Community Newsletter: Q&A forum: 8/13/2004 Converting VHS videos to DVDs

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Answer:

Well Kirk, the easiest option for someone new to video editing is to use a USB 2.0 (Not 1.x they drop frames) video capture device so you dont need to open your PC to do the upgrade. Some examples of these are:
Adaptec VideOh DVD Media Center USB 2.0 Edition (Includes TV-Tuner)
Adaptec VideOh DVD (Same as above without TV-Tuner or PVR functions)
ADS DVD XPress
Pinnacle Dazzle DVC 150 (Supports Full DVD Resolution)
Plextor PX-AV100U (Requires 2 Ghz CPU for MPEG-2)
TDK indiCapture
In each case they include the software you need. You use the A/V jacks on your VCR to connect to the device so check the box to see if they are included before you go home or you may end up making a second trip to the electronics store. After getting set up its simply a matter of starting the capture software on your PC then pressing play on your VCR.
Most of the software included allows you to do simple video effects like wipes and fades and allow you to mix in background music. You can also create menus with chapter access to quickly jump to favourite moments.
The main things you should be sure you have are:
A fast CPU (2.0 Ghz or faster P4 or Athlon XP2100+ or greater)
Plenty of RAM (At least 256 MB)
LOTS of harddrive space. MPEG-2 Captures can take up as much as 1.5 GB/20 minutes or more.
When you outgrow the capabilities of the included software you can upgrade to full featured offerings from Ulead or Adobe or a more advanced version of the software that was included with your video capture device in most instances.
Good luck with your video editing! (Just dont make me watch your home videos )

Submitted by: Corey S. Toronto, CANADA

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Answer:


Your question involves both hardware and software issues. First, you need to have a way to connect your equipment, presumably a vcr, to the PC. That means you either have to install a capture card on your machine or buy a converter box (converting analog video to digital) that does this, all with the correct cabling. The same holds true if you have an analog camcorder. Most of these prefer a Firewire, as opposed to a USB port, for speed of download. Then, you have to have a software program that will work with or replace your DVD burner software. There are many of these available, including Pinnacle Systems Studio Movie Box and their Studo Movie Box/DV which is an entry-level program,and has the capture box (for Firewire included) that will let you have lots of fun editing and creating your own DVD movies.

The other assumption is that you have sufficient RAM, preferably 512MB, and that you have the time and patience to do this as a newbie. It will cost you a couple of hundred bucks to get all this stuff, including discs. Having tried this, and not being a newbie, and although this is a PC column, the better route is the simplest one I found: buy a basic DVD recorder. You can get a good one for around $300 that accepts DVD-RAM/-R discs, mine is a Panasonic. It will also have input for your vcr and the capabilities to record your home recordings that you can play on your PC. Plus, you can then record all other kinds of stuff, like TV programs, and watch them on your PC, too. If you want to spend more, get one that has a vcr included and record directly. Just follow the directions provided and one caveat: depending on the type of PC DVD burner you have, not all DVD discs are compatible with all players.

Have fun converting.

Submitted by: Terri T. of Cincinnati, OH USA

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Answer:


VHS to DVD transfer requires both specialized hardware and software:
(1) Before you can transfer your analog VHS tape to a digital format, you
need an analog-to-DV transfer box, sometimes called a DV bridge. Your VHS
analog type output jacks from your VHS or analog camcorder go into this box.
This box has a digital output jack such as USB or Firewire to connect into
your computer. Some computers have analog jacks built in, such as some Sony
Vaio machines, but most will not, hence the need for a transfer box.

(2) If you have a digital video camera, it can plug straight into your
computer eliminating the transfer box.

(3) Video editing software is required to record the analog input signal, to
enable the user to edit the video images and, in turn, record or burn it to
a DVD. Many transfer boxes are bundled with software that will handle basic
video transfers. However, if you want to get into sophisticated recordings
with chapter headings, video fades and transfers and other fancy video
features, you will want to purchase specialized video editing software There
is basic software under $50 and sophisticated software well over $500.

