How to Back-up your VHS tapes

[Guest]

what about ripping a VHS? what equipment is needed? is there a guide anywhere? ##Thanx##

[ghost]

found with google in 60 seconds:

http://www.arstechnica.com/guide/audio- ... cap-1.html

[infiniter]

I'll tell it short:

- a VCR with (preferrably) SVHS output socket (or adapter)
- a video grabbing card or a graphics card with video in feature (uses SVHS socket)
- sound card with line in, connect it to VCR audio output
- capturing software, either provided by the graphics card vendor or free like Virtual Dub (produces only AVI)
- a fast PC (the bigger the resolution to be captured, the higher the performance requirement to avoid dropping of frames)

Steps:
- grab (capture the video in the highest resolution possible by hardware/software)
- avoid dropping of frames by changing the resolution to a more compatible size
- adapt the captured video to the given format, means you should capture NTSC in 30 frames per second at typical NTSC resolutions and PAL at 25 fps at typical PAL resolutions (resolutions are given by software)
- audio should be captured at 44,1 kHz in WAV format (16 bit, stereo)
- after capturing converse the captured video to the desired format (AVI, WMV, MPG (VCD, SVCD, DVD)) with the various software available
- if you want to make AVI with (preferrably) VirtualDub, then you should add filters which clear and sharpen the distortion, colour errors and noise of a VHS picture

And as always: Learning by doing.

Cheers!

[Rich]

Thanks for the info infiniter :thumbup:

Rich

[infiniter]

Buy a Mac. Hook up your VCR to the great software called 'imovie', edit as desired, create a DVD in 'idvd' software file and burn to a DVD.

A Mac is nice, but it's a toy. It's expensive, you need to buy nearly all the software because there's not much pirated stuff. Software is rare, the Mac is exotic, it can only be used for multimedia things.

[NRJ]

now that DVD recorders are cheaper, are they a bette choice or should i stick with ATI AIW9200?

[NRJ]

I guess no one knows.