Update: Once you finish reading this posting, head over to Even Easier VHS to DVD Transfers for more VHS to DVD info.
I still have about a dozen videos on VHS tape, all of them family videos. They're tucked away in the closet and I worry that they start degrading. There's some controversy about how long a videocassette will last; some experts even say CDs won't last long, either.
To play it safe, I'm going keep the tapes, but also burn the videos onto DVDs. I'll do it myself rather than buying an expensive device (see Burn DVDs and Convert Video More Easily) or by sending the tapes to a lab to burn them onto DVDs. That way I'll be able to make the editing decisions.
One device I'm experimenting with is Honestech's $100 VHS to DVD 2.0 Deluxe. The process is straightforward -- and if you want -- wizard driven. Start by attaching the capture device to your PC through the USB 2.0 port. Then connect your VCR to the capture device using standard RF cables or S-video. Once transferred, you can use the software to do the usual stuff -- add titles, transitions, and special effects, and trim out unwanted scenes.
If you already have a capture device, or a graphics adapter with capturing capability, you might play around with just the $50 software (it's exactly the same as the Deluxe version, except that the package doesn't include the USB 2.0 TV/Video capture device). The free trial lasts for 45 days; unfortunately, there's a watermark plunked down in the middle of the screen.
You may want to dig deeper into VHS to DVD conversions and I have a two sites for you to look over. Bob Rankin covers the basics as does PC World's Digital Focus newsletter.
Do you know of a way to convert cassette tape to CD?
Noyoubeyou:
All you need to do is buy an inexpensive male-to-male stereo cable (similar to the cord a set of headphones uses only with two male ends), and plug one end into the headphone port on the cassette player and the other into the Microphone or Line-In port on your computer (most newer ones have these). Then, open up your favorite recording program (such as Audacity), select the Mic or the Line In port (depending on which you used) as the input source, hit record (use a stereo mode not mono), then hit play on the cassette player. Trim out the spaces at the beginning and end of the recording, then hit Save. Repeat for each track and burn the saved files to CD.
Is there an easy or at least relatively easy way to edit out the "Hiss" from the cassette player as you are capturing each track?
Thmod:
I have heard that Nero WaveEditor has some filters to reduce background hissing or clicking, however although I'm not an expert I'd say it would be best to somehow physically remove the hissing (someone who knows stuff about cassettes may be able to help here). They are before my time however maybe cleaning something inside the player may help?
thomd - I have good experience with MAGIX audio cleaning lab. Details in http://vhs-to-dvd.janvesely.com/