How To Watch & Record VCR on Computer - Easy, Cheap & Great Quality!
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- Опубликовано: 9 июн 2022
- Step by step directions to connect your old VCR and to your computer so you can watch and/or record your VHS content on your computer. This allows you to create digital copies of your old VHS tapes so you can easily share them (or just have digital backups). The links to the items you will need are as following (including the Amazon links to the exact items I show in this video).
If this video helps I hope you will give me a like and post a comment to let me know you had success. If you have questions along the process I am here to help, just post where you are running into issues and I will try to help.
Items Need:
* VCR & VHS Tape(s)
* Composite Audio/Video Cable: amzn.to/2Rtjnq7
* RCA to HDMI Converter Box: amzn.to/3wYmS6Y
* HDMI to USB Video Capture Card: amzn.to/2THboqr
* HDMI Cable: amzn.to/45MqAlx
* OBS Studio Software (Totally Free, No Account Required) - obsproject.com
If you want to switch from 16:9 to 4:3 format this video will help: • OBS Studio 4:3 vs. 16:...
Example videos using this exact method:
* Informercial from 1980 VHS - • Landing at Seven Coves...
* Clip from NYE 1982 VHS - • Leo Sayer - performs "...
Enjoy watching & recording your old VHS tapes! 
Хобби
I was looking at other videos for my Sony Handycam, then by accident I click your video. I was about to go back to my previous video and here we are. (lol) I've been trying to reduce my VHS tapes pile. lol I'm always afraid they're going to get damage and loose all my family memories. A few years ago I met a tech guy that was fixing something at work. I asked him if he knew how can I copy my VHS tapes to my computer. He said I need it buy some programs that were very expensive or send it to a company that specializes on converting VHS to DVD's or digital. He made it sound expensive, hard to do and it would take three to six months. You made it so simple and easy. You explained every single thing with detail. I have mostly everything all I need is the HDMI to USB capture card. Now I need to make time to start. Thank you
Thanks for the nice comment, I am glad the video helped. Once you get going if you have questions just let me know.
Thank you so much for sharing. I can now cherish precious moments of my Mum. Very straight forward and to the point.
Glad the video helped. Enjoy your VHS tapes and Happy New Year!
I love the idea of copying the tape and YOU DON'T talk too much. You're detailed oriented; it's a blessing and a gift.
Your description and narration were fine. Very helpful and now it's time to go find the products to purchase and begin transferring videos. Thanks !!!!!!!
Thanks so much! I was going crazy searching for an easy step by step tutorial video like this that wasnt trying to sell me some kind of product or talk to me techie geek talk. This is perfect!
Excellent tutorial! I've been wanting to do this for a long time now. Simple enough!
Jumble, this updated video is excellent and I can follow it even better than the first. Let me backtrack and redo; hopefully, I can share better results. Many thanks!
This video of yours was totally captivating and made me feel warm and fuzzy watching it from Hawai’i, Derek! I drove my uncle Albert’s Model A and got nostalgic hearing that engine of yours…I miss those days! I really like how I can hear your thoughts and remedies as you diagnose problems directly into the camera for us. I like your semantics and your humor. You look young but seem so astute and well practiced in your craft. Mahalo and Aloha!
Howdy from Texas! Thanks for the nice comment. I am glad you enjoyed the video and hope you enjoy your VHS tapes!
Thanks so much for the tip on the HDMI to USB. It saved me having to send back as defective. I had a HDMI to USB on hand.
Thank you for the awesome video. My dad tasked me with finding out how to backup and save all of his old VCR's (wedding recording and other important stuff). While i am very much a tech geek VHS is a bit out of my time so this was very informative.
Thanks again!
Glad the video helped, enjoy your VHS tapes!
The video and information was very helpful! I was a little late getting started but it was easy to set up and use, and works perfectly! Thank you!
GREAT video!
Followed your instructions and it worked perfect first time.
Thank you!
Thank you so much. Such a great video and walkthrough of how to get everything working. I have subscribed. Thanks again.
The best video tutorial! Keep it up. You have made my day
Very nice job providing sufficient detail. Thank you!
Thanks for the comment, glad the video helped - Best wishes in 2023!
Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try this!
Brilliant and helpful video - thank you 👍
I can't thank you enough for this video, this told me everything I needed to do save our family videos.
Honestly comments like this make my day. I figured it out for the same reason. . . . wanting to save family VHS videos. I am glad I was able to help, enjoy going thru your old VHS tapes.
Love this type of content. Great job!
Thank you, hope it helps. If you try it let me know how it goes or if you have questions.
