Vhs Video Camera Cleaner
|
|
Walt Disney Treasures – The Chronological Donald, Volume One (1934 – 1941) $32.99 The original caricature boxes were hand-carved by Martin Perry, in the Cotswold countryside in England. These remarkably detailed reproductions are cast in crushed marble and hand painted; lift the head, inside, you’ll find a surprise saying or symbol of the famous artist. Sizes range from 2 ¼” H to 2 ¾”H. Buy 2 or more, save 10%…. |
|
|
TDK T-120 VHS Revue Premium Quality Blank VHS Tape – 6 Hour $0.50 Premium quality Revue VHS video cassette tape is specifically designed for frequent, repeated recording and playback, and is formulated for super-sharp picture quality, fast, smooth operation and maximum durability…. |
|
|
JVC TCC-3FU -Cleaning Cassette for VHS Camcorder $2.57 VHS-C CLEANERHEAD CLEANER WITH HANG TAB… |
|
|
Sony T-160 VHS Video Cassette (Single) $0.50 8 HOURS DELIVERS A HIGH LEVEL OF RECORDING ACCURACY & PRECISION FEATURING VIVAX MAGNETIC FORMULATION FOR HIGH LEVEL RECORDING ACCURACY THESE VHS VIDEO CASSETTES ARE IDEAL FOR EDITING DUBBING& FOR TAPES TO KEEP… |
|
|
Roxio Creator Pro 2012 $49.99 ROXIO CREATOR 2012 PRO (WIN XPVISTAWIN 7)… |
|
|
Maxell VP-100 VHS Dry Tape Video Head Cleaner $0.19 Safely cleans tape heads and entire tape travel pathNon-abrasive… |
|
|
JVC Mini DV Head Cleaner $8.79 JVC MDV2MCL Short Length Mini Digital Video Head Cleaner… |
|
|
Maxell VP-200 VHS Wet Cleaner $0.75 Safe and non-abrasiveCleans entire tape travel pathCamcorder patibleGround shipping only… |
VHS video problems?
I made a home video about 5 years ago using a digital camera. It was then transferred onto VHS. It has been left unwatched for a year or two and I think it has gotten damp or something – I put it in the video machine and there was just gray and black fuzz when I played it. When I looked through the clear plastic window I could see this white stuff on the magnetic tape. Is this mold or something?
Now when I try to play a different cassette in the machine it just plays grey/black fuzz. I also tried the home video in a different machine and exactly the same thing happened. Now both machines show fuzz when any video is played in them. I’ve used a head cleaner on them and they still do not work. Have I destroyed my video machines with this tape? Will this tape ever be watchable?
Don`t panic ! You have not destroyed the VCRs The heads are dirty ! now I know that you have used a head cleaner on them but as any VCR Tech will tell you cleaning tapes only work 5% of the time ! what has to be done is that the heads need to be cleaned manually using chamois preferably or something like good cotton that does not catch and alcohol ! Anyway if in doubt let a Tech do it as it is easy to damage the heads if not done correctly.
Now the tape ! Unless it is a very valuable tape throw it in the bin, or you can take it to video tape library where they have a tape cleaning machine , mind you I don`t know where to find hire tapes anymore , all DVDs . Whatever you do though do not put that tape in any more machines until it has been proffesionaly cleaned .
Quasar Video Camera
VHS to DVD Conversion
You might be worried about your VHS collection, particularly about how to keep that precious media lasting longer, as well as the space requirements it takes to store all of those bulky tapes. In order to carry out a successful VHS to DVD conversion, you have to know how exactly the process works, and how the two formats are different.
VHS records things in analog. A magnetic tape is coded with the information that makes up the film in the form of magnetic fields. As time goes on, this information can start to lose quality and fade away, until you cannot see the information anymore. Digital video comes in the form of DVD. Digital information is put on these discs which are in the form of computer information, providing a much longer lasting medium for your films and shows than VHS.
Given the differences between the two formats, you have to discern a method to convert from analog to digital, requiring the use of a VHS to DVD converter for your particular duties, so that should be your first step. You can find plenty of avenues by which to get one of these devices, and your particular needs and budget will determine what you actually need to get.
Computer-Based Converters
In order to use these new methods, you will really need to learn how to use computers and technology. You will require an analog-to-digital converter in order to implement these methods, and despite the simple nature of some of these strategies, you might have to work to learn how to do others. However, the most advanced the technique, the more leeway and freedom you will have to do with your footage as you will.
Capture Boxes and Cards For Your VHS Tapes
When you convert a VHS tape to a DVD, you might end up with a slight lowering in video quality. If you want the most appealing results, you will want an MPEG-2 encoder, which will use a DVD-friendly format. If you buy a USB encoder box or video capture card, you will have the high quality encoder chip required to convert your video, as your processor will not be a part of this process, all the work falling to the converter box. The final product will then be cleaner and clearer, especially if contrasted with the DV Camcorder. Keep in mind that you will experience a slight decrease in picture quality when you convert from analog to DV, then straight to DVD after that – artifacts can occur that just look terrible.
Despite the fact that it will take a lot of technical know how to pull of this last method, you will get fantastic picture given the right software. If your software has the right features, you could turn your VHS tape into a full blown DVD, complete with menus and transitions, making it look extremely professional.
DVD Recorders
The DVD equivalent of a VCR is the DVD Recorder, and it will work pretty much like it in terms of function. It can play the DVDs that you insert in it, and you can also hook it up to your television and record what is on screen. Now, you may need to learn the best way to do this in order to get it to work, but as long as you have recorded stuff from a TV onto a VHS before, you should be fine. As an extra bonus, the copy protected movies will be able to be recorded with the help of these devices.
VHS to DVD Recorders
You will find the easiest way to do this conversion with this device. Basically, a VHS to DVD recorder has both a DVD burner and a VHS player inside. Just put both your VHS and DVD media in, and you will dub over the DVD with the VHS footage, much like you could with two VHSs. Those of you who do not have a lot of experience with technology or electronics, you might find this the most effective and easy to use. On the other hand, you will not be able to transfer your copy protected movies to DVD with this device, making it not the ideal solution.
DV/Digital 8 Camcorders.
You will be able to use digital camcorders to convert between analog and digital. Just connect the camcorder between your computer and your VCR, and your VHS to DVD converter is now completed and ready to go. Your VCR will send the signals into your digital camera, storing them in that format. Your camcorder will then send the data to your computer as a digital video file, which is done via the USB cable or FireWire cable you have hooked into it.
Prior to implementing this method, you do have to consider a few technical issues that may arise. You might need a lot of storage space, as DV files can take 14 gigabytes in order to record an hour. More space is needed to convert the file to DVD and burn the disk itself.
VHS to DVD Conversion Service
While this might be the most expensive method to convert your tape, it will require the least amount of work and education on your part. You can hire on the VHS to DVD conversion services of one of many companies online or in your area in order to get the tapes that you want put on DVD. You might have to pay a lot of money though, as much as $100 a tape to get all the nice features.
The price is the only real downside to this option, however. For that price, though, you can get tapes cleaned up so the quality is vastly improved, which is something you may not have the expertise or time to do.
Therefore, you should not feel you have no options when it comes to converting your old tapes to DVDs; it just depends on the hardware that you have and the time you want to commit.
About the Author
Keith Gilbert is the content director of http://www.VHSToDVD.com – which is a site dedicated to converting VHS tapes to DVD. At the site, you’ll find reviews of VHS to DVD recorders, software, hardware, and more. Other articles discuss various DVD formats as well as cassette to CD conversion.