How to Transfer your Video Tapes to DVD

As the world goes digital for everything from music to movies, you don't want to leave behind precious memories that are stored on old videotapes. Transferring those videotapes to DVD is a simple project. All you need is a converter to change the analog video into digital which can then be transferred to your computer and burned to DVD.

For your convenience we added a Five tips to transfer Analog Video to DVD to the site

Video converters are simple boxes which connect to a VCR player. There are several models available ranging in price from about $100-$300. They have input jacks to take the signal from the VCR player in the output is sent to the computer via a USB cable. It's best to use USB 2.0 for maximum efficiency.

Simply plug the output of the VCR into the converter box. You can use it use the color-coded RCA plugs or an S-video jack if the VCR supports it. Once that is done, connect the converter box to the computer with the USB cable. You may also wish to attach a monitor cable to a TV set so that you can watch the input as well as the output on the computer screen.

To process the input you need video conversion software. This usually comes bundled with the converter box, and all you need to do is to launch the application and capture the video to your hard drive. Before pressing the play button on the VCR, however, you need to make a few settings in the software.

Be sure you select the proper input device and that you have specified VCR capture. It's possible to capture video from various devices including camcorders and TV sets, so specifying the type of source will give you the best results.

You may also have the option to preview the captured video. This takes a lot of processing power so if you find that your video is choppy turn this option off.

Now all you need to do is to press the capture button and play the videotape. Don't worry if you are capturing things that you don't really want -- you can edit the video afterwards.

After the videotape has finished playing you can use the same software for editing. It's easy to cut out dead spots and other sections that you don't want to keep. You can even rearrange the sequence to make it more entertaining or coherent, and you can add special effects like fades and background music.

When you have finished editing you can burn it to DVD. The same software can be used for the whole process.
 

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