I need to declutter my house! I have tons of video tapes that my kids still watch. I need to know how to transfer videos to DVD's? Also what about scratched DVD's? Any suggestions besides tossing them? I have bought that cheap cleaning kit from Wal-Mart and that didn't help much so don't suggest that.
Thanks!
My sister just bought a DVD burner from Best Buy and I think she said it was around $100. They are currently burning all their VHS to DVD and LOVE it. You can also try Game Stop to polish the scratches out of your DVD's, again sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. They actually worked wonders on our DVD's and CD's.
Good luck!
My hubby transfers our tapes to DVD & here is his suggestion....to transfer the tapes
get a cheap vhs with a dvd burner combo at walmart and follow the instructions.
As for the scratched DVD's he said you can try to polish with toothpaste (that's a fine polishing cream). It won't hurt them.
some newer model dvd players (not blu-ray) have built in burners, perhaps someone you know owns one of these? if you're handy with the computer, you can capture the footage from most VHS tapes, format it on your computer for a movie and export it to a DVD. there are also businesses that can do the transfer for you. i'm not sure where you live so you may just want to Google it (VHS to DVD transfer).
as far as scratched DVDs, i don't know if there is a place like this in your area or not, but in Austin, TX there is a store called Planet Replay that will resurface your DVDs (removing scratches, fingerprints and the like) for around $1 a disc. its not always successful b/c sometimes the amount of damage is too great, but its worth investigating if you don't want to just go out and replace all your DVDs.
i hope this helps you!
I am about 4 technologies behind!!! Two years ago, I bought a stand alone DVD recorder. It does not attach to your computer but to your TV. I can transfer VHS, MiniDV, other dvd's, etc. At that time, it was $200 and it is Sony brand. Since most of my tapes are personal family videos, I really wanted to transfer them and this is the cheapest way in the long run.
If your kids are still watching the videos why get rid of them?? You can still get a player at Walmart that plays VHS and DVD. The VHS are more durable with kids-they don't scratch! And when you do change over, I would suggest donating them to the local library.
You can buy a VHS to DVD recorder at Walmart or online like at Amazon. Not sure of prices now, but about 5 years ago, they were a little over $200. The unit will also play VHS and DVD's. Or you can bring them to a shop that will transfer them but it's expensive. Search for VHS copying services. As for the scratched ones, sometimes they are too bad to be fixed, but some game stores have a machine that buffs them out. It works on video games so should work on DVDs also. Won't hurt to ask. Good luck.
With regard to the scratched DVDs, we take ours to our local video game store or movie rental store and for a fee of $2-$3, they will put them through their machine that takes the scratches out. At the video game store, they will test it, and if it still doesn't play properly, they give us our $2-$3 back!
Try Hollywood Video....they will buff your DVD's. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Good luck.
I can offer no "how to" help. I'm blessed with a son who finds it easier to do such things for me rather than teach me how--lol. However, I do want to recommend that when you are finished with the videos you donate them to a nursing home or adult day care. If they are children's videos perhaps you could donate them to a children's shelter or foster home.
