Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

What is a simple way to convert old VHS tapes to DVDs?

Jan 8, 2010 2:36AM PST
Questions:

What is a simple way to convert old VHS tapes to DVDs?


This question comes from three CNET members who
coincidentally e-mailed me all within the same week, so let's
find a solution for them. I'm sure many others who have a
collection of VHS tapes are also looking to move them to a
digital format.

I need to know how to convert my VHS tapes and my VHS-C tapes
to a DVD. I have quite a few tapes that I made of the CHRRs
and others that I'm afraid will become unplayable. Can you
help me? Thanks.

--Submitted by John S.

Is there a method to make DVDs out of my invaluable VCR
tapes? Thanks so much.

--Submitted by Gloria E.

What is the best and least expensive way to convert my home
video on VHS tapes to DVD without having to record to a
digital camcorder first?

--Submitted by Alan A.

Here are some member answers to get you started, but
please read all the advice and suggestions that our
members have contributed to this question within the discussion thread.

Re: What is a simple way to convert old VHS tapes to DVDs? --Submitted by mtrehan
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-12542_102-0.html?messageID=3217007#3217007

VHS to DVD program(s) --Submitted by Mark R. Jones
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-12542_102-0.html?messageID=3217102#3217102

Converting VHS tapes to DVD --Submitted by casey721
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-12542_102-0.html?messageID=3217154#3217154

Converting VHS to DVD --Submitted by kwilsonjr
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-12542_102-0.html?messageID=3217248#3217248

Re: What is a simple way to convert old VHS tapes to DVDs? --Submitted by DLGA
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-12542_102-0.html?messageID=3217693#3217693

Video tape to digital format --Submitted by comp_dok
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-12542_102-0.html?messageID=3217076#3217076

Thanks to all who contributed!

If you have any additional solution or advice for these members please click on the reply link below and submit your answer. Please be detail as possible when posting your solution and if you have references to how-tos, please include the link to them. Thank you!

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
vcr to dvd
Jan 16, 2010 5:56AM PST

I have done this many times both for myself and for others, if they are memories that are very valuable to you ,you should think VHS to hard drive because DVD?s have less of a shelf life than VHS tapes, once you put the video on your hard drive DVD is easy . In fact VHS to hard drive is easy. I like to use studio but windows movie maker works fine studio is great because you can buy the one of their movie boxes that digitizes the analog VCR signal strait to you computer, the other way is to use you camcorder most have this capability you have to refer to your owner?s manual.
Now you have to remember if you are digitizing one hour it will take one hour and one hour of analog signal will need about 12 gigs of hard drive space. this is because your analog is digitized into an avi file which is full quality, when you make a DVD from it all the unneeded info is taken out and reduced to 4.7 gigs that is another reason why it is best to store you video on a hard drive. Hope this helps

- Collapse -
There is right way and cheap way of converting
Jan 16, 2010 6:04AM PST

After reading some posts I came to conclusion that most of the people have no idea what are they talking about. Sure you can buy some cheap hardware and plug it to your computer or DVD/VHS combo and get some results. But main reason you want to do it is to preserve or improve quality of your video. And this cannot be done without professional grade Time Base Corrector. Some DVD/VHS combos do have built TBC's but they may not work in all cases. In addition, there could be bunch of visual artifacts (noise, color etc) that need to fixed before you transfer it to DVD. Luckily, there are free tools like VirtualDub and Avisynth that can take care or it. But you need to know what to do and how to use it. Do some research.

- Collapse -
8mm sony video recorder
Jan 16, 2010 7:21AM PST

Any suggestions for an old 8mm sony handycam?

- Collapse -
For 8mm sony video and other moving images
Jan 16, 2010 8:48AM PST

Hello,
Please go to our posting message 299 which deals with those types of records.

Best

Or send an email to info@mmcsi.net telling them how many such tapes you have and you will receive a cost estimate for your job.

You can also log onto their site www.mmcsi.net

- Collapse -
About 8 mm Sony Video ...
Jan 17, 2010 12:28AM PST

Sorry I meant message 300 and not 299.

