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Copying VHS tapes... not illegal

F

Fuzzmuncher

Platinum Member
I had to go out and buy 2 vcrs for this project just since no one had one 🙁 A sign of the times...


I'm having my grandparents' home movies professionally restored & touched up so I want to have some back-ups. They killed one of the tapes last time we tried despite teir promises of making their own back-ups. 🙁



1) Does the mode (SP, EP, LP) really make that much of a difference in quality?

2) Does the co-axial or red/white/yellow cables give better quality?



 
USE SP on the VCR. EP and LP are for the cheapskates who think a 99cent tape should be able to hold 8 hours. SP is the best quality for a VHS and it's still horrible quality.
 
Originally posted by: Fuzzmuncher
I had to go out and buy 2 vcrs for this project just since no one had one 🙁 A sign of the times...


I'm having my grandparents' home movies professionally restored & touched up so I want to have some back-ups. They killed one of the tapes last time we tried despite teir promises of making their own back-ups. 🙁



1) Does the mode (SP, EP, LP) really make that much of a difference in quality?

2) Does the co-axial or red/white/yellow cables give better quality?
Click to expand...

A1. Yes, a big difference
A2. red/white/yellow > coax

 
Yeah, I figured I better go with the best quality since this is some pretty important stuff. How noticeable is the quality difference? Um, RCA is the co-ax right? 😱
 
Thanks all, off to dubbing hours of footage of my elders making donkeys out of themselves...



Any other tips for those of you that have done this?
 
I would put them on DVD. DVD doesn't degrade or get demagnitised if you pit it on a speaker box on accident.
 
I have been slowly converting all my old VHS tapes to DVD. Used RCA from the VCR to the computer. Then cleaned up the video and audio in Vegas Video then burned to DVD. They actually came out very good.
 
Originally posted by: Cat13
I have been slowly converting all my old VHS tapes to DVD. Used RCA from the VCR to the computer. Then cleaned up the video and audio in Vegas Video then burned to DVD. They actually came out very good.
Click to expand...
I'm getting a dvd burner shortly and need to do this also.

 
Originally posted by: Evadman
I would put them on DVD. DVD doesn't degrade or get demagnitised if you pit it on a speaker box on accident.
Click to expand...
The jury is still out on how long DVD+/-R will hold before data before the dye used starts to oxidise.
CD-R's degrade over time and especially if exposed to sunlight, I daresay that DVD's will experience some degradation over time.
Rule of the Universe #1................ Nothing is permanent.
Rule of the Universe #2 ............... Data does not exist unless it is in 3 different forms in at least 2 different places.

Granted, a DVD may be a bit more stable than a magnetic tape, but my point is the same.
 
I would definitely skip the VHS backup and go direct to digital. Sure dvds may degrade over time but the signal loss going from VHS to VHS is a bigger negative factor. Once you have it digital you're good to go.
 
Originally posted by: PipBoy
I would definitely skip the VHS backup and go direct to digital. Sure dvds may degrade over time but the signal loss going from VHS to VHS is a bigger negative factor. Once you have it digital you're good to go.
Click to expand...


Wasn't his point that he sends out his tapes to be converted but they screwed up one tape so he wants to make his own analog copy first?
 
Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
Originally posted by: PipBoy
I would definitely skip the VHS backup and go direct to digital. Sure dvds may degrade over time but the signal loss going from VHS to VHS is a bigger negative factor. Once you have it digital you're good to go.
Click to expand...


Wasn't his point that he sends out his tapes to be converted but they screwed up one tape so he wants to make his own analog copy first?
Click to expand...

Yes. And my point is that it's a waste to backup to analog again.
 
Originally posted by: PipBoy
Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
Originally posted by: PipBoy
I would definitely skip the VHS backup and go direct to digital. Sure dvds may degrade over time but the signal loss going from VHS to VHS is a bigger negative factor. Once you have it digital you're good to go.
Click to expand...


Wasn't his point that he sends out his tapes to be converted but they screwed up one tape so he wants to make his own analog copy first?
Click to expand...

Yes. And my point is that it's a waste to backup to analog again.
Click to expand...

Fair enough but maybe he doesn't have the stuff needed to do it.
I agree with you though.


 
Thank you all.

I would love to get them on dvds, but I have the equipment to back-up vhs right now. I'll just have to save the dvd-conversion to another day 🙁

I bought a copy of vegas & am buying a dvd-burner now, so it's in the works, just no real time to devote to it 🙁
 
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