Submitted by: Phil A. of San Antonio, Texas. USA

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Answer:

Frankly, one can choose to do this the easy way, or
the hard way. If you have a DVD burner on your
computer, you must transfer the VHS version of your
home movies (analog) to your computer (digital). You
can do this a number of ways. You can use a video card
equipped to codec (code, then decode analog), or take
the video through a VCR or camcorder through a mini-DV
camcorder (codec happens in the mini-DV camera), or
purchase a bridge to which you can hook up a VCR or
camcorder essentially doing the same thing.

Mini-DV
costs $350 and up, bridge around $200 and up, video
card about the same but it's the least desireable of
the options. After the video transfer, you must use a
video editor (software, such as Pinnacle, Adobe,
Apple, etc.) if you want to edit the video in any way,
perhaps to cut out scenes, improve images, add music,
etc). The, you must encode the video to MPEG-2
(requires separate software, but sometimes included in
full versions of high end editing software, scuh as
Adobe Premiere Pro). Then, you have to have DVD
authoring software to author the DVD (DVDs require
special authoring to prepare them to play on a set-top
DVD player, such as menus, title screen, etc). After
editing (optional), encoding and authoring (not
optional), you can burn the DVD with good results.
This method gives you the most control over your
project, but it's time intensive.

Or, one can do this the easy way. Purchase a set-top
DVD burner, hook up your VCR or camcorder, drop in a
blank DVD, and hit record. The machine does ALL of the
above for you, more advanced ones will even set up
menus and chapters for you DVD. These recorders start
at about $299 and up. By far the easiest method,
although less control.


Submitted by: John R. of Stafford, VA. USA

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Answer:

Video Capture from VHS Tapes

In order to accomplish this there are several items you will need:

- A means of capturing video to your PC
- A means of connecting your VCR to your PC
- Software to author DVDs

You will first need a video capture card - if your graphics card is fairly recent it may have a VIVO socket (video in - video out). This looks similar to the PS2 plug on a mouse and will have up to four sockets on a dongle (a short length of cable). Two of these will be for composite video (normally a yellow RCA-type jack) in and out, and the others will be S-Video (normally a PS2-type plug) in and out.

Other models of video card will vary on what sockets are available (eg some will have only composite video-out, some will have an S-Video in etc.), so you may need to read the manual with the computer or video card to see what is available.

If you don't have any video-in type ports already, you will need a video capture device, which can be either an internal card or an external box which can plug into a USB port (something like a Hauppage WinTV), which will have the aforementioned ports on it.

To connect between your VCR and PC, the simplest method is via the VCR's SCART socket. You will need something along the lines of a SCART-to-Phono-Output adaptor, which has a SCART plug on one end and usually 3 Phono (RCA) jack sockets on the other side. You will need a cable to connect between this and your video capture device:

- If using an internal video capture card, you will need a lead that has '3 phono -- phono and 3.5" jack'. connect the lead marked "video" to the yellow socket on the SCART adaptor and the other end to the "video in" socket on your graphics card. Connect "audio L" to the white socket and "audio R" to the red socket, and the other end (the 3.5" jack) to your sound card's "line in".
- If using something like the Hauppage WinTV, you will need a '3 phono -- 3 phono' type lead. Connect each lead between matching sockets on the SCART and video capture device - i.e. one lead between the yellow sockets on the SCART and the video device, one between reds and one between whites.

There are many possible variations on the connections, for example you could also connect video using an S-Video cable, which has PS2-mouse-type plugs.

Now, (hopefully) you're all set to capture video.

To capture content you will need something like WinProducer or PowerProducer. Both have a "capture video" option; in this case I find WP to be better as you can select the options for capture (PP always captures as NTSC which is fine unless you live somewhere that uses PAL, like me). A useful point to note is that if you capture your content as an MPEG file, you can in fact burn that file straight to CD or DVD and most DVD players will instantly be able to read it.

So to capture your content choose your video source (composite or S-Video), picture standard (NTSC, PAL, SECAM) and file format and hit "record". Once your content is captured you can edit it etc., until you're happy. Both PP and WP allow you to make DVD menus and stuff like that, so experiment to make your DVD "your own".

Once that's done, both programs can burn the disc for you or they can save as compatible DVD files that Nero DVD etc. can read.

Note that the list of cable options given above is by no means exhaustive, but it should cover most situations.
Have fun!

