Transferring VHS tape to DVD

What is required to transfer VHS tapes from a VCR to DVD? Special cable to go from VCR to my Mac?
Thanks for any advice.
Brian

The easiest way to do it is to bypass the computer altogether and get yourself a DVD recorder. Then you just hook up the two units and do a machine to machine dubb
If you don't want to go that route (mind you, DVD recorders are getting pretty cheap) you will have to find a way to bring your analog (VHS) sources into the digital world
One way: A DV converter like the Canopus. Will allow you to do a Capture Now from your VCR thru the Canopus into the puter. You could also use a DV cam as a pass thru device; analog from the VCR to the cam, Firewire from the cam to the puter.
Once you have the tapes in the puter you have to get them into MPEG2 (DVD) format. You can do that by Exporting as Quicktime Movie and dropping the resulting file into iDVD and making a DVD there
This is more steps and more time than using a DVD Recorder but it gives you mo options; like cleaning up the analog signal a little (the newest Canopus converters have TBCs) and using FC/iDVD to create chapters, menus, etc

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Can I convert my VHS tapes into DVD using iMAC?

How can I convert my VHS tapes into DVD by using iMAC?

From VHS to DVD
http://www.macworld.com/article/1030972/fromvhstodvd.html   <<< click here.
How to Convert a VHS to a DVD for Mac OS X
http://www.ehow.com/how_6515774_convert-dvd-mac-os-x.html   <<< click here.
Roxio unveils VHS to DVD converter for Mac
http://www.macnn.com/articles/09/05/26/roxio.vhs.to.dvd/   <<< click here.
How to Convert VHS to DVD on Mac OS X
http://www.daniusoft.com/tutorial/burn-vhs-to-dvd-on-mac.html   << click here.

How best to save VHS tapes to DVDs using a Mac ?

I have over 30 VHS tapes, eight Hi-8 tapes, and a player for both formats. Would like to make DVDs of these movies. There are a few USB adapters (Elgato Video Capture for $100, KWorld DVD Maker 2x for $28) and Roxio makes Easy VHS to DVD 3 Plus for $60. Have looked through AV forums on other websites and the directions are not concise, and are aimed at the PC platform. Prefer to use a Mac.
What is the fastest, easiest, and best way to save these VHS tapes to DVDs using a Mac ?

Frank Caggiano wrote:
Are you sure neither player has a digital output? FireWire would be the most likely connector on that type of equipment.
Both VHS & Hi-8 are analog tape formats so it is extremely unlikely that VHS players or Hi-8 camcorders would have built-in analog to digital converters. That's why you need a product that includes a hardware A-D converter like the three mentioned by the OP.
Roxio's Easy VHS to DVD 3 product is for Windows -- there is no software compatible with OS X included. The Easy VHS to DVD for Mac product does include OS X compatible software but it gets poor reviews at Amazon, has apparently not been updated in some time, & the support page for the product has some "page not found" links suggesting Roxio isn't currently supporting the product very well.
The KWorld DVD Maker comes with a software driver for its A-D converter, which apparently uses a Empia 28xx family chipset. According to this that driver will not work with recent OS X versions, but for $30 one can purchase the VideoGlide driver to solve that problem. The KWorld product does not include OS X compatible editing software; for that you use iMovie (& presumably Toast or iDVD or something else) to burn the movies to DVDs. That makes the price about the same as the Roxio solution but complicates support because hardware & software are coming from different companies.
The Elgato Video Capture product should be compatible with most OS X versions (but I could not find anything specifically about at beyond the typical "10.5 & above" kind of comment which may or may not mean it supports 10.8 or 10.9) but it captures to H.264/MPEG formats only, so like the KWorld you still need something to convert that to MPEG 2 to burn the captures to a standard DVD.
So basically, there is no easy "one step" method to transfer VHS (or any of the other analog video formats) to DVD's. Depending on the version of OS X in use, it should be fairly easy to convert the analog source material to a digital format that can be used with iTunes, iMovie, etc., but editing it & particularly burning that to a DVD that will play in a regular DVD player will take more work.

