Transferring VHS to DV

After trawling the forums I cannot seem to find exactly the answer I require so am starting a new post - aoplogies.
I have a Canon mv450i Digital Cam corder with firewire DVin/out and according to spec an analog in/out jack.
I normally use this jack to 3xRCA to output to TV.
It does say IN/Out on the socket.
However, when I put the camera to Camera mode and run the rca plugs from the outputon my DVD player to the jack, what resulted was still seeing the camera's input from the lens, and a mixedsignal on the TV ! Basically a disturbing merge of the DVD playing and whatever the camcorder was viewing.
I then tried to use a scart to RCA converter to run from the VHS machine as this is what I want to record from but still no input.
Can anyone help. I have lost my manual and the Canon site doesn't even list the product in ARCHIVES!
I just want to transfer some old VHS footage I shot at college to DV for IMovie.

Peter
Unsure if this will help, but it may give you some insight.
When I want to copy video from my Vhs so that I can place it on my computer this is what i do
I have a Sony dcr-trv520 camera
I plug in the RCA cable to the camera (3 mm /5mm pin ?) then the yellow cable to the video out of the VCR
and the red and white cables to the same ports on the VCR
I then place my camera into VTR mode (so I could watch/record a tape. For you it may be different, but the play, stop, FF buttons become active.), I then switch the VCR to line2, press play on the VCR, then I press the record button on my camera. you should see the video from the VCR recording in your view finder screen.
after capturing the desire video, i just plug in my firewire to the camera and to the Mac, capture the footage from the camera, and yep I have some footage from my VCR.
Hopes this helps.
Shiyonin

Similar Messages

Transferring VHS to DVD Questions

I need to transfer numerous VHS tapes that are not available on DVD and may never be. What is the most painless way of transferring VHS to DVD?
Besides what's shown here I also own a VCR and a Canon ZR-10 that I figure can help in the process.
If there's another forum around that knows more about this topic and that's Mac happy please provide a link.
I'd like to use IDVD for the menus and such.
Thanks for any help,
Tony

This is what I'm aiming to to. I'm a pt woodworker and a full time imaging tech. So I'm on my Mac 40-50 hours a week. While at work and bored out of my mind I'd like to watch one of my ww vids to give me tips and to sharpen my skills, not to mention how much easier and quicker it is to jump scene to scene and FF. The ww world is slowly making progress in releasing footage to DVD, very slowly. I have about 30 VHS tapes that are not available on DVD yet (and quite a few that are no longer in print). I may be old and grey when they are if they ever are. See where this is going?
I also have some old home movies that I had transferred to VHS and would like to get onto DVD. To justify any cost (to the wife) I'd also like to transfer our wedding vid before that footage goes to crap.
I don't mind doing one or two vids the "slow and clunky" way, but it may wear on me after that. Now that I think more about it this converter may be the best solution for me in the end. I wouldn't be able to justify another camera as we own two ZR-10's right now, but I do have a Best Buy extended service contract, so if one of those cameras happen to die I could then get a new one. Hmmmm now how could that just suddenly happen?
These will all be for private use only.
Tony

Transfering VHS-C tapes to FCE

I am transfering home movies from VHS-C tapes (the small tapes that are fatter than miniDV, that you have to place into a VHS tape adapter) into FCE 4.0. I have to use a VCR and am running that through a DV converter which runs into my external HD by means of firewire. I have easy setup set to DV converter box, but when I am done capturing, I get the error message that the audio might be out of synch due to inproper settings, that's not verbatim but the jests of the message. Since there is only one DV box setting, how do I get the correct setting?