Regards,


Submitted by: Neil D. of Hampshire, United Kingdom

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Answer:

You will need a video capture device; that uses either a pci card or a usb port. ATI makes such a device under the name All-In-Wonder. As you are talking about vhs-to-DVD, you can expect to devote quite some time to this task, as it can only be accomplished real-time.
Basically, you will play the vhs tape into the video capture device, which will record your video to your hard drive in the directory you specify. Upon completion of this phase, you will then need to use conversion software; (whatever comes with your dvd burner should work fine) to convert the captured video to dvd-compliant files: referred to as .vob files.
In the event that you have no such conversion software, I have found to be uLead DvD Movie Factory, and sonic MyDVD (both have full-function versions that come with DvD burners ) to both be more than functional, as well as TMPGEnc DVD Author (freeware), Forty-two 1.6 (Interesting freeware), Windows Media Encoder (free), and, of course, Nero and Roxio offer optical media creation suites that work well for your purpose.
These will also give you the opportunity to create menus, add narrations and soundtracks to your videos.
While the task may seem daunting time-wise, buck up and lean into it and you will be rewarded after many hours with the satisfaction of viewing these treasured videos in a more secure and accessible medium.


Submitted by: Mike M.

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Answer:

Kirk,

I just recently went through the same thing (my wedding video was on VHS and
I wanted it on DVD since it was getting kind of old and degraded). First
you need some way to get the video into the computer. Usually this is a
graphics card that has RCA inputs (I have an ATI All-In-Wonder 9200 that
works great for this sort of stuff). Link the RCA outputs of the VCR to the
RCA inputs of the graphics card (the RCA jack ends are color coded so you
don't make a mistake - just make sure you use the right color coded cables
as well). Next start up the program that comes with the graphics card (they
all supply one if they have RCA jacks) and set it to record in MPEG-2 format
(this tends to be the best and most compatible for recording to DVD). Start
the computer recording then start the VHS playing (in this order so you
don't miss anything). Come back after the video has finished playing and
stop the VCR and then the computer recording. At this point you can edit
the video that has been recorded or go straight to creating a DVD. I use
EasyCD Creator's DVD Builder. It allows you to set up the introduction and
easily import the MPEG-2 file. Once you are ready create a hard-drive copy
first (otherwise you will probably waste a few DVD's and a bunch of time -
most don't even allow you to burn directly to DVD anyway). Once the
hard-drive copy has been made you are finally ready to put it onto a DVD.
You may want to try DVD-R which seems to be the most compatible with all the
DVD players I've used. But some can use DVD+R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW. Since
you have a hard-drive copy you can play around with that until you find one
that works best for your DVD player.



Submitted by: Jason K.

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Answer:

There are two ways to solve your problem.

1. The first method requires that you have a DV camera w/ built in A/D
(analog to digital) converter, Firewire and Video Edit/Capture software.
You start off by attaching the DV camera to your PC via Firewire and then
plug your VCR into the the analog video and audio inputs of the camera. Set
up the camera so that the A/D converter is enabled and launch your capture
software, Windows Movie Maker does a faily good job and comes free with
Windows XP. You are now ready to capture. With this method the DV camera
acts a capture device effectively taking the analog signal from your VCR and
converting it to a digital signal which is then passed along to the PC via
the FireWire connection.

2. The second method requires the purchase of an analog capture device.
These devices come in two flavors... an internal PCI capture board or an
external capture device that connects to your PC via USB or FireWire. If you
don't mind opening up your PC and installing a capture board... I would
recommend Pinnacles Studio AV/DV version 9. For around $100.00 you get a
capture board and some really great software tools for video capture,
editing and DVD creation. If you decide to go the External route then
Pinnacles Studio MovieBox DV version 9 is a good choice although it will run
close to $200.00.


Submitted by: Peter K. of Miami, FL

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Answer:

There are numerous ways to accomplish this including installing a Video card
with capture capability and any number of DVD creation applications.
However I prefer an integrated setup with an external capture device. It is
the simplest to set up and pretty much eliminates problems such as audio and
video out of sync.
My preferred solution is the Dazzle 150 from Pinnacle. The external capture
box connects to a USB 2 port and provides fast and reliable captures of VHS
tapes.
The included Studio Quickstart provides enough editing and DVD creation
features for most users. Advanced users can upgrade to Studio version 9
which allows for advanced editing and repair functions for old damaged
tapes.
Since I got my Dazzle 150 I finally edited my wedding video and will have it
on DVD in time for my 19th anniversary.