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.

Transferring VHS tapes

I am transferring some of my VHS tapes to my iMac and iMovie (using a hones tech converter) with the plan to make them into DVD's. I have transferred a tape, made the edit, but the only thing I see is to just "burn a dvd". This could only be played on a mac computer. Is there any way to change the format so the dvd can be played on a dvd player?
Also, when I have the new dvd, how do I delete that entire import in iMovie. It just keeps appearing.
Thanks

So, I need a converter and a DVD recorder?
No, just one or the other. If you plan to edit the files and own a DV camcorder, I would check the manual to see it it has a passthrough option than can be used as a converter. (E.g., both my Mini-DV HDR-HC3 and older Hi-8/Digital-8 TRV-DCR520 will do this.) If you need a fixed conversion station, then a DAC or EyeTV device might be better. (E.g., I keep a Canopus ADVC300 connected to my entertainment system for capturing TV/Sat programs by a very old 400 MHz Ti Powerbook.
In the past I have made DVDs that I can't play anywhere except on the TV that the recorder is connected to. I know other people who have the same problem,but I have also spoken to some who can play their recorded DVDs on anything. I have tried several different DVDs, but that didn't work either. My recorder is about 2 years old.
Once recoded to DVD, the DVDs can be played back on your computer using the Apple DVD player, the VIDEO_TS files can be copied to your computer hard drive and played back by either the DVD Player or Front Row. In addition, applications like MPEG Streamclip or VLC can play the VOB files. It is also possible to Convert the VOB files to other compression formats for editing but the quality may not be as good as converting directly from your VHS tapes to DV (or other compression format). It is all just a matter of having the right applications/components installed on your system.
So, if I purchase a DVD recorder with new technology, will this solve my problem?
It probably is not necessary to purchase a new DVD recorder -- merely having the correct software to process the DVD encoded data. Appleman's sample video demonstrates what you can expect going through MPEG-2 whether using an EyeTV device or a DVD recorder. And depending on the VHS source quality, a DAC like the ADVC300 going directly to DV might be marginally better.

Import VHS Tapes to DVD and iMovie

I have many old VHS tapes I want to finally digitize so I don't lose them. Most are old football games, generally between 1-2 hours per tape. I am working off of a new iMac - 27inch 3.1gHz 1TB hard drive.
I want to do 2 things:
1 - Backup each tape to a high quality DVD for backup purposes - to be played in a DVD player
2 - Store lower quality versions on my iMac hard drive to be viewed/ edited/ possibly uploaded to YouTube or other web based video sites
I have iMovie, and would like the ability to edit if possible - nothing major, ading scores, dates, etc...and possibly manipulating video (cropping of scenes, etc...) but not much.
I have researched and found a few different options. Most threads I have read seem to indicate the need for one of the following:
Canopus ADVC300
Canopus ADVC55
Elgato Eye TV Hybrid
I am willing to spend $100 - $200, but this I'd rather not go crazy. At a certain point it would just be easier to sed them away to be professionally archived to DVD.
Any advice?

I have many old VHS tapes I want to finally digitize so I don't lose them.
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).
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.

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

Old VHS tape to DVD

I have a old VHS tape that I made but want to put it on A DVD or CD. Is there anything cheap that I can get so I can transfer it to my computer and burn it from there? Its only about 15 minutes long so its not really a big deal but not sure on how to go about it. Any ideas?

Hi
Using the Camera is a great way and best quality (my opinion) and a rather
straight forward way to do it.
Using DVD disc as an in between - works but reduces quality.
Only thing to know about using a miniDV tape Camera is:
• The Camera must have Analog-in. Often limited in EU due to tax as a VCR.
• You need a SCART-plug that has an in/out switch so that the VCR can deliver
to the analog in on the Camera.
Yours Bengt W

Does the transferring vhs tapes to computer need hard disk g-technology?

