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.
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 gizmo 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 - 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 quite simple to use and has two levels: beginner and advanced. 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 detailed review of VHS to DVD 3.0 Deluxe here.
1. Panasonic DMR-EZxxx DVD & VHS Recorders - Panasonic has a line up of DVD to VHS recorders that play both formats. As it has slots for both, it also allows to record from one format to the other. As opposed to the other 3 units, this does not have a software component, and it does playback as well, including for example, JPG files from an SD card. This unit also has a HDMI connector and can can upscale to 1080p. We’ve decided to rank this #1 for its slew of features, but unfortunately it does have a price tag to match (about $170).
Except for the CopyThis product, you can find the others quite easily on your gadget shopping hunts.
