Response 1:
I have not used Windows Movie Maker, but I assume it is able to piece together video clips that are in MPEG, AVI, etc., formats. These clips would be movie files on your computer.
To capture the VHS video into these movie files, you could look into computer peripherals such as USB video capture devices (external), video capture cards (internal -- if you are comfortable working inside your computer's case), or an external USB TV tuner (if you also would like to watch TV on your computer). Which ever device you use, you would need to make sure it is capable of capturing video from your VCR into the video file formats readable by Windows Movie Maker.
I have a USB TV tuner that I use on my Mac. I bought it for about $80 a year ago. It can record video into QuickTime format. I have seen these devices, both Windows and Mac versions, at local computer retailers that carry a wide assortment of components and peripherals. Devices meant specifically for video capture will generally produce higher quality video files than a TV tuner, but you would best do some online research to find the appropriate solution for your needs. Always make sure the video input jacks of the capture device match the output jacks on your VCR before you invest in equipment!
Remember, to create DVDs on your computer, you will need a DVD recorder (burner) drive on your computer. This is different from a regular CD burner. With a CD burner, you _might_ be able to create CDs in "Video CD"(VCD) format, which might be playable on some DVD players. With appropriate software, I believe most computer CD drives are able to play Video CDs. VCD format only holds about 70 minutes of video per disc, however. You also would need to check whether Windows Movie Maker can create Video CDs. Again, this would be something to research on the Web.
I hope this helps!
Thanks for your inquiry and for visiting our website.
Response 2:
I don't know if you were able to watch our "Digital Video" episode of Tech Talk which aired on May 30th in the Twin Cities -- but that
program touched on this very topic. Here is a link to that episode page.
On this page we have links to Real and Quicktime versions of that
program. You need a broadband connection to watch these streaming
files. I see you are using a dial up connection so as an
alternative, we have a PDF document on the page that is a transcript
of the program.
Your options for converting your VHS videos to DVD are:
Digitize the VHS videos through a mini-DV camera -- if your computer
has a firewire connection into your computer. You would then have
the ability to edit the videos in Windows Movie Maker and burn to DVD
-- if your computer has a DVD burner. This involves hooking your VHS
playback machine up to a mini-dv camera. (Out of your VHS machine
and into the mini--dv camera). Then you hook your mini-dv camera up
to your computer via firewire. You are basically using the mini-dv
camera to transcode your video.
Look in phone book under "Video Duplication". There are local
companies that do this and the cost varies. I would shop around.
Thanks for watching Tech Talk.