Old vhs tapes problems

This is the device I also used to transfer VHS to DV.
You can easily edit these DV files and burn them to a dvd.
http://www.grassvalley.com/products/advc110

How to dub (copy) VHS tapes to DVDs (DVR670KU)

Josh @ Toshiba Tech Support (800-631-3811) gave these instructions which worked for us. Note: first VHS tape we tried ejected immediately. Second VHS tape we tried stayed in and dubbing worked.
- turn DVR670KU on
- press DVD button
- press Input Select button and choose "L1"
- insert blank DVD
- press Rec Mode button and choose mode (ex: SP)
- press VCR button
- insert VHS tape
- press Play button
- press Pause button
- press Dubbing button
- unit automatically begins VCR to DVD dubbing and displays "DB" on front panel
- press Stop button when done

Note that I'm not Josh. I'm not a Toshiba employee.
Are you saying that you followed the steps in the original post, up to and including
"Press Dubbing button" and the VHS tape did not begin playing? If so, did you get
any kind of notification on the screen? The VHS tape should have been in pause mode,
and should start playing once the DVD Dubbing button is pressed on the remote.
Are you trying to dub a commercial tape? (which you can't do with the Toshiba DVR620 and
DVR670)
What type of recordable DVD are you using? DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW? And it's
either blank or unfinalized?
Can you play the tape when you are not in a DVD dubbing situation? That is, just insert
the VHS tape, press the VCR button on the remote, then press Play on the remote?

Backing up old VHS tapes on dvd

Dear friends
I have decided to back up a small part of my vhs library via dvd
I have Toast, DVD2one and the i-life set of apps to help me
I am importing via eye tv and need to convert the files to a format capable of being burnt wherever appropriate and as quickly as possible.
What I have experimented with so far is very long-winded, ie export to imovie, export to toast, encode and burn. This may take some 8 hours!
Does anyone have a quick fix available?

Skip the iMovie step. Use EyeTV to Import in MPEG-2 format, edit, and send the output directly to Toast (using the "Toast" button). Assuming use have one of the EyeTV units with hardware MPEG-2 encoding (EyeTV 200 or 250), there will be no software encoding, or re-encoding, in the entire process.

Have Sony RDR vx560 don't know how to transfer tape to dvd

Want to transfer VHS tape to dvd

Dubbing is the term use for transferring VHS tape to DVD or vice versa (see instructions on pages 83-85 of the manual).
If my post answers your question, please mark it as "Accept as Solution"
http://bit.ly/Win-4K

Help please im stupid , imovie , vhs tape, dvd

Hi all,
just new to imovie, can someone explain how to do wha i want to do please in simple to follow instructions .
i am converting old vhs tape to dvd.
i use the apple convertor to convert tape to macbook , thats fine and easy.
i am converting 3 hr video tape , so they are to big for dl dvd 's , so i need to "Cut the file in 1/2 , or 3rds to fit a normal 4.7 gb dvd ,
Can someone explain how to do this in simple terms , i have looked at online videos and forums , but still struggle to understand what to do and when
i have :split the file , but am unable to just burn each half to dvd , this is where it just all goes wrong for me ,
using imovie 11, new i7 macbook pro ,
i have been told its simple , but i must be evan simpler , lol
Thank you
Greg

Gregtca wrote:
… i would have thought there was a better way to save each edited file ,so i could work and burn each of them easily
you see me confused ...
Procedure in iM usually is:
• import video
• select portion of import
• add to Project
• burn Project
• add another selection to another Project ... repeat
Plan B)
• import video to iMovie
• drag ALL to a Project
• erase unwanted part
• burn
• 'undo' in Project (=erased conetnt back again)
• erase another part, burn again… repeat
... so, I'm not sure, what you mean by 'better way' …
I couldn't think of any 'better' way?

