Another alternative is to make copies of your tapes on DVD using a PC or Laptop. This is done by connecting the camcorder to an analog-to-digital video converter, which, in turn, connects to a PC . Trained experts will clean and smooth dirty film with a special chemical.
Switch the VCR or DVD recorder to AV-in, Line-in, or Aux in from the input or source select button on the remote or on the recorder. Some VCRs allow access to the AV inputs by changing the channel selection up or down until you reach AV, line, or video in. Plug the camcorder directly into the VCR or DVD recorder and not the TV. In both cases, record to the target media as the source plays. Kayla Dube has 4+ years’ experience in videography and filmmaking. She frequently works in production with indie film companies.
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Moldy tapes are often played in a tape deck to shake the mold and dust loose before converting to digital. These methods aren’t fool-proof, but they can help you get better video captures. Experts that convert vintage home movies to digital have lots of the gear needed for more common tape and film variants. But tapes of different sizes and widths may need more than regular adapters, camcorders or tape decks to convert them.
You can then insert the SD card into any device for viewing. Be aware, though — you might need extra cables and a bigger SD card . These small devices are called “cards” because the original version was indeed a card that needed to be inserted into a computer, but these days they’re all plug-and-play USB dongles.
How to turn VHS into digital
Like Hilton, people often “will find a stash of old home movies,” Steinberg says. “They don’t want to hang onto boxes of films or VHS, but they want to save the memories on a digital format.” “I just knew that if I didn’t do something with those tapes in a few years, I’d lose them,” Hilton says. “There might not be the technology to support them.” He didn’t try to convert the VHS tapes to a digital format then, but the project earned a spot on his to-do list. And always test a new acquisition with a tape you don’t care about. That way, you don’t lose anything important if the VCR or camcorder destroys the first tape you insert.
The converter has an automatic recording stop function after 60, 90, 120, or 150 minutes. Besides, you can use some of the listed converters to optimize videos for mobile devices and tablets. We strongly recommend editing your videos, even if you take the DIY route to convert old home movies to digital. If you’re not confident in your technical skills, that’s okay too. Once your aging films are digital, you can tell a professional video editing service what you want done with them. Once your tape has done its dance, stop the recording within your video capture software. Give that newly minted digital file a cozy home by saving it in your preferred format (think .MP4, .AVI, and the like) and on your chosen spot on the computer.
Read more about convert vhs to digital here.
When you’re ready to record, press the “Start Recording” button on the left side of OBS’ window, then press Play on your VCR. OBS will begin recording your VCR’s output to a video file. Let the tape play as long as you want, then press “Stop Recording.” You should see the resulting video clip show up in your “Videos” folder in Windows Explorer. Play it to make sure everything was captured properly, and repeat this process for the rest of your tapes. Rewind the VHS tape to where you’d like to start the conversion, press play on your VCR, then hit record on your computer. The conversion process runs in real-time, so you can leave and do something else while you wait for the tape to reach its end. Personally, I’d recommend watching it to make sure that the tracking and audio don’t mess up during converting.
Once completed access the file directory that the software saves the file onto your computer. What I have found in the past that running the VHS-C tape directly from the camera gave no issues what so ever.