by J. Eberhardt

Created on: May 26, 2007

There are a number of ways the average consumer can successfully copy a VHS movie to a DVD format of media.

1.
One of the easiest ways to do this transfer is to invest in a VHS / DVD combo Recorder deck. You can purchase these at any mass merchant store. I recommend Wal-Mart because they will usually be the most cost effective. Do your research ahead of time. Compare reviews of a product online to see what consumers are rating it (I recommend www.nextag.com) These units will have a manual outlining the best way to use the device, giving you options about length of movie, quality, and DVD menu options. Purchase the right blank DVD-R or DVD+R media, hit the right buttons on the machine, and sit back and watch your collection or home videos transfer to a new digital format.

2.
A second option that eventually is more useful is using a PC or Laptop to do the transfer. Most new laptops come with native software for doing this type of work. The benefit to doing this with a computer is that you will still have a use for that computer once all of your VHS movies are transferred, unlike the VHS / DVD combo device that will be obsolete once your project is finished. For example, all MAC computers come with a native software program called iMovie which allows you to make a DVD of a tape with the press of one button. Not too "techy" in terms of difficulty; however, not too many options in terms of menus and quality. In order to be successful with the computer option, you will either need to invest in an external capture card (approx. $35) that allows you to play out of your VCR via RCA (red, white, yellow cord ends) and into your through the capture card, or you will need to acquire a Video Camera that has RCA in. You can play VHS tapes out of the VCR, through your video camera, and the camera can send the signal to your computer via a Firewire Cable or USB 2.0 cable.

3.
A third option for this transfer is to invest in a DVD-R Recorder. This is a good option if you already have a VHS player and don't want to bother with computers. A bonus to this option is that once you have transferred your VHS collection, you can then use this device to Record TV shows or movies playing on TV to a DVD for later viewing. Most decent DVD-R Recorders will run between $85-200. You will get what you pay for with these. Guaranteed.

A Final note:

About half of the VHS movie titles out there have copywrite encryption embedded in them making it impossible with any of the above methods to transfer the media to a DVD. There are ways around this encryption using extremely off-brand DVD players to route the VHS player through to a capture card on a computer. It is quite a jerry-rigged process that it might just be worth investing in the DVD form of that movie off of Ebay or at Blockbuster.

Good luck!

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