Submitted by: Bob B. of Beaconsfield, QC CANADA

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Answer:

I think I might have the answer to this week's question. I'm not the techie type, just a person that believes in researching the living daylights through various sources like CNET.COM, Smart Computing Magazine, etc. I have found what works for me and my family and friends can speak for me regarding the results. I now have a full-part time job with video editing on the side. It's fun.

I have a SONY Pentium system too and have the same issues with wanting to copy all my old VHS tapes to DVD format. Here's what I found through my efforts.
The "bare bones" minimum system I have found that works best is a Pentium based system with a processor speed of at least 1.5Mhz and a hard drive of at least 60MB (More HD space for larger files is better). I've tried this with 6 other Pentium systems and any processor speed of 1.5Mhz and higher works...nothing else less than this functioned properly. I'm not sure about AMD systems.
A separate, stand-alone VHS player
A USB 2.0 PCI card for your computer (if your computer has USB 1.0/1.1 then you will need this card to upgrade your USB). This is easily upgradeable...my 10 year old son helped with this!
And last but not least, a Video Converter Kit such as the ADAPTEC VIDEOh! Video Converter Kit - USB 2.0 Edition. I have personally gone through 3 other brand name Video Conversion adapters from other companies and they don't work. This is the best product and set up for the dollar and worth every penny.
DVD-R recordable media. I don't care what anyone else will tell you but there are lots of compatability issues with DVD+R media and home DVD players. I've discovered DVD-R to be the best so far. Any affordable DVD-R of your choice...shop around and get the best for your dollar.
The set up is simple:
Upgrade your USB to 2.0 in just minutes
Move your VHS next to your computer
Connect all your cables (RCA or S-Video) to your VHS player and then the same cables to the Adaptec Video Converter module. You can even connect a Video camera instead of the VHS player if you're like me too.
Plug in power cords for your VHS player and Adpatec Video Converter module.
Connect your USB 2.0 cable from your Adpatec Video Converter module to your USB 2.0 plug on your computer.
Turn on your computer and install the Adaptec software. Everything else is walk through simple. The Adaptec Video Converter module uses SONIC software that is REALLY easy to use...1-2-3 steps. Just turn on your computer, the VHS player, and then your Adaptec Video Converter module. Drop your VHS tape into your VHS player. Push the red record button on the SONIC software menu and you can preview as you record. You can go back later and trim out unwanted portions, enhance dark background-low lighting areas, etc...you can transfer your video into your PC and then convert into high-quality DVD or CD format. Just select your favorite clips, trim your footage, or have fun adding sound, titles, and special effects to create Hollywood-style DVD's with advanced scene selection. Professional editing made REALLY simple. It's functional equipment for regular people
Hope this works for you.

Submitted by: Robert Z. of Tampa, FL

No one haas mentioned bit rate yet, although a couple have alluded to it. Commercial quality DVD video can have an 8K to 10K bits per second recording rate (1 hour = approx 3GB in MPEG2 format) while TV quality can hover around 2K bps (1 hour = approximately 1.2GB in MPEG2 format). It's best to record from your VCR at the highest bit rate available and then, after editing is finished, use a lower bit rate (I've found 2.5K bps to be the minimum I'll accept) rather than a higher compression rate, to save the final rendered version. That will keep your final file's overall size low while maintaining relatively good video quality.

Also keep in mind that while almost everyone will tell you that a DVD holds "two hours of video" that's not quite true. A standard DVD (not dual layer or DVD-RAM) holds 4.3GB. (It's rated at 4.7GB but it's the same byte discrepancy that affects hard drives.) If you're creating a DVD (rather than just copying the files to a DVD disc) there's storage overhead associated with the DVD playback format. What's the ratio? That depends on what DVD authoring software you use. For example, NeoDVD Plus 5 typically lets me create close to 129 minutes (about 2.7GB) of video while Ulead VideoStudeo 8.0 extends that to around 176 minutes (about 3.6GB), both at my minimum 2.5K bps video rate.

