I have a ton of old VHS tapes from the past 20 plus years and most I can probably just throw out but some stuff I really want to transfer to DVD. If anyone has done that before, what's the best way to go about doing that? I'm looking into buying a DVD/VHS recorder combo, but I also know that some companies will do it for you when you send it to them. Any help or suggestions would be great!

I have a ton of old VHS tapes from the past 20 plus years and most I can probably just throw out but some stuff I really want to transfer to DVD. If anyone has done that before, what's the best way to go about doing that? I'm looking into buying a DVD/VHS recorder combo, but I also know that some companies will do it for you when you send it to them. Any help or suggestions would be great!

I'm in the same boat as you. I have hundreds & hundreds of tapes in boxes, but I wouldnt dare get rid of them even after puttng them on dvd. I guess i'm too much of a pack rat :rolleyes:

I just got a Magnavox dvd recorder with an 160 GB Hard Drive.. It's really neat, you can put your VHS tapes on the hard drive and delete scenes(like commercials) that you dont want. It's not a DVD/VHS recorder, but you can hook an old vhs to it. I highly recommend this, the price is a little high, but worth it.

Or this might be more of what your looking for : http://www.magnavox.com/p/index_player.php?id=28

I cant give you my input on the dual recorder, other than Magnavox is a great company. Hope I have helped.

i RECOMMED PICKING UP DVD/VSH TAPE COMB. MY MOMS GOT ONE. I WOULD CHECK AT MAKAYS OR GRUMPY USED BOOK STORE. YOU CAN GET MONEY. YOU MAY NOT GET TOO MUCH MONEY. MY UNCLE WENT AND HE GOT 60 DOALLORS FOR VSH TAPES AT MACKAYS USE BOOK STORE. I WOULD CHEK OUT IN YOUR TOWN TO SEE IF THEIRS MACKAYS OR GRUMPYS TRADE IN STORE. OR YOU CAN TAKE TRADE OR REAGULER MONEY ITS UPTO YOU . SOMETIME YOU GET MORE IN TRADE.. TRADE IS LIKE MONEY YOU CAN ONLY BUY ANYTHING IN THE STORE.

I have this same problem. A DVD/VCR combo is a great idea, but I have owned two of these and I don't really want to spend the money for another one. But I do have a lot of VHS tapes that I am clueless about what to do with. My wedding from 1996 is on VHS and I've asked around at places that do DVD transfers. They all want a release form signed. I can't get in touch with the person who video taped my wedding. For all I know he's no longer around, so I'm hoping I can find someone to do it without the legalities.

Or you can get a pci tuner card and i you happen to have some commercial,promos and anything rare,upload them on youtube!

I'm thinking of having a DVD Recorder that can have 6-8 hours of Disc rather than the 2-4 hours.

But this is once when I get some $$$....I also want to get The Marx Brothers all on DVD.

For some TV shows that I recorded on VHS, I transferred them to DVD-RW using my combo VHS/DVD recorder, since I can edit out the commercials. The quality is not as good as a commercial DVD, but you can get 6 hours on one disc easily. The most recent show I had done this with is Knots Landing, since that show is not very much out on DVD yet commercially (just seasons 1 and 2). :(

I have loads of various Star Trek VHS from Columbia House that I will unload at some point since I have them on DVD, either on Ebay or a local pawn shop.

I still have most of mine. :lol:

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e211/zoneboy/Dummies2.png

For some TV shows that I recorded on VHS, I transferred them to DVD-RW using my combo VHS/DVD recorder, since I can edit out the commercials. The quality is not as good as a commercial DVD, but you can get 6 hours on one disc easily. The most recent show I had done this with is Knots Landing, since that show is not very much out on DVD yet commercially (just seasons 1 and 2). :(

I have loads of various Star Trek VHS from Columbia House that I will unload at some point since I have them on DVD, either on Ebay or a local pawn shop.

