video question...

video question..:
so is it possible to somehow convert a video from a VHS or 8mm into a computer?
it might be a dumb question, i've never even tried a DVD to a computer.
i just have a couple hunting showes i guided from about 8 yrs ago that i have on VHS that i would like to upload. also some great bucks i used to get good video of but i had an 8mm sony handycam back then. so is it possible? if so is it a real pain-in-the butt?
thanks --killer
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MuleyMadness
Possible = YES I've actually done it before but can't remember how I did it. Your manual might tell you or google it. You'll loose some quality doing so but it might be worth a shot. :thumb
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Your computer must have a video capture card on it, and also video capture software.

If it does it is quite simple, but time consuming.

I do it all the time for my business.. most people are wanting their home videos to dvd, in case the vhs tape is ruined or degrades. VHS tapes degrade over time while dvd's will not. In fact, I just finished putting the last 5 hunting vhs tapes i had to dvd last week. So if you have a video capture card on your computer you are in luck.. feel free to ask any other questions you may have..
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Buckmaster
heshen: What software would you recommend and not cost alot? I just got a new Gateway and it has Vista 64 software, I loaded pinnical studio plus and like everything else.... not compatible with Vista 64
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killerbee
i guess i'm still a little lost.. [ nothing abnormal ](*,) ]
so how do i play the vhs for my computer to even read it?
maybe play it in a vcr and hook the video output to my computer?
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killerbee
also- so there are places you can just take them to and they will make them to DVDs?
if so, would that just be alot easier to get it uploaded?
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"Buckmaster" wrote:heshen: What software would you recommend and not cost alot? I just got a new Gateway and it has Vista 64 software, I loaded pinnical studio plus and like everything else.... not compatible with Vista 64

I use professional software from Adobe.. It is not cost effective for most, but because I do video prodution as part of my living I use it.. Probably the best packaged software Ive used that is relatively inexpensive in NERO.. Go to best buy, staples etc.. and get the Nero Suite it will have everything you need to capture video and burn them to dvd to be played on any dvd player. Great burning software and and a nice little package

I use Vista also, and yah kind of a pain for older software
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"killerbee" wrote:also- so there are places you can just take them to and they will make them to DVDs?
if so, would that just be alot easier to get it uploaded?
tO ANSWER YOUR FIRST QUESTION.. YES YOU PLAY IT IN A REGULAR VCR WITH THE OUTPUT CONNECTED TO THE VIDEO CAPTURE CARD ON YOUR COMPUTER. Either s-video or composite (the red-yeloow-white connectors) are the most common.. But then most capture cards dont capture audio so you have to hook it up to your audio input on your sound card. Kind of a pain, but thats how you do it.. Then you use video capture software and capyure the video. You then must have a dvd authoring program to change the file type to mpeg2 (this is what dvd players read) and then burn it to a dvd.. Kind of a long process, but its possible.. Hope that explains it a bit more.. any other questions??

To answer your second question yes, video production people can do this. I do it all the time for customers. I generally charge $35.00 per video because of the time it takes to do just one tape, but if you were going to do multiple tapes and because you are a MMmember Id do it for $25.00 a tape.. Let me know if you are interested....
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RLL
I have one of these...

http://www.datavideo.info/prodimages/dac200.jpg" alt="" />

Datavideo DAC-200. Unfortunately it has been discontinued and superceded by more expensive units.

You can find them on Ebay once in awhile... http://cgi.ebay.com/Datavideo-DAC-100-DV-Converter-VHS-to-DVD-converter_W0QQitemZ320345030540QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCC_Video_TV_Cards?hash=item320345030540&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

It does both Analog-to-DV and DV-to-Analog conversions. It does both audio and video well. Nice part is you can dump your DV videos back out to VHS or 8mm with this unit. I convert all my Hi-8, VHS and S-VHS tapes with this unit. If your computer is configured correctly you can use Windows Moviemaker to edit and burn DVDs. It's free and easy to use. I use Adobe Premiere 5.0 which is more of a pro editing program. But I have played around with Windows Moviemaker. It works quite well. It has a file size compression function that works real nice. You can reduce almost any sized video file to put it on Youtube. Youtube has a 100 mb size limit on videos you upload. One thing I would suggest is getting an external hard drive for storing all your video clips. It helps to free up you main computer's hard drive. I have a 500 gb Seagate that has USB and firewire connections. Also, it helps to have at least a 256 mb video card in your CPU. I upgraded my 256 mb card to a Radeon 1 gb card.
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well, i ever used something called DVD ripper to convert dvd to wmv, so i can backup DVDs on my PC ...
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