family and travel videos by converting them and hopefully editing them in the process!
Thanks!

Hi
Yes You need something that converts from analog to digiatl.
• A/D-box like Canopus ADVC-55, 110 or 300
• miniDV Camera with video trough function
• miniDV Camera without - You need to copy one hour at a time to tape
(Don't use LP-function 90-min on a 60min tape - audio Will go out of Sync)
Many miniDV Cameras Don't have analog-in - in EU omitted due to tax regulations
extra cost to turn it on.
I do
• Have a Canopus ADVC-300
This because old VHS tapes often get's drop outs and the ADVC-300 makes it's own timecode
this makes it possibly to import in long sequences without the need of baby-sit.
You also need a SCART-plug WITH AN IN AND OUT Switch plus a RCA-Cable with three
connectors in each end. This to connect A/D-box with VHS-VCR and a 4-pin to 6-pin
FW-Cable for Canopus ADVC-300 to Mac (Others may use 6-pin to 6-pin or even
FW-800 to 6-pin)
There is no way possibly I know about if You got a Mac without a FW-port 800 or 400.
eg New Mac-Books. Sorry.
Yours Bengt W

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Transferring VHS Video onto DVD via Macbook

Hi
I've been given a large project and need some (simple) help.
Its to transfer about 40 VHS tapes onto CD,s.
Help please as How/what do I need/ is there any step by step instructions?
Thanks

Hi Nigel
First, please be clear about exactly what you need to do. You need to transfer video from VHS, but if you need to burn video to a playable disk, you need to create DVDs, not CDs (which are for audio or data only). If you're unsure about this, check with the person who gave you the project.
Next, you need a VHS video player with video outputs. It's most likely that you'll have RCA-style "composite" video, which is a yellow connector, along with red and white connectors for the audio. You may also have an S-video connector, which is a round multi-pin socket. If it's a newer VCR, you might even have component video, which is a series of three red, blue and green sockets.
The third part of the equation is getting that video into your computer. With a MacBook, you don't have any kind of video-in socket, and even if you had a Mac Pro desktop, you would still need to purchase a video capture card to get the video in.
However, Macs (except for the very newest MacBooks) all have Firewire ports, which is an industry-accepted way to import video. If you have a video generating device plugged into your Firewire port, you will be able very easily to pull it into iMovie, or Final Cut (Express or Studio). So if you can borrow/rent a device to convert the video to a Firewire signal, that's the best solution. You can use a digital camcorder that has composite video in and Firewire out (usually the most readily available solution), and any professional "video deck" will also do this for you. There are conversion boxes available, but they are quite an investment if you have to buy them.
Matt
Message was edited by: Matt Clifton

Converting VHS-C to DVD through I Movie

I have been converting my VHS-C home movies to DVD using I Movie, some of the DVD's will work in my DVD player and some will not. It shows it is a Data Disc and "file format is not supported". Any suggestions as to why one would work and another would not? Could it be the length of the DVD?

I have done lots of that.
To get your VHS video into iMovie, use the Grassvalley ADVC300. With the ADVC300 Audio and Video go in, FireWire comes out. It also comes with a nice Macintosh application that works flawlessly with iMovie 06 and iDVD 09/11 (I have used it a few times with iMovie 11).
The program that comes with the ADVC300 has some nice filters that can improve video and audio of the source material. The ADVC300 will take Audio and Video from any source (VCR, Tivo, Satellite Receiver) and convert it to FireWire (iMovie will treat it like a camera).
I would use iMovie 06 with iDVD 09/11, why?
iMovie 09/11 uses 'single field processing' meaning every other horizontal line of the video is thrown out, which reduces the sharpness of the footage. iMovie 06 uses ALL of the image to form the video.
If your primary workflow is editing DV clips and making DVDs, iMovie '06 is better suited. Your movie will arrive at iDVD in DV format, which is an ideal match for making a DVD: same resolution, same pixels aspect ratio, and original quality. If you share your movie from iMovie 09/11, it gets re-rendered at 640x480 or less, and then iDVD upscales it back to 720x480. The end result is obviously not as good.
iMovie 06 and iDVD 11 is a "lossless" combination.

