Every dozen or so years a new technology comes along that renders the old one almost obsolete. So lies the fate of the venerable VHS video tape recorder that all of us worshiped for so many years back in the late 1980's and 90's. If you are like most people, you have a large stack of video tapes sitting on a shelf that you recorded or purchased over the decades previous to the roll out of the DVD. Unfortunately these old recordings will degrade with time, and eventually that precious tape of memories will snap and be gone forever. If you are one of the many people that want to transfer your video taped footage over to DVD you have three options. First you could go out and buy a VHS/DVD dual deck player, but this may not always be the best option. Editing video before burning it to the DVD can be very complicated even on the best of devices. Another option is to take the videos in to a store and have them professionally transferred but this can be extremely expensive if you have a lot of tapes.
A better option for many people is to use an electronic bridge of some kind to get the video into your computer from your old, outdated VCR. If you have one of the newer digital camcorders you may be able to do this using the camera itself as a bridge, but a better and more foolproof option is to use a commercial product from a company such as Pinnacle. Pinnacle has been making video accessories for computers for many years, and their latest creations allow you to accomplish the task quickly and without a lot of hoop jumping. For the Macintosh, Pinnacle has created a new device called Pinnacle Video Capture for Mac ($100). For the PC, users can select from several options including the Dazzle Video Creator Platinum. Both devices serve as a bridge to your computer while also providing high quality editing and burning software in the package.
One caveat, if you are new to digital video you should make sure you have plenty of hard drive space on your computer before you begin. Video files are huge, and a full two hour VHS video tape could require dozens of gigabytes of hard drive real estate. Always upgrade or add additional storage to your computer before you begin the transfer process.
A better option for many people is to use an electronic bridge of some kind to get the video into your computer from your old, outdated VCR. If you have one of the newer digital camcorders you may be able to do this using the camera itself as a bridge, but a better and more foolproof option is to use a commercial product from a company such as Pinnacle. Pinnacle has been making video accessories for computers for many years, and their latest creations allow you to accomplish the task quickly and without a lot of hoop jumping. For the Macintosh, Pinnacle has created a new device called Pinnacle Video Capture for Mac ($100). For the PC, users can select from several options including the Dazzle Video Creator Platinum. Both devices serve as a bridge to your computer while also providing high quality editing and burning software in the package.
One caveat, if you are new to digital video you should make sure you have plenty of hard drive space on your computer before you begin. Video files are huge, and a full two hour VHS video tape could require dozens of gigabytes of hard drive real estate. Always upgrade or add additional storage to your computer before you begin the transfer process.
