VHS to digital

D

Danny McG

"Uroshnor!"
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I've unearthed some VHS cassettes that I know contain a lot of family memories - I don't have a video player any more.
Is there like a machine I can buy that'll convert them to digital files?
Cheers
 
A quick Google suggests there are quite a few firms providing this service. If it's a one-off, that would probably be more cost-effective than buying your own machine.
 
Many years ago, I used to transfer 9mm, 8mm and 16mm films to digital. I never did VHS but I know there's stuff out there. A quick search and I found this (be aware, it's an American product so, unless you can find something similar in the UK, you may have to pay import tax if you buy this).
It looks like you get the software and hardware interface.


Of course there are probably others out there if you keep searching.
 
I've got a machine that combines a Hard Disk Drive, A VHS cassette player and a DVD.
I can record from my Cable box to the hard-drive, and from the VHS to the DVD, and from the hard-drive to DVD
It looks a bit like this

Toshiba RDXV48 - 160Gb Hard Drive DVD Recorder & VHS Combi With Freeview : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Shop Toshiba RDXV48 - 160Gb Hard Drive DVD Recorder & VHS Combi With Freeview. Free delivery and returns on eligible orders.
www.amazon.co.uk

You need to search for 'dvd vhs combo player recorder' or similar

I've spent many an hour copying a VHS to DVD, then ripping the DVD onto computer so I can edit it further
 
HareBrain said:
A quick Google suggests there are quite a few firms providing this service. If it's a one-off, that would probably be more cost-effective than buying your own machine.
Click to expand...
I never thought of that, I've been looking at various devices and it's tricky trying to determine which would be best
Thanks, I'll look into sending the cassettes away instead :unsure: :giggle:
 
M. Robert Gibson said:
I've got a machine that combines a Hard Disk Drive, A VHS cassette player and a DVD.
I can record from my Cable box to the hard-drive, and from the VHS to the DVD, and from the hard-drive to DVD
It looks a bit like this

Toshiba RDXV48 - 160Gb Hard Drive DVD Recorder & VHS Combi With Freeview : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Shop Toshiba RDXV48 - 160Gb Hard Drive DVD Recorder & VHS Combi With Freeview. Free delivery and returns on eligible orders.
www.amazon.co.uk

You need to search for 'dvd vhs combo player recorder' or similar

I've spent many an hour copying a VHS to DVD, then ripping the DVD onto computer so I can edit it further
Click to expand...

I have the same machine. I think it comes with the worst manual I have ever read. It makes the fundamental mistake of explaining what each button does instead of explaining what buttons you need to press to perform a particular function.
 
Hmm...I don't have family memories on VHS but do have some that include Florence, Ermintrude, Dougal, Zebedee et al which criminally are not available on DVD.
 
I have a couple of
LG RCT699H
VHS to DVD machines. You can still buy them on Amazon at 400 a pop (more on ebay now for some reason.)
You can buy one, copy your stuff and sell it again. Make sure you get the remote with it though!
Or set up a cottage industry copying other people's old videos, (though beware wedding videographers often retain copyright.)

1662738850482.png
 
I had some little camcorder cassette tapes that I had converted to DVD. Just had it done in a shop (a shop on the high street, that is, rather than online but I'd imagine it's easier to send it off to an online place now).
 
Brian G Turner said:
Recommendations based on experience, though. Wouldn't want to risk my only video copies with a company that won't care disrespect them.
Click to expand...
I did it for free as a favour to people. Oddly enough, the work came flying in and people didn’t seem to mind risking their cherished memories with me despite being a mere amateur. Too much work is why I stopped transferring to digital.

No matter how good a company is, accidents can happen. I almost lost a very rare 9.5mm film because of a faulty drive belt. The film jammed and began to scorch at the point of light source. I only just managed to prevent too much damage (a couple of darkened frames). I had to completely replace a 1930‘s metal drive belt with something more modern and reliable. It turned out a large ‘O’ ring did the trick.
When things like this happen, recommendations don’t count for much.

Another thing to minimise risk is to look for a company that uses recorded delivery to minimise loss in the post.

My point is, if they are so important to you then money should not be a major consideration and surely the logical thing to do would be to make copies and send them in. It must still be possible to buy a couple of cheap VHS players (or whatever you need) out there, link them with the required cables (they’re easy enough to make if not available) and then you can keep the originals safe at home. You could even get together with another person with the same problem, halve the cost or equipment.
Of course, there are also other recommendations in this thread for buying complete units to transfer from VHS to digital. These could be sold on after use.
 
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The only major consideration is protecting cherished memories by having someone utterly trustworthy do it. We're not in a position to buy in extra equipment to make copies - if we were able to do that we'd probably be able to digitize it all ourselves anyway. :) We're not, and I've yet to get any recommendations, which is why our treasured videos continue to collect dust in the loft.
 
I hope you have them well protected because video tape can be subjected to mould amongst other forms of degradation. It can grow on the tape itself as well as the casing. Isopropyly alcohol can be used to help restore it if this happens but you need to know what you're doing.

Personally, I'd store them in an area that was dry, away from direct sunlight and of a reasonably constant temperature (a cupboard within the house perhaps). An insulated loft will keep the heat in the house but outside of that insulation there will be temperature fluctuations and any roof leak may allow high moisture content, leading to mould etc.
 
I used to have a DVD recorder and VHS player. with a SCART cable, it was very easy to transfer my tapes onto disc. However DVD are, in their own way, equally susceptible to degradation as cassettes. Nowadays, my personal choice would be to transfer to a USB memory stick, which can then easily be copied onto a backup stick (and kept on hard drive). I've not tried it myself, but there are loads of tutorials on Youtube.
 
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