Convert VHS tape to DVD or flash drive

I would like to convert home movies that are on a VHS tape to DVD, and then to a flash drive or USB stick

convert a vhs tape to digital
I have done lots of that.
To get your VHS video into iMovie, use the Grassvalley ADVC300 (much better than the roxio easy vhs to dvd). With the ADVC300 Audio and Video go in, FireWire comes out. It also comes with a nice Macintosh application that works flawlessly with iMovie 06 and iDVD 09/11 (I have used it a few times with iMovie 11).
The program that comes with the ADVC300 has some nice filters that can improve video and audio of the source material. The ADVC300 will take Audio and Video from any source (VCR, Tivo, Satellite Receiver) and convert it to FireWire (iMovie will treat it like a camera).
http://www.grassvalley.com/products/advc300
I would use iMovie 06 with iDVD 09/11, why?
iMovie 09/11 uses 'single field processing' meaning every other horizontal line of the video is thrown out, which reduces the sharpness of the footage. iMovie 06 uses ALL of the image to form the video.
If your primary workflow is editing DV clips and making DVDs, iMovie '06 is better suited. Your movie will arrive at iDVD in DV format, which is an ideal match for making a DVD: same resolution, same pixels aspect ratio, and original quality.
If you share your movie from iMovie 09/11, it gets re-rendered at 640x480 or less, and then iDVD upscales it back to 720x480. The end result is obviously not as good.
iMovie 06 and iDVD 11 is a "lossless" combination.

How can I convert VHS movies to DVD so I can watch on my computer

I have a set of James Dean movies I want to convert from VSH to DVD. How can I do this without too much trouble or expense?

It would be cheaper to just buy the DVD set.
<http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_10?url=search-alias%3Dmovies-tv&field-k eywords=james+dean+collection+blu&sprefix=james+dean%2Cmovies-tv%2C224>
and you will get much better video quality than any VHS conversion.

Converting VHS videos to DV

I'm trying to find a good low cost software for converting all my VHS videos to DV. Any ideas?

Well,
you also need some hardware.
I use the Canopy ADVC 110. Quality is acceptable.
Software: you can use iMovie. It is included in any new mac.
You can also use Quicktime Pro, but not after the newest update because apple broke the audio sync.

Convert VHS movies to DVD

In no way am I intending to do something illegal, but I have a lot of old "Laurel and Hardy" VHS movies that I would like to convert to DVD. I have a DVD/VHS recorder that can dub from one format to another. However, since the VHS movies are copy-protected, I cannot save these old movies. Is there a way to do this with my trusty iMac?? Is there any way I can do this without someone coming to the door to arrest me? Thanks!

It would be cheaper to just buy the DVD set.
<http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_10?url=search-alias%3Dmovies-tv&field-k eywords=james+dean+collection+blu&sprefix=james+dean%2Cmovies-tv%2C224>
and you will get much better video quality than any VHS conversion.

Converting analog video to DVD

I have VHS and VHS-C (I have the adaptor for this). I want feed them into iMovie. Does anyone suggest a converter? I found Formac's StudioDV. Does anyone know anything about this? IS this good? It is about $115 or so. What other options are there? Any help here would be appreciated.

If you have a digital camcorder it may have analog/digital pass through that allows this conversion. I needed a new camcorder in 2001 so I purchased a camera with this feature instead of a dedicated unit like you mention. My tapes are now converted and I still have a camcorder.
Regards,

Importing VHS to be converted and burned to DVD.

I want to import my family VHS footage to my IMac G-5 with Tiger 4.2, to be burned on DVD . What software and hardware do I need to accomplish this and how do I do it?

I recently bought a Plextor ConvertX PVR BY ELGATO. it was $100 less than the eyetv version, with the same eyetv software, the only difference i could tell being that it uses usb2 instead of firewire. i use mine to do the same thing - convert vhs tapes to dvd. while the software allows you to import video as DV for imovie editing, i sometimes set it to mpeg2 which allows me to send it right to toast for DVD burning. a full 2 hour tape takes about 2 minutes to save as mpeg2 to the desktop and then multiplexes in toast for about another 2 minutes, then starts to burn.

What videocamera VHS do I need to convert VHS to DVD?

