Transfer VHS and Hi8 movies into imovie

I have a bunch of old Hi8 and VHS movies that I want to transfer into imovie so that I have them in digital format for the future. I know you need a device that you plug your analog player into (like your VCR or camcorder) and then that device will go to the mac via usb2 or firewire. Can anyone recommend a few devices that will work seamlessly with imovie. Preferably inexpensive?

From VHS to DVD
Give New Life to Old Movies
http://www.macworld.com/2004/05/features/fromvhstodvd/
Some tested DV converters:
http://www.macworld.com/2004/07/reviews/firewiredigitalvideoconverters/

Similar Messages

Whats the best way to transfer VHS home video's into IMOVIE '11 for exporting/editing?

I have been reading about this subject online for a while now but need assistance/guidance before I go out and buy adapters etc. to begin my project. I am attempting to put home-videos of mine from VHS-C format onto my Macbook Pro.....Is it possible that if I use VCR adapter cables that go Red, White, Yellow, to USB I can directly import these VHS home videos into my computer?
I am going to have to buy a new VCR to do this and I would like to find out if this is going to work properly if I buy a VCR and use these Adapter cables I mentioned above.
Throughout my reading on the topic I've ran across a lot of different suggestions for a million different Video Conversion programs etc. although I would feel most comfortable using Imovie '11 on my brand new Macbook Pro because I have faith in Mac Programs for this type of a procedure.
I'd truly appreciate the help I've been wanting to work on this video project for quite a while now and I'm anxious to get some material in digital format to work with.

The VHS tape deck is analog. You have to convert these signals to digital format before you can edit them with iMovie.
There are a couple of ways to do this.
1) You can get a device called a DAC (Digital Analog Converter). Grass Valley makes a series of these. They are pricey, but give good results. They attach via Firewire, so make sure your Mac has a Firewire port. They produce a file in the DV format. You can import directly into iMovie with this option.
2) You can get a device called an EyeTV Hybrid. This will accept your RCA red, white, and yellow on one side, and attach with USB. This produces a file in H.264 format. You import the VHS into the EyeTV software, and then send it to iMovie through a menu choice.
3) Some camcorders have "passthrough" capability, meaning they can take the RCA Red, White, and Yellow in and output digital DV through Firewire. You can import directly into iMovie with this option.
Once converted, iMovie is a great way to edit your movies.
Personally, I use the EyeTV Hybrid. It also lets me view and record over the air HDTV on my Mac.
Here is a sample of my results with the EyeTV Hybrid.

How can I import a movie into iMovie 09 from a hard drive? The movie will open and play in idvd but breaks into separate files that can't be downloaded when I try to import. Can it be done?

How can I import a movie into iMovie 09 from a hard drive? The movie will open and play in idvd but breaks into separate files that can't be downloaded when I try to import. Can it be done? I am trying to create a disc of player highlights for a collegiate coach, and I am using movie files downloaded to my hard drive from a DVD created on a PC.

No unfortunately it won't open in quicktime either. It does the same thing that Imovie does, separates it into two file folders audio and video, and if i select video it opens to reveal 8 files that cannot be selected. VIDEO_TS.BUP, VIDEO_TS.IFO, VIDEO_TS.VOB,VTS_01_0.BUP, VTS_01_0.IFO, VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VB, VTS_01_3.VOB. All of which cannot be opened or selected.
Opening it in Idvd and folllowing your suggestion works and I get a format code of NTSC. Is that the same? Thank you for your time and response.
CaCanuck

I imported a quicktime movie into imovie and want to export it to idvd and it is grayed out

I imported a quicktime movie into imovie and want to export it to idvd but the menu comes up gray, what do I need to do first?

Hi
And if You
Share to file - and as 480p - then drop this file into iDVD bigMenu window (avoiding dropzones) - You get an even better result.
other res gives problems.
Yours Bengt W

Solutions to importing VHS and Hi8 video to iMovie6?

I would like to import into my G4 tower with OS10.5 my old VHS and Hi8 videos for editing in iMovie 06. I've tried creating a DVD first but iMovie doesn't recognize it from the internal DVD player or as a file. I tried shareware Rippers but not able to import the results into iMovie.
I've looked at the PYRO Analog/DV Mac Video Capture - In & Out device at $210. This looks like it may be the only thing that works. It converts any signal to DV and then connects via Firewire to the computer. Thus I assume is readable by iMovie and may even create clips at the appropriate places.
What solutions have you found that work? Ease of use is nice but not essential. Modest price would also be nice but what do I have to do to make this work. I anticipate having additional Hi8 tapes in the future to edit then make into DVDs as well as what I have now. All help appreciated. Thanks, Ken

Check out the Canopus AVDC110 digital video converter. http://www.canopus.com/products/ADVC110/index.php?lang=EN

