Converting Tapes By Using a DVD Recorder
If you're planning to convert lots of tapes, a DVD recorder is good bet. You'll have a higher up-front cost--DVD recorders start at about $250--but you'll make your money back after you convert as few as eight tapes. Plus, when you're not converting your tapes, you can record TV shows to DVD.
As with videotape, you can record DVD video at different quality levels. And as with videotape, the higher the quality mode you select, the less video you can fit on a DVD. For instance, a DVD can hold about an hour's worth of video if you want to record at top-notch quality (which noticeably beats the sharpness and detail you're accustomed to getting on VHS tapes). You can also stretch that recording time out to 6 or 8 hours, but expect your video to look more smudgy or blurry, with some visible artifacts during high-motion sequences.
Of course, if you want to preserve family videos or other important events, we recommend burning only an hour of video to disk. Recordable DVD discs are cheap--less than $1 each--so there's little to gain from saving a few discs, and you'll appreciate the higher image quality down the road, especially when it comes to high-motion scenes like soccer matches or gymnastics.
Picking the Right DVD Recorder
With a veritable smorgasbord of DVD recorders to choose from, how should you pick one? Some have advanced features, such as VCR Plus compatibility (which easily sets an automatic timer for recording TV shows off the air), programming guides, on-disc editing, and even a hard drive. Others cater to a specialized audience, with combo units that can handle multiple tasks. (For more general tips on how to pick a DVD recorder, look here.)
If you want to copy a lot of VHS tapes to DVD, your easiest--and best--bet is to buy a DVD recorder that also has a four-head VCR built-in. All you have to do is slip a tape into the VCR, put a blank DVD into the recorder, and then press one button to copy the tape to DVD (the DVD is copied in real-time, so it takes as long to copy as the tape takes to play). If this no-hassle approach sounds appealing, then you have a number of DVD recorders to consider--for instance, the RCA DRC-8300N, the Sony RDR-VX500, the Philips DVDR600VR, or the GoVideo VR3930--all in the $300 to $400 range.
Likewise, if you want to make a DVD from MiniDV tapes you recorded with a camcorder, consider a DVD recorder that has a FireWire port. Recorders with that feature, such as the GoVideo R6740, can connect directly to your camcorder. You then just slip the MiniDV tape into the camera, and your DVD recorder will be ready to start copying. Your recorder can even fast-forward and rewind the tape, making it easy to find the right spot before recording.
Of course, any DVD recorder can record from another source via an analog connection. In fact, any no-frills recorder, such as the GoVideo R6740 or Panasonic DMR-E55S, can use standard composite-video or S-Video cables to connect the recorder's inputs to the A/V outputs on a VCR or camcorder you already have. You'll get better video quality if you can use an S-Video cable to carry the video signal, or better yet, higher-end "component" cables if your DVD recorder and video deck have them (most don't, though).
With the DVD recorder and source deck tethered, you'll play a tape and record the tape's signal on the DVD recorder. But this won't be quite as easy as pressing a single button--you'll have to fiddle with the tracking controls and inputs, and be sure to coordinate the playback and record just right.
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