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on June 24, 2016
This is absolutely a great product - works well as intended. This product is intended to convert your old VHS into digital format. You get the option to burn the end results to a DVD or else to your hard disk - where you may later burn it if you so desire. In fact, you are not limited to VHS tapes. It will convert basically any audiovisual source to either video and sound or sound alone if your input is strictly audio i.e. cassettes, LPs, etc. For video/audio input the file it outputs is VOB which can be played by a standard DVD player or else directly on your computer from a media player - for example Real Audio Player. If you want to play the videos on your tablet or smart phone, then you need to take it one step further and convert the vob files to ones which are compatible with your player. There are countless conversion programs which can do this for you.
The program has two modes - the simple, no frills mode which anyone can do - regardless of how electronically challenged they might be. It is literally a process of putting the vhs in your player, hitting the play button on your vhs player and then hitting the record button on the program - which shows up as a preview window on your computer. The wizard guides you through the process of saying how long you want to record and what sort of input your want to record - vhs, dvd, tv, etc. That's it, the program does the rest automatically. You can watch your vhs or whatever - on the little preview screen - as the recording is taking place. A person with an IQ of 80 could probably accomplish the conversion in this mode. It is literally that simple. There is also an advanced mode which allows for all manner of editing for those so inclined. I did not use it at all.
Now comes the issue of copyright protection and will it function in those cases. The answer is yes and the reason is as follows. When the various companies made their VHS tapes, they did so with the technology available at the time. In those days, they wanted to protect their product from being copied to other blank VHS tapes and then sold by unscrupulous persons. The copy protection technologies were directed at preventing direct tape to tape dubbing. They could not envision today's DVD and electronic conversion to various the digital files we have today. That was well into the future at that time. When you hit the play button on your DVD and then hit the record button on your computer scree, the VHS "thinks" it is simply being played on any ordinary TV. It does not "know" it is being played on a computer which, in turn, is going to convert the signal into a digital file. That technology was not in existence at the time so, of course, companies could not envision it much less protect themselves from such. Now, the various copyright laws do allow you to make one backup copy for your own personal use so, basically, you are probably not violating any law if you make a digital copy of your VHS tape for yourself. You are making a backup copy which is permitted. If you turn around and sell the original on ebay, while keeping the backup for yourself, that is another matter. Same if you give away the original - say to your church's fall flea market - and keep the digital file you made for yourself. Again in this scenario, you are likely violating the copyright law. Whether the FBI is going to break into your home at 2 am and arrest you for such activity is rather unlikely (they can't even get their act straight with Hillary) but it becomes an ethical issue at that point. Person's must decide for themselves what they are comfortable doing from an ethical perspective on this count.
As for the product, itself, well, it is fantastic. It will allow you to convert virtually any audio or video input from any source into a digital file which can be burned to a DVD or stored your computer. Great if you want to watch the video on your tablet during a cross country flight to help divert your mind from the fact that you are packed in like a sardine for the next 5 hours. If whatever is playing your content - music, movie, whatever - has RCA jacks - red, white and yellow - the whole thing is a done deal. You do have an s-video option (which is sort of academic given we are talking VHS, here) but you do not have a HDMI option in terms of connecting the cables. Again, HMDI when we are talking about VHS is a non-issue. All-in-all, this is a great product and I highly recommend it. No matter how electronically challenged you are, you CAN use this product.
The program has two modes - the simple, no frills mode which anyone can do - regardless of how electronically challenged they might be. It is literally a process of putting the vhs in your player, hitting the play button on your vhs player and then hitting the record button on the program - which shows up as a preview window on your computer. The wizard guides you through the process of saying how long you want to record and what sort of input your want to record - vhs, dvd, tv, etc. That's it, the program does the rest automatically. You can watch your vhs or whatever - on the little preview screen - as the recording is taking place. A person with an IQ of 80 could probably accomplish the conversion in this mode. It is literally that simple. There is also an advanced mode which allows for all manner of editing for those so inclined. I did not use it at all.
Now comes the issue of copyright protection and will it function in those cases. The answer is yes and the reason is as follows. When the various companies made their VHS tapes, they did so with the technology available at the time. In those days, they wanted to protect their product from being copied to other blank VHS tapes and then sold by unscrupulous persons. The copy protection technologies were directed at preventing direct tape to tape dubbing. They could not envision today's DVD and electronic conversion to various the digital files we have today. That was well into the future at that time. When you hit the play button on your DVD and then hit the record button on your computer scree, the VHS "thinks" it is simply being played on any ordinary TV. It does not "know" it is being played on a computer which, in turn, is going to convert the signal into a digital file. That technology was not in existence at the time so, of course, companies could not envision it much less protect themselves from such. Now, the various copyright laws do allow you to make one backup copy for your own personal use so, basically, you are probably not violating any law if you make a digital copy of your VHS tape for yourself. You are making a backup copy which is permitted. If you turn around and sell the original on ebay, while keeping the backup for yourself, that is another matter. Same if you give away the original - say to your church's fall flea market - and keep the digital file you made for yourself. Again in this scenario, you are likely violating the copyright law. Whether the FBI is going to break into your home at 2 am and arrest you for such activity is rather unlikely (they can't even get their act straight with Hillary) but it becomes an ethical issue at that point. Person's must decide for themselves what they are comfortable doing from an ethical perspective on this count.
