[moose43]

Need the simplest solution for the saving of slowly detiorating VCR tapes. It would be best if there was a way to do a little editing to see if some of the quality could be improved, but mostly want to get them on a more stable storage medium.

Using an iMac.

Thanks

[SeSawaya]

buy a semi cheap ($300-$400) video digital (DV) camera and use it as a bridge to your iMac. Set the video camera to DV IN and then play your tape. use iMovie and import. Its actually VERY easy once you get the video camera. The best part is, then you have a sweet camera too!!!

Once in iMovie, send to iDVD and you're done.

I'm suer if you use the search button you'll find some great write ups on exactly how to do it, but if you can use a Mac, you can do this.

[k_munic]

From VHS to DVD
Give New Life to Old Movies
Macworld: Feature: From VHS to DVD, Page 1

[stevesnj]

Originally Posted by SeSawaya

buy a semi cheap ($300-$400) video digital (DV) camera and use it as a bridge to your iMac..

Buy a VHS/DVD-R dual deck for $200 to $250 not all small DV cams support video passthru but good idea though.

[moose43]

I just was in a store and wondered about buying the vhs/dvd burner.

Once it is on a dvd, I suppopse you can rip it to the iMac then edit / then burn the new and improved project?

I already have a mini DV Canon recorder that is not pass thru. Don't need another camera.

[macbarry]

Originally Posted by moose43

I just was in a store and wondered about buying the vhs/dvd burner.

Once it is on a dvd, I suppopse you can rip it to the iMac then edit / then burn the new and improved project?

I already have a mini DV Canon recorder that is not pass thru. Don't need another camera.

The only problem with the VHS/DVD burner is that you will end up with MPEG2 encoded source material.

Using an analogue to DV pass through will yield the highest quality copy. However, since buying a camcorder with this option is not something you want to do then the next cheapest strategy for you could be to simply pop in a miniDV tape in your existing camcorder and copy your VHS material to it.

[sonicularulus]

buy an eyetv unit for $150 and let the magic work from there

[moose43]

Thanks to the advice on here, I found that my 4 year old Canon ZR50 actually will do pass through conversion. I started messing with digital videos first and realized that this will take way more time than I thought.

This will be a long process, because of the poor video shotting skills of the camera operators!!!

Editing these things will be a project with no end!

[Kevin Dunahee]

I just bought a DAQ 200 from Data Video Corp.


No configuration whatsoever. "It just works."

-EDIT I forgot to mention that it allows you to capture analog signal from a VCR into iMovie. Extremely simple.

[Todd Madson]

I've got a JVC DV camcorder with firewire out but no apparent pass-thru
capability that I can detect.

It apparently also has no input jacks of any kind.

I guess I'll have to buy some kind of "connect VHS machine to Mac" device.