Converting some old VCRs to digital files

[canetoad]

Doing this for a good friend - a dozen or so VCRs with family gatherings and holidays going back to the 70s. She brought up a VCR player and I found a device online that would do the work - an August VGB350 which comes with it's own software.

If you remember those countless Cyberlink DVDs that were bundled with all sorts of hardware a decade or two ago - that's the kind of software it is. Unintuitive, unstable - VLC did a much better job at no cost.

Steaming through the VCRs - mind you, each converted file was between 6 and 15 gb the device stopped - dirty heads on the video player. No worries, we have an electronics shop in town.

The actually LAUGHED at me when I asked for a VCR head cleaning tape! Eventually found a cheapie online which took a week to arrive and tangled at first use. No biggie - just manually untangle and rewind only hurts your fingertips a little. But no matter how many rewinds, couldn't get the cheap piece of trash to actually do any cleaning.

Found and ordered another, twice as costly, head cleaner from a reputable Hi Fi store in Sydney. After a week of waiting, started giving the tools a surreptitious glance. It's amazing what you can learn online - after twenty minutes I was, if not an expert - sort of OK with opening up VCR players and manually cleaning the heads. Half an hour after I'd finished, the reputable cleaning tape arrived.

All up, an interesting little project that I'm in no rush to repeat. VCRs went extinct for a reason.

[usonian]

1. I got a VCR player for ONE tape that was a transfer from film of my parents' wedding.

If I had to digitize it, I have somewhere in my collection a video digitizer. I imagine it uses the RCA plugs from the VCR. How do you digitize the video?

Any bundled software no doubt would not load (on the ancient computers? Maybe so!)

Just curious in case this pops up on my Twilight Zone radar.

Audio from turntables should go right into the microphone jack (if there is one) on the computer.

I have a Radio Shark or two, and the only software that runs them will run on the very ancient 2010 Mac Book Air and nothing else. Haven’t had the need, but I do dip into nostalgia now and then for fun.

Old mac software (meaning HyperCard 2.4.1) does run under emulation on newer macs. I tried it on the intel mini. Will retry on the M2 mini if I haven’t already.

Here: https://www.mendelson.org/macos9osx.html
Universal app, runs on intel or Apple Silicon.
10.12 Sierra or later.

[canetoad]

2. Here's the website

For the converter; yes, RCA leads to output of VCR, little black box in the middle and a USB connector to the computer.
https://www.augustint.com/en/productmsg-90-376.html
If everything is connected properly, the software (both bundled and VCL) will show the device as the line in/source for video and audio. Then it's just a matter of starting recording on the software then hitting play on the VCR, of course after specifying folder, fomat, quality etc

I remember Hypercard from the 80s. VLC would be your best option I reckon. Media menu - Open Capture Device. It's pretty straightforward.

[LPBBEAR]

3. I've done both

VCR and digitizing records. I used a USB adapter for the VHS Tapes and after a lot of messing around got it to work properly using VLC.

I did originally try to use the the jacks from my turntable direct into both mic and aux input on my computer but kept running into impedance hum issues. Also tried a USB adapter but other issues there. Finally I bought a Technics Turntable with USB built in. It worked perfectly, super clean. I used Audacity for the digitizing.

BTW I also tried one of the ION turntables. Obvious noise in the recording there too.

Really happy with the Technics turntable.

[canetoad]

4. I'd heard that you could buy

Turntables with USB. Makes me wish I'd kept my old vinyl - but all gone about forty years ago and I'm deaf anyway.

We're very lucky to have some really good free software available for mixed media - VLC, Audacity, Handbrake and so on. I've just finished digitizing the tapes and am left with a stack of enormous mp4 files, but most of the work is done.

[LPBBEAR]

5. Plex

makes a great home media server. Works in Windows and Linux.

https://www.plex.tv/