I need a recommendation for a machine for copying VHS to DVD

[Wrinkles]

Many of my recordings of TV shows are beginning to deteriorate. Often the tuner cannot use the recorded signal. Those unusable tapes I believe are history, however, I have many more that play well. Most of the shows are for children (I have 4) and I want to preserve the recorded content as long as possible, maybe so grandkids can watch when that part of my life occurs. Many of these shows are not shown anymore. Are there any decent VHS to DVD recorders available? Do the recorders allow the starting and stopping of the copying process to allow the removal of commercials or the addition of a show from another VHS tape?

Thanks,

Wrinkles

[oldbuckster]

Unless they are very rare shows, they probably can be bought on DVD already. I don't think it's worth the effort to put VHS to DVD, just my opinion, but if that's what you want to do, it can be done, with the machine you mention, mind you, quality will not be great, and to edit everything out takes alot of time, for a medium that 5 years from now will also be obsolete .........................

[mas]

There are a few methods to convert audio and video tapes to CD/DVD

- Capture the tape video to a computer video editing
program using an analog-to-DV converter (which includes many DV/Digital8
camcorders as well as standalone analog-to-DV converters), encode it to
MPEG-2 and author a DVD, This is the most time-consuming method but it
gives you the flexibility to edit the source. If you have a Mac, you may be in heaven.

- Capture the audio/video to the computer as MPEG-2 using
hardware capture devices that convert the video to MPEG-2 as they capture
and then burn a CD/DVD. Such a system is made by "Dazzle" for your PC

- Connect your tape unit or camcorder to a standalone
DVD recorder that works much like a VCR. You don't have a lot of
flexibility as far as menus, buttons and chapter settings, but it's the
fastest and easiest way to convert analog tape and camcorders to DVD. A good example of this is the Sony VRD-MC5 available at J&R and NewEgg for ~$199.

- And if you only have a few, there are a plethora of conversion service agencies available to do this for ~$10 a tape - just do an online search for "videotape to DVD conversion" .

I understand your desire. I have quite a few audio (non-music) cassettes and video tapes that need to be converted and archived.

[Colin]

Google "VHS/DVD recorder" and read away! There are plenty where you just pop in the tape and hit record!

[jheis]

William Safire (US columnist & speechwriter (1929 - )

That's the problem with William Safire - he's not dead yet.... Does "nattering nabobs of negativism" ring a bell?

James

[Wrinkles]

William Safire (US columnist & speechwriter (1929 - )

That's the problem with William Safire - he's not dead yet.... Does "nattering nabobs of negativism" ring a bell?

James

Nope. At least not until a few minutes ago on answers.com. Must have been before I cared about politics or before my time (in 1970 I was 14 years old). The only things I remember about Agnew was his polical position, golf game and strange name. And prior to seeing the quote I use somewhere, I had never seen his name.

From Answers.com....

"Nattering nabobs of negativism" is one of the most popular turns of phrase associated with U.S. Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, who served under Richard Nixon until resigning in October 1974, after pleading no contest to charges of tax fraud. Agnew, who had a particularly acrimonious relationship with the press, used this term to refer to the members of the media, whom he also deemed "an effete corps of impudent snobs."

According to the Congressional Record, this term was first used during Agnew's address to the California Republican state convention in San Diego on September 11, 1970. In context, it was used together with another well-known Agnew alliteration: "In the United States today, we have more than our share of the nattering nabobs of negativism. They have formed their own 4-H Club -- the "hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history."

Although this phrase is often credited to Agnew himself, it was actually written by William Safire, the legendary columnist for The New York Times, who was a speechwriter for Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew. Some of Agnew's other pearls were actually written by Patrick Buchanan, another White House speechwriter at the time.

Thanks for the education.

Wrinkles

[jheis]

My pleasure. (Just don't take what I say too seriously.)

James

[oldbuckster]

Oh My God, old Spiro T. Agnew , go away Spiro, far away .................. Oh My, talk about the 70's, Republican Theives, not much different than today...........EH ?????

[Wrinkles]

MAS,

I picked up the SONY VRD-MC5 for $199 at CircuitCity after reading the many writeups and reviews. I think it will work out just fine.

Thanks for the recommendations.

Wrinkles

[Colin]

brand name, as a cheap as mail order and with viewer yet, seems like a practical choice for copying and viewing DVD, add $30 to get the auto adapter and you can view movies on the road, now all you need is a kid to pop in a VHS, make a label and burn a blank DVD!

[mas]

Please keep us posted with regards to your experience and what you think of the unit.

I have been eyeing it from afar but have yet to get any hands-on time with it. For a standalone unit sans the need for a computer that will accomodate multiple input sources, it seems like quite a good deal.

I suspect that many here have a fair number of video and audio tapes of material that are otherwise unavailable that need to be converted for archival purposes, and we would really benefit from your experience.