OT- VCR???

Re: OT- VCR???

John McGaw

The last company that was manufacturing such items ceased production in 2016. There are still companies selling products based on this old production but they are alarmingly expensive. A quick Google search turns up a couple of 'best ten' lists of what is still on the market. If it was my decision to make, I'd turn to one of the companies that offers transfer services and have them move tape content to DVD and be done with it.

Re: OT- VCR???

Dave Bair

Check out resale stores like Salvation Army. They took my last one about 4 months ago. Get one that lets you dub from VHS tape to DVD and reduce he physical size of your collection as well as converting to a more stable medium that you can play on any DVD player.

Re: OT- VCR???

Tom Norton

Thanks! Will check out the resale stores.

Re: OT- VCR???

TomD

You don't need the actual transfer machines, you just need a VCR and a computer. Go direct to digital. But once on most computers, you can burn the shows to DVD.

I would look on craigslist, for local availability. I got caught out with some home movies on VCR, and no luch getting a new on. Then I was in another town, smaller they were all over the local auction site, because that was the exact time frame people where changing over. But that was probably a few years back for most places.

Another option, depending on how weird these shows are is to download them from a torrent site like Piratebay. There are ethical and legal issue around that, but they are not insurmountable depending on where you live. One point is that if you paid for the VSH content, you may have a right to an alternative (which is essentially what your DVD copies would require not to be a violation of copyright). I say this more to deflect a highjack of this thread down a different path.

Another option is to buy the DVDs, if you look on amazon, which draws in a lot second hand sellers, you may find DVDs for 5 bucks that might fill in some of your content. At one point I bought some very expensive DVDs for the Rockford Files, and some of the discs didn't work, so I had to watch those shows online. Later I downloaded the missing episodes.

Re: OT- VCR???

Bill Howatt

Here is a sample of a device that will capture the tape and put it on your computer. From there you can burn DVDs, play it off the computer or whatever you can do with the digital file.

https://www.amazon.com/REDGO-Video-Capture-Converter-Adapter/dp/B01E5ITE2W/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1516655984&sr=8-5&keywords=video+capture+card+for+pc

I do not have this device and am just referencing it as an example of the device type that can make the conversion, that is, no endorsement.

If you are trying to copy purchased VHS tapes you may well run into copy-protection issues which will either halt the copying or make them unwatchable.

Bill

Re: OT- VCR???

Bill Blasic

The one posted above did not work for me but I purchased the Diamond One Touch Video Capture which worked flawlessly.

https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-VC500-Capture-Software-Convert/dp/B000VM60I8/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1516706147&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=diamond+one+touch+video+capture&psc=1

Re: OT- VCR???

ebd

+1 on the video capture devices. I got one long ago and copied and burned all my 8mm camcorder movies of my kids/family and a large number of movies from VCR tapes.

There is no copyright issue - you own the media and are allowed to make backup copies, and there isn't any copy protection involved.

You simply play the tape in the VCR, it's connected to the computer through a USB port, and the computer captures what is playing. It's not like trying to directly copy a DVD using software, and I'm not sure that VCR media ever had any copy protection.

Paying a conversion company would cost more than buying the titles outright.

Re: OT- VCR???

Brian Anderson

IIRC, commercially available VCR recordings are made with the TV sync signal having a lower amplitude than normal. Just enough to sync on a normal TV. BUT it is not enough to survive playback and recording on to another media. That is why a rerecorded commercial VCR recording will appear to have no synchronization. IE something like no horizontal hold on your TV. THat is what they did to protect commercial recordings. A camcorder will generate good sync signals that a TV will see successfully.

Re: OT- VCR???

Barry Irby

I have a VCR I will give you if you are interested. Let me know and I will fetch the details. I have not used it in ten for more years, so I am assuming the thing still works.