In the past, analog videos preserved important events that were recorded on tape and could be played back on VHS. Currently, it is possible to recover the contents of these old tapes on a PC and you can even burn a CD with the video in Windows. We recommend reading this article with which you will learn How to transfer or capture analog or vhs video on my PC easily
What is an analog video?
An analog video is a format that is used on tape. The image capture process is carried out on photosensitive materials that receive variations in the intensity of the light and are reflected on a magnetic support.
Generally, an analog video is edited in a linear fashion and quality may decrease when the tape deteriorates or when dubbing is made.
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 composed of two reels inside and a path format for a half-inch tape.
The VHS has an opening to insert tapes. This opening has a cover that has a mechanism to open it automatically when a tape is inserted.
How to transfer or capture analog or vhs video to my PC easily
If you want to transfer or capture an analog or vhs video 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 or vhs video on your PC, you must get a converter that allows you to connect the VHS with the computer. This tool must have three connectors: a female RCA connector with the colors red, yellow and white, an S-video connector and another USB connector to establish the link with the equipment.
It is important to point out that the converter must be an OUT type, that is, it must allow the video transfer from the VHS to the computer. These types of converters come with an installation CD or allow the download of 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 (which comes with the converter) into the CD-DVD drive and wait while the converter software runs automatically. If this does not happen, go to “This computer” on your computer and double click on the drive to run its content. Then, it will start the installation process on your PC.
Configure the app
Once the software installation is complete, access it so that you can use its functions. With this program, you can record only a section of the analog video or all 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, take the analog video capture on your PC. To achieve this, press the “Capture video” button and the software will perform all the necessary actions. Upon completion 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 Videolan website. If you can’t watch the video with VLC don’t worry because it’s very easy to fix common VLC problems in Windows.