HOME
TOPICS
ABOUT ME
MAIL

 
Your computer must have a DVD burner if you want to make video DVDs.
 technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

T e c h n o f i l e
Turning your old video tapes into DVDs


March 14, 2004


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2004, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2004, The Post-Standard

   Last week I listed the basic requirements for getting your old family photographs and slides into digital form. This week we'll tackle a harder subject, turning old video tapes and 8 mm movies into DVDs.
   Let's start with the obvious part. Your computer must have a DVD burner if you want to make video DVDs. DVD burners can be ordered with a new computer or they can be purchased separately and added to your current computer.
   There are two incompatible DVD formats, DVD-R and DVD+R. I recommend DVD-R because it's the most common and has worked well for me. Be sure to buy blank DVDs that match the format of your burner.
   Your computer also needs video-editing software and DVD-creation software. They might be two separate programs or one unified program; either kind is OK. Computers that have DVD burners built in usually come with all the software you need. DVD creation isn't hard, but video editing can take a considerable time to learn. Practice video editing many times before taking on an extensive family project.
   Turning tapes into digital video. You will have to buy an analog-to-digital converter to give your computer a way to digitize video tapes. The converter I use is the Dazzle Hollywood Bridge. Stores that sell computers and software might have other brands, too.
   "Bridge" is a good name for such a device. On one side of the span is your VCR; on the other side is your computer. The VCR plays your tapes and the "bridge" digitizes the analog signal and carries it across to your computer
   The Hollywood Bridge provides both old and new kinds of video connectors -- an RCA jack and a higher quality S-Video jack -- and it converts analog video and audio to a digital stream on the fly. The converted digital signal is sent to the computer through a FireWire cable. (You should also be able to get the Hollywood Bridge or a similar device with a USB 2 connection, for computers that don't have FireWire.)
   Editing the digital version. Your computer simply soaks up the digital video-and-audio stream until the tape stops playing. Most consumer video editors automatically split up the video into scenes based on sudden changes in lighting or obvious stop points in the recording. This makes video editing much easier because you can delete certain scenes or drag them from one place in the recording.
   Windows or Mac? I do all my video editing and DVD creation on a modern Apple Macintosh, so I'm partial to the Mac. I love the standard Apple video software, iMovie and iDVD. But my brother Bob does more video editing than I do and still uses Windows. He says his favorite Windows video editing program is "VirtualDUB," which is unabashed freeware and well worth checking out. You can download it from www.virtualdub.org.
   When I asked Bob where newcomers could go for advice on Windows video editing, he mentioned a great Web site for answers on all sorts of video and DVD topics. It's www.dvdrhelp.com.
   The 8 mm movie conundrum. Old 8 mm movies, the silent kind that so many families took from the 1940s through the mid-1960s, probably ought to be taken to a shop that specializes in video transfers. Check the Yellow Pages and ask at local stores that sell video equipment.
   If you have a working projector and a camcorder, you can try doing this kind of conversion yourself. The results might not be what you hope for, but try this approach if you have time:
   -- Project the movies onto a sheet hanging from a couple of high objects. (In some rooms you might be able to stretch a sheet between two open doors.)
   -- Position the camcorder just above and a foot or so behind the projector. Tape a few short segments to see how things work out.
   -- Trim the audio out of the edited version (it will be mostly projector noise!) and burn the results to a DVD.
   Play with the positioning of the projector and camcorder, and -- if your editing software lets you flip the image left to right -- try putting the camcorder on the other side of the sheet and recording the bleed-through image.
   A final thought: If you already know how to make video CDs, resist the temptation to send them to relatives. Most Americans can't play video CDs or don't know how to use their current equipment to do it. Make them for yourself if you want, but send DVDs to others.