Transferring VHS to DVD

Is there a way to transfer old VHS tapes to DVD using iDVD on a new intel Macbook?
Mark

Hi Judy 444
What's the difference between a DA2 and a DA1? I found someone who's selling a DA1 used, says it's in great condition, low price. Is it just as useful as a DA2 and just as compatible and reliable? I just want to convert VHS tapes to digital so i can edit and use still frames.
Also, i'm assuming i can do this with a powerbook G4, right?
The differences between the Sony DA1 and DA2 are minimal (with the exception that the DA2, a newer model, also incorporates a LANC feature for camera control whereas the DA1 has no LANC control whatsoever. Both devices were manufactured by Sony (and taken out of production a few years back).
But sometimes you can still find used ones that still work well. The DA2 is slightly newer than the DA1 so that too would be a slight advantage. But they both do the same work essentially .... and yes they work well for laptops and desktops alike in converting analog to digital and vice versa.
another approach is to use a camcorder with analog to digital pass thru in place of a converter box. Both approaches work well and yes you can use either approach with a G4 PowerBook.
A third option is EyeTV (highly recommended by many on this forum).
Note: Apple recently introduced AppleTV that addresses streaming video and media to many set tops. However I'm simply not 100% certain yet if this latest apple device might also act as a viable substitute for one or more of the above mentioned approaches. I'll try and post back later with additional info.
Hope this is helpful.
SDMacuser

Transfer and edit of VHS tapes

I am re-starting a delayed project I began several months ago, transfering and editing VHS tapes to DVD. The support from the forum was extraordinary, and I'm recreating what I learned to begin anew.
There is one item that I never was clear on, but would be key as I manage the initial transfer process:
Would it be overall more efficient to (1) transfer each VHS in its entirety, and then select/edit digitally clips that will find their way into a final file for DVD, or (2) go thru a painstaking process of choosing and transfering individual clips directly from the VHS player? Note that I'll probably wish to transfer the tapes in their entireity anyway for archival purposes.
I have upgraded to WD Caviar Black drives to reduce latencies, etc. but am not sure that working on large files will be efficient. Also, I'm currently using PE ver 4. Is there annything in later versions that would make an upgrade compelling?
Some real-world perspective would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Julian
PS: I'm discouraged to not be able to find a record of my prior communications with all the fine advice from the forum. Am I missing something?

The one drawback to the model 55 is it is one way from tape to computer
If that is the only direction you wish to use, you don't need the more $$ two way model
Do also plan ahead for offline storage... IF you think you will ever need the AVI files again
DV AVI is about 13gig per hour, and 1 or 2 Terrabyte USB drives are a good way to store many hours of files when you are done (if not edit, due to transfer speed)
Also... use that USB external to make a FULL backup of your boot drive
Hardware crashes or virus infections happen, so you should buy AND USE software to make a full backup of your hard drive to an external USB hard drive... plus, making step-by-step backups during a new install or major program addition makes it easy to go back a step if something doesn't work
This backup and then restore is, of course, only to the same computer with a new drive (or the same drive as long as you don't mind writing over everything) since doing a restore to a new computer won't work due to Windows and many programs having activation information that is keyed to your hardware (which is why Windows will force you to RE-Activate if you change very much hardware)
The product I use is at http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/image-for-linux.htm
Image runs off of a bootable CD via Linux (the Zip you download includes a program to make the bootable CD) and it reads EVERYTHING on the drive, even the hidden registration information, so everything is restored when needed... and you may restore the image to a brand new drive in case of a crash, and not have to re-install anything
Please note that I own no part of Image, and I don't get a referral fee (that is just a plain web link) but I use the program and it has saved me a LOT of trouble when I had a hard drive die... and I was able to restore everything and not have to re-install or re-activate a single program, from Windows on up

Transferring VHS tape to DVD

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