[dcc733]

I have a 4450 Dell 2.4mhz w/DVD burner & would like to burn my old analog vhs family videos to DVD. Any opinion on easiest way. Considering Pinnacle Studio Deluxe but it's pricey. Please advise. Thanks.
Dcc
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[heliotrope]

Dcc:

MAN! $200.00? I'll say, that's WAY expensive!

I did a search, on Google, for a downloadable capture program, and found this: http://www.ulead.com/dmf/features.htm.

I don't have a DVD player, so I don't have any real knowledge, but it might be worth a look-see. I assume, based on the download price of $44.95, it doesn't have all the features that Pinnacle does, but it may be enough to get your VHS tapes transferred to disks.

Hope this helps.

Rose

[psi42]

Also try virtualdub (http://www.virtualdub.org/). It doesn't have a great editing interface (like for splitting/merging parts of a video--it can be done, but it's awkward) but it has superb capturing, filtering, and encoding capibilities.
You will also need something to encode your video and burn it (virtualdub doesn't support MPEG-2).
I have heard good things about a program called DVD Maestro, but I don't think it is in production anymore.

P.S. I don't recommend you buy Pinnacle, I have the non-deluxe version and it crashes a lot. :)

Hope this helps...
~psi42

[dcc733]

I believe I need a video capture card so I can trf my old JVC VHS tapes into my Dell to start the process. Suggestions?
DC

[psi42]

Be sure to get a capture device with as high resolution as you can afford. DVD resolution is 720x400 or something like that, and you want at least 640x480 capture.
There are some devices that capture at 320x240. If it doesn't say anything on the box, that's probably what they are. These are significantly cheaper but provide poor quality.
You might hear that VCR resolution is 320x240 so it doesn't matter, but that is incorrect. For maximum quality, you need to capture at 640x480 and then deinterlace it.

hope this helps...
~psi42