Very well done Thank you. Also for adding details about using the OBS Software
Great video and instructions! I tried a couple other pieces of hardware and software before I found your video and nothing worked well. This build is perfect for what I need. Thank you
Glad the video helped, enjoy your VHS tapes!
Awesome video! I’ve seen other videos but yours is straight to the point😀
Thank you for the nice comment, enjoy your VHS tapes!
VERY PERFECT SOLUTION
your sharing is useful, i will try
Thank you. I've tried to do this 12 years today.never really figured it out.
Thanks for the video. You have the best explanation. You should be a teacher.
This is exacty what i was looking for. And definitely the best way to digitize VHS content.
Mine works ABSOLUTELY *great* and plan on converting ALL of my VHS tapes to digital format in the months to come. Prices may vary according to who and what name brand items one purchases. All-in-all, this is the best way to get the job done.
Glad the video helped, enjoy your VHS tapes!
Thanks for the video.
Great video!! I have so many old vcr tapes that are just going to molder away unless I do this! Thanks!
An outstanding Job !!!! Easy for me to follow and understand in a way that makes sense and I am getting these things now.Thank you and God Bless you.
both are on the way :>) $34.00 total price but not a problem.
Glad the video helped, enjoy your VHS tapes!
Great video and people with VHS tapes should really do this as soon as they can if they want to preserve their video. The fact is that every time the tape is played it becomes a little more damaged and the video slightly more degraded. A digital copy can be saved in multiple places and copied continuously without any degradation in quality.
Just one minor point about setting up the cables which might cause some less techie people some confusion. The VCR has both inputs and outputs and from memory (I don't have a VCR handy) the outputs are marked something like "video out, audio out". The video mentions inputs for the VCR, front and back and we can see three sets, but one of those sets will be for video out, audio out.
LAst VHS machine made in 2016
I was finally able to acquire the needed items and follow this tutorial. Let me just say, it worked to perfection! Excellent video with step-by-step instructions - thank you so much for sharing this!
Glad it helped, enjoy your VHS tapes!
@@LivinginthePast2021 Thank you! Quick question for you, some of my VHS tapes contain segments of the news and tv shows that I recorded off the television in the late 80's and early 90's. They do also have commercials throughout and in between, is there a way to edit those commercials out of the file using OBS Studio?
I take the videos out of OBS studio, then load them in Microsoft Photos (free on Windows 10) and trim out what I want. Check out this video, it should walk you thru it but let me know if you have questions: ruclips.net/video/IqfmjvsLe6Q/видео.html
@@LivinginthePast2021 I will definitely check out this other video!! If I need any help along the way, I will message you there while I'm watching!! Thanks again so much!! 👍👍
@@dayvid20000 I use Pinnacle Studio HD15 for editing video. It's cheap and user friendly
Thank you, especially the OBS settings. I will give it a try and let you know. Well done. :)
Thank you so much. I am very grateful to you for this.
Thanks for the comment, glad the video helped - Best wishes in 2023!
Great video man. I liked and subscribed.
this is how a instruction vid should be freaking awsome thanks alot
Very clear presentation, thank you.
Thanks for the nice comment, enjoy your VHS tapes!
Very useful thanks LITP
🎉🎉🎉Excellent Video 🎉🎉🎉 Good Job done… Chase !!! 🎉🎉🎉
Awesome tutorial! Thank you!
Thanks for the nice comment, enjoy your VHS tapes!
Thank you
nice tutorial now i can play my old vcr tapes
Glad the video helped, enjoy your VHS tapes!
thank you very much
Thanks for the comment. I am glad the video helped, enjoy your VHS tapes!
Best video on how to do this. Thanks!.
Thanks for the nice comment, enjoy your VHS tapes!
Very helpful - thanks a lot!
Glad the video helped, enjoy your VHS tapes.
Thank you for the video very easy to follow. I will be doing some shopping to get what I don't have, I will have more questions for you I'm sure
Thanks again . 👍👍👍
Glad the video helped, enjoy your VHS tapes!
@ 14:00 "If you want to listen to your sound while you're watching..." I did not know audio pass through for listening is a feature of OBS. I always modified the listen-to settings within Window's audio settings so I can hear the sound. Won't be changing those Window's settings to listen to the input ever again. Thank you! Well worth watching your video just for that lifetime OBS tip alone. BTW, for anyone else who doesn't also know, the newest version of OBS places the Advanced Audio Options in any of the three dot menus at the end of the Audio Mixer volume control sliders.
you can also set obs to record for a certain amount of time
Hi, I just bought the needed items which will arrive tomorrow. I'm so looking forward to capturing my old VHS videos and having them in digital form to keep for the future, fingers crossed that it all works out for me. Many thanks for this video, just what I've been looking for. Thank you.