I might do that to my Loopy de Loop cartoons...put them all on one DVD since Warner Home Video hasn't released any of his cartoons on DVD. And that'll happen when Cleveland wins a Championship.

I sold all mine to a local comicbook shop they don't pay that well but it was extra money that came in handy.

I still have most of mine...they are stored away in my loft. I dont think I'll ever sell them or throw them away!

Yeah I have tons & tons of stuff. I'll never give them away, you just never know when somebody might want to trade.

i have tons of vhs tapes too

I took my old VHS tapes to the book sale at the library and donated them for the Friends of the Library.

I lost mines in Katrina

I have a Panasonic DVD/VHS combo.

I have a ton of VHS that I have saved over the years and most I have transferred onto DVDs. I haven't gotten rid of any of my tapes as well.


My first priority was to transfer things that never got released on DVD or stuff that had extras not found on the DVD. I wanted to have these saved so when VCR/VHS really become extinct down the road that the material hasn't been lost.



I have things, like the TV-movie Babes in Toyland, that has never been put to DVD but had a VHS release.

Also, some movies contain some things that never made it to DVD; like with the film The Crow. At the end of the The Crow VHS there was a feature at the end, a Brandon Lee interview, that was different from the one found on the DVD.


So I wanted to make sure I had things like this saved so I worked on transferring those first.

I still use VCR tapes, even though my brother calls therm "obsolete". :lol:

I still have all my VHS tapes. I stopped using them to record things after I got my wi-fi connection. With the internet you don't have to worry about having hard copies of guest apperences and things like that.
I'm not going to have to worry about CD-Rs or DVD-Rs very soon, either. I just got a computer that is completely for backup, audio and video, I need to hook it up to my TV and stereo.

I have a VCR hooked up to the computer and have transferred all of my VHS tapes(and laser discs) that aren't available on DVD. Plus I'm still buying used VHS movies that have yet to be released on DVD and transferring them over.

The only VHS I'm getting rid of are those I've been able to replace on DVD, plus I'm keeping my collection of VHS that are in the oversized clamshell cases.

I have about 100 vhs tapes of movies and tv shows from the past 20 years that I have taped from the tv. Then I have about 10 -8 mm camcorder tapes that I took of the family. My mom, my dad, older friends who have passed away. I should look at the family tapes for it is family.That would be hard to part with although when I am gone, someone will. The movies well I can live without. I do occassionaly look at them. But I do wonder how long the they will last in very good condition. I remember the first time I rented a camcorder machine and filmed. I looked at that tape and it is quite a blurr. Audio isn't bad. Memories are hard to give up.

I get rid of them by opening the cases, removing the tape, and chopping the tape into short pieces with a pair of scissors. It's also how I get rid of old music cassettes.

I first got a VCR in 1984, and have over 300 VHS tapes with all kinds of stuff on them. I'd put 2 or 3 movies on a tape... we bought an Insignia VHS/DVD recorder and are slowly but surely making our way through the tapes to see what's worth saving.

We have a few movies that were released in the 60s that I literally haven't seen rebroadcast since the mid-late 1980s. Those were the first things I wanted to transfer.

I'm also transferring sporting events that I taped... e.g. the NBA was great in the 80s, and I have more than 2 dozen Laker/Celtic games, including all 19 Finals games from 84, 85 and 87. Hall of Famers are all over the place in those games. I had a satellite dish at that time, so I recorded a lot of Laker games, as Jabbar and Magic were my favorite players (and if they played the game out west, they'd start at 7:30 pacific, but 10:30 eastern, which is where I've always lived).

During those years, I made a valiant attempt to number all of the tapes and keep track of what was on them, but sometimes got lazy about it. Now, going through the tapes, it's interesting to see what we thought was worth taping at the time.

