Learn How to Turn Your VHS Tapes and Home Movies into DVDs

This article outlines two methods to do so—both produce the same quality video. The first method involves using a standalone DVD recorder. The second method involves using your computer and an analog-to-digital video converter to convert your VHS tapes to MPEG files and then burn them to DVDs. Costco offers video transfer services for club members that give you the option of converting VHS to DVD, a USB thumb drive, or both. Popular stores that convert VHS and other videotape formats to DVD and digital are Costco, Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS.

Placing too many components (e.g., DVD players, VCRs, cable boxes, consoles, etc.) in proximity can lead to overheating. You can’t use both at the same time with the least amount of cables. If you’re using all digital connections and have a digital TV that has a digital audio output, then run both the DVD and the tuner to the TV. Then connect the digital audio output on the TV to the receiver. When the receiver is off, the audio will come from the TV.

Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles.

Once you’ve got one, connect the analog-to-digital converter to your computer and your VCR or camera. Most adapters come with software that walks you through the entire transfer process, including importing the resulting footage into a more comprehensive video editor or burning it straight to DVD. Refer to the installation disc, instruction manual, or manufacturer’s website for more information on installing the software and downloading the necessary drivers. Connect your VCR to your computer with an analog-to-digital video converter. An analog-to-dv converter has a USB connection on one side, and red, white and yellow RCA cables on the other. Connect the RCA cables to the corresponding colors on the back of your VCR and connect the USB cable to your computer. Their “base” price covers the cost of conversion, then you need to choose and purchase what type of media you want it stored on which can be cloud storage, DVDs, USB like most of the other transfer services.

If you use YesVideo directly they frequently offer discounts up to 70% off what you would pay normally. Plus they transfer reel to reel film, pictures and more. In addition to having your video in the cloud, you can also transfer every 2 hours of video to DVD for $9.99, or Blu Ray for $14.99. By following these 15 steps, you’ll be able to easily convert your cherished VHS tapes to DVDs, preserving your memories for years to come. When your VHS tape reaches the end, press “Stop” on your DVD recorder or conversion software. Home movies capture our most important memories like holidays, family gatherings, graduations, weddings, and celebrations. Whether you grew up in the late 1960s on Super 8 film or in the…

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Whether you’re trying to delete the profile from a PC or a mobile device, this is what you need to do. Unfortunately, if you want to preserve that digital information , you’ll need some very specific products. As with the previous method, we suggest giving your tape and VCR a look-over to make sure each is clean. Particles on the tape can cause blemishes in the video during the transfer, while dirty heads can ruin the entire project. You’ll want to start the DVD recorder first so you don’t cut off the beginning of the video. DVD recorders cost between $100-$200 at major electronic stores or online. You can also usually find one between $50-$75 in good condition on Ebay.

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Organizing and Finishing Touches for Your DVD Copies

Using a program like Handbrake, you’ll be able to compress them with virtually no loss of quality but with significantly smaller file sizes. This process is more involved and requires a few additional materials, but it has its benefits.

Walgreens charges $24.99 per videotape of transferred to the cloud at iMemories. The great thing about this is you can share these links with your friends and family to see the video once its transferred, no need to host a DVD party. They also charge by the 1st 30 minutes vs a full 2-hour tape, which can save money if it’s a short video but possibly cost more if it’s a full 2 hours long. Press “Play” on your VHS player while simultaneously pressing “Record” on your DVD recorder or within your conversion software. Connect the VHS player to a power source and plug it into your TV using the appropriate cables. Make sure the player is working properly by playing the tape.

If not, please try the procedures in the KB article linked at the start of this article. When recording is done, stop the VCR or DVD recorder and the camcorder. Press record on the VCR or DVD recorder then press play on the Camcorder. In both cases, record to the target media as the source plays. Robert Silva has extensive experience in consumer electronics and home theater product sales and sales supervision; he has written about audio, video, and home theater topics since 1998. Robert has articles published on HBO.com and Dishinfo.com plus has made appearances on the YouTube series Home Theater Geeks. Plug the DVD player’s power cable into an electrical socket.

It allows you to pop in a VHS , insert a DVD-R disc, and press record to dub the video over. There’s a lot of waiting involved, but it isn’t a ton of active work, and it’s much cheaper than using a professional service if you have a lot of tapes. The marketplace is where enthusiasts find the movies streaming services don’t offer. Option 3 — Take your tapes to a video duplicator and have them transferred to DVD professionally . Have the service make a DVD copy of one or two of your tapes.