In the past, analog video preserved important events that were recorded on tape and could be played back on a VHS. Today, it is possible to recover the contents of these old tapes on a PC and you can even burn the video to a CD in Windows. We recommend you read this article with which you will learn How to transfer or capture analog video or vhs on my PC easily
What is an analog video?
An analog video is a format that is used on tapes. The process of capturing the image is carried out on photosensitive materials that receive variations in light intensity and are captured on a magnetic support.
Generally, analog video is edited in a linear fashion and can decrease in quality when the tape deteriorates or when dubbing is made.
What is VHS?
VHS stands for “Video Home System” and refers to an analog video and audio recording system created by the JVC company in the 1970s. VHS is often called a “video cassette.” The VHS is made up of two reels inside and a travel format for a half-inch tape.
The VHS has an opening to insert the tapes. This opening has a lid that has a mechanism to open it automatically when a tape is inserted.
How to transfer or capture analog or vhs video on my pc easily
If you want to transfer or capture an analog video or vhs on your PC in a simple way, you need a converter and a computer that has a CD-DVD drive. If you don’t have the converter, you can choose to convert an HDMI cable to RCA at home. To carry out the video capture process, follow the steps that we explain below.
Get the right converter
Before transferring or capturing an analog video or vhs on your PC, you must get a converter that allows you to connect the VHS with the computer. This tool should have three connectors: one RCA female colored red, yellow, and white, one S-video connector, and one USB connector to link to the computer.
It is important to point out that the converter must be of the OUT type, that is, it must allow the video to be transferred from the VHS to the computer. These types of converters come with an installation CD or allow you to download an installation file from the manufacturer’s website.
Make the connections
Once you purchase the converter, you must establish the connections between the equipment and the VHS. For this, connect the RCA end to the player or VHS (according to each color) and the USB connector to your PC.
Install the converter software
Insert the installation CD (that comes with the converter) into your CD-DVD drive and wait while the converter software runs automatically. If this doesn’t happen, go to “This PC” on your computer and double-click the drive to launch its contents. Then, it will start the installation process on your PC.
Configure the app
Once the installation of the software is finished, access it so that you can use its functions. With this program, you can record only a section of the analog video or all of its content.
Also, you need to configure the image and audio quality. However, the image quality will not be very high because the analog videos were not recorded under the same conditions that we know today.
Capture or transfer the video on your PC
When you finish configuring the application, capture the analog video on your PC. To achieve this, press the “Capture Video” button and the software will perform all the necessary actions. At the end of this task, you will get a digital file that will be stored on your PC.
If you want to check the quality of the file, you can open it from a player like “VLC Media Player” to view its content from a special player. Download this tool from the official website of Videolan. If you can’t watch the video with VLC don’t worry because it’s very easy to fix common VLC problems on Windows.
