[thenotch]

Is this legal? To take a VHS tape and transfer it to DVD? If so, what is the best method to achieve this?

The reason I ask is there is a movie I want but it only comes in VHS format and I would rather create a DVD of the film so that I can watch it other than on my main TV set where the VCR is located (ie on my PC or on a portable DVD player).

I have a strong feeling that, even with no intention to sell it or give it out and to use it for personal home use that it is probably still illegal.

Edited by thenotch, 12 January 2007 - 04:24 PM.

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Yes it's illegal. The format or media you copy it to is irrelevant as far as legality is concerned. Only home videos can be legally copied.

[pip22]

Yes it's illegal. The format or media you copy it to is irrelevant as far as legality is concerned. Only home videos can be legally copied.

[RatHat]

Should you want to make copies of "legal" vhs tapes to DVD, what equipment/software is required?

At work, we carry out a lot of inspections which are recorded to VHS, then copied and handed over to the client. I would like to be able to suggest to the company that we invest in the equipment/software needed to export to DVD as this is much more professional nowadays.

Also is it possible to overlay a commentary, and is the transfer easy to do?

[handhfan]

I'm not sure about how you would put a commentary to it. But I can tell you that you can use a DVR (Digital Video Recorder)/DVD Recorder. There are several video and sound input channels, and you can easily insert your VHS player and record onto a DVD using high-quality to convert your home movies. The DVR/DVD Recorder is around $100-$150 I believe, but worth it in the long run if you need to do a lot of recording.

[edenn]

Look into Pinnacle Movie box. It is a hardware device that you insert between your VHS player and a USB port on your computer. The system also comes with computer software for editing your audio and video prior to burning your DVD copy, you can also add audio/titles/ etc.