Do you have old VHS video tapes lying around your house and not sure what to do with them? Today, I am going to tell you how you can convert your old videos to digital files and save your precious memories.
You will need a VCR video player, VHS to digital converter device, your computer and an external hard drive or USB. If you don't have a VCR, either buy one from eBay or borrow one from a family member or friend. You can get a VHS to digital converting device from Amazon. There are different types ranging from $15 up to $300 and it's up to you which one you buy but note that they all mostly work the same way and the cheapest devices do a great job. Make sure your external hard drive or USB has enough storage space to save large video files.
The first thing you need to do is install your converting device software. Insert the disc and follow the instructions and soon it will be on your desktop, task bar or whichever location you chose to install it.
Connect the color-coded VCR cables on the back of your video player to the ones on the device. Yellow is for composite video, red is for the right audio channel and white for the left stereo audio, Connect the device USB to the computer.
Open the Honestech HD DVR3.0 software, click on Capture and change the video and audio device settings to AV to USB2.0. Change the other settings according to your preference and select where you want the video files to be saved.
Now you are ready to start converting videos. Insert your video tape into the VCR, rewind it to the beginning and press play. You should see the video playing on the screen. Click on the red recoord button below and it will start recording.
While it is recording, you are free to go do other things like clean the house, talk to family members or watch TV, but keep an eye on it to make sure it is not interrupted or recording a blank screen if the video has ended.
Decide if you want to record the whole tape at once or in parts. If you want to do it in parts, you may have to sit and watch it so you stop recording at the right time. Save one part, then start recording the next part. When you stop recording, the converted file will be in your chosen folder. I highly recommend saving your converted videos in multiple locations so you won't lose them if your computer or hard drive breaks. Storing it on a cloud storage service like Dropbox is a great idea.
If you want to edit your videos, you cand that on the Edit tab or you can use other video editing software. I will write another post about editing later. You will be able to watch the videos on your computer or television.
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