VHS to AVI - easy/cheap method?: Motoring Computer Related forum

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Thread Author: Dave_	Replies: 11

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Sat 20 Mar 10 23:25

VHS to AVI - easy/cheap method? - Dave_

Hi all,

I have a VHS tape of the antics of half a dozen of us on the weekend of my 19th birthday (in 1991). I've got a working VHS video recorder with a SCART output. In these days of email, Facebook and more importantly YouTube, what's the easiest way of inputting the video playback to my computer and recording it in a format that can be edited, chopped up, uploaded or burned to DVD? Several of my old friends have asked after the tape, and would be greatly entertained by its contents.

Is there a SCART to USB cable available, along with some free downloadable software which would do the trick? I'm on a very very tight budget but have some time available for editing and so on. There seem to be some "kits" available on eBay but I'm not sure how much of a solution these would be.

All suggestions welcome. :-)

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Sat 20 Mar 10 23:31

VHS to AVI - easy/cheap method? - Zero

For about 10 quid you can buy a USB dongle. You plug the rca audio and video leads from your video into the dongle, and some software that comes with it will capture it and produce a dvd MPEG.

Search amazon for easycap USB.

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Wed 24 Mar 10 00:05

VHS to AVI - easy/cheap method? - Stuartli

Much less than that price at:

www.pctvhifi.co.uk/infopage.asp?infID=1558

£40 at one major newspaper's shop outlet...:-)

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Wed 24 Mar 10 08:04

VHS to AVI - easy/cheap method? - rtj70

If you have a video card with video in then you could get a cable from MAPLIN or similar. Or maybe the PC has a TV card and you could use that?

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Wed 24 Mar 10 09:43

VHS to AVI - easy/cheap method? - Stuartli

>>..then you could get a cable from MAPLIN or similar>>

The link I provided offers the EasyCap USB gadget for less than a cable would cost at Maplins and also includes the appropriate software to deal with the video files afterwards...:-)

Last edited by: Stuartli on Wed 24 Mar 10 at 09:44

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Wed 24 Mar 10 09:51

VHS to AVI - easy/cheap method? - spamcan61

>> The link I provided offers the EasyCap USB gadget for less than a cable would
>> cost at Maplins

LOL, great mind think alike ;-) .... or fools seldom differ

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Wed 24 Mar 10 09:50

VHS to AVI - easy/cheap method? - spamcan61

Just over a fiver, gosh that's cheap, Maplin probably want more than that just for the cable. Most of these dongles rely on the PC to provide all the processing power, so it needs to be a reasonable spec, I should think a 3gig P4 or anything newer should be OK, wouldn't want to try it on a netbook though.

Video inputs on graphics cards and Tv tuners seem rarer than they used to be but certainly worth a look round the back of the PC. Windows Movie Maker is included in XP ( and presumably Vista and win7?) and includes enough editing features for most home use, although it won't do the DVD authoring. Maybe the bundled software with the dongle is good enough anyway.

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Wed 24 Mar 10 14:34

VHS to AVI - easy/cheap method? - Stuartli

>>..Video inputs on graphics cards and Tv tuners seem rarer... >>

The EasyCap Video Capture Adapter is a USB device - the leads are used to connect the VCR.

Last edited by: Stuartli on Wed 24 Mar 10 at 14:35

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Wed 24 Mar 10 14:45

VHS to AVI - easy/cheap method? - spamcan61

>> >>..Video inputs on graphics cards and Tv tuners seem rarer... >>
>>
>> The EasyCap Video Capture Adapter is a USB device - the leads are used to
>> connect the VCR.
>>

Yeah, I was replying to rtj70's suggestion. Any knowledge of that seller Stu? they have some interesting gadgets at good prices on there, but the lack of 'contact us' page - so far as I can see - always worries me. Wouldn't stop me risking a few quid on this dongle mind you.

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Wed 24 Mar 10 14:54

VHS to AVI - easy/cheap method? - Robbie34

I went to the website to order one, but when I went to the checkout it took me to Amazon, and the price had risen to £11.99.

How do I get one from the site at the price stated?

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Sat 27 Mar 10 10:02

VHS to AVI - easy/cheap method? - Stuartli

Don't know, but this gadget has been selling for around £30 to £40 for some time, so it's still a bargain at around a tenner.

IIRC any link to Amazon is to safeguard the buyer and also provide some protection as you pay Amazon rather than the seller.

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Sat 27 Mar 10 12:35

VHS to AVI - easy/cheap method? - spamcan61

I bought the basic Dazzle plus version for 30 odd quid a couple of years back, and that was cheap, so agreed anything that does the job and includes software for around a tenner is very cheap.

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