Hi, I want to convert my VHS video tapes to DVD or Mpeg, I´ve been searching info, and I didn't know that I can plug a videocamera to my powerbook G4, But I don't have a VHS videocamera, so I would like to buy one, can somebody tell me what camera I need, or if any VHS camera can be plug to my computer, I want a good one but not very expensive, and If am I gonna need an extra software, or if I can do this with imovie or iDVD, and one more question, Is this the best way to convert my VHS videos to DVD?
Thanks.

VHS (and s-VHS, Video8, and Hi8) are all analog formats and output their video as either composite (phono plug) or s-video (4 wire round connector). None of those plug directly into any newer Macintosh.
Your Powerbook has a Firewire input connection. That will transmit audio/video from a digital video camera: DV or Digital 8. This is most definitely NOT the same as what your VHS tapes can natively do.
What to do?
I assume that your tapes are really VHS and NOT s-VHS.
1. Let a service transfer he tapes to DV (to keep the best quality) or directly transfer to DVD. Since VHS has not more than 330 lines of resolution, DVD compression is probably OK, but if you want to edit later, you'll need to convert that over to digital video (DV) format in the computer using some software; I use DVDxDV, but there are others (dvdxdv.com).
2. Get an old VHS dec and rent or borrow (or buy if you are going to do more video taping) a DV or Digital 8 camera with a s-video and/or composit to DV (Firewire) pass through with conversion. Some DV cameras don't have either, some only have s-video. Check out the specifications carefully. Then use iMovie or Final Cut (Pro or Express) to bring the video into your computer as a project in one of those programs. After you capture each hours worth of tape, I would export it back to DV tape immediately as a backup.
3. Then edit that DV footage to get the "movies" you want to place on a DVD, and use iDVD or DVD SP to create those.
NOTE: If you have s-VHS or Hi8 video tapes, you should use the s-video connections; they both have about 400 lines of resolution and the composite connection can't do more than 330 lines no matter what the source is.
When I converted all of my old Hi8 and VHS tapes, I used a media converter from Sony (the DVMC-DA2); there are others. I achieve pretty good results.
Ed

Software to convert VHS- DVD (w/out digital camcorder)?

Hey everybody,
I was wondering if anybody was aware of any software for converting VHS tapes to DVD wth your Mac that is Lion-ready? I'm looking to be able to plug my VCR into my Mac and encode in real time via some sort of component to USB cable (because I don't own a digital camcorder). If you could also point me in the direction of the required hardware to complete this process that would be awesome!
Thanks,
Tyler

Have been doing this for some time, my setup:
I use an ancient "Symphonic" VCR player connected to an Elgato Eyetv Hybrid USB dongle. That plugs into my G5 Mac, 10.5.8, which runs Eyetv software v. 2.5.3.
Recording is dead simple after fiddling around a bit with software settings for channel, etc. Start the player, hit "record" on the software and wait for the end.
The recording is saved in some obscure ".eyetv" format with file size about 4 GB per hour of recording. The software has export to a variety of formats including QT Movie which results in a substantially larger file size.
Quality? Well, it's viewable and usable for archive purposes. I'm fine with it but more discriminating folks may want something better. I end up burning the video on a DVD using iDVD and that's not the greatest anyway.
There are various Elgato units available, and the Eyetv Hybrid seems to run bout $130.
Hope that helps.

How to transfer videos to dvd's

Hello,
I downloaded the free quick time for my grandsons ipod. Unfortunetly it turned all my home videos to quick time format. I can't get them to transfer to dvd now, so that we can play them on our dvd player. How can I fix this? any help is appreciated. I already removing quick time player. It didn't help. I hate to loose all my videos as I have no copies except on my computer.

it is easy to solve only with the help of *DVD Creator* software. if you are not very sure about the operation, you can refer to the guide article "How to Convert QuickTime(.MOV) to DVD on Mac?"
http://www.mediasoftmac.com/dvd-creator-articles/convert-mov-video-to-dvd-on-mac .html#177

Best video Hardware/software for converting VHS DVD and others on Mac?