Transfer VHS, Hi 8 etc to iMove

Hi there,
I would like to transfer my old VHS and Hi8 tapes to my Mac where I could edit them in iMovie.
I realise I need a device and have a list here of five. I wonder if anyone might to offer advice? The pros and cons.... I am hoping that I don't have to spend too much to get something with good quality....
1. Elgato Video Capture
2. Pinnacle For Mac
3. Eye TV 250
4. Canopus ADVC55
5. Mygica iGrabber USB Video Capture
Cheers, (I've included my Mac's details)
Harry

All good analog to digital video converters use Firewire. Firewire converters give much higher quality and better results.
With the Canopus 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 (I have used it a few times with iMovie 09). The software that comes with the Canopus ADVC300 has some incredible filters that can improve the picture as well as the sound. I sometimes use it to reduce the background "hiss" found in some tapes. Well worth the price.
http://www.grassvalley.com/products/advc300
I've played around with countless other conversion systems, ranging in price from $79 to $399. Short verison, this is the ONLY unit to own. No dropped frames at all, even with questionable quality tapes, no jitter, great color, excellent sound quality. Zero setup with iMovie 06 and iDVD 09.
This is a prosumer deck. The time code function is alone worth the price if you have old analog footage. Absolutely NO "Out Of Sync" audio.
ADVC300 is for anyone who wants to do editing and is concerned about quality of color and speed, for the novice it is an incredible gizmo that will restore VHS tapes to a state close to the original fixing midtones, highlights and shadows on the fly. Not only can you simply convert analog to digital you can actually manipulate the signal going in (if you want to).
A bit pricey bit it WORKS.

What is the best way to import my VHS or Laserdisc Movies into iTunes??

What is the best way for me to import my vhs movies and laserdisc movies into itunes so I can store them for my family to keep??
Any suggestions would be great.
If I get them into itunes I would like to be able to view them on my Apple tv via the computer.
Can this be done???

csnolan wrote:
What is the best way for me to import my vhs movies and laserdisc movies into itunes so I can store them for my family to keep??
I know this is an old thread, but I've been researching ripping my Laserdiscs to my Mac. Did you ever get it worked out? I've been reading here about the Grassvalley ADVC300 to capture and convert analog video to digital. Still learning about it. Also, here's a wiki that has a lot of information about ripping laserdiscs:
http://www.noobelodeon.org/w/How_to_Rip_Laserdisc

Cannot import Finalize movie into iMovie

I have a Sony DCR-DVD103 and when I go to File>Import Movies I do see my Finalized DVD, but all the files including the Import button are grayed out. How can I import the Finalized movie into iMovie?
Upon connecting the Video Camera to my MacBook Pro, DVD Player launches. I quit DVD Player and go to iMovie>Import Movies, but never see how to import the movie into iMovie.

I have a Sony DCR-DVD103 and when I go to File>Import Movies I do see my Finalized DVD, but all the files including the Import button are grayed out. How can I import the Finalized movie into iMovie?
The "Import Movies..." option is for importing "edit" compatible files from a hard drive into iMovie '08. If the source files are not already "edit" compatible, iMovie '08 will not let you import them. Instead, try the ""Import from Camera..." option. If iMovie '08 properly recognizes you DVD camcorder, it will import your MPEG2/AAC content by converting all MPEG-2 "P" and "B" frames to "I" frames (which are editable), convert the AC3 audio to AIFF, and place both in an MOV file container with start and/or end time offsets to minimize drift between audio and video. The resulting file can then be edited in iMovie '08.
If the camcorder is not recognized by iMovie '08, then you will probably have to import the MPEG2/AC3 files to you hard drive and manually convert them to an edit compatible compression format manually using an MPEG-based, third-party conversion application like iSquint (free), MPEG Streamclip (free but requires $20 QT MPEG-2 Playback component), FFmpegX, (donation-ware), Visual Hub (pay-ware), MPEG2 Works (pay-ware), or similar application.

Can't import Quicktime .mov into iMovie 10

Is it possible to import a Quicktime movie into iMovie 10? I used to be able to do this with iMovie 9 but cannot get it to work with 10. I can drag it into an event but no clips show up. I can't believe that Apple would require a 3rd party product to get this to work.
As a separate rant, you used to be able to edit clips directly in Quicktime but Apple removed this functionality a while back; ie. deleting parts of clips rather than just trimming from the ends. It is getting tougher and tougher to do basic editing even if you stay within the Apple ecosystem...

.mov can contain a variety of different movie formats not all of which are importable into iMovie 10. Try playing it in Quicktime player 10 - does it say it has to convert? If it converts it, the resultant file should import into iMovie 10 OK. see: OS X Mavericks: Some files may be converted when opened in QuickTime Player - Apple Support
In Quicktime 10 the way to do this is to split a movie into clips and trim each clip as required. These can then be imported into iMovie and joined as part of a project. See: QuickTime Player 10.x: Rearrange your movie’s content
Quicktime 7 Pro (which does allow removing 'middle' parts of a movie) still works in Yosemite
Geoff.

