Any clever techy types on here? Digitising VHS


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Don't think you can save videos to "here" - Nottstalgia. :)

VHS were analog devices, and most forms of video storage nowadays are digital. So you need some means of converting the analog to digital. You probably need to find someone with a VHS player and a PVR - Personal Video Recorder or similar. I did something similar about seven years ago when I digitised some old VHS tapes via a PVR, and then burnt them to DVD's.

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I have copied videos by playing them through the television and recording it straight on to a dvd via the dvd recorder, you could then load them onto the pc.

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The DVD recorder, often referred to as a PVR or similar to one, digitises the analog signal from the VHS player. Which is the important step.

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The trouble is nothing ever seems compatible .

I had a bit of music that was on a VHS tape that I wanted to upload to youtube. Ran it though the TV on to my elderly digital recorder hard-drive and then copied onto a disc .

Fine , it will play through DVD players no trouble

However , try and put it into Windows Movie Maker , to edit it and add titles and the laptop doesn't recognise the file . Something to do with codecs . Downloaded something that was supposed to recognise different codecs but wouldn't work for me .

The other crude method I have used is to play the VHS through the flat screen TV and plonk my Android tablet in front of the screen , close enough that you don't see the outer frame and record onto that using the movie camera function . Getting the sound right is then the problem and also my tablet saves movie files as .MOV files which take about half an hour to upload to youtube for a few minutes footage .

One day everything will be compatible hopefully .

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I have a VHSrecorder/DVD player burner, so can either record in both or record a VHS tape, quality will be crap though, VHS has such narrow bandwidth..

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Depends on your various output/input options. Most vcrs output in composite video (single yellow RCA plug) with black and red RCA plugs for stereo audio. If you have a late model video camera you can sometimes input that signal into it and it will digitize the signal. It then outputs it via a FireWire cable to your computer, assuming you computer has a FireWire input. You can then use windows movie maker or some other video editing software. I use Pinnacle. So many variables it is tough to give a one size fits all answer.

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One day everything will be compatible hopefully

Probably never happen. The real problem is the speed with which technology is changing. As soon as a new "standard" gets released, someone somewhere comes up with a better way of doing it. A "Sony", "Panasonic or "Samsung" will then try to get the edge on their competitors by designing and releasing products that are "better" than the "standard". And so it goes on, with each technology company seeking to leapfrog their competition with new designs.

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I'd hazard a guess that future recording devices will be on some form of plastic none moving substrate, in esscence like memory cards, but with no semi conductors on them. Kind of like a none moving CD.

Next generation of CPU's for computers hasn't arrived yet, problem is, we have stretched the limits of semi conductor technology to it's limits, hence the dual, triple and quad chips etc.. One the Master, the rest as slaves.

We have reached the limits on silicon wafer chips, we need a new technology for electronics to further advance us into the next century, IF! we survive this one..

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