Transferring VHS to DVD

[dsnyfan608]

I have several Disney films on VHS and want to transfer them to DVD. Any recommendations on how best to do that but keep the quality of the picture and sound? Also, I no longer have a VCR. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Debbie7452]

Good luck is all I can say. I bought a VCR/DVD burner combo with this in mind and found that all of the movies were copywrite protected and would not transfer. I had a lightbulb moment where I realized they wanted to MAKE SURE I had to buy the DVD's from the store. Home videos were all I could transfer.

Sorry to give you bad news!

 

[bicker]

Copying copyrighted material without permission is illegal, and in the case of VHS cassettes, is often protected against by Macrovision copy protection.

 

[pyrxtc]

true, tried backing up some VHS's that haven't made it to DVD yet and it wouldn't work. I couldn't even copy a copy of the VHS tape. (it was a music video on the tape after a copy of the video my sister was in for a talent contest doing the same song. )

 

[Robmom]

Good luck is all I can say. I bought a VCR/DVD burner combo with this in mind and found that all of the movies were copywrite protected and would not transfer. I had a lightbulb moment where I realized they wanted to MAKE SURE I had to buy the DVD's from the store. Home videos were all I could transfer.

Sorry to give you bad news!

Me too. I bought the same thing for the same intention. Didn't work. I have two DVD/VCR combos, so at least we can still watch the VHS tapes.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Where there is a will, there is always a way. Google is your friend if you really want to find things to help backup your old VHS tapes.

 

[bicker]

Please don't advocate copyright violation in the forum. Thanks.

 

[MAH4546]

Good luck is all I can say. I bought a VCR/DVD burner combo with this in mind and found that all of the movies were copywrite protected and would not transfer. I had a lightbulb moment where I realized they wanted to MAKE SURE I had to buy the DVD's from the store. Home videos were all I could transfer.

Because when that VHS tape was made in 1989, studios already knew DVDs were coming?

The copyright protection on VHS tapes is so that you can't make a second VHS copy, and it naturally extended towards inability to make a first DVD copy.

 

[DawnCt1]

Please don't advocate copyright violation in the forum. Thanks.

If someone is copying them for their own personal use because the "store better", I doubt the FBI will come knocking.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Please don't advocate copyright violation in the forum. Thanks.

Wasn't advocating anything. Someone said they had a problem with even their very own tapes.

 

[Luvchefmic]

about VHS to DVD and it has nothing to do with copyrights (which is why I clicked opened this thread to begin with) I have a LOT of VHS tapes from when my kids were little and in their teens (HS events etc) they're not going to last forever (DDs are in their 30s) the tapes still work but how can I get them to DVD...what would I need and would it come with instructions....these are family memories

 

[Debbie7452]

Because when that VHS tape was made in 1989, studios already knew DVDs were coming?

The copyright protection on VHS tapes is so that you can't make a second VHS copy, and it naturally extended towards inability to make a first DVD copy.

Ok, I already felt dumb...but really I was referring to making a copy, any kind of copy. I just said DVD because that's what fit these circumstances. I just never had the occasion to encounter "macrovision" protection before my immersion into the shady world of illegal personal movie copying...

Don't report me because I was a failure at my life of crime! I give up...I'll just do my time searching the $5 bin at Wal-mart.

 

[Luvchefmic]

about VHS to DVD and it has nothing to do with copyrights (which is why I clicked opened this thread to begin with) I have a LOT of VHS tapes from when my kids were little and in their teens (HS events etc) they're not going to last forever (DDs are in their 30s) the tapes still work but how can I get them to DVD...what would I need and would it come with instructions....these are family memories

Can someone point me in the direction to be able to do this ...please..

 

[cteddiesgirl]

Can someone point me in the direction to be able to do this ...please..

If you have a dvd recorder/vcr combo or if you have an old vcr hooked up to a dvd recorder, you should be able to record home movies to dvd. There shouldn't be any macrovision on those tapes. If for some reason, the recorder says that you cannot record due to copyright protection, there are devices available on the internet to bypass those. I bought one off ebay several years ago when I was making copies of my own tapes.


