VHS tapes to DVD: A simple plan?

Factual Questions
1

I need to find a way to convert some tapes to DVDs. It’s for work, so I’m willing to spend some money. My problem is that I can’t find any way to do it without using a computer!

Is there a way to convert between the two formats (both ways–DVD to VHS and VHS to DVD–would be even better) that doesn’t involve a computer capture of the film? I’d ideally like to stick the VHS tape into a hole in a machine, stick a blank DVD into another hole, hit a CONVERT button and get a complete DVD within a few hours.

Can it be done? Or something similar? And where can I buy a machine to do it?

Thanks…I’m a geek who never seemed to make it over to the “computers and electronics” category. :frowning:

2

Sure, just get a VCR/DVD recorder combo like this one. That’s just one example of what’s out there.

3

Here ya go

4

Wow, thanks! I Googled around a whole lot and never seemed to find such machines. I’m buying one of them for sure, I’ve just got to compare them and make sure it’s cool with the boss.

Now I’ve got to get around to posting my MP3 player question…

5

Bear in mind that you can’t duplicate Copy protected works with this method. Probably not a problem, since you are doing this for work and what employer would assign someone to break copyright laws?

Also, if you already have a VCR, there have been some great deals on stand-alone DVD Recorders recently. I saw a no-name brand at Target for $100. There are some nice discussions on DVD Recorders at http://www.afterdawn.com. Check the “Home Theater” forums there.

6

Note: copying copy-protected VHS tapes is not necessarily illegal, and copying unprotected tapes is not necessarily legal. The copy protection feature on a DVD recorder is there to impose the will of a few large companies and/or to make the device comply with laws regarding the manufacture of video recorders, not to interpret or enforce copyright law.

7

It is illegal, though, under the DMCA (US) to get an analog tape recorder that doesn’t implement AGC copy control protection (i.e. for DVD->VHS). (Relevant section : 1201 (k)). The protection used is known as ‘Macrovision’, which will make a DVD played or recorded on a VCR come out wrong (a bit like a scrambled cable channel). Note that this will only show up if the DVD has this protection on it.

VHS->DVD doesn’t have that restriction, as there isn’t anything inherent in the signal to ‘protect’ it.

This is regardless of whether it is legal for you to copy the DVDs or not, or the intended purpose. If you bypass the copy protection on the DVD, you’re breaking the law.

8

Not true. Many commercially-recorded VHS tapes have Macrovision protection embedded. Macrovision existed well before the advent of DVDs.

And your link doesn’t work.

9

How important are the menus to you?

If not much, then the stand-alone recorders are fine. If they are, consider a unit that uses DVD/RW discs and transfer the video to your computer (assuming you have a DVD burner) and you can create pretty good menus. I recommend TMPGEnc. It also allows you to edit a lot easier than the stand-alones.

10

Oops, you’re right. Macrovision protection can work that way too.

This link should work for the full law text (link to sec. 1201 on that page) : http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c105:H.R.2281.ENR:

11

Not necessarily. Macrovision isn’t considered an access control, so the circumvention clauses of the DMCA don’t apply to it. There are legal devices that can strip Macrovision from an analog video signal and allow it to be watched or recorded on a VCR.

12

How about camcorder tapes? I’ve always wanted to tranfer my tapes of my son’s high school wrestling matches from my 8mm camcorder into a DVD. Is the only way to do this to go from 8mm to VHS, then use a VHS-DVD burner?

13

If you get a standalone DVD burner only, it’ll have inputs and you can attach your camcorder directly.

14

Thanks for the info. I was hoping one of those RCA jacks on the back of the computer could be used somehow. Looks like more money than I want to spend.

15

The tapes I’m copying for work are training tapes for educational purposes. I don’t think they’re going to be a problem. If it is a problem, well, the tapes aren’t in my hands, so it may come down to our library to decide what to do.

16

A ‘capture card’ such as this one will do the job.

17

If your computer has a video input, you can do the capture and conversion on your computer. You’ll need software to encode and author the DVD, though. There are cheap entry-level packages for $50 or so that can handle every step from capturing your source video to burning the DVD.

18

Thanks for the info. Now if you can indulge me in what you may think a really dumb question: How do I know if my computer has a video input?

19

Video input is not generally something you get unless you want it.

Some video cards have video-in, but these would also have TV-out. Your video card would have two yellow RCA jacks or two s-video jacks in this case (in addition to the monitor output).