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Solved: converting analog tapes to CD

4K views 26 replies 7 participants last post by  mlettel 
#1 ·
I would like to convert all video tapes to Cd's.What I must have to achieve this task. It is my first try. I have no experience to do this. I do run Window 98SE. How many GB is needed for 3 hours tape. Please if someone can give me advice, what to get to complete the task. I am not young, thats mean bit more details to understand how ?
Thanks- mlettel
 
#2 ·
Well, first you need a tape player with an output, the cables to match that output to the line-in of your sound card. Presuming that you're reading the input in uncompressed in WAV format, three hours of WAV sound is about 1.8 gigabytes. I'd recommend you look around for a decent audio processor, Cakewalk, CoolEdit, SoundForge, etc.
 
#3 ·
Hi johnwill.
Got your message. Thanks. But remember. I,am old fellow. More details helps. TAPE PLAYER. You mean VIDEO ? and presume it should be added some CARD or something to my PC ? and than connect with suitable cables? ...and Cake walk, Cool edit, SoundForce, ...are used to edit to PC? ..and than burn with present NERO WRITER? If you can spend few more minutes, it will be bonus.
Thanks. mlettel
 
#4 ·
Sorry, I was thinking audio, not video, that's what I get for flunking reading comprehension! :D

Let's start over. You need a video capture card unless you have a Digital Video Camera that has a Firewire connection. If you look at various video capture options, most of them come with software to capture to disk, and many will burn the VCD to CD for you too.
 
#7 ·
That assumes your camera has a Firewire connection, if you're talking an older camera, it probably is straight analog. In that case, it's the capture card.

BTW, you can find Firewire cards a lot cheaper than $120, at least here in the US, I think I paid about $25 for one with capture software.
 
#8 ·
The best is a capture card or a video card with a video-in slot, usualy called VIVO cards, because video in video out.

Buy a good one, it's important to have a card that can capture in 640x480 pixels or more.

You can connect your video tape player with composite cables: thos who plug into the white, black and yellow slot on the back of the player.
There are also peritel to composite converter, these very large cable that looks like computer cables but are only for video.

If the player has a s-video output (a 4 pins slot) and the capture card a s-video input it's even better. But it's rare that analog devices like a video tape player has a s-video out. They usualy are s-video in. Be careful.

You connect the audio by two (stereo and mono) composite cable (the white and the black or red ones) to the audio input of your mother board (if she has a imbedded audio device) or of the audio card of your computer.
Check if you have a audio in on the back of the computer case.
You will need a convertor to join the two composite audio cables to the single headphone-like slot of the audio in of the computer.

Thes cable convertors are not expensive.

When you got your good and expensive capture card, you need at least 30 Gb of free space, 60Gb is better. Everything depends in what format the video will be captured.

capturing video means recording the vhs tapes to a digital format on the hard disc.
If it's uncompressed it will take 20Mb per second for a 640x480 resolution.
If it's compressed to mpeg2, DivX or Asus (asus cards only) formats it's about 2 Mb per second.

Nowadays most video capture card are able to compress on-the-fly (real time without loss) to mpeg2, divx or similar like asus.

The audio in the video must always be captured in non compressed pcm.

When you have done your capture (after a few dozens of re-tries and re-settings to get things right) :) you will have to compress the video to divX and the ausio to mp3 (most recomanded formats) in order to reduce the file size to fit the movie on one CD-rom.

To know more about recompression and tv/vhs capture please go to:

http://www.divx.com
http://fullart.topcities.com/aviutl.htm
http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/guides.htm
 
#9 ·
Thanks Fredledingue.
It is very helpfull.No s-video. No problem vith convertors. If you say "goog expensive card." ? Say in dollars,please. And no digital
camera. If you compress to reasnable size, why so big HD.? I did see today, just simple external unit call " D-Link DSB-VIOO, at cost $AD 137-00. Very simple even simple editing. What do you thing?
mettel
 
#10 ·
Invest heavily in hard drive.. I have 220gigs on my main machine and normally I only have aprox 30 gigs free. All the space is taken up with mostly video editing projects. The reason for a big hard drive is normally during conversion you need twice the size in free space on the drive of the original file.. Also, you may want to keep the original for awhile so you can test the re-encode and make sure you get a good burn... Burning to disk takes time, also, later you may (like me) set up a home network with streaming capability in order to stream video from a central server to other locations on the network. It's easier to stream the video than to totally move (copy) the video to a different PC on the network. I use unreal media server from here... http://www.umediaserver.net/
 
#11 ·
Of course, since hard disks are so cheap, that's not a huge issue. I have three machines that I use regularly, the smallest disk capacity of the three is 320gigs. :)
 
#12 ·
Well, what gotrootdude said is excact if you want to keep a lot of movies on your hardrive, eg for streaming in a network.

