vhs to dvd

Hello I tried Binging but there is too much vague information out there. I have about 6 vcr cassettes none of which are full. Is it best to bring this to Ritz and have them convert them or is this you can do at home within reasonable cost and skill? Thank you Peter

I don't know what Ritz is but if they do conversions, call them up and ask them how much to convert 6 VCR tapes to DVD.

Otherwise you can spend $150+ on a VCR/DVD Recorder but for just 6 tapes, not sure that would be worth it.

I don't know what Ritz is but if they do conversions, call them up and ask them how much to convert 6 VCR tapes to DVD.

Otherwise you can spend $150+ on a VCR/DVD Recorder but for just 6 tapes, not sure that would be worth it.

Before I wrote I did as much homework as I could. I called 7 places and looked up many online places.
Non of the answers were very good so I took a chance someone here new of another way out.
It apprears to be the business to be in as the conversion is under way.
Prices range from $60 at store x, to around $100.
I only need about 90 minutes(15 min on each of 6 cassettes) converted but the minute does not count.
Some are x amont for the first 4 etc and others x amount for each 2 cassettes.
Store x was well below all the others for my situation.
I cannot see ever doing this again so I will try store x.
I don't think we are allowed to name stores so i called it storex but if it will help others and we are allowed, let me know and i will supply the name.
When I used Ritz I had forgotten about the possible rule.

I don't think we are allowed to name stores

Sure you are! Though it may not help anyone living in California, the UK, or Australia, there's no harm in naming stores as long as you are not stating something that is blatantly, and factually a lie.

of course you can also do it yourself.

you'll need a tv input/capture device, one of these:- http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.as…vices-TV-Tuners

then you connect the video player to it, tune it in using it's software so your able to capture the video signal, then just play the video while capturing the signal into a file on your pc, then just burn the file to dvd as an iso. you may also need to convert the video file to fit onto a dvd.

if you want to edit cut the video then you'll also need some software to do the job, no idea what's best free software for this tho, but there's a few out there.

the advantage of doing it yourself with one of those is when your done you can still use it to watch/record tv on your pc if you like or can use it to convert friends video's to dvd for them also.

just had a thought what video camera do you have you may be able to connect that to the pc and capture the video using it, would save you purchasing a tv input/capture device. http://cnettv.cnet.com/how-transfer-video-…1_53-23996.html

Yeah, that's true. You still need a VCR to play the tapes in the first place. If you have (or can borrow) one, then you can use one of these, or a TV tuner card/adapter to capture the video and dump it to your computer. From there, you will need a DVD "burner" (writer) to burn to disk. If you don't have any of that hardware, then again, not sure the expense for 90 minutes of video and a one-time conversion is worth it - unless you can use that hardware in the future. Therefore, having a conversion service do it for you may still be the most economical option.

Well I am glad to hear about the latitude given regarding use of names. Unfortunately, our broken vcr prompted this search so I cannot do it myself. Actually, Costco at $ 58 for the vhs we will ever need to record, is a good deal. I'll have my neighbor help me out. Thanx for all. peter

Good luck and out of curiosity, let us know your final solution, and if you don't mind, the final cost.

What does a VCR cost in the US? New, they are about $30-40 here and the local second-hand shops have plenty with remote and manual (guaranteed to work or bring it back) for about $5. Lots of people got rid of perfectly good VCRs at charity shops when they swapped over to DVD players ($30 new for a basic DVD player), as VCRs are impossible to sell and charity shops won't even accept them unless they have a remote.. Analog TV's, computers or printers etc. are often not accepted as they mostly all end up at the recyclers, especially analog TVs.

What does a VCR cost in the US?

I guess that depends on how much you want to spend and what features it has. You can spend under $50 to more than $500 new. And used for less than $50.

But if I were archiving my old VCR tapes that had home movies of the kids when they were little, or my parents and grandparents who are now gone, not sure I would want to take my chances on something used. If they are that irreplaceable, and I assume home movies are, I would want the best quality I could get (since VCR and magnetic tape is not that great to start). So having a professional service do it with their special high-tech conversion equipment that can clean up much of the image imperfections (re-master, as it were) I think for a one time expense, trying to save a few dollars is just not worth it. Again, in this case, we are talking about only 90 minutes spread across 6 tapes.

Many charity shops will take old analog stuff now because there are recycling centers that make recovering the precious metals worthwhile. They don't even attempt to resell it.

Good luck and out of curiosity, let us know your final solution, and if you don't mind, the final cost.

Costco is retail store like Sam's Club where you pay an annual fee and shop economicaly, especially bulk.
Another is BJ's . Wherever I have lived, I have seen these outlets where they sell just under wholsale.
For $58 I can get all of my vhs on the 6 cassettes done.
You must call around as Sam's Club cost twice that amount.
Hope this helps anoother reader.
Peter

There's probably somewhere local (Costco is likely the cheapest); another option is to send to a professional service. So, some of the decision depends not only on price, but on convenience. Sometimes it's worth saving the time; other times, price is the most important consideration.