DVD to VHS and other analog to digital converters
Do you have a bunch of VHS tapes that you’ve been slowly replacing with DVDs over the past few years? Or perhaps you’ve simply decided not to spend the money to replace them but just try to keep that VHS player humming along?
One cost-effective alternative is to get a VHS to DVD converter and do it yourself.
It will pay for itself if you have about 10 or more VHS tapes.
While you may have seen some of these or other similar products on electronics blogs, we’ve decided to put together a list of top choices for you. Here are 4 such products:
#4. Plextor ConvertX Digital Video Converter - Plextor’s ConvertX box converts your VHS tapes into DixV or MPEG-4 on your computer, after which you can burn it to DVD. You don’t have to burn it to DVD if you don’t want to. The tidy ConvertX box plugs into your computer and also comes with software. Its built-in compression software allows you to store 2 hours of video on a CD, or 10 hours on a DVD. Costs approx $55.
3. CopyThis! Digital Video Enhancer - The CopyThis converter can enhance the quality of your VHS tapes during conversion. Enhancement features include noise reduction and black and white vintage effects. Unfortunately, this product is no longer made, but you may be able to find one on eBay.
2. Honestech’s VHS to DVD 3.0 Deluxe - While named VHS to DVD, it can also convert many analog inputs into digital. The included software is quite simple to use and has 2 modes: advanced and beginner. For example, in easy mode, a video can be converted to DVD in just a few mouse clicks.
The software also includes many editing functions, such as cutting and splicing. VHS to DVD is a good value for the money and easy to get started with. VHS to DVD costs approx $50. You can read a detailed review of VHS to DVD 3.0 Deluxe here.
#1. Panasonic DMR-EZxxx VHS & DVD Recorders - Panasonic has a line up of DVD to VHS recorders that play both formats. As it has slots for both, it also allows to record from one format to the other. As opposed to the other 3 units, this does not have a software component, and it does playback as well, including for example, JPG files from an SD card. It can even upscale to 1080p. We’ve decided to rank this number one for its slew of features, but unfortunately it does have a price tag to match (approx $170).
You can find the Plextor, Honestech and Panasonic products easily on your shopping for gadgets hunts.