One of the biggest requests we get here at media host is how can I store my old videos, pictures and obsolete data on a new medium such as a hard drive or DVD. Because of the rapid progress of technology over the past 20 years, many media format have came and went, but lots of people still have old memories encased within these types of media. We wanted to take our readers through the process of converting old formats into new, easily stored digital formats that we use in the world today. Don’t worry, when these formats become obsolete, we’ll be back with another article.
Converting Video to DVD
You might want to get rid of all those old VHS video tapes that sit in the basement, and never seem to be able to find a decent use for them. Whether you’ve got a huge stack of unused VHS cassettes that you’ve burned to disc, or you’ve got a bunch of old VHS cassettes that your parents still have yet to burn to disc, you can convert those old videos to DVDs quickly and easily. While VCRs once giving you an endless supply of video tapes, video tape reels, and rolls to keep your video tapes stored, you’ll have to burn new tapes when you want to watch any of your VHS video tapes on DVD. It takes some time and effort, but it’s not difficult.
DVD Burner Software
There are many different types of software that you can use to edit and mix your VHS tape. The program that is used for burning DVD-R copies will be different than the software used to burn the VHS tape. Your computer can handle both types of software programs, but it might take a while to learn how to use the specific ones that are designed to edit and mix your VHS recordings with the DVD-R copy. If your DVD-R program is too complicated, you should purchase a simpler one.
Do I Need Special Equipment?
Another way to transfer your old VHS tape to DVD is to purchase the equipment that is available to do so. There are many video to DVD converters on the market. Many of them are reasonably priced and will get your videotapes to DVD in a short amount of time. You should not have any problem finding one that is priced sufficiently low enough to fit into your budget. They are readily available from electronics retailers such as Walmart and Target.
Get An Old Video/DVD Combo
If you prefer to save money, there is another option to make your VHS tape into DVD quality. You can purchase a combination VCR/DVD burner that will enable you to record video onto a blank DVD and then burn the recordings to DVD. This option does not provide as many options as a combo unit, but it does burn a video to DVD in about twice as long as a VCR/DVD combo machine. It also does not require the VCR anymore, so if you no longer want to record to VHS, you do not have to go out and buy a new VCR to record the video to DVD.
Grace Hamilton is an experienced tech journalist with a passion for exploring innovations in cloud computing and media solutions. Her work centers on breaking down technical concepts, offering best practices, and keeping readers informed about the latest trends in secure digital hosting.
