VCR tapes to iMovie

Hello guys, first off, Happy New Year! Here is my story...
I been making DVD's and videos on my PC using Pinnacle Studio for awhile now. I have also been playing some with iMovie on my iMac G5. My Sony video camera hooks up via firewire just fine and I can easily import video to iMovie.
However, I really want to be able to capture video from my VCR. My VCR just has the standard RCA jacks on it and that won't hoookup to my iMac.
What hardware do you recommend that will alow me to use my VCR with iMovie? If I can find a solution I may just move all my video/dvd making from my pc to my iMac.
Your suggestions are appreciated!

a little digression on this subject: I had a PC and purchased a av converter made by ADSTech called Instant DVD...It came with some software including CapWiz. This is an idiot proof software that allows the VCR tape to be inputted into the computer..It worked like a charm.
It created Video TS files.
Then I used another software package named DVD X Copy Xpress (excellent for copying commercial dvd's) and it allowed me to copy the video files to DVD. Never a problem.
Then I purchased a Mac and the let downs began. Had to purchase ADS Pyro A/V Link for Mac compatability. No software for Mac as you have to use either IMovie or IDVD. Problems with both of these software, it crashes, some error, or pixelated import issues. ADS claims that their is an Apple fix however so far I can't access it.
Hate to think that I have to go back to the old Windows machine.

Similar Messages

  • Transferring VCR tapes to imovie

    I want to transfer some old VCR tapes to imovie using my miniDV camcorder, but the size of the files seem very large. I imported about 5 minutes of a VCR tape and it was 1.3 GB. I'd like to preserve as much of the quality as I can from my VCR tapes, but I don't want to use so much hard drive space. Does anyone know what the minimum quality settings are for a VCR tape?
    I believe my miniDV camcorder has high def capabilities (720p, etc) but my VCR tape is probably only analog TV quality (less than 480 i?). Or is there another way to import the video in a compressed manner?
    Thanks!

    I'd like to preserve as much of the quality as I can from my VCR tapes
    I would use iMovie 06 with iDVD 08/09, why?
    iMovie 08/09 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 '08 / 09, 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 08/09 is a "lossless" combination.
    Or is there another way to import the video in a compressed manner?
    After I transfer a tape to iMovie I make a DVD. I then test the DVD and keep only the image file (small) created by iDVD I do not keep the original iMovie file (large).
    Hard Drives are dirt cheap, consider an external firewire hard drive to store your movies.
    For the very best quality look at 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 08/09 (I have used it a few times with iMovie 09).
    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 and convert it to FireWire (iMovie will treat it like a camera).
    http://www.canopus.com/products/ADVC300/index.php

  • VCR tape to iMovie

    Is there a device (and 3rd party software) to directly, 1 step load movies from VCR tape into iMovie?

    I have done lots of this.
    To get your VHS video into iMovie, use the Grassvally 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 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 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.

  • Best Way to Import VCR tapes to iMovie

    Hello, all.
    I have a small problem that I hope somebody can help me with: I currently have an ADS Pyro A/V unit. I was told my the local Apple dealer that would be the best way to import VHS tapes into iMovie. It has worked for a few tapes, but now does nothing except give me a static-greenish-loud-high pitch sound when I try to import a tape.
    I have given up on this unit!!!!!!
    Can anybody recommend a decent way to import my old VHS movies to my MacBook and into iMovie??
    Thanks for your time & input!

    I have the same situation as the original poster (VHS tapes I want to edit and store on DVD).
    However I don't have a CamCorder.
    What I do have is a PVR that I have used to capture the video and I can write that to a DVD. That gives me the base video that I can work on.
    However, the files on the DVD have a .VOB file type. I have tried StreamClip but it provides me with a number of options as to the format I can import it into.
    Ultimately I want to bring the image into iMovie, edit it and then burn it back onto a DVD. I don't really care if the intermediate files are large, but I am a little concerned about loosing picture quality (which is not great to start with - the original images were on recorded on Super-8 movie film, then 'projected' and recorded onto the VHS tape of which I have a copy. However it is all I have!!!)
    What is the best format (and if necessary, tool) to copy the .VOB files to - something that iMovie can use without conversion preferrable - and then write back to a DVD.
    Thanks
    Susan
    (PS in case you haven't gathered, I'm new to all this side of things, but I have time and a strong desire to learn!)

