How do I digitize my analog video collection?
I have hours and hours of analog video (family video) that I would like to digitize and store on my computer. I have a digital video camera and I can copy the video from from analog video camera to my digital, and then capture the video on my computer.
There are two disadvantages to this. A, it means taking two steps to capture the video and playing everything twice. But B, and more importantly, there is something wrong with my DV camera and the video wiggles and fuzzies (technical terms) off to the right on the screen. Cleaning the heads does not help this.
So what I’m looking for is a device that can go directly from analog to my capture program on my computer. Or maybe a device that captures all on it’s own and produces a file I can store anywhere. It should cost less that $100, and it should put out as high quality video as the analog signal will allow. If cheaper can do high quality, that’s fine.
I’ve seen devices from $25 to several hundred. A lot of the reviews on the low cost devices say the quality isn’t very good. They have other complaints, too.
Can you help?
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
5 Answers
I bought one of the devices that is cheaper and copies directly. I’ll say that unfortunately, you’re always going to face one issue or another. Mine was that intermittently it would read something as “copyrighted material” and stop recording.
There’s a reason for such protections of course – but in cases like yours and mine, it’s really just a nuisance. I think that you may have the best method in the two-step process. Playing the analog to a computer and using a different program to capture is the loophole for those copyright protections.
What you have to accept is that in order to get a clean transfer, you’re going to have to invest real money, or use a service rather than doing it yourself.
I suggest that you get a video input USB adapter. I’ve been looking at them too. I found a number of interesting devices on Tiger Direct.com
Just a note that your analog materials may actually be safer and longer-lasting than digital. We still have clay tablets from 6000+ BCE, but digital data is subject to bit rot. The first arcade video games, for example, are slowly dying because high-energy gamma rays are constantly bombarding the physical media and causing bits of stored data to disappear. By all means convert to digital to make it more convenient to view, but keep your analog originals and your grandchildren’s grandchildren may still be viewing them.
@SmashTheState You make a good general point, but in the specific case of video recorded by analog means to magnetic media, almost any digital format will offer greater stability over time and particularly over repeated plays or copies. VHS, Hi-8 and similar media used some technical hacks to cram data more densely on a tape than was previously possible, at the expense of long-term viability. The “bit rot” difference in this particular case (as with most others) is that both degrade over time, but digital degradation can be measured while analog cannot.
Also, digital formats offer checksums and other features that analog formats lack, so that even when degradation occurs it can be detected and (sometimes) fixed.
By all means, the analog originals should be kept for as long as they last.
@iamthemob Sounds like the device was defective by design.
Response moderated (Spam)
Answer this question 
This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.
Composing members:
0
