Converting old videos to digital copies

azibux1

azibux1

azibux1

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Hi,

Hopefully this is the correct place to post this, if there's anywhere more suitable can a mod please move this

My Dad has some old videos (VHS) that we want to convert into a digital format before they get spoilt

What is the best way to do this? As in play on a VHS player and somehow record it on the computer

Also he has some smaller cassette tapes with videos on (I think they are larger than music cassettes but smaller than VHS) ... Is there any way of converting those to digital too?

Hope you can help, :)
 
Just found that I need a capture card from RCA to USB and then some software

Anyone recommend any they have used?
 
I connected my old video VHS tape recorder scart output into the scart input of my Panasonic DVD Recorder. Press play on the VHS and record on the DVD recorder and record onto HD then onto a DVD. The result was noticably better than the original, probably due to more advances siganl procedssing on the DVD recorder If you don't have a DVD recorder I would spend the money on getting one rather than spending it on hardware and software which would probably only be used for this single project.
 
azibux1 said:
Also he has some smaller cassette tapes with videos on (I think they are larger than music cassettes but smaller than VHS) ... Is there any way of converting those to digital too?
Click to expand...

There are several sorts they could be.

If they're VHSc when the tape is the same as VHS it's just in a smaller cassette. You can can get an adaptor like this that'll let you play them in a normal VHS player.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HQ-VHS-C-...9?pt=UK_ConsumerElec_VCRs&hash=item1e6d3c9475

Any other sort you will need to find the correct video camera to play them back. There are dedicated playback units, but since they were fairly specialist you'll probably find a video camera easier to obtain.
 
DuncanP said:
I connected my old video VHS tape recorder scart output into the scart input of my Panasonic DVD Recorder. Press play on the VHS and record on the DVD recorder and record onto HD then onto a DVD. The result was noticably better than the original, probably due to more advances siganl procedssing on the DVD recorder If you don't have a DVD recorder I would spend the money on getting one rather than spending it on hardware and software which would probably only be used for this single project.
Click to expand...

I see what you're saying, but up until now I haven't had the need for a DVD recorder and don't think I'd ever use it after this to be honest so would rather save money and buy a capture card

K.C. Leblanc said:
There are several sorts they could be.

If they're VHSc when the tape is the same as VHS it's just in a smaller cassette. You can can get an adaptor like this that'll let you play them in a normal VHS player.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HQ-VHS-C-...9?pt=UK_ConsumerElec_VCRs&hash=item1e6d3c9475

Any other sort you will need to find the correct video camera to play them back. There are dedicated playback units, but since they were fairly specialist you'll probably find a video camera easier to obtain.
Click to expand...

Hopefully that is the sort of tapes they are, will have to ask Dad. He does have the original video camera that he used to connect to the TV to watch the videos but I think he said the camera doesn't work anymore
 
DuncanP said:
I connected my old video VHS tape recorder scart output into the scart input of my Panasonic DVD Recorder. Press play on the VHS and record on the DVD recorder and record onto HD then onto a DVD. The result was noticably better than the original, probably due to more advances siganl procedssing on the DVD recorder If you don't have a DVD recorder I would spend the money on getting one rather than spending it on hardware and software which would probably only be used for this single project.
Click to expand...

+1

I've got a Panasonic HDD/DVD recorder. Similar process - record from VHS onto the HDD. Then do basic editing, chapter setting etc and do a high speed burn to DVD. Doesn't have the flashy menu's etc that PC software can create but the quality is good.
 
MagicBoy said:
+1

I've got a Panasonic HDD/DVD recorder. Similar process - record from VHS onto the HDD. Then do basic editing, chapter setting etc and do a high speed burn to DVD. Doesn't have the flashy menu's etc that PC software can create but the quality is good.
Click to expand...

So the recorder has a HDD built in to it?
 
Ben Cole said:
No idea why you'd want to buy a new DVD/HDD recorder that you have no need for when 20 odd quid buys you the hardware and software necessary.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-000-CP&groupid=701&catid=1915

I have one of these, it captures at a quality higher than necessary for old VHS or Video 8 recordings.

That's out of stock at the moment but you get the idea.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm thinking. Might make sense if I would use the DVD recorder for other things but I don't have a need for it

Thanks for the recommendation, I have found that online somewhere for a similar price

Is it quite simple to use then? Just plug a cable from the VHS into this?

I was watching a video online and he said that he used a splitter so he could have the signal going to a TV for monitoring and a PC for recording as the software was a bit rubbish and only good for recording ... Is this software fine for viewing the videos to find the right place to start recording etc? :)
 
azibux1 said:
That's what I'm thinking. Might make sense if I would use the DVD recorder for other things but I don't have a need for it

Thanks for the recommendation, I have found that online somewhere for a similar price

Is it quite simple to use then? Just plug a cable from the VHS into this?