From a strictly personal standpoint, don't fall victim to the FX craziness that many seem to catch when they first begin to edit videos. Wipes, titles, overlays --they're all great tools. But they do take up space and, probably more importantly, you have to decide at some point whether you (and others) want to watch the video itself or just put up with it while waiting to see what the next effect is. It's the same overboard reaction that happened when PostScript fonts were first introduced and it's easy to get carried away in the gee-whiz wave.

You can't future proof anything. SVHS video tapes are almost a thing of the past and my 3 Beta decks make good door stops. (Okay, one holds the corner of my desk up...) I don't want to even mention the two laser disc players I have and the state-of-the-art DVD set-top recorder I bought a year ago might as well be from 800 B.C. at this point.

NTSC, on the other hand, will be around for quite a while --long enough for you to do conversions if needed, just as you did from 8mm to high 8 to VHS/Beta [to DV] to DVD. It's the way things are.

In many cases, loss of sync as you describe is a computer hardware problem --low processing power, slow hard drives, insufficient memory, etc... Not always, but often.

I have tryed quite a few programs with not very good results. Bought quite a lot of dvd & pithed quite a few in trash can. The best results I have had, go to walmart & buy a Sanyo VCR-DVD DRW 1000. It works really great. It will play & copy dvd to vhs or vhs to dvd. Price is 400.00, but a lot better than pitching a lot of DVD in trash can. Don't have to worry about making chapters, it does it for you. No breaks in the movies. No freeze up on screen. It has 3 speed for coping, up to 4 hours. Perfect picture.

One thing you need to do is make sure whatever hard drive you're using to do the initial capture is fast enough to keep up with the process. I have an external 120Gig Rocket Pod that I was attempting to use and it simply is not fast enough to capture video at the rates necessary for capturing full screen video to burn to a DVD for viewing on a regular player.

Hi How I do it is:

I have installed a 1394 port in my system and I have a cannon DV z45 movie camera. It has a 1394 output. It also has a analog to digital converter built in.

I hook the output of the vcr to the camera. With the analog to digital coverter turned on. Then output the video into the computer thru the 1394 port. I can control the camera with the computer. This way I have no droped frames when capturing.

What programs are out there that can help a novice accomplish this?

You can DEFINITELY use dvd/rw in the [-] or [+] format provided you have a faily recent DVD player (purchased within the past couple of years or so). You have to go to www.videohelp.com where they have a humongous list of practically all DVD players with a breakdown per DVD player showing what format DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-R/W or DVD+R/W it will play.
I personally use the RW's to burn the converted movie and when everything is to my satisfaction, I then copy it on a DVD/-/+/R. I know it's a little bit longer; however, I hate producing coasters.

I went bare bones basic, I got a Terapin, it works great. I have converted all of my family movies, and have started on old TV movies. It was about $300+or- and will burn 78 min. of Video in Real time, by way of RCA jacks in front and back. Output looks like second Generation copy.

Has anyone tried using a service provider called YesVideo to convert VHS tapes to DVD?

If it works, the cost is about $25-35 per VHS tape. So, for converting just a few tapes, it could be less costly and far easier to do.

I have Found that you can use a DVD-RW or a DVD+RW to quailfy your DVD burner, They play just as well as a DVD-R or a DVD+R. Also you dont make a lot of DVD Coasters. Also once the DVD is compressed to a 4.7gb, (Which actually only holds 4.4gb) you can use nero 5.5 or better to copy entire disc. You don't have to go through the entire process to make a 2nd disc.

If you dont have a device in your pc slot, to connect your VCR to your computer, you can transfer your video from your VCR to your Digital Video Camera and then capture that video to your computer through a IEEE 1394 capture device. This takes longer but it is a alternative .

Thank you very much everyone for your excellent posts.

I have some foreign language tapes that I learn foreign languages from. Do the subtitles get lost in the conversion from VHS to DVD?

Please enlighten. Thanks a million.

I too would like information on how to capture my old Super 8 home movies to DVD. I'm sure there are a number of the 50 foot spools stored away and not watched because to much trouble to get the old projector out. Life is much easier to pop a DVD in and watch the old home movies.

Would there would be a quality difference in the transfer from VHS to DVD between using the PCI card and a DVD Burner or using the new internal VHS/DVD Recoredr Combos? The Recorder Combos claim to transfer a better than original quality to DVD. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks