Parents nowadays have it so easy when it comes to capturing those precious moments. First steps, first words, first everything, parents want these times on film to look back and remember. But it is so easy nowadays to just whip out your phone and film anything anywhere. When I was raising my children it was extremely difficult to capture the good bits on film. You had to have the film camera on hand, charged, with a tape in it, and by the time you fired it up and started recording, the cute thing that was happening had already finished. This resulted in hours of mediocre, yet still cute, footage that no one apart from parents really wanted to see. However fear not, help is on hand, and now there are VHS to DVD conversion services out there that can save your old footage and make it easier to share and manage.
What is VHS to DVD Conversion?
The VHS to DVD conversion process is pretty simple. You can use a standard vhs player using a special output cable that connects to any computer, then use a video and audio ripping software to capture the contents of the film in real time. Of course if you are not super tech savvy like myself, you will probably want to go to a professional company that specialises in this kind of thing. Lucky there are quite a few, and I have tried a few and always found them to be an absolute joy to use.
The Process
Usually it is simply a case of going online and specifying what type of service you require. Then you package up your videos, send them off to the company and sit back and relax. Depending on which service you specified, you will get the finished conversions on a DVD, USB stick, and you can even have them sent to you via email for convenience. There can be some nuances with this type of conversion process, so sometimes it is best to let the professionals do it and make sure you don’t damage your original tapes.
Why Should You Convert Your Tapes?
Not many people know that old VHS tapes do not actually last forever. As they sit there in a box in the attic, time will have a very real effect on them, and they will start to degrade. And playing them is even worse. Everytime you play a VHS tape, very slight degradation happens, and although it is minor, it is permanent and will be on the tape forever. The more times you play a tape, the worse it will get, until sometimes it can be unwatchable. This degradation happens due to the magnetic film being stretched slightly when it is being played in the machine, and the tape head also has and effect on the strip itself. Once this damage is done, it can never be undone, which is why it is a good idea to get your tapes converted sooner rather than later.
