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FREE Tips on Converting Movies to Digital Formats
Analog Video To DVD
Copy Video Tape to DVD
Many people have boxes and boxes of video tapes sitting around that they want to copy to DVD. This is a great idea since video tape fades over time. After a few years everything disappears. Once video is transferred to DVD it is in a digital format and will never deteriorate. Follow these tips to learn how to copy video to DVD.
Get a DVD burner. This is the easiest option. Simply connect cables from the VCR output to the DVD recorder input. Play your video tapes and press record on the DVD recorder. You will get a DVD in real time.
Try a capture device that converts video tapes to MPEG2 files. This process is a bit more cumbersome than using a DVD burner. You must buy a piece of hardware that you may only use a few times. Connect your analog VCR to the digital MPEG2 converter box. Press play and record. The device will burn your DVD.
Go through the editing program on your computer. Your program must convert your VHS tapes to DV format. This will encode it to an MPEG2 file. You can then burn a DVD on your computer. There are pros and cons to this method. Since your video will be in DV format it can be easily edited on your computer. However this download method takes much longer than the others. You also need the proper cables to connect your VCR to your computer.
Consider reducing the resolution when converting VHS tapes to MPEG2 files. Many devices and software allow you to convert at half resolution. The quality is still pretty good and it will allow a lot more information to fit in a limited space on a DVD. Otherwise it may take more than one DVD to hold the contents of a 2 hour VHS tape.
Pay someone to do it. This is the best option if you don't have the time or patience to dub piles of video tapes. There are many companies that will convert your video tapes to DVD for a price. Be sure that you are dealing with a reputable company. If you don't you may not get your tapes and DVDs back.
Copy Hi8 Video Tape to DVD
Hi8 was a popular format for video tape recorders at one time. Now that the world has gone digital many people find themselves with stacks of Hi8 tapes that they can't easily view. You have several options to choose from when converting. Follow these tips to Transfer Hi8 to DVD.
Transfer Hi8 tapes to DVD with a DVD burner. This is the easiest option. Simply connect cables from the Hi8 output to the DVD recorder input. Play your Hi8 tapes on your camera and press record on the DVD recorder. You will get a DVD in real time.
Use a Digital 8 camcorder to convert your Hi8 tapes to digital. This is another simple option and it gives you higher quality copies. Play the analog tapes on the Digital 8 camcorder and send the information to your computer through a "firewire" cable. The Digital 8 camcorder will convert the Hi8 tapes to DV. You can then burn the information to a DVD on your computer.
Try a capture device that converts Hi8 tapes to MPEG2 files. This process is a bit more cumbersome than the previous two. You must buy a piece of hardware that you may not use more than a few times. Connect your analog Hi8 camera to the digital MPEG2 converter box. Press play and record. The device will burn your DVD.
Go through your computer if you want to edit your video before burning to a DVD. You can do this if your computer editing software converts analog to DV. Connect your Hi8 camera to your computer. The result will be MPEG2 files of your Hi8 video. This will take quite a bit of time and fill up a lot of memory, but you will have the flexibility to edit your video before burning it to a DVD on your computer.
Pay someone to do it. This is the best option if you don't have the time or patience to dub piles of Hi8 tapes. There are many companies that will convert your Hi8 tapes to DVD for a price. Be sure that you are dealing with a reputable company. If you don't you may not get your tapes and DVDs back.
