Post by Doreen on Apr 28, 2010 4:07:09 GMT -5
Transferring a VHS library to DVD
(Jack's Computer Tips)
Q. I have about 300 VHS tapes. They range from six to 10 hours. For years, I’ve wanted to transfer the tapes to DVD. I have been waiting, because the space on a DVD seems inadequate. I want to put at least 12 hours on a DVD; 24 hours would be better. Can I put this much video on a disc? Or is there a breakthrough coming that will allow this? Is the amount of video a disc can hold a feature of the disc or the recorder? Should I keep waiting or buy a DVD burner/VCR combo now?
A. My word, that’s a lot of video! If you average eight hours per tape, that's 2,400 hours. I hope none of this is copyrighted material!
Anyway, I can understand why you want digitize it. Your VHS tapes could be deteriorating. Digitizing will protect them from further damage.
How much you can put on a DVD depends on quality. And quality will depend on the amount of compression. The more you compress, the more you can fit on a disc. However, compression lowers quality.
It is possible to digitize at 1 gigabyte per hour. You can get the amount of data you want onto a Blu-ray disc. Blu-ray is a high-definition format, but you would not be recording in HD. A single-layer Blu-ray disc will hold 25 hours of data; you can get 50 hours on a dual-layer disc.
You could also use standard DVD discs. A single-layer disc can hold 4.7GB, a dual-layer 8.5GB. Again, the amount put on a disc depends on the compression.
I would be cautious about using optical discs. I have had problems with CDs going bad over a few years. DVD recordings would probably be at risk, too. (The problem is with burned discs. Molded discs, such as those on which my books are recorded, last forever.)
You can digitize and transfer the tapes to the computer in one step. That’s a good place to keep them, in my opinion. If you insist, you could burn them to standard DVD or Blu-ray discs. Or, you could use a VHS/DVD burner, and skip the computer. No comparable Blu-ray machine is sold in the United States, to my knowledge.
I would go the first route. I just don’t trust storage on burned discs. I’d rather save the data on hard drives, which are relatively cheap. You could use a couple external 2-terabyte hard drives. I found some online for $180 apiece. You might do better with a sale.
I assume you want to play your movies occasionally. You can run the movies off your computer and show them on your TV. You can also burn DVD-R discs. Most computers today have DVD burners. Or, you can burn a Blu-ray disc if you want higher quality. For that, you’ll need a Blu-ray burner, of course. I found a burner online for $150.
I have a machine in my store that will digitize and transfer your tapes. The VCR 2 PC takes the hassle out of this chore. It runs $159.95. It will also play video tapes. So, you can continue to use them, if you like.
You can also go the DVD recorder route. For this, you don’t need a computer. These recorders typically will handle dual-layer DVDs. I found recorders online for $150. Don’t forget to factor in the cost of DVDs, which will be significant. That’s especially true if you use higher-quality settings. Remember, compression is synonymous with compromise.
If you burn to discs, you should reburn them every few years. That could be quite a hassle.
Let me leave you with one last piece of advice. Clean the VCR heads regularly when you’re transferring your videos. Tapes leave residue on the heads that will affect video quality. This is especially true of older tapes.
(Jack's Computer Tips)
Q. I have about 300 VHS tapes. They range from six to 10 hours. For years, I’ve wanted to transfer the tapes to DVD. I have been waiting, because the space on a DVD seems inadequate. I want to put at least 12 hours on a DVD; 24 hours would be better. Can I put this much video on a disc? Or is there a breakthrough coming that will allow this? Is the amount of video a disc can hold a feature of the disc or the recorder? Should I keep waiting or buy a DVD burner/VCR combo now?
A. My word, that’s a lot of video! If you average eight hours per tape, that's 2,400 hours. I hope none of this is copyrighted material!
Anyway, I can understand why you want digitize it. Your VHS tapes could be deteriorating. Digitizing will protect them from further damage.
How much you can put on a DVD depends on quality. And quality will depend on the amount of compression. The more you compress, the more you can fit on a disc. However, compression lowers quality.
It is possible to digitize at 1 gigabyte per hour. You can get the amount of data you want onto a Blu-ray disc. Blu-ray is a high-definition format, but you would not be recording in HD. A single-layer Blu-ray disc will hold 25 hours of data; you can get 50 hours on a dual-layer disc.
You could also use standard DVD discs. A single-layer disc can hold 4.7GB, a dual-layer 8.5GB. Again, the amount put on a disc depends on the compression.
I would be cautious about using optical discs. I have had problems with CDs going bad over a few years. DVD recordings would probably be at risk, too. (The problem is with burned discs. Molded discs, such as those on which my books are recorded, last forever.)
You can digitize and transfer the tapes to the computer in one step. That’s a good place to keep them, in my opinion. If you insist, you could burn them to standard DVD or Blu-ray discs. Or, you could use a VHS/DVD burner, and skip the computer. No comparable Blu-ray machine is sold in the United States, to my knowledge.
I would go the first route. I just don’t trust storage on burned discs. I’d rather save the data on hard drives, which are relatively cheap. You could use a couple external 2-terabyte hard drives. I found some online for $180 apiece. You might do better with a sale.
I assume you want to play your movies occasionally. You can run the movies off your computer and show them on your TV. You can also burn DVD-R discs. Most computers today have DVD burners. Or, you can burn a Blu-ray disc if you want higher quality. For that, you’ll need a Blu-ray burner, of course. I found a burner online for $150.
I have a machine in my store that will digitize and transfer your tapes. The VCR 2 PC takes the hassle out of this chore. It runs $159.95. It will also play video tapes. So, you can continue to use them, if you like.
You can also go the DVD recorder route. For this, you don’t need a computer. These recorders typically will handle dual-layer DVDs. I found recorders online for $150. Don’t forget to factor in the cost of DVDs, which will be significant. That’s especially true if you use higher-quality settings. Remember, compression is synonymous with compromise.
If you burn to discs, you should reburn them every few years. That could be quite a hassle.
Let me leave you with one last piece of advice. Clean the VCR heads regularly when you’re transferring your videos. Tapes leave residue on the heads that will affect video quality. This is especially true of older tapes.