I am here if you run into problems or have questions :).
Many thanks for your reply, much appreciated. Well here we are the day after and with delivery of all items needed for the VHS video to digital capture. I have to say from the outset that after following your very detailed explanation video and following it to the letter I am now finding myself with digital format video from my old VHS video tapes on my computer and it all works like a dream, in fact while writing this reply I am converting my son's wedding which was on 14th July 2001 from the VHS video tape it was shot on. Over the pond here in England my purchase's through Amazon cost just £34.00 far less expensive than what I thought I would have had to pay by using other methods and it all works like a dream like I said. So far no problems whatsoever. I am recording and converting all my VHS videos to my computer in Mp4 format and when I buy another larger 4 or 6 Tb external drive I will upload them all to that. Many, many thanks for your excellent instructional video and for saving me quite a lot of money. Well done indeed. Thank you.
@@keithp1140 Comments like this never get old. I am so glad to hear my video helped and was easy to follow. Thanks so much for the follow up to let me know you were successful. I too have had to purchase a couple external hard drives after starting this project. Enjoy your VHS tapes and the MP4 backups :).
That's what I thought too!! If it's good playing it should be good recording, but it starts as soon as I click on the record button. Thanks for looking more into OBS ... I'll be checking back to see any updates! Thanks again!
well presented
Thank you.
Have been looking for a while for this type of thing to transfer some family videos. Thanks
Family tapes shouldn't require much equipment. The commercial ones can have DRM embedded and are a lot more expensive to properly copy. Really, with the cost of DVDs, commercial tapes are best not converted unless it's a copy that didn't get a DVD release or it's one of the earlier VHS copies of anything by George Lucas where he went back and changed things.
@@SmallSpoonBrigade well seen as I said family videos I think we can safely say that copyright of prerecorded tapes containing movies is not going to be a problem. I’m fully aware of copyrighted material thank you. I’m sure that information will be valuable to someone whois wanting to copy anything other than family videos.
Thanks for the comment. This is how I got into doing this video. . . I too was looking for a way to get old family videos on VHS backed up as digital files. Hope the video helped.
Awsome and thanks
Thanks for the comment. I am glad the video helped, enjoy your VHS tapes!
Thanx
Two things you didn’t mention, the composite to HDMI converter requires a power source, I saw you had the cable, it just needs to be plugged in for the converter to work (unless I missed it in your video). Also, when you use the HDMI converter, it always stretches the 4:3 format, you can set up OBS to record in 4:3 or, you need video editing software to correct that. I have the same set up as you for my hi8 camcorder conversions. Great video!
How do you set up OBS to record in 4:3 format ratio?
@@TerrydeAlaskawatch this one goes step by step! What you want starts at roughly 9 mins in ruclips.net/video/tk-n7IlrXI4/видео.htmlsi=FOXUJJiBkKIb9dSO
thank you good video
Glad the video helped, enjoy your VHS tapes.
I have watched many youtube videos on how to transfer videos from an old Sharp 8mm camcorder over to a computer. Your video clear and easily understandable instructions from beginning to end. It is excellent and very well put together. I hope that after I receive the Video Capture Card from Amazon and connect everything, I will be able to transfer the 8mm videos over to my computer. I'll post my results, good or bad. Thanks
Thanks for the nice comment, I am here to help so keep me posted.
@@LivinginthePast2021 Hooked it all tonight, went into OBS Studio and followed your directions. I am using a Sharp Camcorder instead of a VCR but I don't think that matters. The camcorder is running and I can see the video playing on it. But, I only get a blue screen on the OBS Studio. What have I done wrong, or what else should I be doing? Thank you.
@@jaymonroe8050 This might be a dumb question but do you have your Camcorder on and playing? I too get a blue screen when connecting my VCR, then I hit play and my content starts playing. The blue screen will be the default you will see when connect but the external device is not playing anything. I always recommend clicking play before even opening OBS studio. That way when you open it and look for your source you will see the content playing (vs. a blank screen). If you still have your source out there you can double click on it. . . change the device to something other than USB video. . . . .then change it back to usb video and if your device is playing, you should see that content. I hope this helps, keep me posted.
I use my Dvd recorder, but this is a good video
Only thing I would add is compressing end result with something like handbrake (also free software like obs) to save space if needed.
بسیار عالی بود تشکر
I need the full screen picture on your computer. Like I recorded movies from u tube. You did mention clearly the size of the picture if the size is little bit small its useless for us I need the full HD on the screen just like television set.😛
Good job. I watched anothrr video elsehwere and changed the video aspect from 1980x1080 as was said on his clip but the video ended up streched on reply. So i left it on 1980x1080
Speaking of living in the past. After the apocalypse, or whatever we end up calling it, digital media, and magnetic media will be tough to work with. Now film, if stored properly, will survive much, and can be viewed without ANY electricity. Photos can also be viewed without ANY tech.
