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How to digitize VHS tapes

How to digitize VHS tapes

How to digitize VHS tapes
(Prototype credit: Shutterstock)

Converting your old abode VHS tapes into digital files may feel similar a never catastrophe project, especially if you've got decades of memories stored in the aging format. The process isn't quite equally straightforward as digitizing photographs or negatives and it can exist difficult to track downwards a VCR to even play the tapes, let lone catechumen them. The VHS format wasn't intended to be archival, and chances are your one-time abode movies are already starting to degrade. Even so, once y'all convert VHS to digital, you lot can and then use 1 the best complimentary video editing software to clean up and share your videos with friends and family.

If you've got the fourth dimension, you can convert your VHS tapes to digital at home with a few tools. If your tapes are especially one-time, or y'all're short on time, in that location are services that will do information technology for y'all. Here's our guide for getting started.

  • How to digitize photos, negatives, and slides
  • Best video editing software

How to digitize VHS tapes at dwelling

If you want to digitize your VHS tapes at home y'all are going to need a working VCR. These aren't incommunicable to find, but they tin be difficult to track down. If you don't already take ane in your possession, you can normally find one for sale 2nd-hand on Amazon or eBay—prices vary widely though so exist prepared to store around. You volition need one that has video and audio composite jacks.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

In add-on to that VCR you volition need a USB-to-blended video converter and a estimator with USB ports. USB-to-composite video converters are easy to notice, but like a used VCR the price point on these devices vary—anywhere from $12 for a very basic setup up to $80.

On the low stop is the ABLEWE Mini RCA to HDMI converter ($xiv.99), which tin convert an analog stream from your VCR to 720p or 1080p digital. Nevertheless, yous'll demand to provide your ain software to capture the video.

Another low-price option is the REDGO Video Audio VHS VCR USB Capture Card ($12.99), which can convert both NTSC and PAL video (practiced if you take a video from overseas), has an South-Video port, and doesn't require external power. It'due south compatible with Macs and PCs, though Mac owners will need to utilize QuickTime Role player to capture video.

In the mid range is the DIGITNOW USB Video Capture Card Device Converter ($21.99) which, in add-on to RCA connectors, likewise has an South-Video connector. Information technology'southward uniform with both Mac and PCs, captures video in H.264, AVI, MPEG2, MPEG4 and MP3, and comes with its own capture software.

On the higher end is the Elgato Video Capture ($87.eleven). The USB-to-blended converter plugs into your VCR and computer (Mac and PC) to digitize those old tapes. It comes with its own video-capture software, and outputs at 640 x 480.

Most converters come with downloadable software to process the transfer. Before you lot begin the process you will desire to make sure that you've installed that on your computer. Once the software is installed in your calculator you are ready to begin. Plug the USB side of the converter into your computer and the cherry-red, white and yellowish cables into your VCR. Most composite plugs also have an S-Video plug. If your VCR is new plenty that information technology has an South-Video port y'all can apply that, as information technology will give you slightly meliorate quality.

(Paradigm credit: Shutterstock)

Pop the VHS that yous are looking to digitize into the VCR and rewind to the spot where you'd like it to outset from. Press play on your VCR and hit tape from the software on your computer and the VHS will kickoff converting. Everything will be happening in real fourth dimension, and while you don't necessarily have to sit and sentry the process, doing then can help you make adjustments to the original VHS's tracking. The software converts the files into MP4s that you can salve on external harddrives or upload to the cloud. If you are doing a big digitization project, information technology's worth investing in a dedicated drive to store your files.

How to digitize VHS tapes: Mail-in services

If you are short on time or desire to leave information technology to the pros, in that location are a number of mail-in services that volition digitize your VHS tapes for you lot. Prices and delivery methods will vary depending on what company you use — some companies volition send yous dorsum DVDs, while others salve your files to a thumb drive or as files to be downloaded from the cloud. These are some companies that nosotros recommend for the service.

Yep Video

Big box stores similar Walmart and Costco utilize this visitor for the digitization services that they annunciate through their stores. Yep Video has been in business for 20 years; their prices for digitization outset at $19.49 and come up with either a DVD or USB and digital copies available through MemoryCloud for 60 days. Digital files are typically captured at 720x480. There is a ii-hour limit on DVD transfer and no time limit on USB transfers. Yes Video provides customers with a prepaid UPS label for shipping their media and everything is tagged with a barcode once it arrives and so customers can track their gild through the digitization process.

Dig My Pics

Dig My Pics offers three dissimilar ways to digitize your former VHS tapes: tape to DVD, tape to directly download and record to hard drive. Tape to DVD and tape to direct download both cost $11.95 for the beginning two hours of footage. If you are looking for MP4 files, tape to direct download volition be your best bet. Tape to hard drive is $19.95 and files are delivered every bit editable .AVI files. Dig My Pics offers a service called Video Tape Alchemy that lets customers conform clips, create capacity and title pages for each clip and create digital photos from video footage. Dig My Pics has no minimum order on tape digitization.

Scan My Photos

Digitization of individual tapes to DVD for $19.95, for an additional $2 per record customers tin have their files converted to MP4 and sent every bit a digital download or shipped back on a thumbdrive. Turnaround time on digitization is 2-4 weeks. Videos must exist NTSC format to be transferred. Scan My Photos also offers a prepaid box video transfer rate for customers who are looking to digitize a large number of VHS tapes. The pre-paid box costs $245 and tin concord upwards to 14 tapes. Tapes tin be converted to MP4 and stored on a thumbdrive for an additional $83.95 or every bit a digital download from a Deject service starting at $42.95.

Legacy Box

Legacy Box uses a one-size-fits-all pricing structure when it comes to digitization. The visitor ships you a box, you add barcodes to your tapes y'all want digitized, put the tapes in the box, and ship it back to the company. Digitizing two items costs $59, while you lot tin can digitize upwards to 40 items for $i,009. You accept the option to have media delivered every bit a digital download, a thumb drive or a disc set. The price depends on how much you are digitizing.

(Prototype credit: Shutterstock)

Legacy Box regularly has sales, so if you take hold of one at the right time you tin get upward to fifty percentage off your order, making this ane of the most cost-effective options. Tapes that accept been digitized on a thumb drive or as a digital download from the deject are saved as MPEG-iv files. Every VHS tape is digitized to an individual DVD. Legacy Box offers free splicing if a record's film is cleaved.

Fotobridge

Fotobridge offers parcel deals on record to digital conversion: five tapes price $129.95, ten toll $254.95, while 100 tapes will toll 1994.95. Every package comes with discs, Intelligent Digital Finishing and render shipping. For an extra fee y'all can have your files saved on a thumbdrive ($twenty for five tapes) or to a harddrive as uncompressed AVI files ($259.95 for 5 tapes).

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/digitize-vhs-tapes

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