In a previous Tech Tip I listed three companies that offer video tape to DVD services. In each case, it cost about $25 per tape. Do you have a box full of tapes that you want to convert? If so, it might be more economical for you to do the conversion yourself. A colleague, Tim Lusk, wrote the following about his experience using a Sony DVDirect to convert VHS tapes to DVD:

I used a Sony VRDMC6 DVDirect. It works great for transferring VHS tapes to DVD. Amazon currently sells this device for about $240. Here is a basic overview.

The DVDirect is a great investment for someone who has VHS tapes that are going to run more than $200 for conversions. It has multiple connection choices for camcorders (USB, FireWire 400), SD cards and Memory Sticks, as well as Composite Video. I was able to easily connect a Panasonic VCR to it and quickly have things up and running to transfer the video. The LCD display was a great addition, as you could quickly view what you’re recording without having to guess where to start and end.

The DVDirect allows each DVD to be formatted prior to buring and gives roughly 60 minutes of recording time per DVD. (So, this isn’t meant to copy VHS movies over to DVD) The DVDirect is also smart enough to know when the tape is finished with the recorded content–I transfered a few school presentations that were 5-9 minutes long.

Once a DVD is finished with the transfer and you press the eject button, the DVDirect will ask if you would like to finish. By doing this it goes through a few steps to ensure that the DVD will play in a DVD Player. (NOTE: If you choose not to finish the DVD or cancel this request, the DVD will fail and will be wasted.)

Even though I did only a few transfers, I know that I could have consolidated the school presentations onto 1 DVD by swapping out the VHS tapes after a transfer and continue to hit record, allowing up to 6 10-minute presentations to live on 1 DVD.

I have yet to transfer the DVDs onto my hard drive, but the DVDirect definitely did what I was looking for.

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GT Recording, HomeDVD and iMemories are three companies that clients have used to convert VHS tapes to DVD. All companies also convert audio tapes and film and will scan 35mm slides.

GT Recording is located on Aurora Avenue in Seattle. They offer quick and friendly service. Turn-around time is typically just a few days. You can drop off a variety of types of video tapes and they’ll convert them to DVD. They support VHS, SVHS, VHS-C, Super 8, Beta Max, Mini DV and a number of other types of video tapes. Alternatively, they can convert your video tape to a digital video (.dv) file that you can import into iMovie. If you choose this option then you’ll be able to edit the video using iMovie.

GT Recording can also handle 35mm slides, audio tapes and a variety of film formats including 8mm, Super 8 and 16mm. They’ll convert your slides to digital files such as jpegs or TIFFs. They’ll convert your audio tapes to CD or audio files, like mp3s which can be edited.

Cost varies based on the length of the recording. It cost $25 to convert an hour-long VHS tape to a .dv video.

HomeDVD is based in Canada but that didn’t pose any problems for my clients who have used their services. They charge $19.95 per hour of video or a minium of $19.95 per cassette. There is a minimum of $45 per transfer job. You can have your tape converted to a DVD movie or an editable digital video file, just like GT Recording offers. HomeDVD make it easy to get started. All you have to do is click the “Request a Shipping Kit” button on their web site. Fill-out the form and then they’ll send you a box with explicit instructions for mailing in your collection of tapes. They cover these shipping costs, but you pay to get the finished product and your original tapes sent back. You’ll receive an email confirming their receipt of your box as well as a summary of the work to be done. They’ll call you when your conversion is completed and will confirm the return shipping address. From beginning to end then entire project will take about 3 weeks.

iMemories is located in Arizona. They offer direct transfer services in which they’ll transfer your tape to a DVD. However, they also offer a fancier service which lets you review the digitized movies online and edit and re-arrange the  video clips to build your own custom DVD. Here’s how they explain their process:  http://www.imemories.com/howitworks/

With this fancier service they give you 30 days of free access to the online version of your converted video. During this time you can edit your video and share it with others. At the end of the thirty days you should order a DVD copy of your video. If you want to continue to be able to view and share your video (or slides) via your online account you can pay about $5/month.

iMemories has a very well-organized and user-friendly web site. You can ship your tapes to them using your own box. However, if you’re worried about sending your precious memories on tape through the mail, they’ll send you a high quality, crush-proof box and using a shipping service that’ll let you track your package so you can be reassured that it arrives safely.

iMemories prices are clearly listed here. You can convert a videotape to DVD for $19.99. Turn-around time varies based on the size of the project and time of the year but a project typically takes a few weeks. If you choose the option which gives you 30 days to edit your project then you’ll need to add more time to the overall duration.

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Would you like to learn to use iMovie better? Here’s a list of some online information that can help you. iMovie has grown and evolved since it was introduced in 1999. In 2007, Apple gave iMovie’s interface and workflow a complete overhaul with the introduction of iMovie ’08 (aka version 7). This same general interface is still present in the current version, iMovie ’11. The interface overhaul throws experienced iMovie users for a loop and confuses many novice users. Consequently, I frequently provide iMovie training to help users get oriented. There are some very good online resources to help you get started learning iMovie as well.

Apple offers some free how-to videos for iMovie. Apple also has a list of iMovie keyboard shortcuts which can really speed up your work in iMovie.

Ken Stone, a professional photographer who uses Apple’s high-end video editing application Final Cut Pro, has written a detailed overview of iMovie ’09. While he approaches some things from his own perspective and personal needs, I found the article very informative.

Lynda.com is an online computer training business which has been around since the late 1990′s. It has an extensive collection of video tutorials. For a relatively low monthly subscription fee you have access to the entire library including their iMovie training videos.

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