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As DVDs and DVD players become cheaper and more widespread, is it time to say goodbye to the VHS tape and video cassette recorder (VCR)?
Even if you are reluctant to put your VHS tapes in the bin for a while yet, they only last so long before they degrade or break, so eventually there will be fewer around.
Investing in a DVD player and buying DVDs of your favourite films may be the answer for the future but what about all your old VHS tapes?
Look at what has happened to the music market: the gradual disappearance of vinyl LPs and audio cassettes saw most people spending their money on music CDs to maintain their collections and hopefully avoid losing favourite tracks when LPs get scratched or tapes break.
The same thing is happening to many popular films that were once only available on a VHS cassette.
DVDs also offer extra film footage and digitally enhanced additions.
However, if you simply want to preserve your VHS tapes, there is a cheaper solution to buying DVDs: you can transfer the video from the tape to a computer and save it on recordable CD or DVD, either of which can play on your PC or DVD player.
Armed with a VCR, your VHS tapes, a computer and the necessary equipment and programs, you can ensure your favourite films, home movies and programmes won't be lost when VHS becomes enters the history books.
Video capture
Transferring a VHS tape to a computer involves connecting the VCR to the computer, then using some suitable software to capture the video footage.
We've used a couple of programs (EditStudio and MyDVD) in this feature to capture video from a VCR.
Look at the What you will need list (below) to see what equipment can transfer a VHS tape to a computer and record it on CD.
Once video footage has been captured and transferred to a recordable CD or DVD, you can play it on any computer CD or DVD drive or a DVD player.
There are some important things worth thinking about before spending hours armed with a pile of VHS tapes and CDs or DVDs.
The quality of the video footage on the CD/DVD will only be as good as the quality of the VHS tape.
The resolution of VHS isn't as good as DVD, so you can't improve a film on VHS tape into a recording of commercial DVD quality.
VHS audio quality is similarly not up to the standard of DVD. You'll also need plenty of hard disk space to store the captured video.
Edit and view
Once the video from a VHS tape has been captured and transferred to a computer, it can be edited if required.
This is useful for TV programmes you've recorded onto a VHS tape. Using an editing program such as EditStudio, you can remove unwanted footage, such as adverts and opening credits, thus saving space and cutting file sizes.
Editing video might include using storyboards, timelines and video effects.
When you've edited your video, you'll need to 'export' it to a file that can either be played on any PC or copied to a CD or DVD for use on a PC or DVD player.
You have a number of options here, each offering a trade-off between image quality and file size.
If you've captured video from VHS tape, you can get away with quite low-quality video.
Once the captured video is ready, it can be viewed on a computer using free software such as Windows Media Player.
Which program is suitable depends on the type of file that has been created when the video was captured.
AVI or WMV files can be opened in programs such as Windows Media Player. The quality is reasonably good and it's often used on websites for video.
Mpeg-1 video offers comparable quality to VHS. The file size is larger than AVI and similar formats.
It can be played through Windows Media Player, is ideal for storing on a recordable CD and can be played through any computer CD-Rom drive.
There is also Mpeg-2 video, which is similar quality to DVD, but don't forget that if you're starting with VHS you can't improve the quality of the recording.
Your files out on DVD
Captured video can be stored in a number of ways. The quickest and easiest method is to leave it on the computer's hard disk, but this can use up your space quickly if you want to transfer lots of VHS tapes.
Copying the captured video to a CD or DVD is a popular solution. Transferring VHS video to either a CD-R or CD-RW produces what is known as a VideoCD - a video compact disc, in other words.
You'll need a CD-RW drive and a suitable recording program such as Roxio Easy CD Creator or Ahead Nero Burning Rom.
A VideoCD will store about one hour of video in Mpeg-1 video; a recordable DVD will hold significantly more.
Preserve the past
Transferring your old VHS tapes to a computer and recording them on CD is ideal for preserving footage that may be lost forever if the original tapes become damaged.
You may well have most of the equipment required to do the job and the rest shouldn't be too costly.
You need to be armed with the necessary cables and capture card to link a VCR to the computer, some software such as EditStudio to capture the video and maybe edit it, then a CD-RW or recordable DVD drive and copying software such as Nero or Easy CD Creator.
It's cheaper than buying DVD replacements of all your old VHS videos.
Preserving those recordings, the ability to edit them, add DVD-style menus and the flexibility of playing them using computers or DVD players make this an enjoyable and worthwhile project.
