I did this years ago during the summer between middle school and high school.

I connected an Archos portable video player to the VHS machine and was able to capture okay video and audio. Then I transferred all those recorded files from the Archos pvp to the Dell desktop -- and burned all the video files onto DVDs using some version of Nero editing software.

The DVDs still work fine. The problem is my dad threw away the Dell desktop some time ago, not knowing the files were stored on it (there were quite a lot of Mac, Jurko, and Harry shows on that desktop too).

So, I'm getting ready to do this all over again on my Macbook. This time however, instead of the archaic portable video player, I have this:

https://www.amazon.com/UCEC-Capture-Device-Converter-Windows/dp/B07PS2TD9L/ref=sxin_11?asc_contentid=amzn1.osa.c0a6cb0c-a97d-4133-bc75-7011ac62cc57.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&asc_contenttype=article&ascsubtag=amzn1.osa.c0a6cb0c-a97d-4133-bc75-7011ac62cc57.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&creativeASIN=B07PS2TD9L&crid=2M0U6P70WUVC0&cv_ct_cx=vhs+to+digital+converter&cv_ct_id=amzn1.osa.c0a6cb0c-a97d-4133-bc75-7011ac62cc57.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&cv_ct_pg=search&cv_ct_we=asin&cv_ct_wn=osp-single-source-earns-comm&dchild=1&keywords=vhs+to+digital+converter&linkCode=oas&pd_rd_i=B07PS2TD9L&pd_rd_r=3312ebcf-673f-47ae-8673-be81c2e0a7c8&pd_rd_w=0eRo4&pd_rd_wg=bXcm4&pf_rd_p=33860da3-ef8e-4e39-8ae4-a9faa0532123&pf_rd_r=YZEMB7KKXNQSHFT1QCET&qid=1625265342&s=electronics&sprefix=vhs+to+digita%2Celectronics%2C215&sr=1-2-64f3a41a-73ca-403a-923c-8152c45485fe&tag=ignarticleonsite-20

I still need to get a VHS player from eBay and would like to get one that has an S-Video output. Although, I don't know if that would make a difference in the quality of the video as these are old VHS-C tapes. I need a new cassette adapter too:

(https://www.amazon.com/Electrovision-Vhs-c-Motorised-Cassette-Adaptor/dp/B000LB0QIY/ref=asc_df_B000LB0QIY/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309789102444&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5862384018485549114&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030106&hvtargid=pla-507442175237&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=61293379643&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=309789102444&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5862384018485549114&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030106&hvtargid=pla-507442175237).


Any tips from people who have either done this or know a little bit about video/audio quality and/or video editing software?

I was going to post a similar thread, but I need to convert some old cassette tapes from high school band.

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My dad's got a number of cassettes from family gatherings in the 70s. It would be great to get them over to digital form. My sister attempted it once and it sounded like shit.

My wife did most of our VHS tapes through a company working through the Walgreens photo lab. She did the first one with Walgreens, then the company contacted her directly for all the rest. It came out alright, but not without a few bumps. It was really fun to sit last Christmas and watch baby videos of our kids with them as adults now. Brings a tear to the eye pretty quickly and often.

My sister recently copied a cassette tape recording of my Dad interviewing my Grandpa for my sister's high school history class project. Dad's been gone 7 years today, Grandpa 25, it is really good to hear their voices again, even if the quality is marginal.

Bought a $200 (w/shipping) JVC VHS player on eBay earlier today (gave up searching at Goodwill). It's got an S-Video output for better resolution. From what I read, it sounds like they stopped producing VHS players with S-Video input/outputs right around when DVD players came to the market. I remember having an S-Video VHS player as a kid and the quality of the picture playing back recorded Cubs/Bulls games was night and day.

I've used DVD recorders before, which is fine as long as you back up your transferred DVDs. What I did more recently was connecting a VHS to a Hauppauge and then the captured file is a MP4. A program like Handbrake can convert the DVD footage, but if you transfer direct to MP4 you don't need conversion. It's a time-consuming process, but if you have a home movie someone wants to see it might be worth the time.

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God is the uncaused cause of the universe. He had no beginning and has no end. He is not bound by the laws of the universe he created.

I've done transferring before. The places who do transfers charge a lot. So if you're getting something transferred it has to be worth the cost. I'm all for using good equipment, but good equipment can't fix poor source tapes.

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God is the uncaused cause of the universe. He had no beginning and has no end. He is not bound by the laws of the universe he created.

Does that device capture right from the smaller cassette video cams? Like VHS-C or the other format?

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If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

To transfer VHS-C you need to use the composite jacks from a video camera or take the tape out and put it in a VHS-S to VHS converter and run it through a VCR.

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God is the uncaused cause of the universe. He had no beginning and has no end. He is not bound by the laws of the universe he created.

COAX
HDMI
SMA

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I have a Hauppauge PVR 2 and it can capture from composite, component and HDMI if unencrypted. People generally use Hauppauge for capturing video game footage for YouTube, but you can also use it for screen capture if you're doing an instructional video for YouTube.

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God is the uncaused cause of the universe. He had no beginning and has no end. He is not bound by the laws of the universe he created.

I think my parents never threw out some Super8 movies from the late 60s and early 70s. I'm going to try to find them the next time I am visiting my father. Even if the quality is poor, it would be worth it to transfer them because my dad definitely has no idea that can be done and it would make him happy. My mom refused to get them transferred to VHS years ago because someone might damage or lose them - not the best of logic on that one.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

That would be really cool! I wish I had Super8 movies of my grandparents and parents from that era. It's important to keep that stuff current and up-to-date. Good luck!