Transferring a VHS tape to a recordable DVD is not that difficult. There are basically two ways to do it. You can purchase a DVD/VHS recorder stand-alone combo or you can pay someone with the proper equipment to do it for you. Both ways will cost you some money.
Stand-alone recorders are easy to find (most electronic type stores stock them) and, depending on the model you purchase, are not real expensive. You can find brand name units at places like Best Buy on sale for under $250.
Remember, DVD recorder combos can can act as a player for both formats.
I recommend the stand-alone units for people who have several tapes they want to convert. If you only have a couple, you might want to have them converted at an outside source.
Keep these thoughts in mind. Do you really want to hand over your precious memories to a stranger? Though it’s unlikely, something could happen to them while they’re out of your hands.
If you feel you have no choice in the matter, look around for someone close by that has been in business for a while. I personally would not ship my tapes to anyone advertising on the internet. The risk is too high that they could be lost or damaged in the mail. Even insured, money can’t replace one of a kind memories.
Most video transfer services charge around $20 for a two hour tape. I think that price is a bit steep. When I had my video transfer business, I charged $10 a tape, including label and cover art, and still felt a little guilty. It’s just not that difficult of a project.
Okay, so you've decided to purchase a recorder combo and you've hooked it up to your television set. The next thing you do is run down the basement and grab up a stack of your old VHS movies that you bought from Blockbuster Video many years ago. Forget it. First off, it's illegal to record pre-recorded movies. Secondly, you couldn't do it anyhow. Most VHS movies are copy guarded by the manufacturer. Your new recorder will not only be unable to record the film, it will call the cops on you. All right, I was just kidding about the cops, but refrain from doing it. Keep in mind that you now have an outlet to play those tapes.Also, any VHS movies that haven't been released yet on DVD are probably worth some money. You might want to consider putting them on eBay.
Most of the recorders will automatically chapter your home movies as you record them (usually at 5 minute intervals). You can manually adjust the intervals if you'd like.
Once you've recorded your home move onto a DVDR, you'll want to finalize the disc. Finalizing means you can play it on other equipment. You might have to search through the instruction manual for the finalization section. That section is hard to find because the manufacturer probably doesn't want you to play the disc in someone elses player. Finalization only takes a few minutes and is worth the time.
Now that you have a finished DVD, you'll probably want to label it. I personally like the Memorex Express-it software, which is available as a free download at: http://www.memorex.com/labelmaker/
The label templates are are at stores like Office Depot, Circuit City, and Best Buy.
Use your imagination when labeling. I usually combine text with images. Try to dig up and old picture that's representative of your content, scan it, save it as a JPEG file, then transfer it to your label.
You can use the same program for cover art. I normally use a CD jewel case for the cover, if only because most images fit that square format. You could certainly use a DVD case if you wanted but be prepared to do some editing if you import a picture.
I will be writing more about cover and label art in a future column.
As a final note, always save your finished templates. You might want to make additional copies at some point.
If you want additional information, or if you have input, on VHS to DVD recording, please e-mail me at: lifeinthesixties@comcast.net