#How do you convert vhs tapes to digital how to#
#How do you convert vhs tapes to digital download#

Canopus makes a couple of nice converters.they are around $150-250, I think. My computer and that VCR are not physically close enough to try to import directly, and since I wanted the digital tapes of the original footage, recording first to the miniDV tapes worked for me. I didn't bother with a converter since I just used the camcorder. The TV/VCR is a few years old, certainly not anything fancy or new. The AV connector cable has a special prong that fits into the camcorder, and those white/red/yellow prongs at the VCR end. Yes, I just used the AV connectors that came with my camcorder to hook the camcorder to the VCR.which was in a combo TV/VCR unit so I could see the footage on my tv, just to make it easier. +So, your method worked using just a VCR, a camcorder, and your computer? No special converters?+ It is more capable of creative editing and you have a quite a bit more control over your iMovie with it.

#How do you convert vhs tapes to digital download#

I recommend that you download the free iMovie HD6 for those with iMovie 08 who do not have a prior version of iMovie HD6. It sounds like it would be fewer steps to connect the VCR directly to the computer if possible- do you have any idea how much those converter things cost? So, your method worked using just a VCR, a camcorder, and your computer? No special converters? I have a VCR but its old and I don't know about the exact capabilities. Based on how hard it sounds, I might do it sooner or I might put it off for awhile while I practice messing around with iMovie.

#How do you convert vhs tapes to digital how to#

I'm just learning how to use iMovie now, so I might wait a little while before attempting this, but I'm trying to find out how complicated it is and whether I need to get more equipment. I have iMovie 08 on my Macbook, and a JVC camcorder that uses mini DV tapes. We want to put them in a digital format that will be easier to store and play and safer from eroding over time, so I guess the end format I'm looking for is DVDs. I (or rather other people like my boyfriend and parents) have old VHS tapes from back in the day before digital recording. Let us know what you want to do, which version of iMovie you are going to use, what end result you want, and we can give you more specific information and instructions. If you have only a few VHS tapes, don't want to preserve the original footage, and just want to directly import into iMovie, you can use a converter, such as Canopus to connect a VCR to your computer. I delete them from my computer after burning the iMovie to DVD. I am not as pressured to get the footage into iMovie, and save drive space doing the movies a few at a time. The miniDV tapes take up much less room to store. I wanted to convert the VHS tapes first so that they would not further degrade while I was creating my iMovies. I have been doing this for all our family videos beginning about 29 years ago. I used my camcorder for that and imported into iMovie HD6. When I finished all of that, I had all my old VHS footage in digital form, ready to be imported into my iMovies, a little at a time. Yes, I had to watch near the end of each hour of recording to change the tapes. I then used the VTR(Playback)-Record function to record all the VHS footage to the small DV tapes.

Because I wanted to preserve the original footage, I connected my digital DV camcorder to a VCR unit and placed my old VHS tape in it. I converted about 200 hours of VHS footage. Which version of iMovie will you be using if you import the VHS footage? What do you want as your end result? Just digital tapes, DVDs, both?