# Will this home video project look okay, or like crap? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 11, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-home-video-project-look-okay-or-like-crap/452527 "2008-06-11T02:26:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stainz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stainz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stainz)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-home-video-project-look-okay-or-like-crap/452527/1 "2008-06-11T02:26:49Z")
I want to send my Grandma a video compilation of clips of my daughter. Grandma doesn’t have a DVD player, so the only thing I can think of is to make the video on my PC, burn it onto a DVD and then record it onto a VHS. Is there any way this will NOT look like ass? The videos are all .avi format - they’re from my little digital camera. I started it using Windows Movie Maker, but stopped halfway through, wondering if the resolution would hold up. Ideas? Solutions? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-home-video-project-look-okay-or-like-crap/452527/2 "2008-06-11T03:04:02Z")
If she doesn’t have a DVD player, she’ll probably think that your VHS tape looks great. Do it. ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-home-video-project-look-okay-or-like-crap/452527/3 "2008-06-11T05:06:40Z")
Yeah, definitely do it, I’m sure she’ll love it no matter what- but, though it will lose some quality doing it in the method you describe, it won’t look as bad as you think, though that depends what the resolution is of the AVIs. If they are 160x120 for instance, then there will be noticable pixels as each pixel is blown up 4 times its size to fit a tv screen. However the process of going to dvd and then to vhs will not degrade the image enough to make it look considerably worse, itll just be dulled down a little. When you convert for DVD, use the best quality settings offered, and the shortest final disc time offered. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-home-video-project-look-okay-or-like-crap/452527/4 "2008-06-11T12:59:42Z")
If the videos are less than TV resolution, they might look better if you drop them into a frame on the screen, then add subtitles - maybe just describing what’s going on (if it’s not entirely clear) - or detailing the location and date of the video, or describing what the subject might be thinking in some cutesy way (difficult to do well, but can sometimes work). Also, add some subtle/quiet background music. The frame thing isn’t a bad idea in any case, as many TV formats crop the edges of the input image anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-home-video-project-look-okay-or-like-crap/452527/5 "2008-06-11T13:25:08Z")
Wouldn’t it be easier to just buy her a DVD player? They only cost about $30. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-home-video-project-look-okay-or-like-crap/452527/6 "2008-06-11T13:39:46Z")
Be sure to put in lots of unnecessarily elaborate flashy transitions, and titles using the most garishly coloured graphic fonts you can find. Or, then again, perhaps not. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-home-video-project-look-okay-or-like-crap/452527/7 "2008-06-11T13:53:27Z")
Check to see if your video card has a composite out. You might be able to go direct to VHS. It will cut down on image quality loss. ---
**Author:** ![Stainz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stainz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stainz)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-home-video-project-look-okay-or-like-crap/452527/8 "2008-06-11T14:28:16Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] If the videos are less than TV resolution, they might look better if you drop them into a frame on the screen, then add subtitles … [/QUOTE] Thanks, I was thinking of doing this but my skills are pretty much non-existent. Does Windows Movie Maker have this “frames” option? ---
**Author:** ![Stainz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stainz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stainz)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-home-video-project-look-okay-or-like-crap/452527/9 "2008-06-11T14:30:33Z")
[QUOTE=Kinthalis] Check to see if your video card has a composite out. You might be able to go direct to VHS. It will cut down on image quality loss. [/QUOTE] Good idea - I’ll get my husband to check. Thanks!