Any experience with turning VHS tapes into DVD's

[WilsonFlyer]

How old is the HP? Not 7, I hope, and probably not since it has FW built in. I'm betting it's an HP laptop. What mode is it and how much memory does it have? What OS? What processor?

Downloads are probably going to be OK but don't try ANY kind of NLE on that puppy unless you have a LOT of memory, a LOT of procesor, and a great video card/driver or you will get frustrated in a HURRY.

It could be FINE. I just don't know. Tell me little about the machine.

 

[vacationclub]

Thanks guys this will be a work in progress. What I have is a Sony HDR-HC3 wich uses mini HD tapes. I just bought a Sony DVDirect. Plug the 2 together and put in a DVD disk and is recording now. I have 15 days to return it if I don't like it.
I would prefer to make HD DVD's I don't think I can going from the i-link cable. Is that correct?
I also thought about putting or copying some of this stuff onto SD cards? Good ....Bad any input...
I have 25 Mini tapes that would of make it expensive to send out and still couldn't get it produced in HD.

You can use the Ilink if you have a program that can decode the HD stream coming from the camera (assuming they were HD recordings). But, then will have very long mpeg-2 clips....as long as each tape. Each clip can be as large as about 12 gigs as that is how much data a 1 hour MiniDV tape can hold. (in DV or HDV mode). But at that point you do have an HD file.

If you can't decode HD, then set the camera to downconvert to DV over firewire (or as Sony calls it....Ilink). You get the same size recording, but it's an AVI DV recording in standard def.

Nobody has mentioned something key here: If the original files are HD, and you CAN'T get HD to your new medium (only SD), then you have a decision to make. HD, by definition, is 16:9 widescreen format. SD, is not. So, if you take the wide format video and convert to SD (a 4:3 format) you must set the camera to do one of a few things:
1- anamorphic squeeze. Your wide video gets squeezed into the 4:3 space, and when displayed wide, looks the same but not HD quality.
2- Letterbox - DO NOT DO THIS. This basically proportionally squeezes the 16:9 image back to fit into a 4:3 area, resulting in emptiness, or "black bars" on the bottom and top. You lose resolution if you do this, and waste precious space on nothing but black image.
3- Center crop- now you get a full screen 4:3 image, native to SD video, but you throw away the sides, or 20% of the original image.

I'd go with number 1, keeping in mind you might have to tell some playback software to interpret as a 16:9 video.

 

[normr]

You can buy a VCR/DVD Recorder, they're about $150, or you can find many places on the Internet that will do it for you at a reasonable cost, I just had a bunch of old Super 8 movies that my mom had from when I was a child and wanted to make sure that they were preserved, after 40 years they were starting to deteriorate so it was imperative that I get it done.

 

[DISNEY FIX]

Sooooooooooooo. I hate computers.......I bought a firewire cable 4port to 6 port plugged it into HP tower and kabam movie maker pops up and we are in business. Joyfully recording it onto the computer. All is well. NOT. HP freezes up about a half hour into it and then proceeds to crash going into enless loop of boot up turn off. trying various remidies along with kicking and throwing said computer I have given up.

Until wife brings her work laptop home and i spy a 4port plug run back out to get correct wire. Plug Recorder into IBM laptop and bingo I am curently recording on Windows Movie Maker.
Finally headway but I don't know if what is being saved on the computer is in HD or not..... Starting not to care....Other soulution now that the HP is garbage is spend a mint on a sony laptop with blu ray burner inside.
Any thoughts?

 

[DISNEY FIX]

What is the optimal format to save the HD taped movies in?

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Some derivation of .mp4(s) is what you're looking for.

You need to ditch what you've got (Software-wise) and DL the 30 day eval of Photoshop Premier Elements like I Recommended WAY UP THERE ^^^^^^^ (LOL) and stop think about MAKING MOVIES and start thinking about DOWNLOADING FILES from the camera FIRST.

THEN, you can worry about making movies from the files. Workflow. It's all about WORKFLOW.

 

[jkevinmcg]

I have used this company and can recommend them. http://homemoviedepot.com/ They did a good job and run very good specials from time to time. Good luck.

Kevin