As for other tapes, copyright laws allow people to make personal copies of movies they already own for archiving. As long as a person is not selling or sharing the copies, there is nothing anyone can or will do.

 

[Luvchefmic]

If you have a dvd recorder/vcr combo or if you have an old vcr hooked up to a dvd recorder, you should be able to record home movies to dvd. There shouldn't be any macrovision on those tapes. If for some reason, the recorder says that you cannot record due to copyright protection, there are devices available on the internet to bypass those. I bought one off ebay several years ago when I was making copies of my own tapes.


As for other tapes, copyright laws allow people to make personal copies of movies they already own for archiving. As long as a person is not selling or sharing the copies, there is nothing anyone can or will do.

Thank you so very much, we do have a combo please understand I am not so good at these things, what do I need to buy ? I've seen CDs in the stores in a pack..what exactly am I looking for...talk to me like I am a 4 y/o I won't be offended

 

[asta]

Thank you so very much, we do have a combo please understand I am not so good at these things, what do I need to buy ? I've seen CDs in the stores in a pack..what exactly am I looking for...talk to me like I am a 4 y/o I won't be offended

I might be able to shed a little light on those packages in the store. To copy video you need to buy DVD's (not CDs). I think that it is very confusing but they come in five different formats: DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM. Most machines will play any format but you need to make sure that you buy a format that works with your machine for recording. Newer recorders will probably handle both formats but I have an older dvd write drive in my computer that will only handle the +format. I found the following article about the types of DVD's very helpful: http://dvr.about.com/od/dvdrecordableformats/f/faq4.htm

 

[Luvchefmic]

I might be able to shed a little light on those packages in the store. To copy video you need to buy DVD's (not CDs). I think that it is very confusing but they come in five different formats: DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM. Most machines will play any format but you need to make sure that you buy a format that works with your machine for recording. Newer recorders will probably handle both formats but I have an older dvd write drive in my computer that will only handle the +format. I found the following article about the types of DVD's very helpful: http://dvr.about.com/od/dvdrecordableformats/f/faq4.htm

YOU are wonderful ! Thank you so very much..you can't put a price on the memories...esp I KNOW my Dad is on at least one of the tapes (he's no longer alive) and it would break my heart if that was no longer there

 

[asta]

YOU are wonderful ! Thank you so very much..you can't put a price on the memories...esp I KNOW my Dad is on at least one of the tapes (he's no longer alive) and it would break my heart if that was no longer there

Thank you. It is so nice to hear kind words and I agree that you can't put a price on memories. I have a big stockpile of home movies on vhs tapes that I need to convert to dvd. That is going to be my project this fall when my youngest goes off to college. Where does the time go?

 

[cteddiesgirl]

YOU are wonderful ! Thank you so very much..you can't put a price on the memories...esp I KNOW my Dad is on at least one of the tapes (he's no longer alive) and it would break my heart if that was no longer there

I know how you feel. I recently recorded to dvd a tape done by an uncle about an aunt's retirement party. The thing is, she retired because of a brain tumor and she died just a couple months afterwards. My mom, who is also now gone, is also on that tape. There are very few pictures of my mom anywhere since she was always the one taking pictures.
Tapes will deteriorate much faster than dvds will.

If you still have your machine's book, it should tell you how to dub your tapes easily to dvd format. It should also tell you which dvd format works best.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Thank you. It is so nice to hear kind words and I agree that you can't put a price on memories. I have a big stockpile of home movies on vhs tapes that I need to convert to dvd. That is going to be my project this fall when my youngest goes off to college. Where does the time go?

I know my kiddos have kiddos ! hard to believe

I know how you feel. I recently recorded to dvd a tape done by an uncle about an aunt's retirement party. The thing is, she retired because of a brain tumor and she died just a couple months afterwards. My mom, who is also now gone, is also on that tape. There are very few pictures of my mom anywhere since she was always the one taking pictures.
Tapes will deteriorate much faster than dvds will.

If you still have your machine's book, it should tell you how to dub your tapes easily to dvd format. It should also tell you which dvd format works best.

I;m sorry about your Aunt.. so nice that people are helpful on the Dis ..I feel so much better now that I have a solution