Theoriticaly, you don't need twice as the filesize for editing if you compress immediatly.

But to put things simply, you need more space because it takes about one day for the computer to encode (compress) properly a 2 hour movie.

If you want to capture a second movie before the first one is encoded, you will need space for two movies or more.

I have a 37Gb (officialy 40Gb) and it's enough for my home use.
But I should not wait too long before compressing.

80Gb is more confortable I would say: no worry to run out of disc space.

As for the price of a video card, I bought my Asus for +- US$250.
I think 200$ is what you should look for. I'm not a specialist about prices because things evoluate so fast; prices as well as technical capabilities.
 
#14 ·
Thanks to all of you, who replay it.
There is one problem. I leave in Australia. If you talking about $ 250-00, thats here $ 500-00 +. I do looking for something simple at low resolution, the reason? My tapes are from analog video cameras and this is not great resolution. And is anybody there, who know " D-Link DSB-V100 or simirlar (decoder?)
Thanks
Mettel
 
#15 ·
Hi! Is anyone there who know about SWANN EAZY CAPTURE ?
or Pinnacle PC TV. Would the problem be solved. The price is reasnable here in AUSTRALIA for mentioned producs. I do not want to spent to much money, but still get reasnable kvality.
Thanks mettel.
 
#16 ·
One more replay to Fredledingue posted 10.15.2003.
Back to your coments. I was looking for VIVO card. Did not find any. I do still try to lern about recompression, but suggested side I coud not open for some reason. But still searching for more detail how to do it.
Thanks mettel
 
#17 ·
I bought the Dazzle DVC80 for $30 after rebate here in the US. It's not great quality, but I was able to convert some tapes to VCD's satisfactorily.
 
#18 ·
VIVO or VIOO, whatever they call it, make sure there is a video in.
Otherwise it will be useless.
About price: US $ +- 250.
Now, I'm not expert in video card. I'm very satisfied of my Asus V8200 I bought one and half year ago. Other products may be good too.
Resolution must be at least 640x480 since it's about the resolution of a vhs tape.
Most of the cards are able to use this resolution, if not it's rather crappy.

Try the sites again, they should open in normal time. Doom9 is The Place.
 
#19 ·
I wouldn't recomend the Dazzle DVC80 as it is USB and not 2.0 wich make it's bandwidth very limited. You should get a PCI TV card, most of them have composite inputs (RCA Jacks) so they can be connected to your VCR. Most also come with a viewing app for recording to Mpeg.
Some good ones can be found for under US$50.00
Vivo would require buying a new video card, which isn't what you need methinks.

IMO
 
#20 ·
Thanks Fredledingue and Clippmanta.
Today I did visited dozen off PC shops and services. Only one satisfactory result. In one of our Computer Superstore was one very goog man. We did go thru all product, available here in Australia. Sugestion was " PINNICLE PC TV " It has Capture card + limited software and cost over $ 100. But I would be able to get only MpG 1. MpG2 is probably NO. ( Intel-Celeron/ 466 MgH/ should be 500.) Will see.
Thanks. mlettel
 
#23 ·
Thanks bouth.
To Clippmanta... first. You are right. I have only Celeron at 466 MgH at PC TV need 900MgH. Problem is. Here in Australia is inpossible get higher speed. It would work but some frame will be missing. I will try go to E-Bay iff.???.. and to Fredledingue...
You are right. Upgrade is almost a new PC. Only to get 2nd hand Celeron. There is chance to get Celeron 2.5 GB, but... motherboard to be changed and still dont know if power supply will be OK and whoo knows what else. I starting be worried.
mlettel
 
#24 ·
i would use a kworld878rf-pro tv tuner fm card.then use studio 321 program called xmaker.this will allow you to capture the video and record in an avi extension.once this is don then open dvdxmaker and select avi file and burn.very simple and burns to vcd or dvd.whichever you would like.sometimes i burn to vcd if i dont care about quality but then i burn to dvd if i want better quality.I did some home videos of my children at christmas and burned them to vcd and sent them out to our relatives.they all played there dvd players and made me look real smart.(gotta look good in front of the inlaws)
 
#25 ·
Dear jthenerd.
Thanks. The time on reply telling me this is other side on the earth.
I will look for that card? What make? But still the 466MHz is also big factor. It will be great i someone enywhere find me a CELERON 1 GB old or new I,ll pay for it and send it over to me. This will be ideal. I cant get it here.
mlettel
 
#26 ·
Hey mlettel,
Replying to your orginal post, my friend does this on a regular basis. Yes, using the capture cards are the way to go, but my friend does another method:
1) Record your VCR tape info onto a digital camera by hooking the two up, obviously.
2) Then you can upload (send the information) the digital camcorder's information to your computer.
hope this helps, amigo
 
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