As for the product, itself, well, it is fantastic. It will allow you to convert virtually any audio or video input from any source into a digital file which can be burned to a DVD or stored your computer. Great if you want to watch the video on your tablet during a cross country flight to help divert your mind from the fact that you are packed in like a sardine for the next 5 hours. If whatever is playing your content - music, movie, whatever - has RCA jacks - red, white and yellow - the whole thing is a done deal. You do have an s-video option (which is sort of academic given we are talking VHS, here) but you do not have a HDMI option in terms of connecting the cables. Again, HMDI when we are talking about VHS is a non-issue. All-in-all, this is a great product and I highly recommend it. No matter how electronically challenged you are, you CAN use this product.
on September 4, 2013
I have a ton of old VCR tapess that go back into the early 1990's and need to convert them to digital format for burning to DVD. My choices were to outsource this at $10 per tape, purchase a VCR to DVd recorder (about $210.00), or take a chance on software. For the cost of the program, I figured there was not much risk in trying the software first. The beginning of the installation process was ok, but the program did not work after registration. It appeared that another option was going to be necessary. However; I kept digging around, and determined that the driver for the interface (a little white box which comes with the software) between my VCR machine and the laptop did not come with the installation disk. Worse, this problem was not disclosed in the installation instructions, so luckily I was tech savy enough to eventually figure it out myself. Go to the product website, sift thru the various drivers available, and find the one that matches (Windows 7, 64 bit). After that drama for several days, the next thing was to learn to work the program. The simple burn to DVD option worked like a charm, but the Advanced, which gives you a lot of options on content, etc. took some more time to use.
Anyway, now I am very pleased with this product, and I enthusiastically endorse it, if you are willing to get in there and get your hands a little dirty figuring it out. By the way, I have already more than "paid" for the software, and have over 20 tapes that I have already converted over to my hard drive, and some to DVD. Also, you can work with them once on the computer, because it creates Windows Movie Maker file formats as one of the options.
Anyway, now I am very pleased with this product, and I enthusiastically endorse it, if you are willing to get in there and get your hands a little dirty figuring it out. By the way, I have already more than "paid" for the software, and have over 20 tapes that I have already converted over to my hard drive, and some to DVD. Also, you can work with them once on the computer, because it creates Windows Movie Maker file formats as one of the options.
on May 6, 2013
I received this product May 3rd. I had it working in about 5 minutes. It comes with all the necessary wires, one to connect to the vcr (rca cable) and one to connect via usb to your computer.
No need for a tv in the mix, just a pc, a vcr and the device in the middle.
The software installed easily and is simple to use.
I have already saved several old VHS tapes of family gatherings and such.
This is a good product.
No need for a tv in the mix, just a pc, a vcr and the device in the middle.
The software installed easily and is simple to use.
I have already saved several old VHS tapes of family gatherings and such.
This is a good product.
on November 29, 2013
I was able to use this device rather quickly and easily and have now converted many old VHS movies to DVD's. I have not used it on some VHS home movies yet that I want to convert to DVD, and haven't explored audio at all. The default automatic settings (Easy Wizard Mode) seem to work fine frankly, the User Guide is OK, but will take more study, but since the basics work well I am encouraged that the more sophisticated features will also. There were some issues with the installation. It automatically installed Adobe Reader 9.2, which, if it were the most current edition, would be fine, but it's not, and I had to uninstall it. Also, the installation does not pause for you to "Allow" your security software permission to proceed, leading to repetitious installation steps. The automatic registration failed completely and I had to go to the website separately. Strangely the Adobe Reader 9.2 version it installed would not load the User Guide. (The current version of Adobe Reader would). Finally the install did not load the software in the location, (D:\ drive) I directed it to but just installed it in the C:\ drive default location. None of these are show stoppers, but that's why no 5 stars. Oh, one last thing, and this may sound stupid but I'm too old to care, I didn't realize it would take as long to copy the VHS to the computer as it takes to watch the VHS. Burning the DVD is additional time spent in the conversion process. If you've a 1 1/2 hour VHS movie you want to convert, you are going to spend 1 1/2 hours watching the movie on your computer as it writes it to your computers hard drive, then another 5 to 10 minutes writing the DVD. I don't know, I thought it would be faster, but I guess that's as fast as the tape flies through the VHS player. So be prepared to spend some time, a lot of time really, watching over the process. PS., I'm using a PC with a Core I7 Intel processor, 8GB RAM, nvidia GEFORCE GT 2GB RAM, and Win7.
