How can I cheaply convert my old VHS tapes to digital on my PC? Can I hook up a VCR to a USB port or something and record from there?
By frank from Carlsbad, CA
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Roxio has some software for this.
www.roxio.com/
And Sony makes a machine that will accomplish this as well.
I bought the Roxio software kit mentioned by cajun62234. (I have yet to use it). But you can do it on your own with a camcorder, if you have one. (I don't.) I saw the how-to on the internet. Try ehow.com for instructions, maybe, I have forgotten where I found it, but it may have been there (I did find it in several places.) If ehow doesn't have it, just type in "converting VHS into DVDs" or something to that effect and it should bring some tutorials up.
There is a lot of software but there are a lot of pitfalls too. If you are trying to burn it to a DVD, keep in mind that it will take a lot of memory and a lot of time to complete. Nothing is sadder when a computer crashes because it is out of memory after compiling your DVD for several hours. If you are just saving them as a digital file, these can be pretty big too.
If you have a Mac, iMovie is pretty easy to use. Roxio has been around for years and can be pretty good too. You can also take them to places like Costco and they will convert them for you. This is good if you have camcorder tapes but no way to play them.
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