Start storing physical now before All Is Lost.
Really good video...succinct and clear. I will be attempting this in the next few months and appreciate how you lay everything out piece by piece, step by step. Once the files are recorded onto whatever drive I choose to use, can they be burned to DVD and played in a DVD player? Thanks in advance!
Glad the video helped, enjoy your VHS tapes!
set obs to 'yadif 2x' in the interlacing options, and 'lancoz' in the scale filtering youll get much smoother video finish.
Seems like it should work, will add it to my to-do list. My main concern is that videotape is not forever - someday it will stop working even if you don't touch it. So even though I rarely watch movies in any format anymore, I'd still like to be able to avoid the disappointment of finding that my 30 year old tape no longer works.
Thanks for the comment. What you said is exactly why I started this process. I had a bunch of my dads old VHS tapes. I don't think I will ever want to watch them. . . but I wanted the content in a digital format just in case, and was afraid at some point the tapes would not play (or my VCR would go out).
If you're going to purchase external hardware, there are devices in the $50-100 range that digitize the video and save it to a SD card. This eliminates the need for the HDMI hardware and OBS. When finished you just insert the SD card into the computer or card reader and copy the file.
The fancy ones ($100-200) even have a little screen so you can see what's being recorded. However this can also be done using Y cables to split the VHS output between the converter and a TV.
...could you give some info on the device you refer to...thanks 😎
OBS provides some deinterlacing and compression options that might be lacking in the all-in-one conversion to SD card solution. Nevertheless, it's a simple option that gets you a digital file to work with.
Vielen Dank
I bought vivitar HDMI to usb video capture card and onn brand HDMI to composite AV Adapter and I am not sure if thats the problem, but I hooked everything up just as you did, and I used OBS Studio and did the samething, but it sees the device USB Video, I have vcr on and playing, but all I get is vertical straight color lines, white, yello blue, green, well hope you know what lines Im talking about. But anyway I dont see any video, I also unhooked the onn composite and still see the color lines. I dont know what to do from here. is it because Im using my DVD/VCR combo or does that matter. I hope you can please let me know what to do, or if anyone can be of some help. Thank you.
If you do not have an HDMI compatible computer, you will also need to convert from VGA to HDMI to record: I own a Win 8 t PC(as modern as that, believe it or not) and it does not have HDMI. So, I have one of those little white boxes that looks as if it is the same brand that he uses in this video.
welldone
and if you want to record to VHS then you would need a HDMI to RCA box, as in your taking that HDMI digital signal and stepping it down to an analogue signal to record to. (just make sure to plug an extra set of RCA cables into a CRT TV so you can see what your recording.)
Very helpful and easy to follow steps. Thank you. Only problem I had was recording the sound to the video. I couldnt figure out how to set the audio in obs. Any suggestions? Ty
disable all your audio inputs in audio properties and then the sound will come through the capture card only.
Very Cool, liked and subscribed! Yes, would've really loved this in the past but yet there are uses for today. Can you also transfer just sound from cassette decks? Thank you.
I would also like to know if you could transfer just sound from cassett decks as well as off U- tube Good question Howard
If you record as an mp4, this is very close to DVD formats and you can get free software to change your mp4 into a DVD instead.
I have been using different capture video program now want to know how do I switch them to MP4 ..wished I heard yours before. And don't know how to play on TV plus mine is from camcorder and DVD? Please help .thank u
I hit the Subscribe button to live in the Past because Present .....you fill the bLANK!!
I use the same setup. A couple things you might mention... 1, under Tools on the top menu bar you can select Output timer and set the length of time it will record. You can also see the recordings under the File / Show Recordings from the top menu bar. One thing I'm trying to find is for OBS to stop recording when the video signal is lost. I currently setting record time for 6hrs and then using Windows Movie Maker to split the content. Would be nice if OBS stopped recording automatically.
so i tried everything for each audio and it wont get the audio ive tried the monitor and output and all of the global audio devices and it wont get the audio please help me i need these finished for my 80 year old grand pa
Should use EBAY they are well cheaper than what you paid ;) I just did mine. 01. USB VHS To DVD Audio Video Converter Scart to RCA/S-Video Adapter Capture UK £6 02. HDMI had one for years. RCA AV/Audio cable had one for ages. No where near $50 Streamlabs is smaller and does same job. Stream Labs cut down of OBS, ;)
Now I can get all of my VHC tapes put into digital.