Import iTunes movie into iMovie or Motion

I am a teacher and I wanted to show the movie Hocus Pocus to the kids at my elemtary school. But the school doesn't allow movies with ANY language. I would like to be able to import this movie into iMovie '11 or Motion 5 and block out the cuss words. This is a protected MPEG 4 video, so, none of these programs will let me do this! Any suggestions? (Please don't recomend any video convertors unless they're free, don't have a time limit, and will work with protected MPEG's) THANKS!

You cannot edit the movies and you cannot legally remove the DRM.
You can't show movies in school unless it is part of the curriculum (the movie actually pertains to the studies). Simply for entertainment is not permissible (without copright owners permission).
-> http://www.teachwithmovies.org/copyright.html

I have a short homemade film burnt onto a DVD, I now want to import the movie into IMOVIE on my MacBook Pro so that I can edit it, how would I go about doing this? Welcoming any guidance. Thanks in advance.

I have a short homemade film burnt onto a DVD, I now want to import the movie into IMOVIE on my MacBook Pro so that I can edit it, how would I go about doing this? Welcoming any guidance. Thanks in advance.

1. Insert your DVD.
2. Open Disk Utilities (Application> Utilities> Disk Utilities). Highlight your DVD and press "New Image" on the upper toolbar.
3. Choose the location you would like to save your DVD from the drop down menu, "Desktop" is usually the best choice. Then click Save.
4. When finished, your DVD icon will appear on the desktop with the .dmg extension.
5. With iMovie open, double-click the .dmg file you created to mount it. The iMovie import window will then appear asking you to choose. Click Import All and wait for the Import to complete.

Poor Results When Importing QT movie Into iMovie HD

My Panasonic FX9 digital camera has a Movie Mode that records in QT (.mov) at 640x480 at 30fps. The resulting movies look fantastic in Quicktime 7. However, when I import the same movie into iMovie HD, there are noticeable artifacts, and the picture doesn't look very good anymore. By contrast, my Sanyo VPC-C6 MPEG-4 video camera, which is also 640x480 at 30fps, doesn't look as good as the FX9 to begin with, but looks identical in both Quicktime and iMovie HD.
Any thoughts?

Never mind.....I created a new user (again), and all is well. Also, the original question has been answered: the final quality of the converted QT movie on DVD is better than the playback in iMovie, even in best quality mode. Also, in comparing the Sanyo's MPEG-4 vs the Panasonic's QT Movie Mode, it makes me wonder why no one has created a QT-based camcorder like the MPEG-4 camcorders. Yes, the files are larger, but I would trade less recording time for better quality. I understand that Sanyo will becoming out with a 1280 v 720 "HD" version of my VPC-C6 soon, so maybe the quality will get better.
Thanks for the help!

Quicktime movie into iMovie

How can I convert a quicktime movie into iMovie or somewhere I can burn it? I have lost my iMovie footage, but had saved it a couple years ago as a quicktime movie. I need to make my quicktime movie into a DVD.

You might find that Toast 6 (well now 7 but I use 6) is a good choice - I find at times when it chokes on MPEG-1 files, I convert them to QT using a lossless codec and then use the QT files to author a DVD. Great results.
I have even found that QT movies using the 3ivX codec or Sorenson , 1/2 hour in length yet only 500-600 MB turn out to look amazingly good in DVD format through Toast. Even though the comparable amount of DV or MPEG-2 as a source woudl be many times larger, so the QT codecs, the good ones do OK when transcoding.
So assuming your source is a decent codec it should look OK - author a disk image first then mount it and see how it plays and looks in the DVD player. Saves a DVD blank and some time initially.

How to get Samsung F34BN movies into iMovie

I just got a Samsung F34BN for Christmas and I can't see from the instructions how to import its movies into iMovie (either 6, 8, or 9). Help OB1, your my only hope

I have a samsung hmx-h100...try this...if the camcorder came with windows software, turn it off in the camera's menu setting...if it has a memory card (like mine), once you've taken your video, connect the usb cable to your mac...the camera should mount on your desktop...double click the samsung icon, navigate to the video folder, and you should see your video clips...drag them onto the desktop...then open up your version of imovie, click import, and select the clips on your desktop...I had various degree of success doing that with imovie 6...imovie 8 handled it well...the other thing you can do if you want to use imovie 6 is use MPEG Streamclip, drag your clips into it, then export to quicktime...you should then be able to import your quicktime movie into imovie 6 and edit...

How can I import mp4 movies into iMovie?

How can I import mp4 movies into iMovie? I am running iMovie on iLife 09.

Hi
Open it with QuickTime-player pro and Export it as AIC.
Use this in iMovie
Yours Bengt W

Transfer VHS and Hi8 movies into imovie

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for