Re: the insignia DVD/VHS recorder that we use to transfer the programs from VHS to DVD (Model IS-DVD100121), has a number of nice features... but the biggest one is its ability to "sense" when a rewinding (or fast-forwarding) VHS tape is approaching the end of the reel...when the tape is nearing the end of the reel, the REW/FF speed slows down (more and more as you get near the end)... this is a very useful feature because it helps prevent the VHS tape from snapping right off the reel from the force of the rewind... anyone who's had a VHS tape snap right off the reel knows how impossible those things are to put together if you open them (although maybe by now there's something on Youtube to explain how to put the tape back together if you have to open it up).

Still not sure what we'll do with the tapes after we're done. There are places that accept donations of certain kinds of tapes, so we'd look into that first.

I get rid of them by opening the cases, removing the tape, and chopping the tape into short pieces with a pair of scissors. It's also how I get rid of old music cassettes.
That's barbaric! :eek:

Still got most of mine, but they take up so much space and I don't watch em, just can't get rid of them.

That's barbaric! :eek:

lol, I agree! Isn't there SOME government agency we should notify?? :D

Who's the Secretary of V.H.S. ?

My VHS Player still works. So I keep my old VHS Tapes. If a Tape gives out I'll replace it with a DVD, otherwise I'll still use the VHS Version. If it aint broke DON'T FIX IT! :D

3 years ago we finally broke down and bought a dvd player. Actually it is a vcr and dvd combined. I have given away most of my commercial tapes but I have hung onto my own recorded tapes . Especially the ones in which I haven't as yet found a dvd replacement for. They are mostly tv series and tv movies which surprisingly many of these tv movies are available on dvd now! So I am slowly but surely depleting my video tape collection:)

Well I keep all of my special VHS tapes, you never know when you might want them again.

I've heard of lots of ppl getting rid of their VHS tapes then regreting it later. Plus there are sometimes things on VHS tapes that you don't get on DVDs.

That's right. I can find many things, which I have on VHS, on DVD or on YouTube, but not all of it.

If you have a computer that writes DVDs, you can also buy a VHS to DVD adapter/converter. CHEAP. I use one of these. Its a USB adapter with RCA jacks to hook between your computer and VCR. Since flash drives are so cheap now, you can record Your shows onto your PC and store them on a flash drive. I have many TV series stored on flash drive. I did this because I have 2 DVD recorders, and that have many times rejected new DVD +-Rs. My PC rarely ever does that. It cost about the same to put good quality onto DVD-Rs as it does a flash drive, and it's easier to store, plus you can copy allot faster onto another DVD from flash drive. Here is an eBay link. And one more thing. There is allot of free editing software u can get online, or buy if you want, that is far superior to the editing programs in these DVD recorders. But if u have a dVD recorder I would still keep it because its good for copying off of TV.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1311.R1.TR12.TRC2&_nkw=vhs+to+dvd+converter&_sacat=0&_from=R40

I'm still even buying the occasional tape. Recently I bought Peanuts specials on VHS for pennies each, several of which are not yet available on DVD.

i threw mine in the bin no use now

Allow me to disagree. As long as you still have a running VCR, VHS tapes still have their use. ;)

I have to admit that VHS does have it's advantages over DVD. You scratch a DVD and it's done. The player won't load it. So when cleaning DVDs you have to be sure you don't wipe them with something abrasive. They are easy to ruin. VHS tape can break, but can be repaired easily. With some DVD movies, you have to let it play through crap you don't want to see before it gets to the movie. With Movies on VHS you can Fast Forward through that crap.

I still use my VCR. I don't feel like getting everything on DVD that I have on VHS only to have DVD's go out of style. I'd be dead before I could convert everything.

I get rid of them by opening the cases, removing the tape, and chopping the tape into short pieces with a pair of scissors. It's also how I get rid of old music cassettes.

What purpose does that serve? :confused:

What purpose does that serve? :confused:
Yea you can have a yard sale or sell them at a flea market. A lot of people still buy them.

my VHS tapes are in boxes - i wish i could say that I do something interesting with them like make castles for the cats to play in, but they are way too far in the back of a storage closet.

what i have a problem with is what to do with all of my VCR's - i realized that I haven't even used any of them in at least the last 5 years when i bought a new TV and had no way to even hook it up with not enough RCA component inputs. So I now have three of them all piled up in the cat's room for them to play with.

