Your Conversion Options

When converting your old tapes, one option is to use your computer to digitize the files and then burn them to disc. While you don’t need today’s top-of-the line PC to do this, a powerful machine is certainly recommended and will decrease the amount of time spent converting your tapes. It’s important to keep in mind that video requires large amounts of storage space, so you’ll need to make sure your PC has multiple gigabytes of free space before you begin.

Another option is to buy a standalone unit that will convert VHS to DVD, such as the Samsung DVD-VR357 ($199; www.samsung.com). Although many of these standalone units make the conversion process very easy, they’re often costly and don’t provide many options for editing your video. With some of these standalone units, for example, even creating a simple menu can be time-consuming and inconvenient.

For the purposes of this article, we’ll look at converting VHS to DVD by means of a computer. To do this, you’ll need a method of inputting VHS video into a digital format that your computer can understand. Here again, choices for input options abound.

Video capture cards, such as the Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1600 ($129; www.hauppauge.com), and graphics cards with video inputs can help you convert the video. Some of these cards come with software to help you capture and edit video. Another option, which we’ll use for our examples in this article, is an external USB capture box, such as the Pinnacle Studio MovieBox Plus ($119.99; www.pinnaclesys.com), which comes with a USB capture device and Pinnacle Studio Plus 11 video-editing software. With all of these options, you’ll need a VCR that you can connect to the card or capture box. For even more conversion and editing options, see the “Helpful Programs” sidebar.

Capture Video

In order to capture video with the Pinnacle Studio MovieBox Plus, you’ll need to connect a VCR to the white, hub-like capture device by means of an S-Video cable or RCA cables. The capture device then connects to your computer through USB or FireWire.

Once everything is connected, you’ll want to install the Pinnacle Studio Plus software, which will help you capture the video. Within the program, you can choose from many quality settings, including frame rates, resolution, and more. Try a few different options and see what settings give you the best quality for your tape, keeping in mind that quality settings that are too high will unnecessarily amplify the storage space needed but won’t give you a better picture. VHS supports about 30 frames per second, so you’ll get the best quality digital file if you use a setting that supports this same frame rate.

In addition to quality settings, pay attention to other capture settings, such as the ability to detect scenes automatically. For example, automatic scene detection in Pinnacle Studio Plus can attempt to detect changes in video and split clips during the capture process.

Edit Your Movies

After capturing video on your computer, you can edit the file by breaking it up into smaller pieces and adding titles or chapters, adding transitions , and much, much more. Pinnacle Studio Plus gives you many advanced editing options, as well, including the ability to generate and add soundtracks and combine video and photos.

Most of our VHS home movies contain videos from multiple events. By adding a menu to your newly converted video content, you can separate events and other clips into easily accessible chapters before burning it to a DVD. In doing so, you will eliminate the need to fast-forward and rewind in search of the clip of Aunt Betty’s surprise 50th birthday party, which is sandwiched somewhere between Christmas and video of your summer vacation. If you enabled automatic scene detection during the capture process, these clips should already be separated for you. If not, you can split the scenes yourself or use Studio Plus’ redetect scenes feature.

Make The Move

When you have finished editing your movie, you’re ready to burn it to DVD. Each capture or editing program will vary with how to do this, so check your users manual for detailed instructions.

Pay attention to the quality settings for the disc creation process. Here again, you’ll need to find a good balance between quantity and quality. You may find an automatic setting to be most helpful in calculating the amount of content you’ll be able to write to disc while still maintaining an acceptable recording quality.

During the creation process, Pinnacle Studio Plus renders the entire movie and then compiles it to create the actual files and directory structure used on disc. Finally, the program burns the disc. In addition to the hard drive capacity needed to store the video files, extra space is needed to render and create your movie prior to burning. After the program has rendered, compiled, and burned your movie, it will eject the disc. Depending on the speed and specs of your computer and the video you’re trying to burn, this creation process may take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

With some editing programs, you may need to create an ISO image file before you can burn the DVD. If this is the case, or if you’re experiencing errors burning directly to a DVD, look for an option to burn your movie to a file or create an ISO image. Once you’ve created an ISO file, you can use nearly any DVD authoring software to burn the movie to disc.

Share The Memories

With the right equipment, you can stream the movies you’ve just captured to TVs throughout your home using your wired or wireless home network. To do this, you’ll need a computer with Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows Vista Home Premium, or Vista Ultimate and a Media Center Extender (or Xbox 360).

Setting up a Media Center Extender and sharing content throughout your home is pretty easy, but you will need to know what security settings are in place on your home network, including any administrator passwords, the SSID (Service Set Identifier), and other settings associated with your network and router. (For more information on how to set up a Media Center Extender, see “Multimedia For Couch Potatoes” in our June 2008 issue.) With a Media Center Extender up and running, you should be able to use the Extender’s remote control to navigate through the Media Center menu and find your newly converted home movies.

Start Your Conversion Engines

As you can see, there are many ways to convert your VHS tapes to DVD. Regardless of the method you choose to use, in the end, you’ll be pleased to know that your memories are preserved for future generations to see.

by Jennifer Johnson