What you will need
Here's a list of the equipment you need to transfer a VHS videotape to a CD or DVD. You will need a video cassette recorder (VCR) with one of the following:
- Video capture card fitted to the computer;
- External capture device that can be connected to the computer;
- Graphics card that includes a socket to connect a VCR or
- TV tuner card.
You will also need:
- Software such as EditStudio or MyDVD to capture the video and store it on the computer;
- CD-RW drive or recordable DVD drive to be able to transfer the captured video to a CD or DVD;
- Enough hard disk space to store the captured video.
WORKSHOP 1
Download and install a trial version of EditStudio and Mpeg XS
Pure Motion Edit Studio can capture video, edit it and save it as a file that can be stored on a recordable CD/DVD and played on a DVD player or a computer.
Here's how to download a free 30-day trial version of the program and some additional software called Mpeg XS, which creates files for storing on CD or DVD.
STEP 1
Launch your web browser and connect to the internet.
Go to: www.computeractive.co.uk/download/1138953.
A message box may appear asking you to confirm the download and whether you want to save or open the file.
Click on Save. A Save dialogue box will appear. Choose a suitable location on your computer to store the downloaded file, then click on Save.
The file will now be downloaded. It may take half an hour using a 56K modem or about four minutes using broadband.
STEP 2
When the download is complete, go to: www.computeractive.co.uk/download/1138954.
The procedure for downloading the program is the same as downloading EditStudio, but it will take about one-fifth of the time.
Once you have downloaded Mpeg XS, you can close your web browser and disconnect from the internet.
STEP 3
Use My Computer or Windows Explorer to find the files downloaded in steps 1 and 2.
Double-click on the EditStudio file (called editstudio3016.exe). Installation of the program will begin with a welcome box.
Click on Next, then read through the terms of the licence and click to continue if you agree.
Add your name and click on Next, then make a note of where EditStudio will be installed (click on Change if you want to install it elsewhere).
Click on Next. Select Complete for the type of set-up and click on Next. Finally click on Install to start installation and Finish when complete.
STEP 4
Make sure EditStudio has been correctly installed. Go to Start, Programs, Pure Motion, EditStudio 3 and from the submenu, select EditStudio 3.
The program should start and an opening screen will ask if you want to buy EditStudio or continue with the trial version. Click on the trial option.
The main screen for EditStudio will then open with options for creating new projects and opening existing ones.
However, you need to install Mpeg XS first, so close EditStudio and go to step 5.
STEP 5
Following the same procedures as installing EditStudio, use Windows Explorer or My Computer to locate the Mpeg XS file called mpegxs104.exe.
Once found, double-click on it to start the installation. Follow the same steps as installing EditStudio, including the welcome screen, licence agreement and where the program will be stored on your computer.
Once installation is complete, click on the Finish button.
STEP 6
Check that Mpeg XS has been installed properly. Go to Start, Programs, Pure Motion and Mpeg Plug In should be listed on the submenu.
Repeat step 4 to start EditStudio and, once the main screen appears, click on the dropdown menu next to Preset (under Create a Project) and look down the list for references to Mpeg. This ensures the plug-in has been installed.
WORKSHOP 2
Capturing analogue video on your PC
STEP 1
Before switching on your computer, connect your VCR to it.
You will need a suitable video capture card fitted to your computer and a cable to connect your VCR to it.
An S-Video lead will provide the highest quality connection but not all VCRs and capture cards have the appropriate sockets.
Otherwise, you'll need an adapter to connect your VCR's Scart socket to the red, white and yellow phono sockets on your PC's capture card.
With everything connected, switch on the VCR and computer.
STEP 2
Open the program you intend to use for capturing video. This may be a program supplied with the video capture card or EditStudio. We've also used a program called MyDVD.
Most of these programs start with an opening screen that allows you to create a new project for adding video clips.
You may need to choose this from a menu option or a list on the screen.
STEP 3
When you're ready to start capturing video from the VCR, make sure there is a tape in it that's ready to be played.
Most editing programs have a capture button on screen to click on that will open some options for capturing.
The program will list the capture devices it has detected and allow you to choose which one to use.
The computer's video capture card will probably be listed, not the VCR.
An error message may appear after choosing the device, explaining a preview is not available. Press play on the VCR if this happens.
STEP 4
Once you've chosen the capture device (your video capture card), some editing programs display the amount of hard disk space available on your computer and how much time can be captured using this.
If the amount of time is insufficient, look for buttons or options on the screen to change the settings for the capture.
For EditStudio, alter the Frame Rate and click on the buttons for Options and Video Settings to alter the quality of the capturing and in turn, alter the amount of time capable of being captured.