I used to rip them apart. Later I donated them to thrift shops. Today, I save them as collectibles, although Flying Dutchmans has a good idea.

I still use my VCR. I don't feel like getting everything on DVD that I have on VHS only to have DVD's go out of style. I'd be dead before I could convert everything.


Same here, way too many to convert to DVD plus I'd wear out my machine. I've got mine stacked on shelves in all 3 bedrooms. I also didn't label some of them so I have no clue what's on them.

Plus I do have some VHS movies of Clint Eastwood during the 1950's and they have never been released on DVD so I have to have my VCR to watch them. lol

I have this same problem. A DVD/VCR combo is a great idea, but I have owned two of these and I don't really want to spend the money for another one. But I do have a lot of VHS tapes that I am clueless about what to do with. My wedding from 1996 is on VHS and I've asked around at places that do DVD transfers. They all want a release form signed. I can't get in touch with the person who video taped my wedding. For all I know he's no longer around, so I'm hoping I can find someone to do it without the legalities.
Release form?? Isn't the tape in your hands now. I am confused why would they need a release form?

I had a bunch of Vhs tapes too but I threw a good portion out. They were movies and I felt i could see the film somewhere else. The movies I had are always popping up on a station. But I did keep tapes I made myself of my family when I had a 8 millimeter camcorder and I did put a few on a vhs tapes. I have the last few tapes squirrelled away in box. I would indeed like a new format to put them on. I had the same problem with my 50 cassettes of music. If it was simple to do, I would do it myself. But then I think How long do you want to hang on to stuff. Photographs, another situation, the list goes on.

Release form?? Isn't the tape in your hands now. I am confused why would they need a release form?
Yea if anything they'd want a release form from her in case something happened while they were transferring the tape. Once the tape is in your hands, you should be able to do what you want with it.

If you have a computer that writes DVDs, you can also buy a VHS to DVD adapter/converter. CHEAP. I use one of these. Its a USB adapter with RCA jacks to hook between your computer and VCR. Since flash drives are so cheap now, you can record Your shows onto your PC and store them on a flash drive. I have many TV series stored on flash drive. I did this because I have 2 DVD recorders, and that have many times rejected new DVD +-Rs. My PC rarely ever does that. It cost about the same to put good quality onto DVD-Rs as it does a flash drive, and it's easier to store, plus you can copy allot faster onto another DVD from flash drive. Here is an eBay link. And one more thing. There is allot of free editing software u can get online, or buy if you want, that is far superior to the editing programs in these DVD recorders. But if u have a dVD recorder I would still keep it because its good for copying off of TV.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1311.R1.TR12.TRC2&_nkw=vhs+to+dvd+converter&_sacat=0&_from=R40

Thanks a lot for taking the time to post this info. It was helpful and informative. I was not aware that this was so easy to do. I have a DVD recorder and it takes a lot of time. Making the menus is a pain and the thumbnail photo feature does not always work either on my machine for some reason and some words end up being split up.

I have a ton of tv shows from trading that I would like to preserve. As each year goes by, the tapes are probably getting worse and worse. Already some of the tapes have a rolling picture and other problems that I cannot correct.

I like the idea of just transferring a whole VHS tape of shows that you want to transfer and then going in to edit out stuff you do not want and then you can make the menus. (I assume) If you have a few minutes, could you recommend some free DVD editing software that is easy to use for this purpose for a newbie?

Are the adapters/converters pretty much the same or would they vary in the quality of the sound/picture that is being transferred?

I hope that I can make menus and hopefully have photo thumbnails to go with the menus. I really need to continue transferring as, I have let too much time go by.

