[doofus2]

I'm trying to figure out this VHS to DVD transfer stuff and have read until I'm half blind and insane (this site, dvdrhelp and others). I know I need some kind of capture card or device, at least.

I noticed in my device mgr. that I have a Legacy Video Capture Device and a 16MB ATI Rage 128 Ultra display adapter.... are these usable if I want to connect the VCR to my pc, copy some old VHS movies and burn them, or are they only good for minor stuff like games, or what? I'm clueless.

My OS is WinXP Home and I have a Nec 1300A dvd burner. I copied a dvd movie using DVD Shrink and Decryptor (just to see if I could do it) and it worked fine.

This doesn't have to be Hollywood-quality stuff, I just want to copy some old home and VHS movies in the easiest possible way and still be able to watch them.

[kiwiguy]

I have serious doubts that a low-spec 16 MB card will have Video-In capabilities at all, sorry.

The presence of a legacy driver should not be relied on as proof.

The simple answer is - does the video card have a socket on the back plane for Video Input?

Video (TV) Out is common, but Video In is not, and usually is supported on the upmarket cards only. It should be very clear in documentation that came with the PC if it has the capability, but would likely need a bit more than 16 MB of resources in my opinion.

Also with any video capture function on the PC would have come the software to do the capture. Something like InterVideo WinCoder. If your PC came with capture software, its a good indication it has the hardware as well. If it did not come with capture software, its a good indication it has not got the functionality.

When I purchased my last PC, I had to specify and pay more for the function, which is built into my nVidia GF4-MX460 graphics card. Also I can use my separately purchased TV card for the function, that software also supports it.

[doofus2]

I didn't think they'd work but wanted to check before I go out and buy stuff I don't need. I guess the video/tv card will be my starting point for this adventure.

Thanks for responding.