VHS to digital

Does anyone know how to convert VHS tapes to digital so that I may edit them in IMovie. I use to record the VHS onto my Cannon ZR45 movie camera but after many years the camera broke. And my new video camera does not have the inputs. Please help! Mike

Three options:
1) Get a DAC (Digital Analog Converter). These are little black boxes that will attach between your VCR player and your Mac and convert the VHS to DV. Google "Canopus" for example.
2) Get a camcorder with pass-through capability. You can hook composite cables from the VHS player to the camcorder and firewire/DV comes out. You don't have to record the VHS onto a miniDV tape, it just passes through.
3) There is a device called the EyeTV Hybrid, which will convert the VHS signal to MPEG2 through a USB attachment to your Mac. After importing into EyeTV, you have to do a further conversion into Apple Intermediate Codec using MPEG Streamclip.
[Here is a sample of option 3|http://gallery.me.com/htimjohnson#104678]
I have personally used option 2 and 3, but many people swear by the Canopus.

Similar Messages

  • Converting from VHS to Digital Media - best digital encoding format to use

    Looking for a little insight into the VHS to digital media world.
    I have several VHS tapes (~30) which I would like to convert to digital media for further editing. From what I can find online most “Home Movie” conversion companies encode to mpeg2 on a DVD.
    I have done some of my own VHS to DV format conversions but has many of you know this is very time consuming and I would like to locate a company that can convert my VHS to DV and return back to me on a hard drive. In addition I have taken these conversion edited them in FCE and made DVDs in iDVD. Now I am looking to outsource the conversion process.
    I am looking to have delivered the raw DV converted file from the VHS conversion. Does anyone know of a reputable / reliable Conversion Company that can supply this service?
    If you think I am going down the wrong road in asking for the raw DV files please let me know and explain what you feel the best alternative is so I can edit in FCE and why this or that method is better, just as good, or is done as raw DV files from VHS tapes are just not required for some reason.
    If this is the case what is the best digital file to be working / editing with in FCE? The file format I should be asking for from a video conversion company.
    Thank you,
    Keith

    Some thoughts, all of which you may have already considered:
    Each hour of video will produce around 13GB of QuickTime files, so thirty two-hour VHS tapes would consume almost 400GB.
    Thirty DVDs will be a lot less expensive than a 500GB hard drive.
    Given the native resolutions of the different formats, my guess is that, if you had your VHS tapes converted to DVD, then converted those files to QuickTime for use in FCE, you'd have a hard time distinguishing that footage from what you'd get by capturing directly to QuickTime from those same VHS tapes. It might be interesting to do a comparison.

  • What is my best hardware/software to convert vhs to digital so I can edit in Final Cut Pro X

    What is my best hardware/software to convert vhs to digital so I can edit in Final Cut Pro X?  Wondering if there is a solution under 100.00 or do I need to think a bit more. Thank you.

    Have been doing this for some time, my setup:
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    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.
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  • Convert VHS to digital?

    I can't find a straight answer to this question.
    I want to convert my VHS to digital format. I have purchased the RCAtoUSB dongle. Is iLife capable of recording the actual footage, or do i need a third party program to capture the video?
    Thanks

    I want to convert my VHS to digital format. I have purchased the RCAtoUSB dongle.
    Oh Boy...
    In my experience Firewire converters give higher quality results.
    I like the ADVC300 Firewire converter.
    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 11.
    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.
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    A bit pricey bit it WORKS.
    http://www.grassvalley.com/products/advc300
    Is iLife capable of recording the actual footage
    Yes, use iMovie
    do i need a third party program to capture the video?
    I would use iMovie 06 with iDVD 11, why?
    

iMovie 11/09 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 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 100% "lossless" combination and my DVD's look like they came from Hollywood!

  • Thinking of getting EyeTV Hybrid to convert VHS to digital - the right move?