Thanks again the info, which has helped me get back in gear! :wave:

I transferred as many of my VHSs to DVD as I could. Also many of my store-bought TV show VHSs were duplicated by much better DVD versions. I only have about 10 VHSs now. Because I live in a studio apartment, the VHSs took up too much space. Also they are much more fragile. I lost 4 or 5 of the cassettes when they ripped in my combo recorder. My opinion on VHS: good bye and good riddance. The less VHSs I have these days the better!

My opinion on VHS: good bye and good riddance. The less VHSs I have these days the better!
That's a bit harsh, isn't it? Yes, they take up a bit more space than DVDs, but I still use VHS, and I see no reason why I shouldn't.

That's a bit harsh, isn't it? Yes, they take up a bit more space than DVDs, but I still use VHS, and I see no reason why I shouldn't.

Different strokes for different folks. I find VHSs cumbersome: inefficient in terms of storage space. I live in a small apartment and VHSs take up A LOT more space than DVDs. I really see VHSs as an (almost) obsolete media. I've also had trouble with the tape coming of the spool - and always on a cassette I REALLY wanted to transfer over to DVD. Next to impossible to repair too. Ugh, I hate VHS!

But if you like them fine. Like I said, different strokes for different folks. But for me, VHS's are God awful - I prefer DVDs FAR FAR more.

Different strokes for different folks. I find VHSs cumbersome: inefficient in terms of storage space. I live in a small apartment and VHSs take up A LOT more space than DVDs. I really see VHSs an an (almost) obsolete media. I've also had trouble with the tape coming of the spool - and always on a cassette I REALLY wanted to transfer over to DVD. Next to impossible to repair too. Ugh, I hate VHS!

But if you like them fine. Like I said, different strokes for different folks. But for me, VHS's are God awful - I prefer DVDs FAR FAR more.
I just don't understand why the old technique has to be considered "obsolete", just because a new technique has emerged. Why can't you use both VHS and DVD?

I just don't understand why the old technique has to be considered "obsolete", just because a new technique has emerged. Why can't you use both VHS and DVD?

The old technique (VHS) is cumbersome and inefficient for my needs, that's why I dislike VHS. All TV shows and movies now come out on DVD or Blue-Ray. They don't even make stand-alone VHS players or recorders anymore. The only reasons I can see keeping VHS cassettes are (1) you don't want to spend the extra money to get the show or movie on DVD (2) coding prevents you from dubbing a VHS cassette over to DVD (3) the cassette can not be transferred over for some other reason. So I have 7 VHS tapes: 2 that can't be copied over to DVD and 5 spares if I need extra recording time (like for a marathon - so I can get extra recording time on top of my DVDs.

I still use both VHS and DVD.

And let's not forget: There are so many movies on VHS, but not on DVD.

Did everybody used to complain about VHS tapes before the DVD was invented? I don't remember it.

Nope, I don't think anybody complained. VHS must have seemed awesome back when it first came out, and I doubt anybody dreamed of a "better" technique. DVD emerged approximately a decade ago and started taking over the market, but I still use VHS for home recording. Something happened, who knows what, so I can't even record anything on my DVD player anymore. Well, nothing but a black silence, that is.

My brother also belongs to the "new technique always beats old technique" crowd. He was really quick to transfer everything, that he wanted to keep, from VHS to DVD and throw his tapes away. And I've never understood why, as I've never seen VHS as "cumbersome" or "obsolete".

Nope, I don't think anybody complained. VHS must have seemed awesome back when it first came out, and I doubt anybody dreamed of a "better" technique. DVD emerged approximately a decade ago and started taking over the market, but I still use VHS for home recording. Something happened, who knows what, so I can't even record anything on my DVD player anymore. Well, nothing but a black silence, that is.

