If this is a one time deal you might look into having a professional service convert it to DVD. Then you can import it an edit if necessary. __________________________________
CORNBLOSSOM

The services that do the conversion in my area charge about $60 an hour.

For that price I figure I could buy a fairly nice piece of hardware that I can go back to.

I tried something like this when I was starting to figure out how to capture my 8mm.

http://www.amazon.com/EasyCAP-DC60-Creator-Capture-High-quality/dp/B002H3BSCM/ref=sr_1_12?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1293429417&sr=1-12

Results were horrible.

I looked at digitizing my old super8 film and decided to bite the bullet and get it professionally done. The people who did it for me had a machine that scans each individual frame to obtain the best possible quality. Much much better than using a movie projector, even a specialised one for copying.

My advice would be to save up your money and get it done once and done right before the quality drops off too much. My youtube channel====> http://www.youtube.com/user/relate2?feature=mhsn

I'm talking video not film.

And the place I called said they don't use any special high end machine.

Really? No one has any advice on this topic?

i did this just last month,bought a vcr/dvd recorder at Wal Mart for $168 I'm pleased how they turned out.Yeah PD 9 can handle .vob files,the file type that a vcr/dvd recorder produces. The only problem is when you trim the clips the sound track can become slightly out of sync with the video

Quote: I have about 5 hours of VHS and compact VHS tapes that I still need to convert.
<snip>
I no longer have a VCR. I thought about purchasing a VCR/DVD combo, but I'm not sure if the data can be written to the DVD in a format such that I can easily get it to my computer.

What is your price point?

I happen to have a VCR, so that's what I'm using, but I can't imagine they would be very expensive. If you ask around you'll probably find someone who has one you can borrow.

The other piece you'll need is an adaptor that goes from analog audio/video to USB. Figure that might run you about USD 50.

Since you have PD, you can probably use that to suck in your video. If it bellyaches about copy-protection, use the software that comes with the device and then use PD to go from there. Jerry Schwartz

I own one of those USB adapters and I am not at all impressed with the quality of the video captured using it.

The Digital 8 camcorder with fire were output worked great for all my analog 8mm tape. I am looking for a similar solution for my VHS tape.

BillyC56 seems to be on the right track answering my question. I'd like to hear more from folks who have used the type of device he mentions.

BillyC56 Wrote:

did this just last month,bought a vcr/dvd recorder at Wal Mart for $168 I'm pleased how they turned out.Yeah PD 9 can handle .vob files,the file type that a vcr/dvd recorder produces. The only problem is when you trim the clips the sound track can become slightly out of sync with the video

I also have the vcr/DVD combo unit, It works better than any other capture device I have tried.
The plus of the vcr/dvd combo unit is you also capture the closed captions on the DVD that is recorded.

Extracting the closed captions is easy with the software that is available online.

I have not experienced the out of sync audio in PD8. PD9 may be have that problem, I don't know. Carl312: Windows 10 64-bit 8 GB RAM,AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4 GHz,ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB,240GB SSD,two 1TB HDs.

For VHS, I use this setup...

VHS to digital camera via rca
digital camera to computer via firewire
Capture using Windows Movie Maker.

Now, this depends on 2 things.
1. the correct rca>mini adapter, available at any Radio Shack.
2. the digital camera must have av/dv converter built in.

Do you have, or can you borrow a camera that has that ability? Mine is a Canon Elura 100, but many cameras have this feature built in, and few people know it.

If you do a search on this topic, you will see this has been covered. HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT

Carl312,

Is there a brand/model of VCR/DVD combo you recommend?

Thanks,
Tim

Quote: I own one of those USB adapters and I am not at all impressed with the quality of the video captured using it.

You might be trying to get blood from a stone. VHS doesn't have very high quality to begin with.

Have you compared your results with any other method? Jerry Schwartz

lerxst01

The one that I have is a Magnavox Model# ZV427MG9

It was $168 plus tax at Walmart Feb 2010.
I am in Texas, USA.

It's one fault is no DL disks. The quality drops if you try to record more that 2 hours on a single layer DVD. It is capable of up to six hours, but the quality of the video is really poor if you exceed two hours. Carl312: Windows 10 64-bit 8 GB RAM,AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4 GHz,ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB,240GB SSD,two 1TB HDs.

Jerrys,

VHS has DVD quality if recorded at SP speed, VHS does not bad at SP recording, It is Standard Definition of 720x480 video.

You lose a few lines of definition at EP speed but not that much. It is still 720x480 video.
Carl312: Windows 10 64-bit 8 GB RAM,AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4 GHz,ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB,240GB SSD,two 1TB HDs.

Using the method I describe, saving the video with MM, via firewire, will be the best quality, provided the heads are clean. But the fact is, "garbage in/garbage out.
Check your video camera manual, of 3 cameras I have, 2 have the av>dv option.
Canon Elura 100
Canon HV30
Using firewire gives you a good bitrate, too. HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT

All right Carl buddy...just ordered one of your Magnavox Model# ZV427MG9 off of Amazon.

Quote: Jerrys,

VHS has DVD quality if recorded at SP speed, VHS does not bad at SP recording, It is Standard Definition of 720x480 video.

You lose a few lines of definition at EP speed but not that much. It is still 720x480 video.

I'll have to take your word for it.

All I know is that I can easily spot the difference between VHS at SP speed and live standard definition TV, and between EP and SP.

I've never had the opportunity or reason to do a head-to-head comparison between VHS and a DVD, but I don't see the same degradation with a DVD that I do with VHS. Jerry Schwartz

jerrys

Oh, yes there is a definite loss in quality in VHS EP mode. After all the tape is running at 1/3 the speed, you lose some of the higher frequencies in the recording, exactly where the detail is.

VHS is analog, DVD is Digital, so it is not a fair comparison. Carl312: Windows 10 64-bit 8 GB RAM,AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4 GHz,ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB,240GB SSD,two 1TB HDs.