    Hello,
    I am soon going to be going back to Macintosh after a failed 17 year experiment with Windows and one of the things I will be wanting to do is transfer some home videos I own into a format that I can edit likely using I-movie. 
    I have reviewed several discussions on-line, and think I will be going with EyeTV Hybrid but I am wanting some fresh advice to make sure I am making the right decision.  The videos I will be wanting to transfer come in, what I believe, are two analog forms VHS-C (which I would play back using a VHS cartridge converter as the camera is dead) and Hi8MP which I would play back using a Samsung SCw62 Camcorder.
    Essentially, I am looking for a good conversion but it does not have to be great.  I would like to be able to do some editing once they are converted, but these are home movies and I am treating them that way and not looking at producing a professional quality video.
    So here are the options I have gathered online.  As I said, I think I am likely going to go for EyeTV Hybrid but would appreciate any feedback as to whether it’s the best option for me or whether I should be considering something else. Money is an issue and I really don't see myself going much above $200 on this.
    From what I have read, EyeTV Hybrid seems like it might be my best option.  Its priced at around $150 which fits my budget and I understand the results are fairly good.  Any reason why I should be wary of this option?  Is it fairly straight forward to use? From what I understand, I all need to buy is this and it comes with the necessary software – am I correct?
    I have read that video pass through in which the camera essentially converts analog to a digital signal. This does NOT appear to be an option for me unfortunately.  As I mentioned, I own a Samsung SCw62 Camcorder and I also own a Sony HDR-CX110.  Reading through the manuals I could see nothing that would suggest they could do this but I would be delighted to be informed that I am wrong.
    There appeared to be a consensus on the threads I read that the Grass Valley ADVC300 analog DV converter would produce a high quality transfer.  However, the price that I have seen is about $400 and this is far more than I am willing to pay and I haven’t seen a used one on ebay.
    The ADVC110 does fit my budget but I am wondering if it would be much better than the EyeTV Hybrid as the prices I have seen have been a little more than $200.
    There appears to be a consensus that the Roxio Easy VHS to DVD will result in a fairly low quality video and is not recommended. Anyone disagree?
    Are there any other options I should consider? 
    Finally, as I noted I want to make some nice home movies using my old analog tapes is there any reason why investing in Final Cut Express would help in the conversion process?
    Thanks to everyone for your help.
    Cheers

    There appeared to be a consensus on the threads I read that the Grass Valley ADVC300 analog DV converter would produce a high quality transfer.
    I have a drawer full of analog-to-digital converters (including the EyeTV Hybrid).   After using the Grass Valley ADVC300 I find nothing else acceptable.   I appreciate your concerns about the cost you just have to decide how important these videos are.
    Compared to today's standards DV Video's quality is not that great, so I don't want to lose ANYTHING in my conversion, I have no quality to "spare".
    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 09/11.
    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 but it WORKS.

  • Analog transfer (VHS) to digital (DVD)

    I'm starting to convert my old VHS tapes to DVD using a Canopus ADVC110. The transfer process itself works just fine, but there is a thin line at the bottom of the screen of "static" or "interference" that shows up on the digital end (iDVD). Does anyone know what this is, and how do I get rid of it?
    Thanks!

    Hi Maestra
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    Good luck with your project.
    Regards
    Carl

  • Best way for vhs to digital conversion on imac

    what is best method to convert old VHS tapes to digital format on iMAC?

    Try the Blackmagic Design H.264 Format Video Recorder (for Mac Only). Works like a charm. I use it at work a lot. Click here: http://goo.gl/DoHsZK

  • Best software for converting VHS to digital format?

    I watched my wedding video from 20 years ago the other day. Then I thought I should put this into a digital format so I've been looking around at Apple forum and other places for suggestions.
    It seems the best/easiest so far is the Roxio Easy VHS to DVD for Mac software. The problem is any of the retail outlets in Canada only sell the PC version.
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    I also see EyeTV seems to have a similar product, but that appears to only come from Europe. And I have seen grass valley mentioned in some of the forums but these appear to be dated and I'm not sure the noted item is available any more. Even if it (or its replacement) is, sourcing it here in Canada seems to be an issue also.
    Any suggestions beyond simply putting the video on my TV and filming it with my iPhone?
    Thanks.

