DVD killed the video star

[queenmartina]

An upcoming pet project of mine will be to transfer lots of old VHS footage to DVD via my laptop, and some of it may even end up on YouTube. Nothing mucky, before you ask! (Keyword is *geeky*.) :-D

I don't have a DVD recorder/VHS combi as yet, so I'm hoping to do this via (inexpensive) software and cables. (Something like this, perhaps?) I've been reading reviews of various products, and am still none the wiser. Whatever I end up with doesn't have to be too basic as I'm relatively tech-savvy (aren't I, keresaspa?), but ideally not too complicated either! Or am I asking for too much?

Any advice from any seasoned video capturers would be good.

Comments

[human-racer.livejournal.com]

It's kinda difficult to tell how easily it'll work until you try, but often it's a simple case of connecting the VHS player's SCART output to the DVD recorder's SCART input. Voila, start recording!

Three hints I'd give: one, run your tapes through a couple of times before you start- old tapes that haven't been played in a while tend to stick. Second, clean your tape heads regularly. Old magnetic tape gets a little fragile and will leave deposits on the heads. Finally, jump on ebay and get yourself a signal booster. Again, they're easy to use- usually a SCART in-SCART out affair, although it's possible you'd have to juggle with SCART-video lead connectors. That'll make sure you minimise any loss of quality with the recording- a particularly important thing if you've recorings that are a few generations old. A warning on that- if you try and convert any pre-recorded tapes with Macrovision protection, a signal booster will negate the protection and you'll end up doing a naughty thing... which of course a good, law-abiding little GeekGoddess such as yourself would never want to do!

Anything fun and Cult TVish on these tapes?