on March 12, 2018
I bought this device to convert some of my wife's old VHS exercise tapes that cannot be purchased in DVD form. The setup was super easy on my Windows 10 HP laptop and I was recording in practically no time. While viewing the recording in the preview screen I noticed the picture periodically switching to a blue screen and then coming back in black-and-white before returning to color. Not good! To determine the possible source of the problem I borrowed my brother-in-law's VHS VCR and tried again. The issue was gone and resulted in a good copy of the tape on DVD. There were a few snowy spots at the beginning of the tape, but my wife said they had always been there when she played the tape. The moral of the story is don't blame the converter for a bad recording. If you installed everything properly, you likely have a malfunctioning VCR and/or tape. This device works great and is way more economical than paying a conversion service $20 or more per DVD.
Top Contributor: Babieson February 2, 2015
I was hesitant to buy this based on the reviews -- so many people saying it didn't work at all. That worried me, but pulled the trigger on this purchase anyway. It DID come with a software installation disc, which made installing the software very easy. The instructions were very simple -- anyone can figure out how to work this device. I have a new HP laptop with Windows 8, and it ran very smoothly. I did notice it worked a little better when putting my laptop into airplane mode so less was running on the device while trying to make copies of our home movies.
My mom had a bunch of home movies in the form of VHS tapes that needed copied to DVDs. I successfully did 35 home movie DVDs for my mother, and THEN my in-laws had a camcorder with old 8mm tapes in it, and asked if I could make them DVDs as well. This device is compatible with all sorts of devices -- VHS players, DVD players, camcorders, game consoles, TVs, etc and it will prompt you in the steps of what device you are using to copy over a DVD. I managed to also successfully make about 20 DVDs for my in-laws with their home movies as well.
All in all, it was worth the money to have long lasting memories from old home movies for the future. The only issue I did have, was occasionally my whole computer would freeze and I would have to shut down, restart, and start from the beginning of whatever home movie I was copying. I do believe that this was an issue with my computer, and not the device or software.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
My mom had a bunch of home movies in the form of VHS tapes that needed copied to DVDs. I successfully did 35 home movie DVDs for my mother, and THEN my in-laws had a camcorder with old 8mm tapes in it, and asked if I could make them DVDs as well. This device is compatible with all sorts of devices -- VHS players, DVD players, camcorders, game consoles, TVs, etc and it will prompt you in the steps of what device you are using to copy over a DVD. I managed to also successfully make about 20 DVDs for my in-laws with their home movies as well.
All in all, it was worth the money to have long lasting memories from old home movies for the future. The only issue I did have, was occasionally my whole computer would freeze and I would have to shut down, restart, and start from the beginning of whatever home movie I was copying. I do believe that this was an issue with my computer, and not the device or software.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
on November 23, 2013
I bought this last week as an Amazon lightening deal (it was $32). I opened the package and literally had it up and running in less than 5 minutes!!!!
Here is what I can tell you:
--I have a desktop Windows 7 computer with a terabyte of room.
--I hooked it up to my miniDV JVC camcorder (I got confused for a second when doing this---they give you the red/white/yellow plugs for use with a VHS, but for use with a camcorder you use the cord provided with your camcorder for connection to the TV.
--The USB plug from vidbox to computer is longer than expected which is good because they do not recommend using an extension. (If I were to guess, I'd say it's close to 2 ft)
--The software installs quickly. It would not let me register the product---said I had no online connection but I do. So I printed up a mail-in registration. You do not have to register in order to use this product.
--I successfully burned a DVD--it was piece of cake!
--There are NO instructions that I have found yet on how to burn a DVD. Let me just tell you this: You click "play" on your camcorder/VCR and you can see it playing on the computer screen--you can choose to burn in widescreen or adjust for choppy video. When you are ready to record you press record. Make sure you rewind your video first, then click play so it shows on the screen and then press RECORD. It doesn't tell you to press play in order to record...I have about 20 seconds of blank blue screen on my first DVD burn because I wasn't quite sure how to do it. :o)
---I checked out the advanced mode (this is what takes space on your computer as it saved individual clips you are working on). There are quite a bit of transitional effects, ways to make title pages, ect. I am not sure if any of that translates into a working DVD menu yet--I need to mess with it more. I was looking for an option to "brighten" dark video, but I did not see one.
