How To Convert Video To DVD

So you're thinking about how to convert video to DVD? I'm sure many of us have old movies laying around gathering dust that we don't watch anymore. It is so much easier to pop a DVD in a computer or player to conveniently watch those old movies.

I know I have 8mm movies from my wedding and VHS tapes from my children growing up that I wanted have on a DVD for easy viewing. My kids used to and still do love to watch themselves as kids on the old VHS tapes. I thought to myself... what a great gift idea to have the old videos converted into a DVD format that is so popular today. Not only get you get more video on a DVD but it withstands the hands of time better. The old VHS tapes tend to get tangled and destroyed in the players but if you have a DVD copy it is more resilient to handling plus you can easily make copies.

It is not hard to do, simply follow one of the steps outlined before and you will have all your family memories on a DVD.

VHS players are still pretty common in the market now so you can more easily convert those VHS tapes to DVD without too much technical knowledge. The longer you wait to convert the harder and more expensive it will become.

Additionally time may cause the VHS tapes to lose their video quality and the tape may become brittle and easily break.

Why you are thinking about it you should make the effort to convert video to DVD. Get motivated to preserve those precious family memories.

• Use A Combination DVD/VHS Player - If you have a combination DVD/VHS player you may be able to play the VHS tape while recording it with the DVD. Make sure the DVD player has a record option and follow the directions included in the manual. This is a simple way to convert video to DVD but always check the final product to make sure it has converted correctly. Using this method does not provide any options for adding or editing or final product so be aware if that is what you want to do.
• Use A Video Camera - This method involved hooking up your VHS Player to the video camera. You need to use the red white and yellow composite cables. Connect them out from your VCR's video out port to the video in port on your camcorder. If your camcorder does not have a built in analog to digital feature you may need to buy one. The best way to read your camera's instruction method for exact directions. You can then transfer that data to a DVD by connecting your camcorder to your computer or DVD burner.
• Use A DVD Recorder - This method allows you to hook up your VHS Player right to the DVD recorder. You can record your DVD directy from the VHS pretty easily,

• Use A Computer - To convert VHS video to DVD on your computer, you will need an analog-to-digital converter that helps the VHS communicate with the computer. It will convert the VHS into a format the the computer can read and recognize. There are many available so you should do some research as to what you want. You'll also want to make sure your computer has a DVD writer so it can burn your DVD. Many of the converters combine both. This method will make it easy to edit your movies and add special effects.
• Use a Video Capture Card - You connect the VHS player to a video capture card on your computer. Using an S-video cable gives you the best quality. It will record in an AVI format to your hard drive. You can play around with the settings until you get a good quality recording. You can then burn a DVD from the the AVI movie format.
• Use An External DVD Burner - This is a convenient method as you can directly connect your VHS player to the DVD Burner.
• Use A Video to DVD Service - If you don't want to mess around with the cables and converting you can always use a DVD service that will create your DVD's for you. You simply supply them with the media and they will convert it into DVD format for a charge. This is great for converting the older 8MM tapes to DVD format.

Here are some things you should take into consideration when converting your old VHS tapes:

• Make sure the tapes are cleaned by using a head cleaner for your VHS.
• Practice first on little sections of tape.
• Turn down the sharpness on your VHS player so the images are softer.
• Record at the highest quality available to preserve your memories at the best quality.
• There is software available to help you enhance your recordings.
• Do not throw away your original copy just in case.
• Do not be afraid to try to convert your video to DVD. It will be worth it to you to have those special memories preserved forever.