Converting VHS Tapes to Digital Files or DVD

I received a dozen questions after writing about how to convert analog audio tapes to digital files and/or CD from people asking if the same thing could be done with old videocassettes, converting old VHS tapes to DVD. Great question!

The good news is that you can do this at home. But before you get too excited, be aware of a few caveats. First, while converting audio tape to digital is only moderately complex, doing the same thing with video is considerably harder, especially if you're a novice.

The big problem is that, unless you have a TV tuner card with RCA inputs installed on your PC, you probably don't already have the computer hardware you need do the conversion. (Contrast this with audio hardware, which is almost universally present on every computer.)

Recognizing this limitation, several vendors have released hardware products that let you connect your VCR to your computer, including software to manage the copying process. Unfortunately, many people have reported poor results with these devices, and I can concur with those opinions. I've tried three different model products to do exactly this kind of conversion in the last couple of years (though I won't name names here), and the results have ranged from barely passable (with just a few dropped frames or scratchy audio) to completely unwatchable (that is, mostly static). The devices usually connect to your USB port and can cost $50 to $400, depending on brand. In my opinion, there's no point at all looking at anything that falls in that lower end, as you'll just return it in disgust after wasting hours troubleshooting it. With a higher end product, your results may vary. If you want to try, you'll want to use a PC that's reasonably powerful to handle the process, and you'll need plenty of disk space for your video files.

So what do I recommend? Unlike converting old music tapes, most people really cherish their old home videos, so I recommend outsourcing this operation to the pros. There are hundreds of service centers that will accept your VHS tapes, professionally convert them to DVD, and send you both the originals and the digital files in a week or so. Prices tend to vary wildly from about $10 to $60 per cassette (or finished DVD), so shop around carefully. I honestly think you'll be more pleased with the results (as most conversion houses do some audio and video cleanup work for you, too), and if you only have a few hours of video to convert, it's probably actually cheaper than buying all that equipment.

There are a couple of other DIY methods to consider, depending on whether you have the hardware or interest. One relatively simple way is to capture the video by hooking up your VCR to a DV camcorder (if it has analog inputs, which is not always the case), then output the DV tape you just made to your PC using the FireWire port and any standard video capture program.

You can also try a VHS-to-DVD recorder, which is a set-top box used without a PC at all, containing both a VCR and a DVD recorder in one chassis (search for "DVD recorder VHS combo"). Just pop in your VHS tape and a blank DVD and hit record. If you don't need files on your computer, this is probably the simplest way to make a DVD out of a videocassette. These devices can be had for $160 to $400, depending on brand.