STEP 5
When you're ready to start capturing, press play on the VCR. A preview screen may appear.
Make sure the computer's speakers are switched on if there's no sound.
Forward or rewind to a point to start capturing, then click on the capture or record button. The preview screen may go blank for a few seconds.
As the video is captured, look for an indication on-screen for the file size of the capture and the time recorded.
Make sure you do not run out of space or time available.
STEP 6
To stop capturing, click on the Stop button. Some programs require a second click on the record or capture button.
A dialogue box may then appear to name and save the captured video.
Make a note of the name given to the captured video and where on the computer it is saved.
Some programs store the video clips on screen until you've stopped all of your capturing.
STEP 7
After saving or stopping a captured video clip, you can return to the capture screen and continue capturing more clips.
Use the preview screen to watch the video.
Some programs allow you to fast forward and rewind through a tape and they will retain the preview screen. Some programs have an option for taking still images from video - this is ideal for the opening titles.
EditStudio has a button to the right of the preview screen that looks like a camera.
Click on this to take a still image, although it may ask you to alter some settings first.
STEP 8
When you've finished capturing video, you will have a series of video clips stored as separate files.
Depending on the editing program you are using, these may be stored as files with an .mpg or .avi or other extension.
You may be able to view them through a program such as Windows Media Player or Apple QuickTime.
Try locating these captured video files. They should be stored on your computer.
Once found, double-click to open them and see which program they are opened into.
If the file can be opened into a suitable media program, it will be played.
STEP 9
Video capturing can have its problems, particularly with analogue video capture cards.
You may find the capture card is not compatible with downloaded editing programs, such as EditStudio.
If the capture card is supplied with editing software, try using this instead.
Depending on the editing software in use, you may find the type of file the video is captured to is difficult to open in other programs.
Sometimes the sound may be missing (recapturing is the answer).
If the computer runs slowly while capturing, try switching off the preview screen or reducing the quality of the capture.
Capturing digital video instead of analogue is often more reliable and successful.
You'll need to connect your digital camcorder to a FireWire port on your PC with a suitable cable.
The steps required to capture digital video are the same when using programs such as EditStudio.
WORKSHOP 3
Building an output file with EditStudio
STEP 1
Start EditStudio. If you are using the trial version, click on the appropriate option.
Make sure the Project icon on the left side of the screen is selected and a New Project screen appears.
Enter a name for your video project and make sure the location on the computer for saving it is correct.
Click on the drop-down triangle for Preset and change to one of the categories for Mpeg XS (VCD for recording to a CD; DVD for recording to a DVD).
Finally, click on Create a new project.
STEP 2
Video and audio settings for your project will be displayed.
Click on the Storyboard icon on the left side of the screen. A series of blank storyboard boxes will appear on the screen and a project library will be displayed below containing graphics and captured video.
Any captured VHS video clips, camcorder clips and other video captured using EditStudio will be displayed here.
We'll show you how to transfer these clips into the storyboard in the next step. If, however, you have video clips captured with a different program, see Step 4.
STEP 3
To transfer a captured video clip to the storyboard, search through the folder list in the lower half of the screen (usually found in the Global Library folder under Captured).
Any clips will be displayed as thumbnails in the lower half of the screen. To add a clip to the project, drag and drop it to the first blank box in the storyboard.
If this is the first clip to be added to the project, a dialogue box will appear concerning creating layers. Read through it and click on OK.
STEP 4
If you have captured some video clips (or other clips) using a different program to EditStudio, you may still be able to use them to create a video project.
Right-click on the first empty storyboard box and choose Insert Media File from the menu that appears.
An Open dialogue box will appear. Locate and select a suitable video clip you want to include then click on the Open button.
If this is the first clip to add to the storyboard, a dialogue box shown in Step 3 will appear. Read through it and click on OK.
STEP 5
EditStudio can add video effects between clips. These are called transitions.
A selection of transitions to choose from are located in a Transitions folder, within a folder called Effects and Transitions, which is stored in the Global Library folder (see the lower half of the screen).
Open any folders inside the Transitions folder. Any available transitions will be displayed to the right.
To use one, drag and drop it to a blank black box between the clips on the storyboard.
STEP 6
Preview the video project by clicking on the play button at the bottom left of the screen.
Drag the slider to speed up the video. You can also drag the slider into the minus figures to rewind it.
Your computer may struggle with large video files and the quality of the video is only a preview, so it may miss a few frames at times.
Click on the Timeline icon on the left side of the screen to see how the video clips run and the length of the video project.
STEP 7
When you've finished adding the video clips, it's time to build and save the video project.