A couple of pointers
Get the RGB version of OBS
Make sure to set a de-interlace method
Fix the resolution from 16:9 to 4:3
Wouldn't an S-Video connection look a little better ? I would like to try this for copying video from my Hi 8 video camera and VCR which have S-video connections
Excellent video…just one FYI
The white small box you buy - be very careful as these boxes come in 2 options… RCA or AV to HDMI. There is also an HDMI to AV / RCA
Pls don’t buy the opposite one for this purpose… we need AV to HDMI
Great video everything proven vhs tapes last longer then that thing does everything proven
They don't really, they just degrade in a way that doesn't typically lead to the tape being completely unusable. (That is unless it gets eaten by the VCR and damaged irreparably in the process) The tapes usually degrade slowly over time, but unlike vinyl that does as well, they'll degrade if you just store them too close to your TV's speakers.
Will this work with mini vhs tapes, we used to have them in our handycam. Provided your handycam is still in working condition.
If not, maybe we will need a mini Toby’s tape adaptor - a hollow vhs tape in which you insert your mini vhs
When i record and play the recording on my computer with a media player the sound has an echo, how can i fix that ?
Can this method be modified to use with the S-video output of a laser disc player?
you can also plug in cable yv to watch tv on PC
That is correct, I need to do a video on how to do that some day.
A minor error in your wording - you want the output from the VCR not the inputs
Thank you for your descriptive tutorial. I have bought myself a new laptop a few months ago and I've been wanting to capture stuff on vhs without going through a lot of hassle. My previous laptop I had didn't consist of enough memory. It had like, nearly 30 gb of memory, and I knew I was gonna need more. So I bought myself a laptop with 1TB of memory. Is there a way to adjust the aspect ratio, while still maintaining the same frame rate?
There is an option to adjust the aspects ratio under Settings--> Video in OBS studio. Personally I have never messed with it as the regular 16:9 ratio always looked fine to me in playback.
So a 6 hour VCR tape could take about 20GB of file disk space? So, what's the best file format settings to reduce file space, but still keep decent picture quality?
At 5:09 I expected you to say "signal out", you never did, once you said "in". This is the signal OUT connection.
Thanks for this video, it has been very helpful!
I do have a question on the audio... the sound has a bit of an echo to it and it's consistent from one VHS tape to the next.
I'm wondering if there is a setting option that needs to be updated.
I appreciate any feedback.
Steve
Make sure you do not have a second audio source (i.e. desktop audio, microphone, etc.) turned on because that will get captured in your recording. You only want the one source that is your VCR unmuted when you record. Hope that helps.
Great video... thank you!
The only small detail that I noticed is that while you connected to the outputs of the VCR you called them "inputs" a couple of times. Anyone watching this who doesn't know what they're doing could conceivably get confused by that.
Anyway, you didn't talk to much at all, it was perfect.
It might have been better to call them something like 'output jacks'
Hey thank you for a great informative video I do have a question though I noticed there's a lot of different video capture cards that a lot of different prices is there a big difference the more you pay thank you again
Not that I have found. The one I show in the video is still my go to. . . it is easy and the quality is just as good as any others I have tried.
I haven't tried this yet, but looking forward to it. Can I ask someone if this OBS studio has an editing feature - ie if the old VHS tape has 1 1/2 hours of good content and 1/2 of rubbish and false starts in the middle, how do I go about editing out the unwanted bits?
You don't have to record the whole tape. . . you can start and stop the recording at any point using OBS. Alternatively you can record the whole tape then use a 3rd party software (like Microsoft Clip Champ) to remove the unwanted bits. Hope that helps.
Note: if you use PAL the AV2HDMI still outputs 60hz which will make it look trash
There is but point I feel compelled to mention however, that of image Thank you for this great tutorial. It has inspired me to finally get around to digitising my horde of VHS recordings, at least ones with worthy content.
There is however one point I feel compelled to mention . It is that of image aspect ratio.
Some may think I'm over-sensitive (and they may well be right) but I find it difficult to enjoy any video displayed in an incorrect aspect ratio.
The most common example of this practice is having vision that was originally shot in pre-1953 'Academy' (4:3) proportions, horizontally stretched to fit the the current 16:9 'widescreen' ratio.
Most material recorded during the VHS era would be in the more squarish 4:3 shape. Might I suggest that this point be kept in mind when digitising old videos to avoid having people appearing overly plump or, in the case of close-ups, suffering from the mumps?
You can adjust the output aspect ratio to 4:3 in OBS studio here is a video where I show how: ruclips.net/video/GZxtUPXC87U/видео.html