[Dixielandjazz] Video transfers for editing old VHS

[Rocky Ball]

Nancy:

Here's the way I understand it (and have done it) on my Mac. You need  
an external piece of hardware that acts as an analog to digital  
converter for video. Adaptec makes some pieces like this and another  
company has something called Eye-TV and I know Sony makes some gear  
like this as well called Canopus (http://www.videoguys.com/ 
ADVC.html). Here's a link for more info:

(http://www.macworld.com/2004/07/reviews/ 
firewiredigitalvideoconverters/index.php).

Search Google for this: "analog, digital video, converter, mac".

The type of file that iMovie understands is a "DV" file (Digital  
Video) and the files stored on a DVD are NOT automatically in that  
format... so burning to DVD from a recorder will not save you any  
steps... if you do, then the DVD must be "ripped" and the files  
converted to DV. These hardware devices (above) will capture the  
analog video image and sound from VHS or a camcorder or TV Out and  
will automatically convert it to a DV file and store it on your hard  
drive. You can then load the clips into iMovie and edit to your  
heart's content. When you're satisfied with the editing you can use  
iDVD to create menus and burn the whole thing to a DVD.

If you want to go to a CD instead, you have 2 options (maybe more!):

1. Using Toast you can create what is called a VCD. Check the Apple  
Mac OSX site under Resources -> Video for even more options, some  
free, some shareware. The Japanese prefer VCDs to DVDs as a standard.  
The VCD format, written to a standard recordable CD, can hold about  
an hour of material and will play in many (but not all) DVD players.  
The cheaper ones may not recognize it but the medium to expensive  
ones will.

2. You can convert the video to a Quicktime movie and store it on a  
CD like a standard data file but you will only be able to play it  
back on a Quicktime-equipped computer. (Quicktime movie player is  
available FREE for Macs and PCs from Apple and is superior to Windows  
Media Player in almost every way.)

To learn even more, Google "VCD". Also, a free movie player called  
"VLC" is available for the Mac that will play the VCDs on your  
computer. Google "VLC" to learn more about that. If you do want to  
take some video from a DVD use a free program called "Handbrake" that  
will "rip" the contents of the DVD to files on your hard drive that  
can be converted to DV and used in iMovie.

Good luck and have fun on your Mac!

~Rocky Ball
banjo and other stuff
Atlanta, GA




On Dec 8, 2006, at 10:19 PM, Dan Augustine wrote:

> Nancy and DJML--
>      Hmm.  Can't you just dub or copy the VHS tape to a DVD, and then
> read the DVD in your computer's CD/DVD player and copy the file to
> your hard-drive (i can do this on my Mac)?  Once it's on your
> hard-drive, seems like you could massage and edit it with iMovie or
> whatever.  I have a combo VHS/DVD recorder that allows me to dub a
> VHS tape to a DVD, but there are probably also electronics store that
> would do this for you.  I think the resulting file would be MUCH too
> large to fit on a CD, which can only hold 700 MB, unless you're
> talking about a VHS piece that's only a couple of minutes long.
>
>      Dan
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> -------
>> Date: Fri, 08 Dec 2006 17:58:45 -0800
>> From: Nancy Giffin <NANCYink at surewest.net>
>> To: Dixieland Jazz <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Video transfers for editing old VHS
>>
>> Thanks for the off-list suggestions, however it's not so simple as  
>> getting a
>> DVD/VHS machine. Those DVDs cannot be EDITED.
>> I'm looking for someone with some high-tech knowledge of how to  
>> get from a
>> VHS to a DATA file that can be edited in iMovie. The files would  
>> need to be
>> on a CD, not a DVD (which can only be viewed but not edited).
>>
>> Trying again...
>>
>> Nancy Giffin wrote:
>>>  Perhaps this has been covered many times, but can any video  
>>> experts out
>>>  there please direct me to info on how to transfer old VHS tapes  
>>> to data
>>> files on a CD that can be edited in iMovie or other similar  
>>> application?
>
> -- 
> **-------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> **
> **  Dan Augustine  --  Austin, Texas  --  ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu
> **     "AGE, n.  That period of life in which we compound for the
> **      vices that we still cherish by reviling those that we have
> **      no longer the enterprise to commit." -- Ambrose Bierce
> **-------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> **
>
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