  • Transfer vcr tapes to macbook pro

    Does anyone know how to transfer vcr tapes to the mac? I have some 20year old tapes of my kids I want to edit on the mac, but not sure how to get them on the hard drive. Also would the editing be done with Imovie? I dont have Finalcut. Not sure if I need it.
    Thanks
    Jeff

    You need to convert your video to DV if you want to edit it in iMovie (or Final Cut, for that matter).
    There are services that can do this for you. If you want to do it yourself (which I recommend over the services), you will need an analog-digital converter like the Canopus ADVC-110. You would connect your VCR's video and audio outputs to the converter and connect the converter to your Mac via Firewire. Then play the video in your VCR and capture it in iMovie.
    If you have a miniDV camcorder that supports analog-digital passthrough (many do) then you could use the camcorder as the converter. (Connecting the VCR outputs to the camcorder a/v input and the camcorder to your Mac via FireWire. You don't need to record to the tape in the miniDV camcorder, just use the camcorder in the middle as the converter.)

  • Question re: Editing DVDs made from old VCR tapes

    We recently had a relative take some old family VCR tapes and install them on DVDs. Now we want to edit the DVDs. What will we need to edit these. When we open the DVDs there are 2 folders labeled audio TS and Video TS.

    Alternatively:
    You need to convert the VOB files back to DV which iMovie is designed to handle. For that you need mpegStreamclip:
    http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/mpegstreamclip.html
    which is free, as well as the the Apple mpeg2 plugin :
    http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mpeg2/
    which is a mere $20.
    Another possibility is to use DVDxDV:
    http://www.dvdxdv.com/NewFolderLookSite/Products/DVDxDV.overview.htm
    which costs $25.
    Obviously the foregoing only applies to DVDs you have made yourself, or other home-made DVDs that have been given to you. It will NOT work on copy-protected commercial DVDs, which in any case would be illegal.

  • How to convert VCR Tape to DVD on MACbook Pro?

    Any insight into how to convert VCR tapes to DVD on Macbook Pro would be much appreciated!

    The first question is:  how to get video into your Mac? 
    My answer is:  use a DV camcorder as a translator.  Most Canons and Sonys do this.  Here are some general steps:
    1.  connect the video and audio outputs of your VCR to the input jacks of the camcorder.  (If the video is on an S-video jack instead of the conventional yellow phono jack, it will be a little bit better quality.) 
    2.  Using your camcorder's menu, set it to "AV IN->DV OUT".  This will vary according to the model of your DVCAM.  One hint:  all camcorders have a 3-position camera/off/play(vcr) switch.  In this application, most of them use the PLAY position. 
    3.  Connect the DV out of the camcorder to a firewire port on the Mac.  This requires the cable that comes with the camera...it's a mini-firewire on one end, and a regular firewire 400 on the other.  (If your Mac has only a FW 800 jack, you may need another adapter.) 
    4.  Turn on the DVCAM.  Usually, iMovie will automatically open and be ready to record...if not, start it. 
    5.  Hit PLAY on the VHS machine.  You should see the video in the iMovie window.  When you see what you want to save, press iMovie's button to start recording.  You're free to edit the movie in any way you want. 
    When you have enough for a DVD, save it and use iDVD to burn a disc. 
    Alternatively, if you want to save a step, you can skip the iMovie step and just open up iDVD and select the feature...I forget the exact name...but it's like "Quick Movie" that will just save it as one stream. 

  • 8MM Tape into iMovie

    Been transferring 8mm tapes into iMovie via my Sony TRV350 camcorder and firewire cable. Goal is to convert all of these to DVD via iDVD. 2 questions-
    1) Should the "Automatic DV Pillarboxing & Letterboxing" box be checked?
    2) On my camera settings, it has a A/V--->DV OUT option, which can be turned ON or OFF in the menu VCR settings. According to the manual, when it is OFF, it is "to output digital images and sound in analog format using your camcorder." When it is ON, it is "to output analog images and sound in digital format using your camcorder." I have tried importing with both settings (ON and OFF), and it imports fine both ways, and I haven't really noticed any difference. Do you think this actually matters? The 8mm tapes are analog and I want to convert them to digital format (DV), but it appears it's doing that with either setting.
    Any help would be greatly, greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.

