VHS -> DVD

June 20, 2004 5:54 PM

I would like to totally rid myself of VHS tapes. But I have about 40 of them that I'd like to transfer onto DVDs before I trash them. After that, I will never use a VHS tape again. What's the best route to go in my situation? Buy a VHS-to-DVD converter? Pay to have this done?

Most of it is stuff I taped off of TV years ago. Episodes of TV shows that have never come out on DVD, etc. Is it legal for me to do the transfer? It's not stuff that's for sale. I assume that it was legal (or in some legal gray area) for me to tape the stuff in the first place, so is it legal for me to make backups? I have no plan to sell them to anyone else. The quality is horrible, anyway. But I want to save them before they totally disintegrate.
posted by grumblebee to Technology (18 answers total)

I assume that it was legal (or in some legal gray area) for me to tape the stuff in the first place, so is it legal for me to make backups?

Are you looking for the technical legal answer, or the pragmatic answer?
posted by anathema at 5:56 PM on June 20, 2004

How about both?
posted by grumblebee at 6:53 PM on June 20, 2004

While visiting my dad today for Fathers' Day, I got to play with his DVD recorder... It was dead easy to record things from a VCR or from TV with it -- pop in a disc, hit "record", press play on the VCR -- so I don't see why you couldn't pick up a recorder, record all your stuff, and return it a few days later. Grey moral area? Perhaps. But nobody cares about your old copies of Spenser: For Hire but you. In this case, I think you should do what you wish and not lose any sleep over it.
posted by bcwinters at 7:27 PM on June 20, 2004

Technically, if you are starting with a copyrighted work the presumption is that it cannot be copied without permission. Practically, if you are just making a copy for yourself you will probably get off easy with nominal jail time and statutory damages. Kidding. Sort of.
And of course, that is not legal advice.
posted by anathema at 7:44 PM on June 20, 2004

I would like to see someone taken to court over thundercats. Odds are in your favor nobody really cares. Its not like you would be sharing it, which is really the primary issue.
posted by Keyser Soze at 7:58 PM on June 20, 2004

hey, everybody cares about old copies of Spenser: For Hire.
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 8:16 PM on June 20, 2004

What you want is a VCR with S-video output. Then you can record the stream on a computer (one that has s-video in; I think powerbooks do), and after that you can easily burn to DVDs, or even just VCDs.

...something like bcwinters describes. i have no experience with nuch newfangled doodads, however.
posted by bingo at 8:40 PM on June 20, 2004

that should be: OR something like...etc.
posted by bingo at 8:40 PM on June 20, 2004

But nobody cares about your old copies of Spenser: For Hire but you.

No, no. It's funny that you mention it, because I want them desperately. I've downloaded two of the ed2k network, but they're very hard to get. Seriously, if anyone has Spenser: For Hire, please send me an email.
posted by Mayor Curley at 8:58 PM on June 20, 2004

You can tape whatever you want from TV (except, of course, Major League Baseball). That's what VCRs are for. It's also fine to make copies of your tapes. I think that with 40 tapes, especially if they're long-play, it would be less expensive to buy a device such as bcwinters' father's. You might become accidental archivist of your family's home videos, though, with such a device, so if you really want to keep those VHS tapes out, give the DVD thing away to someone with a camcorder when you've finished your transfers.
posted by obloquy at 9:04 PM on June 20, 2004

bcwinters, what kind of unit does your dad have?
posted by gluechunk at 9:09 PM on June 20, 2004

What you want is a VCR with S-video output. Then you can record the stream on a computer (one that has s-video in; I think powerbooks do), and after that you can easily burn to DVDs, or even just VCDs.

Nope. S-Video output only. Besides, why would you want to add an extra step? Go with the VCR/DVD combo unit.
posted by rorycberger at 9:20 PM on June 20, 2004

Woo, I had this exact same question in my mind! Checked Best Buy today for combo DVD recorders that are also VHS players. The cheapest was just under $400.
posted by GaelFC at 9:26 PM on June 20, 2004

Target had stand alone DVD Recorders on clearance recently for about $200. You might have luck there.
posted by the biscuit man at 11:05 PM on June 20, 2004

Just be careful about recording onto DVD. I've heard a couple of horror stories about recordable DVD's stopping working after quite a short period of time. My suggestion is that you keep hold of your videotapes even after making your DVD copies.
posted by seanyboy at 12:12 AM on June 21, 2004

The HP Movie Writer looks like a pretty plug-and-play PC-based solution to this problem, at $159.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 6:37 AM on June 21, 2004

Thanks for the idea, SSFlanders. But in case anyone else is interested in this model, they should first check the mostly negative reviews of it on Amazon.com.

(Though one of the reviews made me laugh:

===

I just hung up the phone with their support desk. The machine kept spitting out a brand new FujiFilm DVD-R and telling me no media has been detected. So I brought the DVD-R back, thinking it was faulty. I bought a Verbatim DVD-R and everything worked perfectly. The next DVD I tried to create with a TDK DVD-R and I had the same problem.

HP Support has told me that they are having compatibility issues and they can only guarantee that HP and Sony DVD's will work with this machine.

This is a waste of money for me since I have to now go out of my way to buy Verbatim, HP or Sony DVD-Rs. Avoid this product!!

===

Maybe this person was having trouble because the unit doesn't work with DVD-Rs. It works with DVD+Rs. )
posted by grumblebee at 6:54 AM on June 21, 2004

Keep the tapes and your VCR in the closet, then 10 years from now, when all the hipsters are saying that VHS looks "warmer" than the new HDiviMaxUltraPlus format, take them out and say you were always in to VHS and weren't fooled by The Man.
posted by Capn at 8:35 AM on June 21, 2004