I have some old VHS tapes that I would like to digitize. I have seen some expensive converter boxes, that come with proprietary software, that you can buy that will auto-encode and create a DVD for you, but I'd rather be able to import the video directly to iMovie or Final Cut Pro so I can work with it how I want. Quality isn't critical, so I'm looking for an inexpensive, "do-it-yourself" solution, that would ideally allow me to import the video into my software of choice, rather than paying a company to do it for me.
What is the best way to connect a VCR to my Mac, so that I can import these videos into iMovie or Final Cut Pro?
Best Answer
If you have an older DV video camera such as a Sony DCR-HC96, you can plug the VCR directly into the camera, which will convert the analog signal to a digital signal. The camera will output the video via Firewire, which will be recognizable by iMovie or FCE. This is my preferred option, because I have this camera and it works great.
Another option is something like what Chris Breen has talked about on his Macworld video. He recommends Roxio's Easy VHS to DVD
and Elgato's Video Capture (some similar products)
I don't know how well it works, since I haven't tried it myself.
Yet another option would be to use a DVD recorder with RCA inputs to play the VHS to a DVD.
Once you've burned a DVD of the VHS tape, then you can use conversion software, such as Handbrake to convert the DVD to a usable format. I would also recommend this, since I've done this before, although I prefer the first method, since it is faster.