    My iMovie version 4 doesn't have those options, but I am guessing they are for 16:9 and other widescreen formats. Your old 8mm video is likely standard 4:3 ration, so you probably don't need those checkboxes.
    I think the DV Out only matters if you need the video to be present on the analog output jack on the camcorder (looks like a headphone jack like on an iPod). My thinks that that you always get video output present at the Firewire port but the analog port is probably off when you have DV Out set to ON. So as you found, if you are not using the analog port, it doesn't really matter.
    Enjoy,
    Patrick
    p.s. after several years, I am finally up to analog tape #12 with two more after than to finally finish my analog to digital conversion using my old Sony TRV330 Digital8 camcorder.

  • How to convert analog SD video from VCR tapes to DVD

    What is the simplest way to convert analog SD video signals from VCR tapes for input to a mac intel mini so that I can create DVDs? Any help would be appreciated.
    Owen

    not sure about doing it on a mac mini, but based on the costs of the equipment needed to do it and the time, your best bet is to take your vcr tapes to costco and let them transfer them to DVD...
    then editing pieces of the dvd's to make a compilation would be fairly easy using any number of software tools for the mac.

  • Why Is There A loss In Quality When I impoer a Minidv tape into Imovie 08

    I have the latest version of Imovie and this is my first Mac.
    I am using SD MiniDV camcorder (NTSC). I import the entire tape into iMovie. Then I export it to a large h.264 m4v file. I am somewhat disappointed about the picture quality of the m4v file.
    When I play the tape through my camcorder connected to the TV through svideo things it looks pretty good.
    When I play the m4v file on MacbookPro connected to a TV via svdeo or using the TV (DVI to HDMI) as second monitor the picture quality isn't as crisp.
    Any idea what I am doing wrong. My goal is to move all my Minidv home moves onto a hard drive at the best possible quality. My tapes are getting old and this seems like the best way of preserving them.
    Thanks,
    Dan

    sorry for 'overwhelming' you with info
    yes, all apps copy the dv-encoded material from miniDV devices 'natively' = lossless import..
    but only iM08 then adds some 'loss' .. nobody knows exactly, what & how.. but you are not able to EXport lossless from within iM08 ..
    example: import dv, export dv = adds blurr and 'magnifies' somehow the same file .. ( ! )
    using iMHD≤6, FCE/P allows you, to export lossless = highest quality possible (except the parts of your project, which need renderning, e.g. titles, transitions...)
    example: import dv, export dv = same quality ...
    so, if _pic quality_ is your major concern, avoid iM08 ..
    if you want fast results and export quality doesn't matter: iM08
    if you want a Library off all imports ever and full integration into AppleTV/, YT.. = iM08
    if you want other codecs than dv and simple use = iM08
    if you want all imports for any future project and high dv quality = FCE/P
    if you want easy to use and high dv quality = iMHD≤6 ..
    if you want other codecs than dv and Hollywood quality = FCP

  • Problems transferring my mini DV tapes to Imovie.  Slow and not working correctly

    I have an older Mac Book (early 2008) and I am transferring my mini DV tapes to Imovie.  I borrowed a camcorder from my brother and have been importing the videos over the course of a few days.  Although I have plenty of storage, every command I made would take 5-10 minutes.  When the downloads were complete, I noticed the video either didn't come out (1 second clips) or they didn't come out well at all (screeching sounds, skipping, etc.) even though when I played the tapes on the camcorder, they worked fine.
    I am in the process of improving my RAM from 2 GB to 4 but it's not fixing the problems I'm having with the transferring of the video tapes.
    I want to manipulate these videos in Imovie (of my kids when they were babies) so i can create a mini-movie out of them.

    Scene detection normally works, so there must be something going on with you old camera.
    I have a bunch of old analog 8MM tapes that I imported through a DV 8MM Digital camera. These all came in as 1 long clip.
    It is true you can delete a frame and then use iMovie to split the events. However, I have found a much quicker way that is non-destructive and allows you to enter the date metadata.
    1) Download and install MPEG Streamclip from Squared 5. You can google it.
    2) Drag your long clip into MPEG Streamclip. (If you don't know where it is, Right-click on the clip in the imovie event and select "Reveal in FInder".
    3) Think if dividing your long clip into Events (everything you shot on a single day, for example) - and Scenes (clips) - an individual unit of footage within the Event.
    4) Move the MPEG Streamclip playhead to the beginning of the 1st scene and press I for in point. Movie the Playhead to the last frame of the scene and press O for out point.
    5) Now, FILE/EXPORT TO DV. Save it to a location you can easily find, like a folder on your desktop. Give it name in the following format: clip-yyyy-mm-dd hh;mm;ss.dv This will preserve the time metadata for later when you are editing. You may want to have your camera handy so you can easily see this data.
    6) Repeat this process until you have all clips done. You should find that the playhead is still at the out point. You can simply type I and you have set the in point for a totally nondestructive capture of the next clip.
    7) Finally, open iMovie and use FILE/IMPORT/MOVIES... and navigate to the place where you saved all these clips. iMovie will import and sort into Events (you may have to check "split days into new events". Let it generate thumbnails and you are done.