The DV-NTSC DV Converter easy setup expects 48KHz audio. I suspect your converter box may be set for 32KHz audio - you should check it. BTW, what make/model is it?
First check Item Properties for one of the clip(s) you captured - what does it say for Aud rate?
If your clips really are 32KHz audio, you could try creating a new sequence, then before doing anything with it, click on the +sequence name+ in the FCE browser, select Settings, then click +Load Sequence Presets+ and select +DV-NTSC 32Khz.+ Then go ahead with your editing.
One other thing, you really should have the converter box connected directly to your Mac, no other Firewire device connected at the same time. With a daisychained setup, you may run into capture problems, and actually the audio sync message you got may have been caused by the daisychained devices.

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.

Transferring VHS to digital via Final Cut

I am transferring a bunch of old VHS tapes via a data/video Bi-Directional Converter DAC-10 and everything is going well except that these taps are taking up a HUGE amount of hard drive space. The last tape was around 4 hours long and took up over 40 GBs!!! Is this normal? - if not what am I doing wrong?
Thanks,
Ham Stand

DV is 13GB per hour and that's a low-end editing codec.
http://www.digital-heaven.co.uk/videospace

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

Transfering VHS & 8mm to disk - .avi, .mpg. or whatever

Looking to transfer old tapes to .avi files or Xvid, or .mpg from VHS and 8mm tapes.
Not professional grade, I just have some old shows like New Yankee Workshop that I taped and I want to compress them and dump them to disk. I want small files, not full blown DVDs. (Several episodes on one DVD)
I don't want to degrade the video quality too much, so I need a good A/D converter/bridge and then what program to downsize the files?
Anybody with experience that can offer suggestions would be appreciated.
John

Get eyeTV.
http://www.elgato.com
It works great!
It has all the features as far as compression and export to toast.
I use it all the time for what you are talking about.
-mike

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

IMovie 4 only records ~8 second clips when transfering VHS via Sony DCRHC32

I am attempting to transfer old VHS tapes directly to my Powerbook using iMovie 4.01. When I start the process using the Sony DCR-HC32 using the analog passthrough feature, I click import and iMovie begins fine but then after about 8 seconds, stops with a blue screen (which says camera connected); when I select import again, iMovie simply records another clip for about 8 seconds and then stops once more. I deselected "automatically start new clip at scene break". Is there a better way to record vhs without having to first save to a miniDV tape and then send it to my Mac?

PROBLEM SOLVED: I removed the tape from the Sony DV recorder; FileVault is ON; the iMovie file is in SHARED FOLDER.

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

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

Transferring VHS and SKY+ (or digtal TV data) to imac

What kit do i need to transfer my old VHS tape data to intel imac? Do I have to buy specific software to convert the analogue data into digital? Any recommendations that are available in the UK market?
And could I connect my Sky+ box (like TIVO for you US chaps) to imac? Is there a cable that connects scart to firewire or whatever?
Thanks
Cliff

Have a look at for VHS http://www.simplydv.co.uk/Reviews/canopus_advc55.html
For Sky http://www.elgato.com/index.php?file=products_eyetv310
Tony

Digitalize VHS into my MacBook Pro?

I would like to digitalize my old VHS films into my MacBook Pro. My Camcorder is so old that can only transfer fix images (photos) into computer by using an USB connection, but not films.
I have found in stores a software, accompanied by a coverter, that allows to do this (for example, from Roxio)... But guess what: It only works for Windows... Any ideas or good experiences transfering VHS to MacBook? Thanks in advance!

Hi Jordi,
Do you mean this one? http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/easy-vhs-to-dvd/mac/
It specifically says it's for Mac . . . .
Also, if you google for "transfer VHS to Mac" you'll find all kinds of "how to" links.

Will one software program work for Tivo, VHS and audio cassette transfer?

Been wanting to do some things for awhile and am hoping I now can with the new Macbook. I have 3 things I want the capability to do. I have researched and read a million forums at this point. I am hoping for some suggestions on programs/software and I'm not against buying things.
1) Transferring Tivo programming to the Mac and being able to burn it to DVD. I have a broadband connection and the Tivo adapter but seems like there's Toast/Popcorn or many other free programs or widgets required for Macs.
2) Transferring VHS video to the Mac for DVD burning.
3) Transferring audio cassette tapes to the Mac for iTunes listening or CD burning.
Is there software that handles all of these? I'm just trying to avoid buying 3 different things or downloading 3 different programs if something can do them all. I didn't find the Roxio site very helpful for the non-techs amongst us. Thanks for any suggestions...

