Do you have a bunch of VHS tapes that you’ve been slowly replacing with DVDs over the past few years? Or perhaps you’ve simply decided not to spend the money to replace them but just try to keep that VHS player humming along?
There’s another solution – VHS to DVD converters, some of which will also convert practically any analog source to many different digital formats.
If you have more than 10 or so VHS tapes, it will pay for itself.
You may have spotted some of these or other similar products on gadget blogs, we’ve decided to put together a list of top products for you. Here are 4 such products:
4. Plextor ConvertX Digital Video Converter – The ConvertX lets you record your VHS tapes, and other video outputs, into DivX or MPEG-4 before burning it to DVD. You don’t have to burn it to DVD if you don’t want to. The tidy ConvertX box plugs into your computer and also comes bundled with software. Its built-in compression software allows you to store 2 hours of video on a CD, or 10 hours on a DVD. Costs about $55.
#3. CopyThis! Digital Video Enhancer – The CopyThis is a small box that copies your VHS tapes as well as gives you the the opportunity to enhance them as you go along. Enhancement features include noise reduction and black and white vintage effects. Unfortunately, CopyThis does not make this product any more, but you may be able to find a second-hand unit.
#2. Honestech’s VHS to DVD 3.0 Deluxe – This is also a converter box and it is able to convert practically any analog source into a myriad of digital formats such as MPEG, AVI, MP3, etc. The included software is very easy to use and has 2 modes: advanced and beginner. For example, in easy mode, a video can be converted to DVD in just a few mouse clicks.
There are advanced features like video editing. VHS to DVD is a good value for the money and easy to get started with. VHS to DVD costs about $50. You can read a thorough review of VHS to DVD 3.0 Deluxe here.
#1. Panasonic DMR-EZxxx DVD & VHS Recorders – Panasonic is one of the vendors that decided to simply bridge both formats by having a device that plays (and records)both! As it has slots for both, it also allows to record from one format to the other (although we’re not quite sure why you’d want to downgrade your DVDs). This is different from the other 3 products featured above, as it actually acts as a player, rather than just a converter, and has the option to play a variety of formats including all the DVD formats, and even JPG files from a SD card. It also does not come with any bundled software. This unit also has a HDMI connector and can can upscale to 1080p. We’ve decided to rank this number one for its slew of features, but unfortunately it does have a price tag to match (about $170).
You can find the Plextor, Honestech and Panasonic products easily on your gadget shopping hunts.