I need to put VHS tapes on my computer.

Change VHS video tapes to DVDs

• I have several VHS video tapes. I would like to put this material on DVDs so that I can preserve the quality of the material and then dispose of the tapes. I want to be sure that the DVDs created are compatible with common DVD players used to play movies on TV and I would also like to do this in an efficient and economical way. My computer is a Mac G4 running OS 10.2 with SuperDrive . What is the best way to do this and what equipment do I need?

• Answer:

  Hello seattle-ga, Converting VHS to DVD is something that many people want to learn how to do in order to preserve their home movies or personal tape collections. Here is a good article about how to transfer your vhs to your mac. [ http://catalyst.washington.edu/how-to/digitalvideo/imovie.html ] The link above talks about a DV input box, which you will probably need to connect your vcr to your mac. The macintosh website recommends the Dazzle input box in this article: [ http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=T4910LL/A ] You may find that the price of the Dazzle is a bit high at $279. It offers very good quality transfer, which will make your final product look better. However, you can also check out a cheaper variation of this product by ADS, called USB Instant Video at: [ http://www.meritline.com/adstecusbinv.html ] After transferring the video to your mac, you can simply use the macintosh idvd software to load the transferred clip and burn it to DVD, or edit it if you choose. idvd is very simple to use, and only requires a few clicks. However, as with any new technology, all dvds will not play in every dvd player, and there is not much you can do about it. Buying 'branded' dvd-r discs (the more expensive ones, not cheaper bulk packs) will increase the chances of it working in more dvd players, due to higher reflectivity in the more expensive dvd-r discs. To sum it up: 1)You need to decide how much you are willing to spend. Remember, a higher priced input box will mean better quality. 2)Tranfer the video from your vcr using the software included with the capture hardware or imovie. 3)Use idvd to burn it to a high-quality dvd-r disc. I hope this helps. -molszewski-ga