Sergec10

- Collapse -
most simple
Jan 16, 2010 11:54PM PST

using VHS player playing in TV support DVD recorder player when VHS playing in TV just record the TV image using DVD player with recorder

- Collapse -
vhs tapes to dvd's
Jan 17, 2010 3:48AM PST

Roxio has "easy vhs to dvd" for $49.00. Check Roxio website!

- Collapse -
VCR to DVD
Jan 17, 2010 6:19PM PST

U need to buy a VCR/DVD-Recorder combo unit to convert it

- Collapse -
vhs to dvd
Jan 23, 2010 2:19AM PST

i have advd vhs recorder. but it won't let me record the copy rited tapes. how can u get around this

- Collapse -
http://members.home.nl/alfred.apperloo/
Jan 17, 2010 8:45PM PST

I created a website covering this subject, however, it is in dutch language. Maybe it is readable using automatic translation.

- Collapse -
use or not a board to capture video
Jan 19, 2010 6:57AM PST

extending this discussion I have an issue. I have a board for TV turner which I am not currently using which allow me to capture video in JPEG-2 format. It is a pixelview play Tv pro ultra or an playtv jpeg2, doesn?t matter I have both.
However I also have a dazzle device, which I am using and which allow me to connect my VCR and capture the video using my Pinacle software.

My issue is, is there any advantage for me to use the pixelview board? is there any advantage to have this hadware to capture de video? Is there any benefit in performance against I use this board versus my desktop CPU?

- Collapse -
Converting VHS to DVD
Jan 22, 2010 9:54PM PST

Simply put, this is my experience. I bought Honestech VHS to DVD latest version and have been converting my old tapes to digital for over a year now. I'v converted 8mm, super 8 and other VHS movies and my own home movies to DVD.
Now you say how does the origional compair to the finished product?
Well, I'm not too fusy. But I did buy a new DVD for my computer that records multilpe formats and DVD-DL. I convert all movies to the DL.(7.5) With experience and seeing the prices of dvd recorders go down, I purchased a Blue Ray player. They play back great. But if you have an old DVD player with an output HDMI, use it. They play back upconverted. Not too shabby either.
The real problem comes from the VHS player. If the heads are dirty or the tapes is really old, they somtimes skip or bend during recording and the finished dvd shows up with the same problems. But if you are not too fusy about the outcome, just enjoy the movie.

- Collapse -
they make a DVD player for that
Jan 23, 2010 1:56AM PST
- Collapse -
Not as cheap but best bet is a DVD Recorder w/ hard disk.
Jan 23, 2010 1:58AM PST

Not a DVD - VCR combo! Similar to DVRs, rhere DVD player-recorders wtih built in hard disks 80Gb, 160GB, and some with more. You can let a tape run to dub even while you sleep if you set timer to record in 1/2 hour increments up to 6 hours. Loads hundred of hours of video depending on mode. Divide into seperate programs, edit out commercials, choose which you want to put on a disk and title it all on the hard disk before you burn to DVD and finalize. The better units do high speed dubs under 10 min. You can get used to easily producing a lot of DVDs programmed just as you wish with a little time needed [a lot, if you taped sitcoms and want to edit out commericals and promos!]. Just have a VCR, too.

- Collapse -
VHS or acetate to DVD o CDV
Jan 23, 2010 10:23AM PST

Dear Friend.
Wat I use for this purpose is a TV card USB or other with audio video input then I use the software provided with the hardware,in this case the TV Card and record it to a folder then I use the DVD burning room and that is all.
The cost of a Tv Card is less than US 40 dolars and you can also watch TV.

- Collapse -
Copywritten movies on VCR tapes
Jan 29, 2010 12:50AM PST

Is there anyway to convert and burn movies to DVD that are on VCR tapes that I have bought in the past? Since they are already paid for, there should be some way that this can be done.I have an XP Pro Acer Veriton M460 system. The simpler the answer the better!
Help is very appreciated.