Click on the Build icon on the left side of the screen. A Preset Build Settings screen will appear.
There are various methods for building a project. We'll start with the preset options, so make sure 'Build file using preset' is chosen, then click on Next.
Then enter a name for your video project and click on Next. The start and end times will then be displayed - these can be altered. Click on Next when finished.
STEP 8
Video and audio output settings will be displayed again (see Step 1). Make any changes if required, then click on Next.
The video project file is ready to be created. Click on Finish.
If you are using the trial version of EditStudio and Mpeg XS, a message box will appear.
Click on Use trial. The video project file will then be built.
Depending on the size of the file, the time taken to do this will vary.
When complete, a message box will ask if you want to play the movie.
Click on OK to watch it through an appropriate program such as Windows Media Player.
QUICK GUIDE TO DISC TYPES
Video can be stored in a number of ways on CD or DVD. It all depends on the quality you want and the resources you have. Here's a list of what's on offer:
Computer formats
AVI, WMV and QuickTime files are the main video formats that can be played through a computer using Windows Media Player or the Apple QuickTime player.
Videos can range from postage-stamp size to full screen, with file sizes varying from the quite compact to several gigabytes, depending on the type of compression used.
VideoCD
VideoCD is comparable in quality to VHS. It has a resolution of 352 x 288 and can be played on a PC using Windows Media Player or on any DVD player that can read recordable CDs (which is most of them).
Maximum storage per CD is about one hour. VideoCD uses Mpeg-1 compression.
DVD
This offers the best quality - a resolution of 700 x 480 - with two hours or more of footage per disc.
It requires a computer DVD-Rom drive or set-top DVD player, can include high-quality audio as well and uses Mpeg-2 compression.
QUICK GUIDE TO VIDEO FORMATS
Video that is captured or created by a computer can be stored in a variety of formats. Here's a list:
AVI
Short for Audio Video Interleaved, this was developed by Microsoft and is a common Windows video file format.
AVI files can be played in Media Player and there are a variety of compression options to reduce file sizes.
Quicktime
Similar to AVI but developed by Apple.
WMF/WMV
Windows Media File/Video. WMV can be created using Windows Movie Maker and played back using Windows Media Player.
Mpeg-1
Motion Picture Expert Group (Mpeg) is the standard for medium-quality audio and video compression. Comparable to VHS quality.
Mpeg-2
This offers better quality than Mpeg-1, with high-quality audio and support for surround sound formats. Comparable to DVD quality.
QUICK GUIDE TO DVD FORMATS
If you're planning on saving movies on DVD for use on a DVD player, you must think carefully about the type of disc and drive to use - bear in mind that prices are falling at the moment.
DVD-R
Also compatible with most DVD players, DVD-R discs are created in DVD-RW drives but not DVD+RW drives. Price per disc ranges from £1-3.
DVD+RW
DVD+RW requires a DVD+RW drive and discs can be played using most DVD-ROM drives and DVD players.
Ideal for home videos and transferring video from VHS tapes. Disc prices range from £2.50 to £5. Recorders start at £280.
DVD-RW
DVD-RW needs a DVD-RW drive and is slower to record than DVD+RW but is also compatible with most DVD-ROM drives and DVD players. Discs cost £4-6. Recorders start at £250.
DVD+R
More recent than DVD-R, this is similar to DVD+RW. Disc prices range from £1.80 to £3.
DVD MOVIE MENUS
Copying a selection of video clips to a CD/DVD requires the use of a CD/DVD writing program.
Popular programs such as Roxio Easy CD Creator and Ahead Nero Burning Rom not only create CDs and DVDs containing video clips, they can also include menus that enable you to choose a video clip to watch.
Once you've captured your video and stored it on your computer, you're ready to copy it to a CD or DVD.
When using one of these programs, make sure you are creating a VideoCD and look for an option to include a menu.
Depending on the program being used, you may be able to specify a particular menu style, background colour, number of menu options and so on.
After the video clips and the menu have been recorded on a CD or DVD, it can be played in a DVD player and a standard computer.
CONTACTS
DVDs and recorders
www.dvd-and-media.com
www.amazon.co.uk
EditStudio
www.puremotion.com
Video advice
www.vcdhelp.com
Roxio
www.roxio.com/en>www.roxio.com/en
Ahead Nero
www.nero.com
See also:
Tape and film degrade each time you play them, but there is a way to convert your analogue memories into digital format. We show you how 24 Sep 2004
Tape and film degrade each time you play them, but there is a way to convert your analogue memories into digital format. We show you how 24 Sep 2004All Software Applications
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