I have some VHS videos that I want to copy to DVD-Rs. I have heard that there are combination DVD/VCRs that can do just that. Have any of you tried this? How are the results? Can they be indexed (put in chapters)?
Thanks.
I have some VHS videos that I want to copy to DVD-Rs. I have heard that there are combination DVD/VCRs that can do just that. Have any of you tried this? How are the results? Can they be indexed (put in chapters)?
Thanks.
Screw luxury; resist convenience.
There are stand-alone devices, but I would and never have used them.
In the nutshell; you can connect your VCR to the computer and use capturing software for that purpose; for capturing from the VCR use VirtualDub, a freeware and one of the best programs available for that task. Once transferred to your harddisk, this material you can edit in a variety of DVD Authoring programs; I prefer DVD Lab PRO and DVD Maestro, but they are both expensive and the latter is hard to obtain. Hence, I would recommend Ifoedit, which is a freeware and a very good one at that.
With DVD Authoring programs you can make your own DVD menus, add chapters as you like and burn a finalized DVD that can bee viewed in a stand-alone DVD player.
The oldest rule of video material editing is this: Garbage in, garbage out. In other words, conversion from a VHS tape to a DVD format will never improve the quality of your finalized product, in best case scenario you can hope not to lose quality. Hence, I would not recommend that unless you intend to save some old family clips or similar that are valuable to you, but if you want to transfer any recent movies you taped to the DVD, I wouldn’t recommend it if you can get the original DVD.
Thanks a lot. I probably should record with the computer. I only considered the combination DVD/VCR because my VCR may be on its last legs.
I'll check into prices on a computer DVD burner (which I don't own yet).
Screw luxury; resist convenience.
You can get these combo machines now for under 150 dollars. You cant edit tt as you make it but can do so after your done. Although you wont get any better quality at least you wont loose anty quality as you would in a tape to tape transfer. I copy a lot of laser disc stuff to dvd that hasnt or will not be made for DVDs like the Godfather Saga.
Fighting for Truth , Justice and the American way
That sounds more promising. I have videos my friend shot in Brazil that are irreplaceable. We're interested in archiving them. I also have video stuff that will never be put in digital form by the producers.Originally Posted by Gawain of Orkeny
Screw luxury; resist convenience.
Huh? The Godfather trilogy? With Marlon Brando and Al Pacino? Of course its on DVD, I have all the parts on DVD.Originally Posted by Gawain of Orkeny
I recently got myself Vertigo on DVD as well, I’m always scanning for the older movies now being converted and brought out as a DVD edition. I ordered Gone with the Wind and The Thing the other day, both on DVD. Almost any noteworthy movie has been brought out on DVD. And, of course, them making it for the DVD from the original tapes will result in much better quality than we could every possibly hope to achieve with converting old VHS tapes or laser discs to DVD.
Btw, if you have only one or two tapes you want converted, perhaps you should look out for stores that do that professionally, converting VHS and Beta tapes, as well as old 8 mm to DVD.
EDIT: On what do you have that material saved? Was that recorded by a digital camera? Or do you have only the tapes by now? I just finished writing a king-sized article on video-editing, so I’m still tuned up for challenges in that area. This time for free!
Last edited by Voigtkampf; 04-03-2005 at 18:42.
Yes you are confused. Im talking the Godfather Saga not trilogy. If you never have seen it your really missing something. What they did is put the 1st two movies in chronilogical order. It starts in 1908 and ends in 1980. They added extra scenes and there arent flashbacks but one continous story. It isnt on dvd and never will be. Oh I just found this.Huh? The Godfather trilogy? With Marlon Brando and Al Pacino? Of course its on DVD, I have all the parts on DVD.
Godfather Saga
Crime, 6hrs 26min
1977
Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro ...more
Originally screened as a mini-series on the NBC television network, this epic-length feature combines the entirety of The Godfather and The Godfather Part II with 15 minutes of outtakes from the two films, recutting the material into chronological order (clarifying the complex structure of The Godfather Part II, which jumped back and forth between events that occurred before and after the narrative of the first film). The Godfather 1902-1959: The Complete Epic tells the tale of the Corleone Family, from the arrival of Vito Corleone in the U.S. as a boy and his rise to criminal power as a young man (played by Robert DeNiro) to the decline of his empire decades later. While some of the original material was censored for television broadcast, when The Godfather 1902-1959: The Complete Epic was later released on home video, the altered footage was restored to its original content. However, this proved not to be the final and complete document of the Corleone saga, as Francis Ford Coppola added another chapter to the story nine years later with the release of The Godfather Part III. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie GuideYou want my address ?Btw, if you have only one or two tapes you want converted, perhaps you should look out for stores that do that professionally, converting CHS and Beta tapes, as well as old 8 mm to DVD.
Last edited by Gawain of Orkeny; 04-03-2005 at 18:44.
Fighting for Truth , Justice and the American way
Ahh sooooo... My bad. It seemed odd to me that you would make such a mistake, being in video business for so long, heh. I believe that I have heard of Godfather saga but it never made it over here to Europe. I stand corrected.Originally Posted by Gawain of Orkeny
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