Question on recording vhs to dvr. (cables, outlet, iPod, television)

[leroyleroux]

I have some old vhs and vhsc family videos that I want to put on dvd. I was told that a dvd recorder was the best way to do this. Great, I have one. So last night, I got as far as getting signal to my tv. However, I tried to record (I first tried an input in which my Zune is hooked to), and got nothing. So I thought I'd run it into where the tv goes in, but that didn't work either. Here's a rough idea of what my hookups look like.

Cable from wall---->Motorola box----->tv----->dvd recorder

[Bowie]

Here's a very simple explanation:

You'll need a cable that has three plugs on both ends. The plugs will be red, white and yellow.

Connect the three plugs on one end of the cable to the corresponding video and audio OUT connectors on the VCR. The sockets the cable plugs into will also likely be red, yellow and white. Plug red into red, white into white and yellow into yellow.

Connect the three plugs on the other end of the cable to the corresponding video and audio IN connectors on the DVD recorder. The sockets those plugs go into will also likely be red, yellow and white. Plug red into red, white into white and yellow into yellow.

That should give you the connections you need to record a DVD when you play the VCR.

[leroyleroux]

Yep, I did that, with those 3 color cables. Like I said, direct to the tv, I was able to see picture. However, when going into the dvr in the same jacks the tv is plugged into, and recording I didn't get anything.
--edit--I may have been plugging into the output. Such a dunderhead I am. Thanks, though.

[Tek_Freek]

Originally Posted by leroyleroux

Yep, I did that, with those 3 color cables. Like I said, direct to the tv, I was able to see picture. However, when going into the dvr in the same jacks the tv is plugged into, and recording I didn't get anything.
--edit--I may have been plugging into the output. Such a dunderhead I am. Thanks, though.

Been there, done that! LMAO!

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by leroyleroux

I was told that a dvd recorder was the best way to do this.

It's a way and certainly one of the easiest. Results vary and quality of capture depends on a lot of things including the recorder. All DVD recorders are not the same and how well it performs depends on a lot of things including the encoding chip, extras like LTBC or TBC. The issue with recording directly to MPEG is that it's compressed, since your typical home video is hand held and has a lot of noise both of these problems require the encoder to utilize a lot of bitrate to compensate for this. Be sure to use the highest quality setting you can, preferably 8000kbps or about one hour per single sided disc. While on the topic always use tripod if you can when recording video.

The preferred method if you want to invest some time is use a capture device that uses a less compressed format like DV. If you have DV cam see if it has the passthrough feature, this will allow you to pass the VHS siganl through the cam which convert it to digital which can either be recorded directly to tape or your computer.

Fromm there you can do some post capture processing with a tool like virtualdub to clean up noise and other issues before encoding to MPEG for viewing on DVD. Its a lot of work and there is a learning curve but worht the effort in the end for most material.

I have an article here that goes into detail about the pros and cons of the different methods you can use to capture VHS:

Capturing VHS or Hi-8 for Archiving or DVD

[PITTSTON2SARASOTA]

Originally Posted by leroyleroux

I have some old vhs and vhsc family videos that I want to put on dvd. I was told that a dvd recorder was the best way to do this. Great, I have one. So last night, I got as far as getting signal to my tv. However, I tried to record (I first tried an input in which my Zune is hooked to), and got nothing. So I thought I'd run it into where the tv goes in, but that didn't work either. Here's a rough idea of what my hookups look like.

Cable from wall---->Motorola box----->tv----->dvd recorder

I'm no expert; but shouldn't the signal go to the DVD recorder , before traveling to the television???? I always did...wall outlet to box to video recorder then to TV. Hope this helps.

[leroyleroux]

Thanks to all, everything is working now. Had to replace the vhs-c adapter, but we are rolling now.