My brother also belongs to the "new technique always beats old technique" crowd. He was really quick to transfer everything, that he wanted to keep, from VHS to DVD and throw his tapes away. And I've never understood why, as I've never seen VHS as "cumbersome" or "obsolete".
I don't even have a DVD recorder. I have a combo and if I want to tape something off of the tv I use the VCR. If I want a show on DVD then I'll buy it...same as for movies. I spent years taping shows on the VCR. It took a lot of time. I just can't put that same time into converting them all to DVD. I'd be in my 70's by then and then the DVD would probably be extinct.

Since today is Fathers Day I decided to watch a movie about Dads and their Kids. The Movie I selected was The Rescue which deals with kids rescuing their dads after a hostile foreign force captures them. For some reason this movie was never released on DVD but it's available on VHS You can get a used copy from the Big River for $9.79 (Including Shipping). A new copy? You'll need at least $40.43! :eek: Or you can find as copy of this movie at a Garage Sale, hopefully the seller will accept the $.50 you offer them. :D

I still use both VHS and DVD.

And let's not forget: There are so many movies on VHS, but not on DVD.

True. But I was lucky with mine. All were esoteric, but ones I was fond of. All but two were able to be transferred over to DVD.

Did everybody used to complain about VHS tapes before the DVD was invented? I don't remember it.

I don't think anyone complains when there isn't anything better. But for me, DVDs are much better, for the reasons I stated.

I don't even have a DVD recorder. I have a combo and if I want to tape something off of the tv I use the VCR. If I want a show on DVD then I'll buy it...same as for movies. I spent years taping shows on the VCR. It took a lot of time. I just can't put that same time into converting them all to DVD. I'd be in my 70's by then and then the DVD would probably be extinct.

Maybe I've just had bad luck with my taped VHSs, but 5% became damaged. And things I really wanted. I have a combo unit too that can record and transfer to either medium. I transferred over about 100 cassettes to DVD and it wasn't so bad - every time I left the house I dubbed 2 hours. But I admit I was motivated to get rid of my VHSs; they were just taking up too much space in my studio apartment.

Yes, something better will always come along. And it already has actually: Blue Ray. But I'm so wowed by DVDs I'll probably stay with them for a LONG time.

I wonder if our ancestors had problems like this. Victrolla player, record player, cassette player, cd player, ITUNE player.
You have to advance for the old stuff goes out of date fast.

I just don't understand why the old technique has to be considered "obsolete", just because a new technique has emerged. Why can't you use both VHS and DVD?
I agree with you.I like DVDs but there are advantages to VHS also. And it's not only about DVDs vs VHS.The same can be said about HDTVs and regular TVs or records,cassettes vs CDs and a lot of other things.I don't have a problem with newer things being introduced,I have a problem when they take things that worked well for many years off the market.Newer often does not mean better.

Nope, I don't think anybody complained. VHS must have seemed awesome back when it first came out, and I doubt anybody dreamed of a "better" technique. DVD emerged approximately a decade ago and started taking over the market, but I still use VHS for home recording. Something happened, who knows what, so I can't even record anything on my DVD player anymore. Well, nothing but a black silence, that is.

.
That is a great advantage of VHS, you can record anything,while with DVD recorders as far I know there's some things you can not record at all.

I need my VCR because the DVD Recorder I bought recently is tunerless so I connect the VCR to my DVD recorder to record movies and shows. :lol: It seems like a lot of the DVD Recorders made today are tunerless. Most VCRs don't have that problem.

Stuck in the 70's said, I spent years taping shows on the VCR. It took a lot of time. I just can't put that same time into converting them all to DVD. I'd be in my 70's by then and then the DVD would probably be extinct.

I know what you mean "STuck in the 70's " I have the same problem with my cassette collection . I taped off the radio tons of songs over the last 30 years and now I have the problem of "could I transfer them to something else". I have cassette player but when that conks out then what do I use?

Oh a question, I do have a DVR from Comcast and occasionally I take local selectmen meetings which can run from 1 1/2 to 3 hours. Is there a way after you have recorded the meeting go back and shorten the program. I record say 2 1/2 hour and I find the program when playing, it only ran for 2 hours. One thing about the VCRs you could get rid of the unwanted recorded stuff.

