by Barbara Mccutcheon

Created on: May 20, 2009

There are several reasons for wanting to transfer movies from VHS format to DVD. DVD's require less space to store, hold up longer, and don't lose quality when they are duplicated. Add these factors to the declining availability of VHS players, and one wonders why everyone isn't rushing to transfer their VHS movies to DVD's.

Unfortunately it's not as simple as plugging a VCR into a computer and running a program. VHS tapes are recorded in analog format, and DVD's are digital. Analog items present a smooth, continuous display, while digital format is made up of individual elements presented in rapid succession. This means a device is needed to break the analog signal into digital frames.

There are VHS/DVD recorders available to buy that will transfer directly from VHS to DVD, and this is probably the easiest, and most affordable option for people who don't have a DVD writer on their computer. For those that do have a VHS player, a DVD writer, and plenty of disk space, there are inexpensive video capture devices available to transfer video to a computer file. There are several excellent video editing applications available, but for most people, Windows Movie Maker will be quite adequate.

Once the video file is on the computer it can be edited if needed. For instance, family videos are often wobbly at the beginning and end of segments. Video editing software can be used to cut these sections out. It can also be used to adjust the volume of the audio portion, very useful if there is a section that is too quiet or too loud. Using a computer to edit videos also permits the addition of menus, titles, transitions, and sound tracks.

The first step in editing a video is capturing the video. Use the highest setting supported for your computer and video format. It is also a good idea to include regular scene breaks during the capture process. These force the capture to create a series of easily managed segments. While it is possible to edit long segments, it is much easier to work with shorter ones. The actual length is entirely personal choice. Some people feel comfortable working with ten minute segments while others prefer to stick with three or five minute units.

Many video capture devices require the video to actually be running in order to begin the capture. This often misses the first few seconds of a videotape. You can work around this by using reverse search to return to the beginning of the video. You will then have a few seconds of un-usable material at the very

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