How To Save your home movies!
When transferring your home videos, the pluses of DVDs outweigh those of VHS tapes. Video tapes can degrade over time and the tape casings are vulnerable to damage as well as well make the tape useless. Storage is easier with DVDs since they take up less space than videos. In addition the definition of the film and audio is greater on DVDs.
So how does one convert video tapes to DVDs to salvage them for the future? There are several options. For starters, you could use a VHS to DVD conversion service that will do the transfer for you. We are one of those companies. Visit our conversion page today at http://www.vintagevhs.net/vintagevhs_services.html
But if you are computer savvy you can do it yourself, and even though we are in the converting website , we also like to help out where we can and share the information we know, so you know.
The computer savvy will probably use their comp to transfer their videos to DVD. It requires reproducing the video to a digital file on the comp using an analog converter. The file gets compressed to MPEG-2 format before being burned onto a DVD. This process takes some time, but it allows you to make alterations to the video , like special effects or music , before you copy it to DVD . Depending on the burning program that you use, you could add a menu or other special features. The process can be tedious because you have to transfer the file twice: first from the video to the computer and then again from the computer to the DVD.
To save on time and effort, you can duplicate the tapes to a DVD without the use of a computer. There are two options to do this:
The first involves purchasing a DVD recorder that allows input from another source. Just attach your VCR player by cables to the DVD recorder and while the movie plays, it records.
The second option is to purchase a combination DVD/VCR recorder. It does the same thing as the previous option without needing to connect any cords.
If you do the conversion yourself, make sure that you have cleaned the heads of the VHS tapes between replicating movies. Old tapes carry a lot of dust or other particles that could block up the VCR. And because you are copying directly from the film to the DVD, any picture quality problems you have with the video will appear on the finalized DVD. Knowing that if you have movies which are recorded at S.L.P. you will not get the same quality of recording onto a DVD as if the video was recorded at S.P. If you find the definition is not acceptable for you, consider changing your method of converting.
For more information visit our blog at http://www.vintagevhs.net/Video_Editing_blog.html
Converting family movies from VHS-C tapes present only minor problems. VCRs and VHS or Hi-8 recorders are with R.C.A. modulation film and sound outputs that can be easily connected to a DVR or a DVD Recorder as well as to a computer port such as U.S.B. using an adapter and video software.
Unlike VHS and Hi-8 tapes viewed on VCRs and camcorders, older reels of family videos present a different obstacle to convert them to a digital formats. The older reel projectors do not have video video output jacks. The old movie projectors never converted the movies to any analog signal, what they did was just to simply pass the photo images on footage in front of the projector light. There is no simple way to directly copy this content to a digital format.
Consider using lVintage VHS conversion services to transfer the videos; just $10 a reel!
http://www.vintagevhs.net/8mm_conversions.html
Based on how many 8mm reels you have and your budget, getting a professional to do it may be the best option . Family members might usually are more than happy to chip in for the conversion if they end up with copies themselves. Getting a group of contributors could make this option even more affordable.