- Collapse -
Honestech
Jan 29, 2010 5:39AM PST

This company has a program that will convert you movies to digital dvd format. All you need is:
1) Their program VHS to DVD Deluxe 3.0 or latest version
2) Use a S-Video connection. (This allows you to get better resolution than standard complsit connection).
3) If you can afford an extra 30 t0 40 dollars, purchase an dvd burner that allows you to burn DVD-/+ R DL. (Purchase DVD-/+ R DL 8.5 GB 240 min burnable space)
4) Start recording.
Make sure the vcr you are using has an S-Video and id clean when you start.
Good Luck.
DBen

- Collapse -
Ok here's another problem for you guys
Jan 29, 2010 10:23PM PST

My VHS tapes are in PAL (UK) format. If I want to transfer these PAL tapes to DVD region 1 (USA dvd), how can I do this?

I don't have a PAL VHS player anymore but I do have a 'converter' box that takes either PAL or NTSC input and convert to the other. However, quality is not great.

Is there someway I can do this 'digitally' i.e. through my computer rather than using analog signals from a VHS player to a DVd recorder???

- Collapse -
What is a simple way to convert old VHS tapes to DVDs?
Jan 31, 2010 6:23AM PST

Hi everybody!

Look, everybody is talkin about purchase (expensive or not) new devices to convert old vhr tapes into dvd format (or similar), I had an old TV-Capture PCI card (like Pinnacle PCTV) and it's own Capture software (few sources including analog devices like old VCR Tape player-recorder) and I recovered many old tapes using this method.
Also you can do this task with some DivX tools (DivX Converter)even compressing them to upload your videos (for example to Youtube channel),
Anyone who had a PCI card like this and even an old computer but running Windows Xp can do this.

Example?...of course, just follow this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJOERm8Qk14

This was an original VHR tape recording, then I captured and converted it into DVD format, now, with some compression process you can see results on Youtube.

Hope this helps,
Regards!

- Collapse -
Converting VHS to DVD
Feb 11, 2010 8:08AM PST

For home use i play the video on a VCR with the output going to a video capture card in the computer. Depending on your software you can then edit the capture file and burn it to a DVD. Files are usually captured in mpg3 format and most software will enable colour correction for old videos or editing to remove the adds from shows recorded from the TV

- Collapse -
What is a simple way to convert old VHS tapes to DVDs?
Mar 30, 2010 9:49PM PDT

a simple way to convert old VHS tapes to DVDs is to purchase a DVD RECORDERand its very simple by busing a capul wire between video player and dvd recorder

- Collapse -
You still did not quite answer my question.
Jan 20, 2011 12:38PM PST

I no longer have a working camcorder so How do I convert with ONLY the VHS C tape to a DVD?? I can't find the box to insert and convert to a VHS anywhere.

- Collapse -
Converting VHS tapes to DVD
Nov 13, 2011 11:07PM PST

The most simpliest way is to have a VHS/DVD recorder. Wal Mart sells them You simply put your VHS tape in, insert a blank DVD in the appropriate drawer, play VHS and push the record button on the DVD side. Very simple ! Works every time !

- Collapse -
VHS to DVD
Dec 9, 2012 4:25PM PST

Just as you can't copy commercially made video tapes to another VCR due to Macrovision anti-copy encoding, the same applies to making copies to DVD. DVD recorders cannot bypass the anti-copy signal on commercial VHS tapes or DVDs. If a DVD recorder detects the anti-copy encoding on a commercial DVD it will not start the recording and display some sort of message either on screen or on its LED front panel display that it detects the anti-copy code or that it is detecting an unusable signal.
However. I can recommend one firm which can solve it. I have found here such site http://xdimax.com/grex/grex.html.
They have a device - GREX, I heard that with its help it is possible to block protection DVD and satellite tv-channels and to write down transfers on the dvd. It removes Macrovision.

- Collapse -
Re: What is a simple way to convert old VHS tapes to DVDs?
Nov 30, 2015 6:43PM PST

I've read through most of the responses here, and yes, you can certainly go the DIY route. But, with the cost of the equipment, setup, and actual conversion -- you could also just outsource the conversion to a company like ScanDigital. Take a look at their VHS to DVD service and you'll see it may be the better route for some.