I have both runs taped on a 25 yr. old RCA camcorder (VHS tape).
I know I can make a DVD from a tape but can a DVD be down loaded into the computer so that I can post it?
Nice shooting! Here's the rundown on your question. This will be sort of long, but, I offer it as "a word to the wise" advice from one pool lover to another. Not wanting to see you get into a mess.
There are VERY basically two types of video that get broken down into further types.
Analog and digital. VHS is analog and what is needed to post on the forum, put on a dvd, or just watch on your computer is digital.
There are a few ways to convert analog video into digital video. Some less expensive than others, and as always you get what you pay for.
The cheapest alternative and I wouldn't recommend it to my worse enemy if you plan on doing any more than a very occasional VHS segment, is the USB input to computer style. It has RCA jacks into the converter device, and a USB connection to your computer.
These devices typically use computer SOFTWARE to transcode analog video to digital video. Software based encoding often times lends itself to a ton of problems such as voice running out of sync with video, choppy rendering of video, and on and on.
The better choice is a HARDWARE based converter. A hardware based converter uses specific circuits withing it's unit to do the heavy work of converting.
They take the RCA inputs from your VHS camcorder into it's converting device and outputs them to your computer through a firewire port on your computer. If you don't have one, a firewire card is not very expensive, about 25 or so bucks.
The best bang for your buck HARDWARE based converter is a CANOPUS model 110, or an ADS Pyro, You can find them on ebay I'll bet for about 150 bucks. Its maybe 50 or so dollars more expensive than the cheapo software based USB junk boxes, but you will get perfect conversions.
Digital media gets compressed in order to make file size smaller and conform to various display needs.
Compressing digital video is very resource consuming for your computer, not only does the hardware based encoders help take the load off your computer but they output to a higher quality AVI file type which allows you to start your converting to various digital outputs using the highest starting quality digital source video.
The ironic worse thing about those cheap USB software based converters is that they try to do heavy compression to the MPEG format "ON THE FLY" while you are feeding the video into your computer. Kind of like trying to keep up with packaging items coming at you on a conveyor belt thats running too fast.
You loose frames of video and mess up audio sync as it trys to keep up. If your computer isn't up to date, or if you try to go online or open secondary programs you are really asking for trouble.
Hardware encoders such as the Canopus 110 output to a lightly compressed AVI file.
Here's the final thing. Depending where you want to display your "now" digital video clip, will determine what further work you have to do the the AVI file that is now on your hard drive. Example, WMV file for posting on the internet, MPEG2 for creating a DVD.
Oh, one more thing, that old VHS type camcorder ..... it works a lot better in low light than most consumer based digital camcorders, so if you aren't going to to go crazy with a ton of video shooting, buying a good analog to digital converter instead of a camcorder may be a cheaper way out for you.
)