I was watching a video online and he said that he used a splitter so he could have the signal going to a TV for monitoring and a PC for recording as the software was a bit rubbish and only good for recording ... Is this software fine for viewing the videos to find the right place to start recording etc? :)
Click to expand...

Probably.
When I transfer from video tape to PC, I just do the whole tape from start to finish and edit afterwards.
 
We did this recently.

In the pyramid by the TV (along with the HTPC, Blu-Ray Player, HD PVR) is a Panasonic upscaling DVD player/recorder/VHS/freeview combi unit. By far the oldest thing under the TV, and rarely used (hadn't been switched on since the freeview retune!). Think it's this one, but was bought back when upscaling DVD players were cool.

Came with a couple of rewritable DVD-RAM discs, which is good as my stack of discs are all DVD-R so using one disc per tape would have used them all up!

VHS's were easy, straight into the VHS drive on the unit and hit the button to record over to DVD (note that it has to play it back in real time). Anything like Hi8/MiniDV was played through the camcorder into the RCA jacks on the unit and recorded onto DVD.
Found that loads of the tapes (20years+) were starting to degrade pretty bad.

Discs were then copied onto the computer, wiped and then reused.

Files were edited in Adobe Premiere, and then exported to MPEG-4 with AVC H264 codec. Exported video is then stored on the NAS (redundant enterprise grade HDDs, UPS to clean-shutdown in power outage etc.) and the HTPC can consequently view it.


Chose to do it this way as the PC with a couple of TV/Sat Tuner and RCA capture cards in it is in a different room, and I really CBA moving either the VHS in the lounge or the computer to connect them up directly!

I'd highly recommend that anyone thinking of doing it gets on with it PDQ, as the fact that tape degrades over time is no myth!
 
No I think I'll stick to the capture card, wouldn't get my money's worth from that recorder

I have found out that smaller tapes are not vhs-c, they are video8 cassettes.

If I'm right I've done some research and these cannot be played in any adapters as they do not exist? So we either need to get the camera working or buy a new camera to view these (£70) and then use the capture card?
 
azibux1 said:
No I think I'll stick to the capture card, wouldn't get my money's worth from that recorder

I have found out that smaller tapes are not vhs-c, they are video8 cassettes.

If I'm right I've done some research and these cannot be played in any adapters as they do not exist? So we either need to get the camera working or buy a new camera to view these (£70) and then use the capture card?
Click to expand...

Correct, no matter whether it's a DVD Recorder or PC Capture Card you're using, you will need a Camcorder/Player to play back the tapes through and output to Phono/Composite/SVideo/Scart which you'll then be recording.
Mini VHS tapes could be adapted to play in a standard VHS deck, but everything else (Video8/Hi8/MiniDV etc) are incompatible and all need their own player.
 
Westyfield2 said:
Correct, no matter whether it's a DVD Recorder or PC Capture Card you're using, you will need a Camcorder/Player to play back the tapes through and output to Phono/Composite/SVideo/Scart which you'll then be recording.
Mini VHS tapes could be adapted to play in a standard VHS deck, but everything else (Video8/Hi8/MiniDV etc) are incompatible and all need their own player.
Click to expand...

Thought that would be the case

Hopefully we can get the video camera working... I haven't looked at it but Dad says all you can see is an odd logo on the screen and the videos won't play anymore... Anybody have any ideas what that might be? It is a Sony camera if that makes a difference
 
azibux1 said:
If I'm right I've done some research and these cannot be played in any adapters as they do not exist? So we either need to get the camera working or buy a new camera to view these (£70) and then use the capture card?
Click to expand...

How many cassettes are you talking about?

There are companies who will do the conversion for you. If it's only a small number it might cheaper then buying a video camera.
 
K.C. Leblanc said:
How many cassettes are you talking about?

There are companies who will do the conversion for you. If it's only a small number it might cheaper then buying a video camera.
Click to expand...

Yeah I did find these on eBay ... £3.99 per cassette

We only have about 3 full cassettes and maybe one or two half full ones ... Problem is we can't play them to see if there is anything on there worth converting or if they're empty

There are some which are obviously sealed but the others we're not sure about

The odd logo my Dad described that comes up on the screen should be in the book so I'm going to have a look and see if I can get the camera working. If not we'll send the tapes to one of these companies
 
I've transferred some VHS tapes on to dvd via a Panasonic DVD-RW Recorder from the bay. All is well there, I'd even say that the image quality has been improved.

However, playback of the dvd on my laptop in VLC is really bad. Is this usual?
 
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