How To Transfer VHS To DVD

Digitalize those old video tapes using your PC

Last weekend you cleaned the basement and came across a big box of old VHS tapes. You've got old home videos of your kids. You've got a bunch of classic Disney movies on tape. Tossing them all was probably your first idea, but you have a second choice: convert your VHS tapes to DVD! That's exactly what this website is going to show you how to do.

VHS to DVD conversion really isn't that hard. You can hire a service to do it for you, but it's actually fairly easy to do it yourself. It's just a bit daunting to think of connecting video cables, installing software, burning DVD's, and so on all by yourself. But don't worry - this guide will give you step-by-step instructions so that you can transfer your first VHS tape to your PC or Mac.

There are essentially two ways to copy video tapes to DVD's. The first way is to use a DVD recorder/VHS combo. A machine like this looks like a VCR, but it also has a DVD burner inside. The machine will record films to DVD without a computer. The problem with this solution is that these machines can cost $300 or more! As a result, in this tutorial, we'll be focusing on the PC-based solution, but you can get more info on the machines on the VHS To DVD Hardware page.

The second way to convert your VHS tapes is to use your computer. Using this method, you can also transfer video from your DV digital camcorder, 8mm/Hi8 camera, or DVR box. The equipment needed costs some money, but after you have it, you'll be able to transfer your tapes for next to nothing!

Equipment Needed To Copy VHS To DVD

1. VCR Tape Player. If you don't have one anymore, just pick up a used Sony VCR on eBay. They're cheap. (Obviously, you won't need it after you transfer your tapes.) Note that if you want to transfer PAL format tapes, you'll need to get a PAL format VCR. If you don't know what this means, you need a regular North America (NTSC) format VCR.

2. RCA Video Cable. You will need a stereo audio/video RCA cable. Get the kind with three plugs on both ends. It's best if you can get a longer cable (at least 6FT or more) because you will need to connect your cable from your VCR to your PC.

3. Video Capture Card. For example, consider the StarTech SVID2USB2 device which connects through USB 2.0 port (plug-n-play). Devices like these will allow you to transfer high-quality video from a video device (i.e. your VCR) onto your computer.

4. Video Editing Software. Although free solutions exist, such as Windows Movie Maker 7, we advise paying for professional video editing software. We highly recommend Pinnacle Studio 14 for its ease of use. This software will record video from your USB video capture device, allow you to edit transferred video (for example, to remove commercials or unwanted portions), and burn the video to DVD. Most software allows you to touch up video by adding DVD menus, adjusting shaky video, tweaking color and hue, and so on.

5. Blank DVD's & Labels. We recommend Verbatim DVD-R discs for their long life. Make sure you purchase DVD-R discs (rather than DVD-RW or DVD+R). DVD-R discs are compatible with most older DVD players, whereas newer disc formats are not. Blank DVD's are normally sold by the "spindle." Each disc holds two hours (120 minutes) of video or 4.7GB of data. Consider getting some Avery DVD labels to create custom labels for your discs.

6. PC or Macintosh Computer. You'll need a fairly new computer running Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Apple OS X. Converting and editing video is a resource-intensive task, and an old Windows 98 computer won't cut it!

Start Transferring Your Tapes!

Step #1: Install Software & Updates

You'll want to install everything before you start converting tapes to DVD.

First, get any updates for your computer before you start. Go to WindowsUpdate.com and get any new drivers for your PC, especially for your graphics card.

Then, install the software/drivers that came on the CD with your video capture device.

Finally, install the video editing software you chose. You're ready for step #2!

Step #2: Hook Up Cables

First, plug in your video capture card and let your computer recognize it. You will probably need to restart your PC.

Next, situate your VCR player near your computer. Plug one end of your RCA video cable into the analog "output" jacks in the back of the VCR. Plug the other ends of the cable into your video capture device.

Put a VHS tape into your VCR, rewind to the beginning of the tape, and start playing it.

Side note: this will bypass any copy protection on your VHS tape, since the VCR can't tell if it's playing to your computer or to a TV.

Step #3: Transfer Video

Next, start up Pinnacle Studio on your computer. When the program has started, go to the "Capture" tab.

Click the "Settings" button. Make sure the video source is set to your video capture card.

After you see video in the program, click "Start Capture" to start transferring your VHS tape. After the tape has ended, stop the capture.

Step #4: Edit Video

After you've transferred your tape, you will need to add the video to a project timeline.

Go to the "Edit" tab in the software. Drag the created video onto the timeline at the bottom. If you'd like to include the entire video without editing it, click the "Files" button before dragging the video.

At this step, you can edit the video if necessary. For more information on how to do this, please see the Pinnacle Studio manual. You can also add a DVD menu by clicking the DVD menu button on the left.

Step #5: Burn DVD

Finally, click the "Make Movie" tab in the software.

Choose "Disc" on the left and "DVD" for disc type. Load a blank disc in your DVD burner and click the "Create Disc" button.

You can also create video files here if you just want to save your movie on your PC. You can save in any of the following formats: MP4/MPEG/AVI/DivX/MOV/QuickTime/iPod/iPad. You can also upload your video to YouTube.com to share with others.

That's it! You've successfully converted your first VHS video tape to DVD.