And then there are the lesser known movies that can only be found on direct-to-consumer sites like the Criterion Collection, Shout! When those distributors are sold out of a particular title, however, Jeff’s go-to market is eBay.
Once you have all the elements on hand—video converter and computer with enough storage space to transfer and convert your first video—the process to convert your first video is very straightforward. Remember, you should probably try this process with a test tape first, ensuring you don’t lose anything in the event that your equipment malfunctions. To convert your VHS tapes to digital, you’ll need four major components.
Roxio Easy VHS to DVD Capture Driver Software – How to uninstall and reinstall
If you’re using an s-video cable, you’ll also need the red and white RCA cables that are typically built into the VCR. Best Buy does not offer video transfer service in their stores. They do some equipment if you’d like to transfer video yourself. If this sounds pricey don’t worry, at the time of writing LegacyBox offered a 50% deal which would bring the total cost of transferring 2 tapes to DVD to $38.98, or $19.49 per tape. They send you the “LegacyBox” for you to pack and label whatever you want transferred from video tapes, reel to reel film, slides, photos and more. Also included is barcode stickers to put on your items to clearly identify them as yours.
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This input is ideal for getting optimal quality for older technology, such as VCRs or old DVD players. S-video doesn’t carry sound, so you’ll need the red and white cables from the RCA cable set if you’re hooking up a DVD player or VCR. I have been shooting video for over 30 years, and have used everything from Video8, Hi8, Digital8, MiniDV, even an SVHS camcorder.
Read more about vhs to dvd conversion here.
And while it’s possible to convert VHS to digital, don’t wait too long to actually do that. Eventually, the contents of your old tapes will be gone forever, because the video stored on VHS degrades by as much as 20% every years. Freemake supports most video formats, so do read ourdetailed guide to converting videos to different formatsif you want to convert the captured video to MP4 which is supported by phones and tablets. To watch the video on your phone or tablet, it’s as simple as connecting the device to your computer using its USB cable. The exact steps for conversion vary depending on which device and software you’re using for video capture.