
You also can buy the items you’ll need piecemeal. You can find dinosaur models online if you look hard enough - try searching “combo deck” or “VHS DVD recorder” on sites like Amazon or eBay, or even Craigslist - but these will typically run you $100 or more (and take forever to ship), so it’ll only be worth it if you’ve got a sizable tape collection. Today, these are outdated and can be hard to find. The best way to convert on your own is with a VHS-DVD combination player/recorder. If you’ve got a ton of videos to transfer, you may want to take on the job yourself to save some green. Using a VHS-DVD combo or separate VCR and DVD burner Prices start at $59, which includes the conversion of two tapes.
IMPORT ANALOG VIDEO TO COMPUTER PLUS
Simply mail your VHS tapes in, and they’ll provide you with DVDs, downloadable digital files, or a thumb drive filled with all of your memories, plus the original tapes in return. Alternatively, there are a couple of great websites that offer the same service for a more affordable price if you feel comfortable shipping the VHS tapes yourself.Ĭompanies like Legacy Box offer similar services. These prices have been trending upward in recent years, so if you’ve been waiting to get your tapes converted, you might want to get on it.Īvailable transfer formats include everything from VHS to Betamax, and most services will allow you to transfer up to two tapes to a single DVD disc before charging you extra. But the price you pay at Walmart or Target could be lower. If you head to the YesVideo website, you’ll find conversion services starting from $26 per tape for the first two hours, and then an additional $26 for every two additional hours of converting. Stores like Costco, CVS, Walmart, and Sam’s Club offer video conversion, and many of them use the same company for their conversion: YesVideo. Retail VHS-to-DVD conversion servicesįor those who’d rather forgo the technical hands-on process, many big-name retail corporations offer VHS-to-DVD (and in some cases VHS-to-digital) conversion services through their photo departments. Plus, you usually can pick up a used copy of Top Gun or The Breakfast Club online for next to nothing. If you’re just too busy, we’ve also got a list of the various VHS conversion services, including pricing, to help you preserve that 20-year-old home video of you bailing on your first bike. If not for you, do it for posterity’s sake.ĭisclaimer: It’s illegal to produce copies of commercial films and copyrighted content, but there are no restrictions on copying home videos. Converting well-worn home movies will never be flawless - the slightest hiccup can interrupt the transfer signal - but it can be done on a modest budget with a few basic tools.īelow, we’ll show you how to save your moments digitally on multiple formats, including by DVD transfer, Blu-ray, or digital file. If your precious home videos managed to survive, you may want to salvage the footage before time takes its toll. The format was never intended to last forever, and it degrades over time. The only trouble is, unfortunately, those storage-closet VHS relics typically have an expiration date. Big and heavy, those lugging around the titanic gadgets of the 1980s and 1990s may not have loved the hardware, but preserving weddings, graduations, and sacred Disney trips was more than worth the shoulder pain. Thanks to camcorders, capturing unforgettable moments on videotape turned into a worldwide phenomenon.
