How to Transfer VHS Tapes to DVD or Other Digital Formats

If you've got a mountain of unlabeled youth soccer games and bar mitzvah compilations from 1989 threatening a VHS avalanche in your basement, it may be time to fast-forward into the 21st century. Professional VHS-to-DVD transfer services...

Method 1 of 3:

Using an Analog-to-Digital Video Capture Device

Select an analog-to-digital video capture device. Typically, these can be purchased for between $100-$150 dollars. Popular models include:
1. HDML-Cloner Box Pro^[1]
2. Elgato Video Capture
3. Roxio Easy VHS to DVD
4. Diamond VC500
Connect the device to your VHS player via the MMI cable. Connect the device to your computer via the mini USB port.
Install the software for your video capture device from the official website.
Open the application on your computer. Insert the VHS tape and fast-forward (or rewind) to the portion of video you'd like to record.
1. Try playing the VHS tape at this point. You should be able to see it in a pop-up window for the software you've installed. Then return to the portion of video you'd like to record.
Hit "Record" on the software before pressing play on the VHS tape. Make sure the software is in capture mode before you start playing the video or you'll miss the first few seconds of the tape in your recording. This process will vary slightly depending on the software you've installed, but regardless you'll have to wait for the video to finish playing before moving on to convert the file to a DVD.
When the video is over, open it in whatever video player you have installed on your computer to check for quality. If you want to edit the video at this point, you can open it in iMovie or a freeware program like VirtualDub and trim out any unwanted parts.
1. Make sure that the audio and video are in sync. If they are not, you can adjust the audio skew by selecting "Interleaving..." from the audio menu and entering a positive or negative number for the audio delay. When figuring out how much to delay the audio, it is helpful to select "Audio display" from the view menu.

Method 2 of 3:

Using a VHS-DVD Combo Player

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Get a combo VHS-DVD player. While these will generally lack High-Def outputs and software packages, it's still the least-complciated way to transfer a VHS tape to DVD.
1. A new combo player will probably run between $100-$200, but will probably be available for cheaper on eBay or craigslist.
2. Alternatively, you can connect a separate VHS player to a DVD player with recording capabilities. For this, you'll need a regular set of two-directional Audio-Visual cables. Plug the outputs from the VHS player into the inputs from the DVD player and follow the rest of the instructions as if you were using a combo player.
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Clean your VHS tape heads. Depending on the quality of your VHS tapes, this can be either an over-cautious step or a necessary one. If you're working with old irreplaceable family tapes or extremely dirty tapes you'll want to make sure that you're not going to ruin them by running them through the player.
1. Roll the protective tab back to reveal the magnetic tape. Forward the tape by turning the spindles and wiping the tape with a soft cloth or piece of cotton.
2. If the tape is wrinkled or twisted, gently smooth it with the cloth. Turn the spindles the other way to run the tape out if it's severely twisted. Be very careful.
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Insert your VHS tape into the player and a blank DVD into the DVD player. Check the player's specifications about DVD formats, whether or not it will write over DVD-R discs or DVD-RW and make sure you've got the right kind of disc for your player.
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Press play and record. This process will vary depending upon your machine, but typically you'll need to press play on the VHS controls and hit record on the DVD controls. Often, though, there will be a single "record" button that engages the transfer process automatically.

Method 3 of 3:

Using a Commercial Conversion Service

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Take your tapes to be converted by the electronics department of a local box store. If you don't want to go to the trouble of buying the hardware to complete a single transfer project, many big stores with electronics departments will complete the process for a small fee. This offers less control over editing and care of the tapes, but requires little on your part other than delivery. It's also a good way to convert more obscure formats like 8mm film or Betamax.
1. Walgreens, Costco, Walmart, imemories.com, Southtree, Target, CVS, and Sam's Club all offer this service for somewhere between $10 and $30 dollars a disc. Typically a single disc will hold two hours of VHS tape.^[2]
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Deliver your tapes and your instructions. If you want all of your daughter's VHS birthday tapes on one disc and your son's on another, make a note of this and include it with the package. Make sure all tapes are clearly labeled and that you have already made a copy of important tapes. Also be sure to make the staff aware of any fragility or damage on the tapes.
1. Depending on where you drop the tapes off, there may be other custom editing options available.
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Wait a couple weeks and pick them back up. This is a great option for people with a small amount of personal material to transfer, avoiding the separate costs of blank discs, hardware, and software. There are also online services available that offer the same transfer options, though you'll have to ship the VHS tapes, which could be costly.