2) Transferring VHS video to the Mac for DVD burning.
You’ll need a piece of hardware to digitise the signal first. Connect the VHS player to this, then connect that to the Mac. Canopus make various devices for the job (http://desktop.thomsongrassvalley.com/products/ADVC110/index.php for instance) or many middle to high-end Camcorders now also have the ability to pass through the signal. Once you’ve done this you can use iMovie to capture the video and then send it to iDVD for burning.
3) Transferring audio cassette tapes to the Mac for iTunes listening or CD burning.
Again, though more simple, the signal has to be digitised. So you need to record the audio on the Mac and then save it as an AIFF or mp3 file. You can do this with pretty much any audio recording software I’ve use both the Open Source Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) and the shareware Sound Studio (http://www.freeverse.com/apps/app/?id=5012).
Regards
TD

Put 180 min of VHS on DVD - DL disc or not?

I have a VHS tape with 180 mins of material that I want to put on a DVD+/-R.
Can I use DVD+R DL discs with DVDSP without a problem?
What resolution and bitrate do you suggest I should use?
I think using 720x576 and 4,5 mbit is very much overkill, and then the video won't fit on a 4,7 GB DVD-R.
I did a test with 352x576 at 3 mbit, and it did look OK, but that was more than two years ago...
Any suggestions much apprecieated.

As for the difference in resolution, VHS material stored on DVD-R is still 480 lines, regardless of what the native resolution was. It's like taking a photo of your screen with a digital camera -- sure, your screen is only 72dpi, but the resolution of the photo is determined by your camera's chip, not the resolution of the source.
A lot of people use the limited "resolution" of VHS as an excuse to use half-D1 resolution, but you often end up with sub-VHS video quality. Using the digital camera metaphor again, it doesn't matter if your screen resolution is only 640x480, if you take a photo of your screen with one of those cheapie 640x480 digital cameras, you won't get an image that's identical to the screen display, it will be visibly worse.
How can this be if the resolution of both the screen and the camera are both 640x480? Because the 640x480 resolution of the camera limits its capability to create a clear digital image of the analog world (pointing a camera at your screen isn't a digital transfer, even if you have a digital monitor). If you could plug a device into your monitor port that would extract a digital image from it, then yes, you could get a pixel-for-pixel representation of what was on your screen, but analog-to-digital doesn't work that way.
To understand the concept behind VHS-to-DVD transfers, it might help to look at it as a film-to-video transfer. Film does not really have a "resolution", strictly speaking. The grain of the film can limit image quality, but if you use the absolute minimum resolution to transfer film to tape, you won't get very good results. In the same way, you really need all 480 lines of an NTSC DVD for VHS transfers, and you don't really have the option of using less. You're essentially taking a picture of the signal from the tape -- it's not a line-for-line transfer.
For the same reason, cutting the horizontal resolution in half is the worst thing you could possibly do, since the horizontal lines in VHS or other analog formats isn't broken up into "pixels" as digital formats are. Therefore, using half of DVD's available 720-pixel horizontal resolution means you get an image that's only half as good as the picture you'd get using the full 720 pixels. If you had the capability to cut the number of lines in half so you only had 240, it would actually have less of an effect than using half-D1 resolution would. Unfortunately, that option is not available.
The bottom line is, if you go by the "resolution" figures of VHS to justify using less than the full 720x480 resolution of DVD, you're gonna end up less-than-VHS-quality. If you're okay with that, great -- it just blows a hole in the myth that simply transfering VHS content to DVD is an automatic improvement.

Transferring VHS to DV

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for