Replacing VHS tapes with DVDs can be an expensive proposition.
One cost-effective alternative is to get a VHS to DVD converter and do it yourself.
It will pay for itself if you have about 10 or more VHS tapes.
While you may have seen 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 - Plextor's ConvertX box converts your VHS tapes into DixV or MPEG-4 on your computer, after which you can burn it to DVD. Just plug the ConvertX box into your computer and away you go. Costs about $55.
3. CopyThis! Digital Video Enhancer - The CopyThis converter can enhance the quality of your VHS tapes during conversion. 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 - While named VHS to DVD, it can also convert many analog inputs into digital. The included software is quite simple 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. It's easy to get started with VHS to DVD and it's a good value for the money. VHS to DVD costs approx $50. You can read a detailed review of VHS to DVD 3.0 Deluxe here.
#1. Panasonic DMR-EZxxx VHS & DVD 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. It can even 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 (approx $170).
You can find the Plextor, Honestech and Panasonic products easily on your gadget shopping hunts.