    You will need to buy an external DVD burner.
    You will need an analogue to digital converter such as the ADVC110 (there are others) that can connect to your video player via standard RCA cables, and to your Mac via Firewire so you can import into iMovie.
    If you want to to make a video DVD of the video you will also need iDVD.
    Why is there no iDVD on my new Mac? How do I get it and how do I install it?
    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3673

  • 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.
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  • Converting VHS to digital

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  • VHS to digital for MAC

    Hello and thank you for your replys. Still trying to convert VHS video to digital to my mac. I am using a PYRO A/V Link Converter API-557. Can someone please tell me if my mac can read this device or its to old.I have tried everthing and my Mac can not see the PYRO converter via Firewire.

    According to a quick Bing search, your Pyro device should be compatible with Mac, but there is no native software provided.
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  • Imported files (from vhs to digital camcorder) are too big to handle.

    When I import my vhs footage (through camcorder) to imovie... the files
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    They are the same. A DV file is often referred to as a stream because it has a "stream" of continuous frames. 29.97/second to be exact. Some camcorders record to a hard drive or optical disc and these usually use MPEG compression methods which rob you of your "stream"; going from 29.97 frames per second to two. Which is also the source of mucho frustration in trying to edit these formats! Stream is also used because Firewire streams data to your computer: 1-2-3-4-5-6; while USB will break data into packets (1 & 4, 2 & 5, 3 & 6), sends the packets to a computer and the computer needs to reassemble the info to 1-2-3-4-5-6.
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  • VHS to digital conversion

    I've recently converted a few home movie vhs tapes to mpg format. At low resoution the quality is still quite good. However, TVs are much larger today than 15 years ago. I'd like to watch them on my 46" HDTV (4:3 of course). How do I change the resolution to a larger size and maintain the video quality. Currently, the mpg files look terrible when played on my 46" HDTV. I'm told Premiere has a function to up-convert (I hope that's the right terminology) and keep video quality. I'm a noob to Adobe Premiere Pro. I have CS4. Thanks.

    John mentioned the ADVC300.  I did a review on it for a magazine long ago.  Here's a summary with some online demos.
    I dug this up from an old post:
    If you will be transfering a lot of old VHS tapes and Dont have a good deck with TBC, consider the canopus ADVC 300 AD converter with noise correction. Below is a review i did a while ago...
    ====
    For me the biggest benefit of the box is doing the color correction in real time as it is captured while cleaning some of the grain at the same time. This is faster for me than correcxting it in PPRO. Also, it is better to attempt the clean up while the video is analog rather in post; there is more information available. I liked the AGC (auto gain corrector) for video and audio. As sceens change it does a decent job making adjustments. (Sometimes the changes are too abrupt, so it depends on the footage)
    Note; My VCR has a TBC built in. So, it does a pretty good job on its own stabalizing footage ebfore it even gets to the ADVC300. So, the results would be more dramtic if I was using a VCR without TBC.
    For the curious, below are links to 5 videos I output to WMV showing the videos captured via a DV deck -vs the ADVC (using split screen)
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    JVC HRS9911 SVHS VCR conneted through a sony DSR-25 DV deck via Svideo. The sony DV deck simply provides analog passthru to DV. Of course the deck is connected to my NLE via 1394.
    - Capturing with ADVC300:
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    Test 1: Old VHS Beach footage
    http://www.wrigleyvideo.com/advc300/beach.wmv
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    My WebpageTest 2b Same Home movie capture showing NR on AND off
    http://www.wrigleyvideo.com/advc300/home_movie2.wmv
    Same footage as the previous clip. This time the left shows capture via ADVC300 with NO Noise filters on. Right side is with the same 3D NR filters on Strong.
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    http://www.wrigleyvideo.com/advc300/wedding.wmv
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  • VHS into Digital format

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  • VHS tape conversion to digital

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