  • I recorded VCR tape onto DVD-R but will not play on my MacBook Pro. I have already recorded multiple DVDs. How can I get it to play on my Mac?

    I recorded VCR tape onto DVD-R but will not play on my MacBook Pro. I have already recorded multiple DVDs. How can I get it to play on my Mac?

    "I recorded VCR tape onto DVD-R"
    How? Using what equipment/software?
    "The DVD  plays on the device on which it was recorded."
    Just a guess: You're using a VCR-DVD combo recorder. DVDs produced in this way will play on the device that made them, but won't play on anything else until they're "finalized." In fact, Macs will recognize unfinalized DVDs as blank discs until the discs are finalized. Check the manual that came with the recording device for instructions.

  • How do I upload VCR tapes into MacBookPro?

    How do I upload VCR tapes into MacBookPro?

    The hardware to do such a conversion is expensive and fussy.
    My recommendations to find a local store that can copy these into a digital form for you. Once in ANY digital form, then can be freely copied and converted to other digital forms.

  • Can i turn off the Timecode, when importing a DV Tape into iMovie?

    Hi,
    I have just cut a film on a Pc and exported in on a DV tape. When i tried to import this tape into imovie the film is cut into pieces again. I want to import the Movie in one piece and only add some gimmicks to it.
    As i am new with I-movie, does anyone has an idea, how i can do this??
    Thanks

    Open iTunes. Go to Edit>Preferences>Advanced and change the setting "On CD Insert" in the drop down menu from Import Songs to Show Songs.

  • Will FCE 4 Import Analog 8mm Tapes (unlike iMovie '08)

    Hello--
    I've had a heck of a time importing my older analog 8mm tapes onto my MacBook and was wondering if dropping bigger bucks on FCE 4 will help.
    Since iMovie '08 for some reason won't import analog 8mm tapes from my Sony TRV-330 Digital8 camcorder, I've had to import the tapes using iMovie HD. The problem is then I have to save the iMovie HD project before I can import the video into iMovie '08 where I want to tag and edit it...and this takes a lot of extra time (hours per tape).
    On other discussion boards, people have suggested using other video importing applications such as Vidi, iDive, and QuickTime Pro. The first two didn't seem to work out for me, so I just spent $30+ to get QT Pro...that was a mistake because the video and audio quickly got out of synch which was completely unacceptable (some of my older tapes have periodic video and audio dropouts due a problematic camcorder at the time, which I understand can cause that problem...but it didn't seem to be a problem for iMovie HD).
    So, since I've read on these FCE discussion threads that FCE uses QuickTime it makes me wonder if I'd have the same video/audio synch problems in FCE (if it even would import analog 8mm video at all).
    BOTTOM LINE: Has anyone successfully imported analog 8mm videotapes from a digital camcorder into FCE 4? I'd really like to be able to catalog, tag, and edit ALL my tapes (analog 8mm and Digital8) in iMovie '08 (but am willing to try to do it in FCE 4 if that's a better comprehensive solution). When will Apple fix iMovie '08 to make the lives of those of us who want to transfer old analog 8mm tapes easier??

    Thanks for the response, M.R. I didn't know QuickTime was also the import engine for iMovie HD...if that's the case, I don't know why iMovie HD would import my analog 8mm tapes while iMovie '08 doesn't (assuming iMovie '08 also uses QuickTime as the import engine).
    I haven't really considered a converter box since the Sony TRV-330 camcorder does the analog to digital conversion...seems like it'd be unnecessary. Do you think there's the possibility that the output from a converter box would look different than the output from my digital camcorder to iMovie '08?
    --Bill

Maybe you are looking for