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The video conversion project.....
Jan. 19th, 2013 11:25 pmLast month, I finally got started on one of my long-term projects: convert my collection of video tapes to DVD.
I have about 500 VHS tapes and 100 Beta tapes in my collection. A couple of years ago, I picked up a copy of the Honestech VHS to DVD 3.0 package at Big Lots for about $25. It came with capturing and editing software, and a device to convert a three-RCA-plug signal (audio-left, audio-right, video) to a USB connection.
And so, I hooked up a VCR with the output cables going into the converter device, and plugged the USB end into my computer. And it performed rather well. I'm now doing about 1-2 tapes a day. I tend to start a tape before I go to bed for the night. And the next morning, after the tape is done, I create a project file, and move the resulting MPEG files to an external hard drive. A T-120 tape, with a full 6 hours of information, take up about 20 Gb. So, on a 1 Tb drive, I can have up to 50 tapes saved.
The next step is to edit the MPEG files to trim out the filler at the beginning and end of the program, and put in markers so I can skip through the commercials. It's probably too much of a hassle to edit out the commercials, so I'll put the markers in after the commercial breaks, right before the program resumes.
I probably won't burn DVDs of programs that are commercially available, e.g. Babylon 5, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Friends. But for the items that aren't available, or rare (e.g. the original pilot of Babylon 5 as it originally aired in 1993), then they're getting the DVD treatment.
I have about 500 VHS tapes and 100 Beta tapes in my collection. A couple of years ago, I picked up a copy of the Honestech VHS to DVD 3.0 package at Big Lots for about $25. It came with capturing and editing software, and a device to convert a three-RCA-plug signal (audio-left, audio-right, video) to a USB connection.
And so, I hooked up a VCR with the output cables going into the converter device, and plugged the USB end into my computer. And it performed rather well. I'm now doing about 1-2 tapes a day. I tend to start a tape before I go to bed for the night. And the next morning, after the tape is done, I create a project file, and move the resulting MPEG files to an external hard drive. A T-120 tape, with a full 6 hours of information, take up about 20 Gb. So, on a 1 Tb drive, I can have up to 50 tapes saved.
The next step is to edit the MPEG files to trim out the filler at the beginning and end of the program, and put in markers so I can skip through the commercials. It's probably too much of a hassle to edit out the commercials, so I'll put the markers in after the commercial breaks, right before the program resumes.
I probably won't burn DVDs of programs that are commercially available, e.g. Babylon 5, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Friends. But for the items that aren't available, or rare (e.g. the original pilot of Babylon 5 as it originally aired in 1993), then they're getting the DVD treatment.