I have nothing negative to say about this device! It worked perfectly---I didn't need to install any additional drivers---my computer did all the work! You cannot go wrong with this product! I have about 20 miniDV tapes to transfer--I'm saving over $400 by buying this product!
Here is what I can tell you:
--I have a desktop Windows 7 computer with a terabyte of room.
--I hooked it up to my miniDV JVC camcorder (I got confused for a second when doing this---they give you the red/white/yellow plugs for use with a VHS, but for use with a camcorder you use the cord provided with your camcorder for connection to the TV.
--The USB plug from vidbox to computer is longer than expected which is good because they do not recommend using an extension. (If I were to guess, I'd say it's close to 2 ft)
--The software installs quickly. It would not let me register the product---said I had no online connection but I do. So I printed up a mail-in registration. You do not have to register in order to use this product.
--I successfully burned a DVD--it was piece of cake!
--There are NO instructions that I have found yet on how to burn a DVD. Let me just tell you this: You click "play" on your camcorder/VCR and you can see it playing on the computer screen--you can choose to burn in widescreen or adjust for choppy video. When you are ready to record you press record. Make sure you rewind your video first, then click play so it shows on the screen and then press RECORD. It doesn't tell you to press play in order to record...I have about 20 seconds of blank blue screen on my first DVD burn because I wasn't quite sure how to do it. :o)
---I checked out the advanced mode (this is what takes space on your computer as it saved individual clips you are working on). There are quite a bit of transitional effects, ways to make title pages, ect. I am not sure if any of that translates into a working DVD menu yet--I need to mess with it more. I was looking for an option to "brighten" dark video, but I did not see one.
I have nothing negative to say about this device! It worked perfectly---I didn't need to install any additional drivers---my computer did all the work! You cannot go wrong with this product! I have about 20 miniDV tapes to transfer--I'm saving over $400 by buying this product!
on June 13, 2014
I've been wanting to convert my 20-20 plus year old VHS tapes for awhile. But the software was expensive and I wasn't sure it would work. Also, I didn't like the thought of taking it to a store and have some stranger have access to my private home videos. They are the only copies I have, what if something happened while the store had them?
Anyway, this software was the Gold Box deal of the day, very cheap, so I jumped on it and figured it was worth a try, I wouldn't be out too much money if it didn't work. I downloaded the drivers and updates from the website before I installed the software, as another reviewer suggested and I have had no problems! Open the program, plug the VCR into the computer with the supplied items, push play on the VCR, and if it's hooked up properly, your video starts playing in the program screen. I was afraid the audio would not sync with the video, absolutely no problems there. The instructions are limited in the box, go to the website for more advanced instructions, and also go there for software and driver updates.
I recommend using the advanced mode, the easy wizard mode may put too much onto one DVD and the quality becomes low. The advanced mode breaks large videos (a whole VHS tape) into two DVDs, in my case. It's already more than paid for itself, and we have retained our privacy at the same time. VERY happy with my purchase. If you can pick it up cheap, grab it!
Anyway, this software was the Gold Box deal of the day, very cheap, so I jumped on it and figured it was worth a try, I wouldn't be out too much money if it didn't work. I downloaded the drivers and updates from the website before I installed the software, as another reviewer suggested and I have had no problems! Open the program, plug the VCR into the computer with the supplied items, push play on the VCR, and if it's hooked up properly, your video starts playing in the program screen. I was afraid the audio would not sync with the video, absolutely no problems there. The instructions are limited in the box, go to the website for more advanced instructions, and also go there for software and driver updates.
I recommend using the advanced mode, the easy wizard mode may put too much onto one DVD and the quality becomes low. The advanced mode breaks large videos (a whole VHS tape) into two DVDs, in my case. It's already more than paid for itself, and we have retained our privacy at the same time. VERY happy with my purchase. If you can pick it up cheap, grab it!
on March 25, 2014
I use this software as part of a bigger work-flow. Why? Using their "Advanced" mode I'm able to easily capture a VHS tape into one (or more) large MPEG files. From there, I load into the Adobe workflow. Premier Pro CC imports those MPEGs right in. After separating the audio from the video tracks in Premier Pro (to do as much restoration as possible) I will reassemble and re-render in Premier. The final step is using Nero Vision to master a DVD or BluRay.
Now - can you attempt to do as much as possible in one single app? In theory, you can always try. But I've found that by taking the time to use the "best features" several apps have to offer, the end result is pretty impressive.
Now - can you attempt to do as much as possible in one single app? In theory, you can always try. But I've found that by taking the time to use the "best features" several apps have to offer, the end result is pretty impressive.