Stuck in the 70's said, I spent years taping shows on the VCR. It took a lot of time. I just can't put that same time into converting them all to DVD. I'd be in my 70's by then and then the DVD would probably be extinct.

I know what you mean "STuck in the 70's " I have the same problem with my cassette collection . I taped off the radio tons of songs over the last 30 years and now I have the problem of "could I transfer them to something else". I have cassette player but when that conks out then what do I use?

Oh a question, I do have a DVR from Comcast and occasionally I take local selectmen meetings which can run from 1 1/2 to 3 hours. Is there a way after you have recorded the meeting go back and shorten the program. I record say 2 1/2 hour and I find the program when playing, it only ran for 2 hours. One thing about the VCRs you could get rid of the unwanted recorded stuff.
I need a new cassette player too. I have seen some cheap ones at K-Mart but I don't know how good they are. It's hard on people who like the old days and don't like change. lol

I still got records too. lol

I have cassette player but when that conks out then what do I use?
I still have a few cassette players, so I'm fine. :D

Is there a way after you have recorded the meeting go back and shorten the program. I record say 2 1/2 hour and I find the program when playing, it only ran for 2 hours. One thing about the VCRs you could get rid of the unwanted recorded stuff.
Yeah! I noticed this too! It's way harder to remove unwanted stuff from a DVD disc than from a VHS tape.

I have no problem with change. My thoughts is just how easy is it?
To transfer my 10 -15 VHS tapes of my family to some other source, I just don't know how to do it. I need a step by step help. I have an Apple computer leopard version.

Stuck in the 70's said, I spent years taping shows on the VCR. It took a lot of time. I just can't put that same time into converting them all to DVD. I'd be in my 70's by then and then the DVD would probably be extinct.

I know what you mean "STuck in the 70's " I have the same problem with my cassette collection . I taped off the radio tons of songs over the last 30 years and now I have the problem of "could I transfer them to something else". I have cassette player but when that conks out then what do I use?

Oh a question, I do have a DVR from Comcast and occasionally I take local selectmen meetings which can run from 1 1/2 to 3 hours. Is there a way after you have recorded the meeting go back and shorten the program. I record say 2 1/2 hour and I find the program when playing, it only ran for 2 hours. One thing about the VCRs you could get rid of the unwanted recorded stuff.


If you're looking for something to preserve old cassette audio tape content, you might try "Audacity". It's a free program that, among other things, allows you to record from an audio input. If your cassette player has a line out jack (or an earphone jack), just run a male-male connection from the cassette player to the line in jack on your PC. Audacity can then "record" what you're playing, and convert the output to an MP3 file.

You can download audacity at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Just click on the download link. The current version is 2.0.3 as of today. Just make sure you're downloading the proper version for your windows operating system. If you use Mac or Linux, you can click on "All Audacity downloads" to get to those links.

I was in a theater production back in 1977, and I have an audiotape of one of the performances that I wanted to preserve. I was able to make an mp3 from the tape using Audacity, which was cool.

Tweety, I tried Audacity and I got as far as transferring the music to the Audacity file. But then I am lost on how to get the music file to Mp3, I tunes or whatever. I fumbled with the instructions but I couldn't figure it out.

I've burned quite a few personal VHS recordings(wedding, birthdays, etc) to DVD, also VHS and Laser Disc movies that haven't been released on DVD yet. I use a Pinnacle Dazzle DVD Recorder. It plugs from the VCR(or Laser Disc player, even DVR) to the computer. Once transferred, I run it in Cyberlink Power Director which makes the file the right size and format for DVD, then Power Producer to create a menu, add chapters, and then IMGBurn to burn to DVD, there may be better way, but this way works for me, and the quality is always excellent.

I lost all of mine when losing my storage unit, so I assume they were either thrown away, or sold for 50 cents a piece. All gone.