Hello,
I am having problems finding some much needed details on what the best software/hardware is for converting video formats on a Mac. I should note I am using a NEW iMac 4GB memory and Leopard OS so what I use needs to be compatible. Perhaps next year I will get a Mac Pro, but for now I'm using this setup. Here's is what I need to do:
1. Transfer old VHS tapes (home movies and such) to DVD. I need to be able to use DL DVD discs for my recordings so I don't have to switch DVDs. In other words make them just like the DVDs you play that you buy. Therefore, they also must be able to playback in home theater DVD players, not just on the computer. I would assume the best way as for encoding is to get the VHS tape in digital format on the hard drive, then use the codecs to turn them into DVDs?
2. Once on the hard drive I also need to convert them to a format neutral playback on both the Mac and PC. What is the best, MPEG 4?
3. The ability to do some nice editing of making bookmarks, chapters and thumbnails for the DVD menu and divisions I wish to make. In other words, if I have a home movie containing my Summer and Winter vacation, I want to insert bookmarks at points to skip to like in a movie DVD and also have a thumbnail of it just like DVD movies does.
4. A nice MAIN menu for the DVD that will let me hit the main categories, not just chapters for the TOP level DVD menu. Such as Summer Vacation, Winter vacation.
5. The software should be easy to use so I don't have to take a HUGE crash course requiring lots of work making the project a chore. Also, I don't want or need a professional package, just something simple that is less than $200 per software program. Not the expensive $500+ software options for movie makers.
Thank you for any tips and advice on this matter.

"Best software/hardware" depends on your exact needs & wants.
One simple way to transfer your VHS tapes to DVD is with a *DVD Recorder*. Many of these come with VHS and DVD decks already built in. Insert your VHS tape, a blank DVD, hit record and off it goes. When finished, you have a playable DVD.
To transfer your VHS tapes to DV for editing you will need a converter. The *Canopus ADVC-110* is a very nice, relatively inexpensive device that will do that job for you. (It's also possible to use most modern DV camcorders as converters, too.) You would connect your VHS deck to the Canopus box via their analog video & audio connections, then connect the Canopus box via FW to your Mac, and then when you play the VHS tape you would capture the video in iMovie or FCE.
Once your videos are captured on your Mac, you could use iMovie or *Final Cut Express* to do whatever editing you might want to do. Regardless of which one you edit with, however, it's iDVD that you would use to create your DVD menus and burn your DVDs.
So, overall, the workflow would be like this: *VHS Deck > Converter (camcorder or converter box) > Capture on Mac (iMovie or FCE) > Editing application (iMovie or FCE) > iDVD > DVD*
For playback on computers MPEG4 would be an ok choice, H.264 is probably a better choice, and then there's the matter of whether or not you want to export as a QuickTime movie and/or AVI.
iLife came with your Mac, so you already have iMovie and iDVD. How about giving them a try before you consider investing in a significantly more sophisticated application like Final Cut Express. (just my opinion)

Converting VHS-C video from my camcorder to a DVD

Hello. I am a fairly new mac user and have an old video camera (sony VHS-C) that uses the VHS-C tapes. I was wondering what kind of cable I would need to plug in the camcorder into my mac (imac), and record it onto DVD. I do have imovie. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you.

Your Camcorder probably supports composite video out (RCA jacks).
To import it there are three major options.
1) Use the ElGato EyeTV Hybrid. Import it to your Mac as MPEG2. Convert it to Apple Intermediate Codec for editing using MPEG Streamclip and the Apple QuickTime MPEG2 Playback Component.
2) Buy a Digital Analog Converter (DAC) from a company like Canopus. This will convert your video to DV
3) Get a camcorder that will accept composite in and DV out and will "pass through" the signal.

I want to transfer my VHS-C videos to DVD.

I want to transfer my VHS-C videos to DVD using my I MAC (Mid-2011). I have the camcorder (Panasonic PV-IQ305) to use. I also have a VHS player I can use.

Does the Panasonic camcorder have the play thru capability? If it does you can connect the camcorder to your Mac with a FW cable, put in a tape, launch iMovie and play the tape in the camcorder to import it into iMovie. If the camera does not have play thru see if you can find one that does. Then connect your VHS player to the camera and the camera to your iMac.
Otherwise you'll need to use a converter like the Canopus converters. They are not inexpensive but do an excellent job. I used the ADVC-100 model to convert all of my VHS videos to digital and then burn to iDVD. There are undoubtly other converters on the market that do the same function. The Canopus is the only one I've seen discussed in this community.
If you could borrow a camcorder with pass thru you could save a few $$$.
OT

Converting VHS videos to DVDs

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